Located on the top three floors of the Heron Tower – the second tallest building in London’s financial district – the Sushisamba rooftop restaurant and bar boasts panoramic views of the city through floor-to-ceiling windows. To add a suitably impressive soundtrack to this vista, the venue recently called on Cosmic Electronics to upgrade its sound system with KV2 ESD loudspeakers.

‘Sushisamba is a magical place,’ says Cosmic Electronics CEO, Mark Damon. ‘They wanted a system that wouldn’t take away from the splendour of the restaurant – it needed to blend into the surroundings whilst sounding amazing and consistent across every floor.’

Sushisamba comprises a main dining room and additional venues on the 38 and 39 floors. The main room is where guests are offered a fusion of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine from breakfast to dinner, complete with bespoke cocktails at three separate bars.

The 38^th floor is the largest space, with a double-height ceiling and two outdoor terraces. It also houses the sushi bar and robata grill. The 39^th floor bar and lounge sits on a mezzanine overlooking the dining room – this private space is popular for exclusive parties and VIP dinners.

Ascending further, diners will discover Duck and Waffle on the 40^th floor – a 24-hour eatery that focuses on British and European cuisine. Renowned for its luxury brunches and bespoke cocktail experiences, Duck and Waffle’s ambience demanded an audio system that matched its sophistication. To meet this need, Cosmic Electronics installed a selection of KV2 ESD models, including four ESD5s, eight ESD Cubes, and four ESD1.12s.

‘They wanted a consistent sound throughout the entire space, but each floor had unique requirements,’ Damon explains. ‘We were either running background music in the bars and restaurants or catering for a busy DJ event on the VIP floor. Aesthetics were a top priority, so we opted for the ESD Series – particularly the ESD5s. These compact speakers pack a punch and deliver phenomenal sound despite their small footprint.

‘For the main dining area we installed ESD10s. Typically, for a room this size we would specify subwoofers, but the venue didn’t want to lose floor space. Fortunately, the ESD10s sound amazing on their own, with a high-fidelity quality that allows them to reproduce frequencies normally associated with much larger enclosures or subs.’

As well as delivering big sound to Duck and Waffle, ESD5s are used in spaces including the sushi bar on the 38^th floor and the bar, lounge, and entrance on the 39^th floor. In the larger areas of the restaurant, Cosmic Electronics selected six KV2 Here, ESD8s, six ESD10s and two ESD1.15s to deliver immersive sound.

‘The results were exceptional. Everyone loves the clarity and volume, and the system will easily meet their needs for the next decade,’ Damon reports.

‘Sushisamba and Duck and Waffle both offer a one-of-a-kind dining experience, so they had to have the sound to match. Some huge names have played the venues over the years, including Todd Terry, so that’s the calibre of events we were catering to. KV2 offered everything we needed and more, including detailed, high-quality sound, discrete aesthetics and diversity of models. We couldn’t be happier with the outcome.’