Brookvale’s not exactly short on breweries and bars, but Chalky’s is offering something a little different: it’s a pool hall, sports bar, karaoke lounge, and cocktail hideaway all rolled into one.

As a newly refurbished venue from the Bucketty’s Brewery team, Chalky’s brings a distinctly playful and premium aesthetic to what was once an old nightclub. The bones of the venue remain, but the space has been totally reimagined—with AV to match.

When Soundview’s Josh Yeates got wind of the project, he jumped at the chance to pitch for the audio contract. “We usually work more in corporate and education,” he explains, “but I live just up Pittwater Road in Dee Why, and when I heard Chalky’s was undergoing a refresh, I reached out. It turned out they’d been let down by another audio provider, so we were brought in fairly last-minute to get the job done.”

SOUND THAT HITS DIFFERENT

Nick McDonald, one of the venue’s founders, explains the Chalky’s proposition: “It’s an adult playground. We’ve got pool tables and karaoke rooms, a speakeasy bar, and we’ve got a Michelin star-trained chef. Plus 16 taps of independent beer. Early on we realised the big screen setup and the pool hall would need a big, immersive sound system. For those big games the PA needs to hit you in the guts. We have some pretty sick Tannoy speakers and a couple of nice big subs that really fill the room with that warmth. And has the clarity that means you can also still have a conversation with the person next to you.”

Josh Yeates elaborates: “They wanted a very loud, immersive sound system for big sporting moments. But also the ability to wind it back for general service. We designed a system that allows them to zone and route audio flexibly throughout the venue.”

The front-of-house system anchors around a pair of Tannoy VX12s, delivering muscular audio either side of a giant LED wall (not part of Soundview’s scope). Low-end reinforcement comes via a pair of Tannoy VSX12BP floor-standing subs, and the coverage is filled out with seven Tannoy DVS 8T loudspeakers around the perimeter of the space. “Those fills are on a separate channel,” notes Josh, “so staff can control their level independently depending on what’s happening in the room.”

At the bar, Soundview added an 85-inch LCD to mirror the LED content, along with a DJ input and two wireless handheld mics for announcements or MC work.

There’s even a speaker installed in the ground floor foyer, zoned with the DVS 8Ts but given its own attenuator for local volume control. “That way they can crank it up or down without affecting the rest of the venue,” says Josh.