Mezzo Ensures the Perfect Soundtrack for Fig at Malcha
The compact, easy-to-mount Mezzo is installed out of sight in an equipment rack on the cafe's ground
floor for Fig at Malcha.
Mezzo, Powersoft's small but powerful half-size install amplifier, is driving the multi-zone
background music system providing the perfect soundtrack for Fig at Malcha, a new high-end
dining
experience in the heart of the Indian capital.
Fig at Malcha is an 'eco-contemporary' cafe, bakery, and bar offering all-day dining at Malcha Marg,
near Chanakyapuri, New Delhi's historic diplomatic quarter. The second Fig restaurant, after the
original destination in Gurgaon, Fig at Malcha combines Japanese design with a Nordic lifestyle,
featuring a curated menu based on high-quality, local, and seasonal produce from local farms,
GMO-free meat, and cage-free eggs. It is also home to a Parisian-style bakehouse that offers fresh
bread, pastries, and 'farm-to-cup' specialty coffee.
According to Gunbir Singh, founder, and co-owner of BBW Distributors, for their second cafe,
the Fig
team desired "warm, comforting, lush" audio - "more hi-fi than pro sound" - which would
aesthetically complement the lighting, climate control, and ventilation systems to offer patrons "a
pleasurable aural experience while in the space. Based on our experience within the food & beverage
domain, we consulted with them and came up with a wish list of sorts. While they needed a multi-zone
system with audio in all the public areas, they wanted equipment visibility to be minimal."
For BBW, the natural solution was a Powersoft Dynamic Music Distribution (DMD) system comprising two
Mezzo amplifiers coupled with a WM Touch control panel. Designed to offer the same reliability,
build quality, and acoustic character of larger Powersoft amplifier platforms but in a half-size
form factor, the flexibility and discretion offered by Mezzo means the amplifier has been the
company's "default choice for these applications for a while now", explains Singh.
Using DMD, which takes advantage of the convenient dynamic routing capabilities embedded in
Powersoft amplifiers, users can drive up to four independent zones using a single four-channel Mezzo
amplifier. At Fig, the six audio zones are controlled using a single wall-mounted 4.3" Powersoft WM
Touch screen, which offers "a level of convenience and usability which makes this the Mezzo solution
a no-brainer", says Singh.
For the installation at Malcha Marg, two Mezzo 604 A amplifier platforms, offering advanced
DSP
functionalities, remote control, and monitoring, were paired with 12 Amphion Argon0 and two Apart
Kubo 3T loudspeakers, as well as a Silent Angel Rhein Z1 V2 Roon server, a Matrix Audio X-SABRE 3
DAC, Gladen Audio speaker cables and Furutech interconnect. Though the Mezzo 604 A also incorporates
an integrated, state-of-the-art DSP, BBW designed the system around the physical attributes of the
space, choosing to apply acoustic treatment to the ceiling rather than rely solely on signal
processing - while the use of a room server, which uses machine learning to automatically play music
based on Fig's preferences, is believed to be a first in the region.
Across Fig at Malcha's two floors, BBW split the Powersoft amplifiers into four zones each, for a
total of eight audio zones - six dedicated to the ten Amphion speakers installed in the public
areas, one catering to the washrooms and common space, and one left for future expansion.
The compact, easy-to-mount Mezzo is installed out of sight in an equipment rack on the cafe's ground
floor, with the understated Amphion speakers also contributing to keeping the visibility of the
sound system to a minimum. Singh reports that the local Powersoft team, represented by distributor
Acoustic Arts, provided valuable assistance through the install phase, "saving us some time" by
helping to set up the amplifiers.
Manish Yadav, from Fig, says the new sound system "has completely exceeded our expectations,
which
were already high, to begin with. The sound quality is fantastic - we find ourselves listening to
the system after hours a lot. It is also super easy to use; we have never had to call them for
anything major, since it seems to run on autopilot."
Yadav is also full of praise for the multi-zone DMD system specifically, noting that restaurant
staff "now have the capability to control amplitude levels for zones individually. So, if, for some
reason, we have to reduce or increase the levels for a particular zone, it is simply a few taps on a
very accessible touchscreen."
"At Fig we have always done things differently. Music has been an important integral part of the Fig
experience and we started exploring our options as soon as we finalised the new space," he
concludes. "The system has been a success in the way that it almost completely blends in with the
Fig vibe. It is substantial but balanced, nuanced yet enjoyable - much like our offerings. We expect
nothing but the best from the BBW team and they have delivered in spades."