Originally opened in 1930, The Surf Club, located between Miami Beach and Bal Harbour, was built by tire tycoon Harvey Firestone as the ultimate place to be seen, a playground of the rich and famous during the Great Depression.
A full renovation in 2017 introduced a luxury condo-hotel operated by Four Seasons, along with restaurants, a private club, four pools, a gym, and gardens.
Recently, the venue approached its sound design with the same level of care and style. In late 2024, Daniel Buckman, President of boutique music consultancy BELLOSOUND, was brought in by Hotel Manager Richard Lanaud to elevate Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club’s music experience. This included a complete audio upgrade of its Champagne Bar.
To lead the technical design and implementation, Buckman brought in Corry McGibbon, President of The 192 Group. McGibbon oversees BELLOSOUND’s technical strategy across all global installations, ensuring premium sound quality and seamless integration. To meet both aesthetic and performance requirements, they turned to L-Acoustics.
“While the existing sound system at Champagne Bar served its purpose, there was an opportunity to enhance the ambience with greater depth and richness,” observed McGibbon.
“The space’s reflective surfaces also made it challenging to maintain balanced acoustics at higher volumes, highlighting the potential to further refine the overall guest experience.”
However, any changes had to be made with sensitivity to the venue’s architectural and cultural heritage. “The hotel is within a meticulously restored historic property; any updates had to be discreet and approved through a detailed design review,” he emphasised.
“We were tasked with delivering a solution that offers pristine, ambient background music during the day and a vibrant, energetic soundscape for DJ-led evenings, without compromising the space’s architectural integrity. L-Acoustics offered the perfect solutions.”
Those solutions included ultra-compact X4i loudspeakers, selected for their clarity and diminutive size. Conveniently, their form factor matched the dimensions of the wood trim on the arched glass doors surrounding the room.
“Using Soundvision software, we accurately modelled the space and were able to predict the angles in advance, enabling us to specify a minimalist Tilt 40 fixed bracket rather than relying on large adjustable mounts,” McGibbon explained.
Eight SB10i subwoofers fit perfectly within the custom banquette planters that run down the centre of the room, providing a full, warm low-end presence without any visible impact.
And, as a final flourish, a single Syva + Syva Low system was placed adjacent to the DJ booth. “This setup delivers the dynamic range and energy required for evening entertainment, perfectly complementing the more subtle system elements used during the day,” McGibbon said, further noting that L-Acoustics amplified controllers integrated seamlessly with the Q-SYS distributed audio system.
“They also allow our support teams access to remote monitoring,” he added.
Music choices for the venue and the system are as important as any other aesthetic decisions, said BELLOSOUND’s Buckman, who describes both the space and the sound as “sophisticated and chic, celebrating the history and legacy of the venue. The association with Four Seasons means the sound quality has to be exceptional, and the L-Acoustics speakers deliver exactly that.”
On the subject of visuals, McGibbon points out that the X4i’s rich wood finish fit complements the lounge décor perfectly, while the white-finished Syva loudspeakers blend well in their location. “You barely notice them, they fit so well; but when you do spot them, it’s clear that they belong in a place like this,” he said.
The ultimate compliment may have come from the entertainers who perform in the restaurant and bar. “They’ve commented on how good the room sounds now,” said Buckman. “There are very high expectations for the sound here, and L-Acoustics has clearly met them.”
