UK - Tiger Bay, one of London’s late-night shisha lounges, has continued its expansion with the opening of a new venue in Enfield. This new location marks the brand’s fourth UK branch and its seventh internationally.
With this new venue, Tiger Bay wanted to create an environment that easily shifted from a dining experience to a lively party destination. As the evening progresses and guest DJs take over, the space needed to deliver ‘an immersive sound experience that elevates the entire atmosphere’. To meet these requirements, a quality, scalable sound system was essential – leading Tiger Bay to KV2.
“The client reached out to us via word of mouth, bringing a set of detailed drawings,” explains Toby Jones, AV designer at Middlesex Sound & Lighting, the team responsible for the sound system installation. “They were looking for a distributed audio system that could maintain impeccable sound quality whether at low levels during the dining hours or cranked up for DJ sets later in the night. Plus, it needed to cater to both indoor and outdoor spaces in the shisha lounge.”
Before finalising the decision, Middlesex arranged for the Tiger Bay team to attend a live demonstration of KV2’s ESD Series at one of their sister venues in Kingsbury, London. The team was instantly impressed by the power and clarity of the system, along with the sleek design of the loudspeakers. “KV2’s reputation for outstanding sound quality and reliability really speaks for itself,” adds Jones. “Whether it’s a live event, nightclub, or a more intimate venue, KV2 consistently delivers rich, full-bodied sound with no distortion, even at high volumes.”
With a varied schedule of events – ranging from cocktail evenings to fire shows, VIP parties, and DJ-led nights – Tiger Bay needed a sound system that could handle it all. The venue features nine distinct audio zones, which allow for flexible sound management across different areas of the restaurant. These zones encompass the ground and first floors, as well as the reception area and mezzanines on each, ensuring that every part of the venue can maintain a high standard of audio quality without compromise.
To achieve this, Middlesex selected KV2’s ultra-compact ESD5 loudspeakers for both the upper and lower floors. The ESD Cube was also used in the design for its ability to blend seamlessly into the venue’s décor while delivering premium audio quality. “The ESD Cube is discreet but powerful,” says Jones. “It’s ideal for a venue like Tiger Bay, where aesthetics are just as important as performance.”
For the main ground-floor area, Middlesex installed eight ESD25 loudspeakers, which provide increased bass extension compared to the smaller ESD5, delivering deeper, more impactful sound. Two KV2 ESD6 speakers were also specified as DJ monitors.
“The ESD Series offers great versatility in terms of loudspeaker models, making it an ideal choice for a space like Tiger Bay,” Jones continues. “It’s affordable, easy to install, and there’s also a full range of subwoofers that we used on this project to ensure a full-range system. We chose the ESD1.10 subwoofers to deliver tightly controlled bass, even at very high output levels.”
To make sound control as intuitive as possible, the main audio zones are managed through a touchscreen interface, while smaller, enclosed areas can be controlled locally with analogue volume controls. This allows staff to easily adjust sound levels based on the type of event or the atmosphere they want to create. Additionally, multiple audio input points were strategically placed around the venue to maximise versatility for DJs and performers.
“The KV2 system works perfectly in Tiger Bay,” concludes Jones. “Its flexibility allows us to deliver balanced, high-quality sound throughout the venue, and it can be scaled up or down depending on the type of event. The client is thrilled with how the sound has taken their events to the next level, and we’re proud to have helped.”
