London / United Kingdom
Hidden Grooves
The room
A vinyl listening lounge inside Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch.
From the venue
Photos and video from the original publisher.
Sound system
Browse this venue’s gear ↗Project Audio / Virgin Hotels Shoreditch lounge: Tannoy Westminster Royal-class towers with Super Tweeters, four TPI UC15G helpers (two under each Westminster), Tannoy Autograph Mini fills, Luxman M-10X and 509Z, FFA/NST bass amp and DSP alignment, Technics SL-1200G pair into an Isonoe 420 rotary, Townshend Seismic isolators, plus private Leak/Grado stations. Westminsters are giant dual-concentric horns; the TPI helpers and NST time-alignment are the custom part — they give a hotel basement the scale of a studio without boom.
Isolation under the 1200Gs keeps the deck out of the floor.
| Component | Manufacturer | Equipment / details |
|---|---|---|
| Main speakers | Tannoy | Westminster Royal-class towers with Super Tweeters |
| Bass support | TPI | 4 × UC15G — two beneath each Westminster |
| Fills / booth monitors | Tannoy | Autograph Mini |
| Main power amplifier | Luxman | M-10X |
| Preamplifier / fill amplification | Luxman | 509Z |
| Bass amplification / processing | FFA / NST FFA · NST | TPI amplifier with NST DSP crossover and time alignment; model numbers unspecified |
| DJ turntables | Technics | 2 × SL-1200G |
| DJ mixer | Isonoe | 420 rotary |
| Private listening stations | Technics / Leak / Grado Leak · Technics (Panasonic) · Grado Labs | SL-1210MK7; Stereo 130; SR325x headphones |
| Speaker isolation | Townshend | Seismic Isolators |
About the sound system
How the system serves the room
Hidden Grooves combines large Tannoy Westminster-class speakers with four TPI UC15G bass helpers, Luxman amplification and documented DSP crossover/time alignment. Tannoy miniatures provide fills or booth monitoring, while separate Technics, Leak and Grado stations support private listening.
The bass helpers have to join the main towers rather than compete with them, making the documented timing and crossover work significant. Isolation under the loudspeakers addresses mechanical coupling; it should not be confused with absorbing the room’s airborne bass energy.
Technical interpretation based on the documented equipment; selection motives and measured in-room performance are not confirmed.
System builders & design
Project Audio / Jason Bacon — System design, installation and custom speaker supports.
Room & tuning
Townshend Seismic Isolators under the stacks to cut bass transfer. Cork flooring noted in trade coverage.
Equipment sources: Project Audio · Hidden Grooves installation ↗
Photos and video from the original publisher.
People & equipment
Makers in this room
Visit Hidden Grooves
45 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3PT
London, United Kingdom
Explore Hidden Grooves’s Instagram account
Photos and video from this public Instagram account.
Photos and video published by @hiddengrooveshifi.
Open @hiddengrooveshifi ↗