Martin Audio takes Noa from day-to-night in Vietnam

Vietnam:

Noa by Hybrid Dining Club in Nha Trang, Vietnam, has deployed a Martin Audio sound system designed by local systems integrator B-Star to support both fine dining and nightclub operation from a single integrated audio platform.

Located in one of Vietnam's leading coastal tourism destinations, the venue transitions from a restaurant during the day to a DJ-led nightlife destination in the evening, requiring an audio system capable of automatically adapting to two distinct operating modes.

Rather than installing separate systems, B-Star designed a networked solution that allows the venue to switch between background music and high-energy club sound while maintaining consistent audio quality and simple operation for staff.

The indoor system comprises 16 Martin Audio Q10 units, two Q12 and two Q15 loudspeakers, supported by eight Q118 subwoofers. The outdoor restaurant area is equipped with four Q12, two Q15 loudspeakers and two Q118 subwoofers to provide coverage across the open-air dining space.

The loudspeaker system is powered by five iKON iK41-Dante and three iKON iK42-Dante amplifiers, providing Dante networking and centralised system management. System processing is handled by an NST Audio D48X DSP processor alongside a Martin Audio DX0.6 system controller for loudspeaker optimisation and protection.

For mixing duties, the installation includes an Allen & Heath SQ-5 digital mixing console for live performances and DJ events, alongside an Allen & Heath QU-5 console for day-to-day venue operation.

“The client's primary requirement was to create a sound system capable of supporting two completely different operational scenarios while remaining extremely simple for the venue staff to use,” explained Ita Pham, CEO and lead system engineer at B-Star.

Before 9:00pm, the indoor and outdoor loudspeaker systems operate as one unified system, delivering background music throughout the restaurant. Then, after 9:00pm, the entire system changes into two completely independent zones.

“The objective was to create an enjoyable atmosphere earlier on in the evening while allowing guests to dine and converse naturally,” noted Pham. “Then in the evening, the outdoor restaurant continues operating with pleasant background music at moderate levels, while the indoor area transforms into a full-scale nightclub featuring live DJ performances and significantly higher sound pressure levels.”

Pham said that the engineering objective was to not only achieve operational flexibility, but also to ensure that the audio quality remained high in every operating mode. “Even when the nightclub is running at high output levels with DJs performing, the system continues to deliver outstanding clarity, powerful low-frequency performance and uniform coverage throughout the venue,” he stated. “Once the installation and system tuning were completed, the client was extremely satisfied with both the operational flexibility and the overall sound quality delivered by the Martin Audio system.”

According to B-Star, achieving the dual-mode operation required extensive loudspeaker zoning, customised DSP presets and an intelligent control strategy to enable seamless transitions between restaurant and nightclub operation while maintaining a consistent user workflow.