EI Home Cinema Supplement 2022

TURN TO P.4 FOR THE AWE INSIGHT AN

HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT P U B L I C AT I O N

Bright, immersive entertainment from brand new native 4K laser projectors

2022

SERIES

The ultimate home cinema experience Engineered to deliver movie soundtracks with all the clarity, dynamics and power of a commercial cinema, the Series MX range of speaker systems take up minimal space behind the screen while faithfully delivering movie soundtracks straight through the picture and into your seat.

Hear The Krix Experience at Innovation House in Bracknell.

Book a demo now.

TURN TO P.4 FOR THE AWE INSIGHT AN

HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT P U B L I C AT I O N

2022

Bright, immersive entertainment from brand new native 4K laser projectors

GETTING IN TOUCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Daniel Sait, dan@allthingsmedialtd.com

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Beatrice Lee, beatrice@allthingsmedialtd.com

SALES DIRECTOR

Ian Kitchener, ian@allthingsmedialtd.com

CONTENTS

GROUP AD MANAGER

2 EDITOR’S COMMENT

PUBLISHER

The wonderful world of home cinema

Claire Talty, claire@allthingsmedialtd.com David Kitchener, david@allthingsmedialtd.com

STUDIO MANAGER

Mark Weller, mark@allthingsmedialtd.com

ACCOUNTS

susan@allthingsmedialtd.com

Essential Install magazine, Suite 14, 6-8 Revenge Road, Lordswood, Chatham, Kent ME5 8UD T: +44 (0)1634 673163 F: +44 (0)1634 673173 www.essentialinstall.com

SOCIALS /INSTALL_MAG /ESSENTIALINSTALL Whilst we make every effort that everything printed in Essential Install magazine is factually correct, we cannot be held responsible if factual errors occur.

All articles are copyright and remain the property of Essential Install magazine.

4 AWE HITS A HOME CINEMA HOME RUN Stuart Tickle, Managing Director, AWE

8 WHEN ONLY THE BEST WILL DO Steve Totterdell, High-End Audio Product Manager at Invision

12 MAKE SONOS HOME CINEMA SETUPS SIMPLER WITH FLEXSON A solution for every installation

16 MAXIMISE YOUR MEDIA ROOM MUSCLE Redline has the power

20 DRIVING PERFECTION Wisdom Audio’s International Sales Manager Barry Pim

24 SPREADING THE STEINWAY LYNGDORF LOVE High quality and ease of use

26 WIMBLEDON’S ACE HOME CINEMA Served up by DbM’s winning combination

28 STUDIO MASTERS M&K Sound’s legendary 150 loudspeaker family

32 ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY? René van Setten, Director, Home Cinema Modules

35 EI LIVE! Time to sign up!

36 SMART BUILDING AWARDS Get smart!

EDITOR’S COMMENT

HOORAY FOR HOME CINEMA! Time once again to take a look around the wonderful world of home cinema and media rooms. There is no doubt that this sector has done well in recent times, triggered by an increased interest in home improvement via home entertainment, and some significant progress from manufacturers in improving performance-versus-price-point. Distributors have also increased their support often via high quality demonstration facilities. Installers have also been striving to deliver evermore focused projects matching closely the needs and priorities of customers. The market itself has evolved, offering a wider palette to integrators as dedicated home cinema spaces are joined by systems woven into existing living spaces, providing the ultimate, fully integrated

entertainment experiences for homeowners.

There has never been a wider choice in terms of products or approach for the home cinema market, so the aim of this publication is to provide readers with our well-rounded insight into some of the major UK players and what they can offer. We hope you enjoy our journey through this important sector and let us know if you would like to get involved in any of our other regular Essential Install supplements.

M AU N A KE A

M1 TV

Island Prestige

ELEVATING HOME ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY TO NEW HEIGHTS With Maunakea, L-Acoustics Creations and C SEED combine forces to transform the living space with a heightened home entertainment experience. Maunakea pairs Island Prestige, the visionary immersive sound space by pro audio pioneer L-Acoustics, with C SEED M1, the world’s first unfolding TV. With the push of a button M1 rises from the floor as Island rotates into the perfect viewing position. The stage is set for movies, livestreaming or gaming in ultimate comfort and ultra-high resolution. Visit l-acoustics-creations.com to learn more or book an appointment.

l-acoustics-creations.com

ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT

AWE HITS A HOME CINEMA HOME RUN AWE is a name that is synonymous with the custom install market in the UK. With awardwinning training, world-leading brands and an enviable hub of knowledge in the form of its fantastic in-house experts – Home Cinema is an area where AWE excels and supports installers with a superb offering. Here, Stuart Tickle, Managing Director at AWE, explains how integrators can work with the company to offer cinema solutions, from a simple media room, right up to a reference standard dedicated home cinema.

HOME CINEMA SURGE!

