Audio Problem-Solving: Reinventing the B&H Speaker Room

MIDTOWN, MANHATTAN: Among many of life’s mysteries, the question of how to audition studio monitors during a store visit has long beguiled mixers, producers, and vendors.

Turning a wall of speakers into something conducive to comparison was of particular interest to the NYC retailer B&H, who last year strove to solve the parallel problem for microphones with their well thought-out mic room. Armed with the experience of that plugged-in buildout, B&H recently completed a major makeover of their speaker room, converting the space into a high-functioning showplace for customers that want to evaluate multiple monitoring systems as accurately as possible.

Inside the new speaker room of B&H.

Keith Cenname, Manager of Display Merchandising for B&H, learned how to take on the customer’s perspective from the 2011 mic room renovation, then applied it to the speaker project. “Although the mic room has the ability to demo mics and pre amps with great accuracy, I wanted it to be warmer and more inviting,” Cenname recalls. “I took this concept and applied it to the design of the new speaker room, which I wanted to be both sonically accurate and also have a welcoming feel.

”We needed to upgrade the speaker room simply because it was, to say the least, a mess: It was a dark, cold uninviting space. Most of the speakers were too high and shooting the sound way over people’s heads, and that’s even if we could get the speakers to work.  We also had a lot of problems with the snakes and the switchers we were using. I wanted to get as many speakers to deliver the sound at the correct height, as well as have one switcher that was user friendly and could run the entire room.”

Fitting It In

Adding to the challenge was the fact that Cenname and John Pace, Pro Audio Sales Manager for B&H, wanted the 25×20 room to comfortably accommodate a lot: visitors to the space can audition 50 pairs of speakers (both studio monitors and live sound), two DJ rigs, two electronic drum kits and an assortment of lighting from washes to 24 DJ effect lights.

“We wanted to create a space that was comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and conducive to product evaluation,” Pace says. “Another important part of the equation was to use cutting edge technology to facilitate the experience. Everything is controlled through a touch screen Peavey Media Matrix system. The vast array of studio monitors, PA monitors and DJ lighting is all controlled by a touch screen with visual images of each product you wish to audition.”

Using the touch screen system, visitors can efficiently interact with images of the different monitor choices to audition the speakers on hand, which include Focal, KRK, Genelec, and Dynaudio, among other brands that have proven popular with B&H customers. Subwoofers can also be easily turned off/on via the display – it’s an intuitive system that takes a couple of minutes to master at most.

Listen Longer

Visitors can listen to the reference material that’s at the ready in the room, or bring their own CDs, portable music players, or hard drives to plug into the system. Customers are invited to stay as long as they feel they need to in order to make an informed decision.

“First off, we wanted a certain comfort level — one that didn’t feel like a retail environment,” Pace explains. “The next and biggest challenge was that all speakers were level-matched, so when you switch from one pair to another, regardless of the speaker size you never have to touch the gain control. So when you A, B back and forth, the characteristics of the speakers become very apparent to the listener.

“From an acoustic standpoint we wanted the acoustics to have continuity with the mic room. So as long as there were no standing waves or flutter echo, we kept acoustic treatment to a minimum.”

“One of the challenges I faced was displaying the speakers at the correct height in order for customers to listen to them properly,” Cenname adds. “You want to have a lot of speakers, but the more shelves you add the higher the speakers must go.  I used Ultimate Support MS-80 monitor stands which gave me the ability to angle the top row of reference monitors down so they can reach the listeners sweet spot.”

With its spacious feel, colorful ambience, and improved ergonomics, the intensively renovated B&H speaker room provides an increased comfort level that eases decision-making. “It was a massive project that involved a lot of research, time and dedication,” Keith Cenname says. “But in the end it was well worth it: Our customers now have a great place they can demo speakers, lights, DJ equipment, and electronic drums.

”My perspective on how retail environments shape decision making has evolved a great deal thanks to the mic room and the speaker room,” he continues. “These rooms have given me a better sense on how to analyze an environment, and then visualize all the tasks necessary to transform an empty room into a stimulating shopping experience.”

— David Weiss

The live sound setup on the right side of the room.

Please note: When you buy products through links on this page, we may earn an affiliate commission.