Thomsun Trading Establishment designs a discreet yet capable sound system to keep the peace for Viva La Goa’s neighbours

When Passion F&B set out to recreate the atmosphere of Goa inside a Dubai restaurant, the goal was not simply to replicate a menu. The concept behind Viva La Goa seeks to capture the character of the coastal Indian state through food, décor and ambience to create a vibrant hospitality environment. Understanding the importance the Music factor plays in a destination like Goa, Thomsun Trading Establishment, tasked with designing and commissioning the venue’s audio system at the new outlet in Dubai Marina, meant delivering a sound environment capable of supporting relaxed daytime dining while also accommodating a far livelier weekend atmosphere.

“This was the second restaurant AV system we have delivered for Passion,” recalls Thomsun’s Zubair Mohamad. “After demonstrating the system for their Carnival restaurant, they were really impressed with both the sound and the level of support we provided, which led directly to securing this project.”

Located at the One & Only Royal Mirage, the restaurant is divided into two principal areas. The lounge and indoor dining spaces form the main restaurant environment, while a rooftop terrace hosts DJs and occasional live music during the cooler months. During the week the venue operates primarily as a dining destination, with background music providing a subtle backdrop for conversation. At weekends, however, the rooftop becomes the focal point for evening entertainment.

This dual-purpose operation presented a particular challenge due to the venue’s location. The rooftop sits adjacent to guest accommodation of the neighbouring One&Only Royal Mirage hotel, including some of the property’s most exclusive suites. As a result, strict sound limits had to be respected to prevent noise complaints.

To manage this, Thomsun’s engineering team carried out multiple site visits and test playbacks to measure sound leakage beyond the venue before finalising the design. Sound levels were measured across the surrounding areas, while speaker positioning and frequency response were carefully adjusted to minimise spill beyond the rooftop boundaries.

“We did several studies inside the venue to see how much sound leaked into nearby areas,” Mohamad recalls. “A lot of the work was about directing the speakers at the correct angles and controlling the frequencies and output from individual speakers.”

The resulting system is built around Nexo’s compact ID14 loudspeakers, deployed across both the rooftop and indoor lounge areas. Nine ID14 units provide coverage for the rooftop terrace, supported by four Nexo eLS600 15-inch subwoofers delivering the low-frequency energy required for weekend DJ sets. Inside the lounge area, five ID14 loudspeakers are paired with a pair of Nexo L15 subwoofers to provide balanced coverage throughout the dining space powered with NEXO’s NXAMP4x2MKII and four units of NANONXAMP4.

Beyond acoustic performance, the aesthetics were also an important consideration inside. The restaurant’s design features dark ceiling finishes and decorative architectural elements that demanded a discreet audio solution. “One of the reasons we selected the ID14 was the compact size,” Mohamad explains. “The speakers are practically invisible in the space, especially in the lounge where the dark ceiling finishes allow them to blend into the architecture.”

This approach represented a significant visual improvement compared with the previous system installed at the venue, which relied on larger point-source cabinets suspended from chains in the rooftop area. “We were able to deliver comparable sound performance from speakers that are a fraction of the size used in the previous setup,” Mohamad added.

Primary control of the audio is handled via a Yamaha MTX3 processor, which allows staff to manage multiple zones throughout the venue. Individual Analog mixers serve the rooftop and lounge areas, enabling them to operate independently during normal service while also allowing both zones to be linked if needed for larger events.

Within the lounge, the indoor dining area and balcony seating can be managed as separate zones or combined, when required. The rooftop also incorporates multiple listening areas, including an entertainment zone with projector screen and floor seating, all of which can be controlled through Yamaha’s Provisionaire software running on an iPad.

“The rooftop was the most critical area,” notes Mohamad. “We had to ensure even coverage and sufficient low frequencies for parties, while also making sure the sound stayed contained.”

Commissioned in late 2025, the system has now been in operation for several months without any reported noise disturbances from neighbouring guests at the One & Only Royal Mirage hotel. For Mohamad, that outcome is the clearest indication that the design achieved its intended balance. “There hasn’t been a single complaint from the hotel next door,” he said. “That was always the biggest concern, so we’re very happy with the result. Initially there was a restriction inside the venue of around 75dB. Through careful design and testing we were able to increase that to nearly 90dB, while still staying within acceptable limits.”