The fame of The Plaza Hotel in New York City is legendary in American history. It is seen in countless movies and has a rich history of being a top-rated luxury hotel. The chance to work in this palatial Manhattan icon would be a high profile project for any speaker company or dealer. Leon Speakers and Concierge Direct got just that opportunity, and it would prove a better than either company could have hoped for.

The Plaza Hotel had no small request. In fall 2005, the owners of the historic monument embarked on major renovations, pumping $350 million into the building to bring it into the 21st century, as well as convert some floors into private residences. Two hundred and eighty two hotel rooms in all were being renovated, along with 182 luxury apartments, which sell from $4 million to $40 million. Part of the Plaza’s “wish list” was to improve the rooms with state-of-the-art technology, as well as top-of-the line audio/video.

To help them accomplish this, the hotel turned to Concierge Direct, a New York-based A/V and smart home integration company that specializes in AMX-based “concierge” systems (read more about this integrator on page 36). They gave the dealer the primary right to install systems for all of the rooms and residences. Subsequent audio/video sales were not a guaranteed, but since the Concierge Direct provided the initial AMX backbone for every room, it gave them an advantage in getting a lion share of the buisness in the building (over 70 percent).

The job would require great care, as the historical considerations of the building had to be taken into account. This meant flexibility in customization. For this the Concierge Direct turned to one speaker company in particular to help them with the project, Leon Speakers of Ann Arbor, Mich.
“It came out of almost no where,” explains Noah Kaplan, president of Leon Speakers. “It was a commercial/residential project. It’s not our usual way of doing business.”

Kaplan has run the company, along with business partner Jeff Gordon, the CEO, for a little over ten years. They specializes in making custom speakers and prides themselves on taking their designs the extra mile to fit a client’s needs, however unique.

For example, the company once created a vinyl-wrapped, single-cabinet LCR that was 103-inches long, built to accompany a 103-inch Runco plasma TV. They also often work with architects and design companies closely, as well as cabinetry makers. Kaplan says that one unique project on which they have been working allows an entire wall to actuate in place, so that a plasma television and speaker set-up can be viewed in different locations in the home.

The Plaza project came along quite suddenly, almost by accident. Kaplan says a sales rep, not normally associated with their line, had introduced them to Concierge Direct. And after a few successful jobs, Leon Speakers was chosen to take on the Plaza project. “At CEDIA a year and a half ago, the project was confirmed and we were going to be doing every room in the Plaza hotel,” remembers Kaplan.

Heading into the project, they had several concerns to address. “The Plaza was looking for the highest end products that we could make, which would match the amplifiers they had chosen (e.g. Krell, NAD and other top-of-the-line amps), but that didn’t interfere with the architectural look of the Plaza, which has a lot of historical value,” says Kaplan, “so they didn’t necessarily want to riddle it with in-wall speakers.”

Much up what they chose for the rooms was from Leon Speakers’ Horizon line, which uses a single cabinet for left, right and center channel speakers. The construction is thin ,meaning the speakers could be mounted on the wall without being too obtrusive.

But not every room or residence was the same. Kaplan says every single room was different and a lot of customers had much individual needs. “As you go through these things, some people were completely picky about the sound,” he says. “For example, one client listened to a lot of orchestra and strings, so we tweaked the crossovers to make them a little fuller and to have super clarity in the high frequencies.”

Sometimes they even need to customize minor details, such as fabricating small metal bolts in a short amount of time in order to make a particular installation work. This kind of service is exactly what Kaplan says his company likes to do. “We give [Concierge Direct] ‘concierge’ service in return for signing the contract,” he explains. “We have a ‘no questions asked’ change-order policy with them, and we’ll fly down there if any problem arises. And the speakers are insured for the life of Leon, so we give them a lot of value-added things with the contract.”

Kaplan continues, “We have a similar style in providing the luxury market with a higher end style of service. We’re not just a speaker maker; we’re trying to be a solutions provider.”

In some of the rooms of the Plaza, Leon Speakers, along with Concierge Direct, performed total customization, adjusting parts of speakers they provided. But there was one part of the project that went above and beyond. “That’s when we designed an outside the box product with one-off build parameters that were no holds barred,” says Kaplan.

This opportunity came with a penthouse in the Plaza, the crowing jewel of the project for which both companies were able to give an high level of service. The speakers needed for this room had to flank a 50-inch Runco plasma television and, of course, had to sound great. Leon Speakers started with their Series Seven speakers and built up from there. “There’s almost 120 hours of machining just to make the speaker,” says Kaplan. “We actually retooled everything and reprogrammed every single part of that.”

The speakers are made out of solid billet aluminum and the black color was matched exactly to the color of the TV. They even tiered the surface so that it matched the styling of the plasma monitor. Kaplan says the internal parts were the “best of class” and that they engineered a fourth-level crossover, calibrated specifically for this speaker. Overall the speakers cost $20,000.

“This is what I call the ‘concept car’ for Leon,” he says. “Sometimes you push the limit. It’s not about the money, it’s about the effect—proving that you can do it and also challenge yourself to change every single parameter about this thing.” •