Over 60 CDD loudspeakers deliver hi-fi precision and immersive coverage across the venue’s eight zones.

Sydney’s latest underground hotspot, The Caterpillar Club, is fast becoming a destination for audiophiles and live music enthusiasts alike. Home to one of the world’s largest vinyl collections, the venue channels the retro soul of 1970s New York while offering a contemporary, high-fidelity sound experience powered by Martin Audio.

Bands perform live five nights a week, and when the stage falls silent, the turntables take over. “Any time there’s not a band on there’s a DJ spinning vinyl,” says General Manager Emma Franceschini, noting that even the venue’s hidden Bamboo Room Tiki bar hosts DJ sets through the weekend.

The sound design was entrusted to Anthony Russo of Technical Audio Group (TAG), who was tasked with transforming the vision of operators Stefan and Anton Forte from Swillhouse Group into an acoustic reality. Russo, a long-time advocate of Martin Audio systems, selected the manufacturer’s premium CDD Series to deliver a balance of warmth, clarity, and power across all performance formats.

“This needed to be a statement of uncompromising quality — where every seat needs to be the best seat,” he says, explaining that the system had to capture everything — from the warmth of vinyl and the crisp detail of digital playback to the full dynamic range of live acts.

Russo’s familiarity with Martin Audio’s Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology was key to achieving this goal. “It’s the premium solution for a lot of top venues around Australia,” he explains. “In every room [at the Caterpillar] you’ll see CDD8s and 6s and concealed SX110 subs in the ceiling and under the banquette seating right through to the FOH system which is a powerful CDD12 system—with a delay system, complete with LE100 foldback wedges.”

In total, the venue houses over 60 loudspeakers, 30 amplifier channels, and an impressive 40kW of amplifier power, ensuring consistent and even coverage across eight distinct zones. Even the Bamboo Room benefits from a Martin Audio system with enough headroom to rival a full-scale dance floor.

To ensure the detail of vinyl can be heard with absolute hi-fi clarity, while enabling easy conversation to take place at the tables, the large complement of speakers delivers a range from lounge low-volume chill levels to a live performance experience of a concert without needing to be overdriven.

Russo’s design philosophy was guided by precision and intimacy. “It’s designed to provide consistent coverage throughout the room while giving everyone what I call a ‘headphone experience’,” he explains. “There’s always a speaker nearby — never too loud, always at the right level. It’s something people haven’t been used to: a true hi-fi experience in a live venue environment.”

Complementing the loudspeaker system is a sophisticated backbone of digital audio processing, networking, mixing, and amplification, along with a handcrafted Australian Condesa rotary DJ console, chosen to do full justice to the venue’s extensive vinyl collection.

As Franceschini reflects, “The thing about the Martin Audio system is you have that extra clarity in the room. And since we’re a vinyl bar, and you want to be able to hear the nuances, a world-class sound system like Martin Audio lets you do that.”