The Client

A popular destination in New York City’s Williamsburg district since 2016, Sunday in Brooklyn opened its first London site in Notting Hill in 2021, followed by Marylebone in 2024 — with Sound Division responsible for the sound system design and installation for both.

The Sunday in Brooklyn concept is for quality, American-themed cuisine with locally sourced ingredients, amid an atmosphere of relaxation and leisure – in keeping with the feel of that special day of the week! The warmth of the lighting, and the luxury tones of the wood, brick and leather interior evoke comfort, style and charm.

Project Brief

As such, the need was for a system which could provide great quality sound — clear, even and comfortable background music, with the ability to step up levels for regular DJ sets or to heighten the energy when required.

It also called for simplicity and versatility of control, enabling the staff to seamlessly deliver any choice of source to any one of multiple zones. Plus, there was the need for high-definition audio-visual displays within the various private dining spaces.

System Solution

Faced with the task of achieving all of the above for the Notting Hill site, the operators were referred to Sound Division back in 2021.

After listening closely to their aims for the restaurant, we designed and installed a solution based around quality products from Martin Audio. When the time came to equip the new Marylebone addition in 2024, we were able to build further on this successful solution.

With quality of sound and flexibility of control at the forefront of the design, we chose compact, unobtrusive cabinets in stylish white finish, backed up with straightforward yet robust control from the BSS Soundweb platform.

Where AV solutions are required for the private spaces, large UHD LED screens deliver the visuals, with state-of-the-art signal distribution.

Background Sound

Throughout the restaurant’s cosy, stylish interior, comfortable background music is delivered through speakers from Martin Audio (the compact CDD5 and CDD6 for the larger spaces, and Adorn A55T loudspeakers for the corridors and stairwells). In the smaller private dining room on the main level, the same is achieved with Martin Audio C6.8T ceiling speakers.

DJ inputs

On the main floor of the Marylebone location are input panels for a DJ (or line-level live music performance, if desired), positioned in the rear lounge area and also in the large formal dining area off to the right. Although the client had no plans for DJs to play at the front of the space, it was decided to future-proof the installation by adding another input point by the bar area — in case that need ever arises. A further DJ connection point is located in the basement’s combinable private dining room.

Flexible solution

As at the Notting Hill location, the sound solution consists of Martin Audio loudspeaker products, delivering the required quality of warm and comfortable background sound, with extra punch where needed. All in white, these loudspeaker models blend unobtrusively with the décor.

Sound power

In areas where extra level and frequency range is often needed, the Martin Audio solution sees CDD6 compact speakers accompanied by low-end reinforcement from several SX110 10” bass cabinets strategically positioned within each space — in what David Graham describes as “a perfect combination”. The system is powered with Crown XLS amplifiers, and by Extron where 100V line systems are used.

Comprehensive AV 

Serving the four beautiful private dining rooms in the basement are three 65” Samsung UHD Smart TVs, plus a 55” screen for the smaller “snug” room. Each is capable receiving Sky box 1, Sky box 2, or local HDMI input. High quality signal routing is guaranteed via the BSS Soundweb network and fed through Blustream HDMI data extension devices.

Sophisticated control

The sophisticated BSS Soundweb system (“the magic”!) gives the staff quick and easy control of the whole AV system, including programme changes as needed. Access is via two iPads with wall-mount cradles centrally positioned on each floor, their GUIs purpose-designed in BSS London Architect software. They enable any sound source — Playlist 1, Playlist 2 or DJ/Live — to be routed directly to any of the 10 zones over the site’s two levels. Additional access is offered via several fixed BSS Contrio wall panels. 

Essential flexibility

The powerful BSS Soundweb control architecture allows for maximum use of the space. Two of the private dining rooms in the basement, each with its own audio and video systems, can be combined into a single space for larger gatherings by opening the adjoining bi-fold wooden wall, with their AV systems working as one.

Remote access 

As part of our service, for larger installation systems Sound Division always recommends the inclusion of remote access for monitoring and troubleshooting. This has the benefits of enhancing our knowledge of the system and its performance, speeding our response to any problem, and giving further peace of mind to the client. To date, there have been no issues!

The Result

“In every aspect, Sunday in Brooklyn sets out to offer a real treat — in the food, décor and ambience — and sound & video plays an important part in that. The equipment and systems we’ve used here are rock-solid. It’s so important that you not only specify good quality systems, but that you install it all properly, professionally, with attention to the detail of its daily use.” — David Graham, Founder & Director, Sound Division.