B 018 installs Middle East's first d&b U-Series system
B 018 installs Middle East's first d&b U-Series system
Beirut nightclub B 018 has reopened boasting the Middle East's first installation of d&b audiotechnik's U-Series, with Lebanese distributor and systems integrator Seebeck Audio designing the new sound system around the venue's distinctive underground architecture.
Originally opened in 1998, the bunker-like club was designed by architect Bernard Khoury and became one of Beirut's best-known nightlife venues. Although the underground structure largely survived the 2020 Beirut port explosion, B 018 eventually closed in 2024. Khoury has returned to oversee the architectural integrity of the reopened venue, while Omran Gebran is responsible for its musical direction. Seebeck Audio, which has represented the German brand in Lebanon since 2000, was brought back to provide the club's audio system.
“B 018 has a wide variety of music across all genres and believes that d&b sounds the best for them all,” explained Gebran. “We also took into consideration the maintenance and the service of the system in the long term and for us, opting for a renewed combination of d&b, Seebeck and Youssef Aoun was an easy decision."
Seebeck’s design had to accommodate a low ceiling, retractable steel roof and a requirement for the loudspeakers to remain as unobtrusive as possible. The DJ booth can also operate from either end of the venue, with presets created in d&b's R1 software to provide the necessary flexibility.
“They needed something reliable and powerful enough to work for the club at full capacity, while ensuring the best listening experience possible for everybody, in every type of use,” said Aoun.
Having initially considered d&b's existing point source systems, Seebeck switched to the newly introduced U-Series during the project's development. Its selection allowed the integrator to increase the design from six to eight point source positions around the main club area. Eight U7 loudspeakers are arranged in a rectangle around the venue's roof opening, supplemented by three U5s covering the ends of the space and four U3s serving the raised bar area. Low frequencies are handled by six Bi6-SUBs in the main area and two Bi10s at the bar. At the client's request, all system inputs are analogue.
Regional instability created additional logistical challenges during the installation. Seebeck worked with the client, d&b's Middle East operation and other contractors to prepare the infrastructure before the loudspeakers arrived, using ArrayCalc simulations and preparing the R1 configuration in advance.
“As soon as the system cleared customs, it went straight to B 018, and was installed, tuned and ready to go in under 24 hours,” explained Aoun.
For Wissam Shaheen, from d&b Middle East’s Education and Application Support (EAS) team, the venue holds a special place. “B 018 means so much to me personally, as it does to many others,” he shared. “Growing up in Beirut, it was my introduction to club life in the late 1990s and early 2000s. “The Seebeck team did a tremendous job. Congratulations to everyone involved.”
The d&b Middle East team will return to B 018 for public d&b user training on 2–3 November 2026. Registration on the d& website is required.
