In 1988, jazz musician Chet Baker spent his final night at Hotel Prins Hendrik, a centuries-old three-star hotel on the Prins Hendrikkade in the heart of Amsterdam. A memorial plaque on the outside wall marks the spot, and each year, the hotel holds an event in his memory. It is a building with music running through its history. That connection continues with Prince Charming Bar & Kitchen, the hotel’s recently reimagined restaurant. Formerly known as De Kroonprins, the space was relaunched as Prince Charming, a bar and restaurant with capacity for around 60 guests.
Prince Charming has a menu centred on Dutch cuisine and a programme that regularly includes live performers including singers, DJs, pianists, and MCs. Sound quality was a priority for owner Eric van der Oord from the very beginning. “We host live music regularly, and I’m a musician myself, so I know the difference between sound that just fills a room and sound that actually works,” says Van der Oord. “I wanted it to be professional. The building’s high ceilings, characteristic of Amsterdam’s historic canal-side properties, presented an immediate acoustic challenge. Without careful system design, the space risked becoming reverberant and difficult to control. Van Brienen Audiovisueel BV was brought in during the renovation planning phase. “We had conversations before the building work began,” says company founder Jeroen van Brienen. “That gave us the opportunity to understand exactly what the system needed to do and to plan cable routes properly while the walls and ceilings were still open.”
The installed system is built around a single Powersoft Mezzo 602 AD, a compact two-channel amplifier delivering 600 watts in total, with on-board DSP, 100-volt line output capability, and Dante network connectivity. Two zones are configured within the restaurant, one in the front of the space and the other in the back. A network of ceiling and wall-mounted loudspeakers distributes sound evenly across both areas, ensuring consistent coverage at every table, while a single active floor-standing unit provides bass reinforcement. The system handles two distinct audio sources. The first is a PC for continuous background playback. The other is a live input fed from an external mixer, which allows performers to connect directly via whatever setup the event requires. Day-to-day control is managed through a Powersoft WM Touch wall panel, installed in white to complement the restaurant’s interior. The PoE-powered device connects to the Mezzo 602 AD over standard Ethernet and offers staff a 4.3-inch touchscreen from which they can select zones, switch between sources, and adjust volume easily. “The WM Touch makes it very simple for the team,” says Van der Oord. “Zone selection, source switching, volume, etc. – everything is on one panel. You don’t need to understand the technology behind it to use it.”
Because the audio installation was carried out during the active renovation period, cable routes were laid before the ceilings and walls were finished, allowing for a clean, unobtrusive result. The system itself was installed within a matter of hours and required no return visits. Shortly after opening, Van der Oord requested an additional zone extension, which the Mezzo platform was able to accommodate it without changes to the core installation. “The brief was a system that sounds professional, but that is completely straightforward to operate,” says Van Brienen. “The Mezzo 602 AD and WM Touch deliver exactly that.”
Prince Charming now operates as both a relaxed bar and restaurant and a capable live performance venue, with the Powersoft system serving equally well across both uses. For Van der Oord, the result reflects an approach to integration he considers essential – involvement from the earliest planning stage and a system built around how the space will actually be used. “Jeroen didn’t just deliver equipment and leave,” says Van der Oord. “He helped us think through what we actually needed from the start. The sound is exactly what the space requires. When musicians perform here now, the audience can actually hear them properly.”