The pandemic caused a surge in the home entertainment market, with more people spending time at home and investing in everything to do with their home, including media rooms and dedicated home cinema and family entertainment rooms. Homes have had to become more flexible and multi-functional to accommodate the need to work, relax and play. Hybrid media rooms may include ‘hidden’ cinemas with concealed projectors and screens that are revealed as required, and the pièce de résistance – a dedicated home cinema and entertainment room – have grown in popularity.

This is thanks in part to innovative technologies that have made the once untouchable dream of a cinema in your home, a more accessible reality. At AWE we cover all price points from entry and mid-level Epson projectors, through to the recently launched, new Sony Native 4K SXRD Laser projectors - VPL-XW7000ES and VPL-XW5000ES – which are not only compact, high in brightness and suitable for a wide variety of home cinema projects, the picture quality for the price point (starting at £6k) must be seen

04 HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT 2022

to be believed. Both are on demo at AWE HQ, as is the top end £100k projector solution, the 10,000 lumens Sony VPL-GTZ380.

We also have plenty to thank the streaming networks for. Content is king and all the main services are providing cinema-quality film and TV, so we can view our favourite box sets and so many more movies at home in 4k HDR & Dolby Vision – in fact, the level of detail is stunning on either a big screen TV, or a full projection system.

Even with this growth, we know there is even more growth potential in the market, so how can we support installers to tap into this and build a strong home cinema business? Well, that’s kind of what we do actually.

KNOWING THE MARKET

Home cinema has always been an important market and as such many brands are competing to be the ‘first’, the ‘best’, the ‘brightest’, the ‘most advanced’. We have seen impressive technical developments in the projector market as well as some incredible advancements in TV, with OLED, mini-LED and Micro-LED providing some major fuel for the ‘Projector vs TV’ debate.

The reality is differing technologies suit different environments, so at AWE we encourage our customers to come along and experience the products first-hand at the show apartment in our Epsom HQ. Only recently we hosted our annual AWE Expo – our biggest yet – where we welcomed hundreds of industry professionals through the doors to get handson with the latest product launches, technology updates and demos from leading brands.

We love welcoming installers and their clients along to the Show Apartment, which

features all the latest products from our impressive list of partner brands, including Sony, Bowers & Wilkins, LG, Rotel, URC, Denon, Marantz, Base Performance Simulators, Silent Gliss, Ring X-line, Panasonic, Philips Hue and Definitive Technology.

For home cinema projects, we would encourage installers to check out our recently revamped Reference and Performance cinemas. Two amazing cinemas at different price points – one at £25K and the other at between £65K and £150k dependent upon how specified. They both offer incredible performance credentials.

SERIOUSLY GOOD HOME CINEMA DEMOS Let’s start with our new Reference Cinema.

This home cinema set-up is at the top end of home cinema whilst still being relevant to most integrators, with a configuration that clients with a big healthy budget will be thoroughly impressed by.

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ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT

The audio is incredible, thanks to a combination of Bowers & Wilkins architectural loudspeakers and subwoofers driven by an immense stack of Rotel Power Amplifiers. We’ve fitted Bowers & Wilkins CI 800 Series Diamond speakers and Custom Theatre subwoofers in a 7.4.6 configuration – ideal for an eight-seater room of this size. A Marantz Processor feeds into a stack of five Rotel Power Amplifiers housed in a new 44U rack located in the adjacent comms room. Four cabinet subwoofers (CTSW15) with 15in bass drivers with additional dedicated amplification provide the heart-thumping bass that completes this high-performing and versatile loudspeaker set-up.

This powerful, immersive audio system is matched by the incredible 4m wide HDR picture provided by a choice of Sony projectors, including the 10,000 lumens and 100% DCI-P3 wide colour gamut Sony VPL-GTZ380 Native 4k laser projector providing an image that once seen, can’t be unseen! It’s Sony’s flagship home cinema projector for a reason and leaves a lasting impression on clients. The latest native 4k laser models from Sony are being fitted too and, having seen them, are sure to set a new benchmark from just £6k.

We’ve also completely upgraded our smaller Performance Cinema. Here we have a superb combination of Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series architectural loudspeakers and in-wall cabinet

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subwoofers, all driven by a single 11-channel Marantz AV Amplifier and sub amps located in the room. Epson’s recently launched EHLS12000B projector, which features a high 2,500,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 4K resolution (8.3mil pixels on-screen), HDR10+ support, 3LCD and a laser light source, delivers picture quality that is hard to beat at its price point. It is also ideal for gaming, offering 4K resolution at 120 frames per second, along with input lag times below 20ms. This cinema is just £25k and can be specified up or down to suit requirements.

UNDERPINNED BY AWARDWINNING TRAINING

As we all know in this industry, this bit is important. The market is ever-changing and the technology we are seeing is advancing at such a rapid pace that you can quickly fall behind if you do not stay one step ahead with regular training.

Over the years, AWE has established a reputation for providing industry-leading training under the Smart Home Academy banner. We train people on the home cinema products we sell, of course, but we also explore the technologies, trends and techniques behind them, and how to specify the right product for each project. For us, it is important that our educational offering is just as valuable as the products we distribute – there is no sense in selling products if they are not enabling success for our customers.

