Miru NYC, a new Japanese dining and listening space from the City Winery team, has opened atop Pier 57 on Manhattan’s West Side in New York with an audio system built around Genelec’s large-format Smart Active Monitors. The venue combines panoramic views with what City Winery says is a studio-influenced listening experience inspired by Japan’s audiophile lounge culture.
City Winery founder Michael Dorf designed Miru NYC as a modern interpretation of Japan’s “listening bars.” The rooftop restaurant spans more than 560 square meters in a glass-enclosed structure and, according to City Winery, is intended to transition from a refined dining space during the day to an intimate late-night music environment.
The installation team worked with systems integrator AVLX on a Genelec-based solution featuring 1236A and 1234AC main monitors and S360A units for additional coverage. Marc Colletti, City Winery’s national production and technical director, said, “We wanted to go above and beyond, delivering a space where both the food and the listening experience are spectacular. The goal was to bring the precision and warmth of a world-class studio monitoring system into a restaurant environment, something few venues have attempted at this scale.”
AVLX managing partner Chris Torri said the brief centered on creating a venue where every guest experienced consistent audio. “The request began as aesthetic — they wanted that classic look of exposed-driver loudspeakers, and we knew Genelec could deliver both form and function. It was the best large-format solution that could provide even, high-quality audio and coverage throughout the space while complementing the venue’s visual design,” he said.
Pushing technology’s boundaries
Because of the venue’s architecture, AVLX and Gallagher Staging developed custom steel yoke frames to fly the large Genelec enclosures, which Torri says can weigh up to 320 kilograms with rigging. Colletti said, “The challenge was getting the large-format monitors to behave like a unified system. By suspending them and controlling their pitch, we achieved remarkably even dispersion with minimal reflections or phasing. The speakers almost appear to float above the dining area, a perfect visual match for the architecture.”
Torri said the installed system “delivered what we promised,” describing it as “balanced, musical and immersive.” Colletti added, “Whether we’re playing vinyl, streaming curated playlists or hosting special events, everyone who walks in comments on how incredible the sound is. The Genelec team was fantastic to work with — professional, collaborative and open to pushing their technology into a new kind of environment.”
Paul Stewart, Genelec’s senior technical sales manager, said, “This project is a perfect example of what happens when technical excellence meets creative vision. Chris Torri and the AVLX team brought deep system expertise, while Marc Colletti and City Winery had a bold concept for how sound could elevate the dining experience. Together, they turned a challenging, glass-walled rooftop into an extraordinary listening space that showcases what our large-format monitors can truly do.”
Miru NYC opened in September 2025. Genelec says the installation demonstrates how its large-format monitors can support high-accuracy sound in hospitality environments that prioritize both design and audio quality.
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