[JerryM]

Taking this one step farther (and admittedly to the absurd), could "Sound by Salk" be a promotional tool for public accommodations? 

For a coffee house? Yes, absolutely.

For an elevator, probably not that much. 

Have fun,
Jerry

[jtwrace]

Taking this one step farther (and admittedly to the absurd), could "Sound by Salk" be a promotional tool for public accommodations?  Never mind...just thinking out loud...

- Jim

As I mentioned to him above in a half joking manner...I was serious.  Yes, in NYC I think you can.  Obviously you have a potential huge audience and depending on location, more money then most.  Coffee Houses in NYC are a trendy place...audio fits right in with nice shoes, purses, shirts, slacks...

[coke]

Whenever I go to a public place and hear music playing, even if it's just background music, I usually find myself trying to locate the speakers to determine what brand they are.  I don't ever recall hearing something I enjoyed though. 

My dad often brings up a story of when he went to a resturant years ago that had Bose 901s.  He describes the details on how they were installed, the amplifiers used, and how much he enjoyed the sound.  It obviously had a positive impact on his experience while there.

I like your idea of having a decent sound system.  While everyone won't enjoy it on the same level, I bet it will really improve the atmosphere. 





What would really be cool is if you could make it into some sort of jukebox setup allowing people to hear songs of their choice from your music collection. 

My first thought was having something like a touch screen at the tables allowing people to chose what they wanted (probably not practical). 

The other thought I just had was as they were placing their orders, customers would have the option of purchasing a song to be played.  A lot of resturants have dessert or wine menus.  You could do something similar with a music menu.  Something easy to navigate with categories and and alphabetical lists.  This would also be a way to bring more attention to the speakers. You could even include the system specs on the menu. 

 

[ctviggen]

Unless it's a very small place, in order to get sound to the opposite side from where the speakers are, you're going to have to turn up the volume to get over the normal din.  This means that the people nearest the speakers are going to be blasted out, which means that they'll raise their voices to be overheard, which means that you'll have to increase the speaker volume to get the sound on the side opposite the speakers loud enough.  It's a vicious circle.  I'd recommend in ceiling or cheap speakers spread throughout the place, played at low volumes. 

[sfox7076]

I would say I am an NYC Coffee Shop veteran.  I have lived here most of my life and been to tons of coffee shops.  The majority of which have come and gone with little fanfare and had music systems with the brand name of Sony, Peavy or Bose.  The New York crowd rarely goes to a coffee shop to spend more than 10 minutes.  Those that do go to do work, etc.  These people often have iPods or other devices to drown out the background (NYC is a noisy place after all).  They may appreciate good sound, but need isolation.  Then, there are the people that go to a place to talk with other friends or on a date.  Not really paying attention to the music quality as they should be listening to the people they are with.  The rare exception are those that just go to hangout.  These are the ones that may notice the sound on a more regular basis.  That is the person that is really the only person that hears the sound and may notice it in detail.  I, personally, only notice when the sound is awful in a run of the mill coffee shop/restaurant.

There are exceptions.  However, it is not usually the sound of the house system that I notice.  Let me explain.  My favorite coffee shop in the city was DTUT.  It was laid back and rustic and had eh sound as I don't remember it one way or another really.  I remember the music, but mostly because the people who worked there played the music they liked (and the choices were, to say the least, odd).   However, open mic night occurred on Wednesday night.  Music from 6-11pm.  All live, all bring your own instruments.  The musicians got 2-3 songs each.  Most of them were from the Anti-Folk movement as the person running the show was Amy Hills (who had minor success in the movement, but never got farther.  I did catch Regina Spektor about 50 times in similar situations, though never at DTUT).    That was when the sound was important to the place.  But, well, the sound was provided by the musicians and the "stage" system, not the house system.

One other point.  Margin wise, I am not sure speakers is where a new coffee shop should spend its money.  There is a lot of competition out there in NYC.  Most people are not coming to a coffee shop for sound.  I would spend the money on what brings people to the place, including a good "stage" setup if there will be an open mic, good coffee, etc. and not worry too much about the main sound (so long as it is serviceable). 

Shawn

[nyc_paramedic]

Unless it's a very small place, in order to get sound to the opposite side from where the speakers are, you're going to have to turn up the volume to get over the normal din.  This means that the people nearest the speakers are going to be blasted out, which means that they'll raise their voices to be overheard, which means that you'll have to increase the speaker volume to get the sound on the side opposite the speakers loud enough.  It's a vicious circle.  I'd recommend in ceiling or cheap speakers spread throughout the place, played at low volumes.

Yes, that is something I have considered.

One approach would be to have the store zoned up into two areas: one, where people can hear the music, and another area where you can study or relax.

[nyc_paramedic]

...One other point.  Margin wise, I am not sure speakers is where a new coffee shop should spend its money.  There is a lot of competition out there in NYC.  Most people are not coming to a coffee shop for sound.  I would spend the money on what brings people to the place, including a good "stage" setup if there will be an open mic, good coffee, etc. and not worry too much about the main sound (so long as it is serviceable). 

Shawn,

First, thanks for the info.

Second, yes, the true focus is *very* good coffee. (A high quality espresso machine alone can cost more than a new car). But it will also be a community space. One neighborhood I'm looking into is in desperate need of one --according to what I'm reading online thus far. I'm not having any delusions concerning the starting or running of the business; I've run a busy store before I got involved in EMS.

The electronics will be mostly stuff I have on hand (spare linux machine with MPD) or given to me (Denon amp). But, I think it might be a wise investment (if the budget truly allows) to start off with 2 small Song surrounds for the initial setup. My thinking is: Why spend money on cheapies now and spend more money for the high quality stuff later?

All things to think about.

[bummrush]

 If you really want to differentiate yourself,do your own roasting,AND have killer sound

[nyc_paramedic]

If you really want to differentiate yourself,do your own roasting...

In the works.