Cali / Colombia

Bonsai HiFi

Inside Bonsai HiFi

Mecato — Grooves Tropiversales / Caribe Amazónico.

Sound system

Bonsai’s compact San Antonio room combines a pair of Technics 1200-series turntables with an ARS MODEL9900 rotary mixer and sealed GR-Research X-CS Encore main speakers. Each speaker uses two M-165 woofers, with a nominal 8 Ω impedance and rated 90 dB sensitivity.

A Sansui BA-2000 is the current amplifier, with Threshold 400A and S/150 amplifiers in rotation. One KEF KC62 and two KC92 subwoofers provide bass support, while miniDSP processing addresses troublesome room frequencies. A kick-sub position sits behind the bar; which KEF model occupies it is not specified. The custom work here centres on integrating the speakers, bass and processing into a small room.

Equipment · Browse this venue’s gear
Component	Manufacturer	Equipment / details
Mixer	ARS / Alpha Recording System	MODEL9900 rotary mixer
Turntables	Technics	1200 series · pair
Main speakers	GR-Research	X-CS Encore · sealed enclosure; two M-165 woofers; nominal 8 Ω; rated 90 dB sensitivity
Current amplifier	Sansui	BA-2000
Amplifiers in rotation	Threshold	400A and S/150 400A S/150
Bass system	KEF	1 × KC62 and 2 × KC92 subwoofers; kick-sub position behind the bar, model assignment unspecified KC62 · 1 unit KC92 · 2 units
Room tuning	miniDSP	Digital processing used to tame troublesome room frequencies

About the sound system

Bonsai HiFi: a system shaped by the room

At Bonsai HiFi in Cali, the listening system lives right behind the bar: turntables set into the wooden counter, records within reach and speakers above the shelves. It is a working setup that keeps the act of choosing and playing music at the centre of the room.

A pair of Technics 1200s feeds an ARS MODEL9900 rotary mixer. The decks belong to a direct-drive lineage closely associated with DJ culture, while the mixer puts the selection and blend of records in the selector’s hands. Together they form the hands-on heart of the installation.

The main speakers are GR-Research X-CS Encores. Their wooden cabinets reveal the two-woofer layout around a central tweeter. GR-Research specifies a sealed enclosure, two M-165 woofers wired in parallel, a nominal 8-ohm load and 90 dB sensitivity for the design. The manufacturer also identifies stereo-main use as an option for this model.

Amplification is deliberately changeable. A Sansui BA-2000 is currently in service, while a Threshold 400A and Threshold S/150 are also part of Bonsai’s vintage amplifier collection and rotation. That evolving selection is part of the room’s approach to its system, rather than a permanently fixed equipment list.

Bonsai’s bass system includes one KEF KC62 and two KEF KC92 subwoofers. The room also has a documented kick-sub position behind the bar; the model assigned to that position is not specified. Making the low end work in a small space with a challenging layout took attention beyond the equipment itself: Bonsai tuned the room with miniDSP to tame troublesome frequencies. It is a practical finishing step in a system developed around the space where people actually listen.

How the system serves the room

Bonsai’s signal chain puts the selector at the centre: the Technics decks feed the ARS Model 9900, while the GR-Research X-CS Encore speakers reproduce the main programme through the currently listed Sansui BA-2000. The sealed main cabinets and separate bass system allow the upper-bass and midrange presentation to be considered separately from the room’s deeper bass demands.

One KEF KC62 and two KEF KC92 subwoofers provide the bass support. In this small San Antonio room, multiple bass sources make placement, level and timing particularly important: their contribution needs to be balanced with the sealed main speakers, not simply turned up independently. miniDSP gives the operator a way to manage troublesome frequencies, but the crossover settings, individual subwoofer positions and measured response are not documented.

Technical interpretation based on the documented equipment; selection motives and measured in-room performance are not confirmed.

Explore the equipment

Product video / Crossfader

Technics SL-1200 — the history

Watch on YouTube ↗

Product video / TSH Radio

ARS Model 9900 — long-term review

Watch on YouTube ↗

Product video / Donnie Mulligan

X-CS Encore — speaker build

Watch on YouTube ↗

Technics turntables and the ARS MODEL9900 at the centre of the wooden booth, with speakers and vintage amplifiers above the records.

The playback system in its everyday setting: records, plants, lighting and speakers behind the bar.

A GR-Research X-CS Encore, showing the two woofers and central tweeter in its wooden cabinet.

The Threshold S/150, one of the vintage amplifiers in Bonsai’s rotation.

Vintage amplification above the record shelves, with a GR-Research speaker alongside.

A closer look at the X-CS Encore’s drivers and cabinet.

A selector at the Technics decks and ARS mixer, with the room’s speakers behind the booth.

Photos and video from the original publisher.

ARS MODEL9900 rotary mixerView original post ↗

Photos and video from the original publisher.

Bonsai · equipmentView original post ↗

Equipment in context

Manufacturer performance / Technics DJ

Cristian Varela: six turntables, 60 minutes

A Technics-published performance using SL-1200MK7 and SL-1210MK7 decks. Equipment reference only: this is not footage of this venue and does not establish its turntable generation.

Watch on YouTube ↗

People & equipment