Case Study
00 Audio ×
The Darkroom
Scotland's coolest micro-club. Hi-fi precision, deep low-end and PA-level impact in a 30-cap room.
The Brief
When Andy approached 00 Audio, we were immediately taken by the vision behind The Darkroom – an intimate, visually striking micro-club with space for just 30 people. The lighting and mirrors created a unique atmosphere, but the sound wasn't keeping up.
DJs and regulars described muddy mids, loose bass, and a general lack of clarity, especially at lower listening levels. The goal was simple: keep the vibe, completely rethink the sound.
The Solution
Our aim was to deliver a system that combined the precision and depth of hi-fi with the headroom and robustness of PA.
The result is a system that offers:
Smooth, articulate sound even at background levels
Extended low-end reaching well below conventional club systems
Effortless headroom for transients at full tilt
To support this, we added targeted acoustic treatment to control reflections and flutter in the hard-walled room, and built custom DSP presets to manage levels for the venue's residential setting without losing impact.
Design & Construction
We got to work. After a design workshop and a series of rapid mockups, we settled on a design language built entirely around The Darkroom: signature Moroccan Flame orange, bold geometry, and exposed drivers that show off the quality of the components in use.
The enclosures were built almost entirely by hand from high-grade Baltic birch plywood. The only exception was the subwoofer port. That element alone is made from 56 individually milled pieces of ply, stacked and dowelled together, then hand-sanded over five hours. The result is a seamless port that visually falls away, giving the impression it disappears infinitely into the back of the enclosure.
The Result
The finished system delivers:
Crystal-clear mids and highs
A balanced full-range presentation at any listening level
Sub-bass extension down to 16 Hz at –3 dB
Every element was built by hand, from laser-engraved 1-of-1 badges to CNC-cut metal braces supporting the exposed horns.
Each enclosure, including the amp rack, uses forward-extending vertical edges to create a consistent, visually unified look across the room.
The space itself is compact at 4.5 × 5 m, but the large front and rear mirrors create a strong sense of depth. By flying the tops on chains, we leaned into that effect, making the system feel like it floats within the room and reinforcing a 360-degree visual field around the sound.
The Numbers
Specs for the music heads.
What They Say
"The clarity is just...every track we put on sounds incredible. No more echos/bounce, every detail comes through crystal clear. When running at lower levels, people can still talk to each other."
"A f***ing dream to play on. Insanely clear from bass to top, even in a small booth. And visually, it completely sets the room. It gives the place a real identity and looks unbelievable."
System Specs
Tops
- Custom 00 Audio vented enclosures
- RCF HF94 horn (90° H × 40° V)
- Eighteen Sound HD1480T compression driver
- Eighteen Sound 10NMB420 midbass
- Hypex FusionAmp FA252 (300 W @ 8 Ω)
- Bandwidth: 60 Hz – 19 kHz
Subwoofer
- Custom 00 Audio vented enclosure
- 340 L, tuned to 23 Hz
- Dayton Audio Ultimax 18"
- Crown XLS 2502 (2400 W @ 4 Ω)
- Bandwidth: 15 Hz – 140 Hz
Processing & Treatment
- db-Mark XCA48+ v2 DSP
- 24-bit, 96 kHz
- THD < 0.002%
- SNR > 108.8 dB
- Six broadband absorption panels
Ready for Your Project?
Every space is different. If you're building a new venue or upgrading an existing one, we can design a system that fits the room, the music and your neighbours.