This is something we are really passionate about and we’re proud to have won awards, including CEDIA awards, for our training courses. For the Home Cinema market, our

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programme includes focused courses: ‘Home Cinema Projection Technologies’ and ‘Home Cinema Audio Technologies’. As well as a dedicated programme of courses for ‘Learning with Sound United’ which covers ‘Room Calibration’ and ‘Acoustic Treatments’ among others, highlighting the fantastic AWE brands under the Sound United umbrella (including Denon, Marantz, Heos…).

We are also a training partner for CEDIA and host a range of CEDIA courses at our Smart Home Academy HQ in Epsom. You can find out more about upcoming courses at smarthomeacademy.co.uk or by visiting the CEDIA website.

SO NOW YOU KNOW!

At AWE we have built our reputation by presenting industry-leading technologies in a way that excites and inspires the custom installation market. By offering a wide variety of high-performance concepts, from media room set-ups to full-scale Home Cinema configurations – with competitive pricing and great support at the core – we are more than ‘just a distributor’.”

If you want to find out more about AWE, check us out online or in person. To book a visit to experience the new Reference and Performance Cinemas at AWE, visit www.awe-europe.com.

HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT 2022 05

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WHEN ONLY THE BEST WILL DO

Trinnov knows how to deliver a truly immersive audio experience, “so why choose anything else?” asks Steve Totterdell, High-End Audio Product Manager at Invision.

Since 2003, Trinnov Audio has been using pioneering technologies to pave the way for truly immersive audio implementation in homes, studios, and commercial cinemas.

Consisting of a team of engineers who are passionate about audio quality, the French manufacturer has always been committed to producing high-performance and reliable products which are protected by more than 50 international patents. So, what else makes Trinnov unique?

HARDWARE PLATFORM

Determined to push the boundaries of immersive audio and to fight obsolescence, Trinnov opted for true innovation, upgradeability, and longevity by developing its own unique platform.

Rather than following the typical multiple DSP approach like other manufacturers, Trinnov created a modern and flexible architecture where decoding, processing, and operating functions are all handled by a single Intel multicore processor. Within this development was Trinnov’s own 64-bit operating system to host the software: TrinnovOS. While other manufacturers must wait for the availability of

08 HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT 2022

a new chipset and/or OEM board, and then go through a long hardware integration cycle to update their products, Trinnov does not.

By simply incorporating the new feature or capability into a simple software update for the Altitude platform, Trinnov achieves the same, often better, result faster. This is a big advantage for customers as their investment is protected for longer as audio technology evolves.

A recent example was Trinnov’s latest software release that added two major features to every Altitude processor that has been installed since 2015. Completely free of charge, this update added four extra output channels as well as Trinnov’s IMAX Enhanced application.

This recent feature shows the unrivalled flexibility of the Altitude platform and increases the capacity of the Altitude16 processor to a total of 20 discrete channels of decoding and acoustic optimisation. Combining the 16 analogue outputs and 2x S/PDIF outputs of the processor, Trinnov unlocked the full potential of the Altitude16. By adding S/PDIF / Analogue converters to their system, Trinnov customers can add extra subwoofers or channels to increase its performance in a very cost-effective manner.

On all Altitude32 models, these extra outputs will be available via the built-in AES/ EBU outputs.

As Arnaud Laborie, Trinnov Audio Co-Founder and CEO, said at the time of the launch: “Our implementation of immersive sound codecs is unrivalled. We have always been committed to high spatial resolution, and we are now taking the extra step to enable this benefit across a higher number of home theatre installations by adding four extra discrete and acoustically optimised outputs. Among countless new possibilities, this update now allows Altitude16 owners to support the very

popular 9.4.6 speaker layout and maximise low frequency and 3D sound performance with our fully integrated calibration suite.”

BASS MANAGEMENT

Trinnov’s Bass Management is the most advanced and flexible on the market for managing low frequencies. The low-frequency content of any channel can be fed to any combination of subwoofers, and there is no limitation to the number of subwoofer channels besides the number of available outputs.

Crossover settings can be tailored for each subwoofer and assign any speaker to any subwoofer or subwoofers in the room. This way, Trinnov can really steer bass around the room while making bass pans more dynamic. With separate settings for low and high pass filters, it can allow a speaker to play to its capabilities while still sending chosen frequencies to the nearest available bass speaker. This could be a surround speaker with decent low range or a subwoofer or multiple subwoofers.

Trinnov treats Bass Management and LFE separately, so you can have subs assigned to either Bass Management, LFE, or both thanks to the flexibility of the settings.

Furthermore, as an additional commitment to customers, Trinnov supports its products with a five-year manufacturer’s warranty as well as a five-year warranty extension program for the Altitude32.

At Invision, we have been distributing Trinnov since 2015 and have the Altitude32 pride of place in our Home Cinema in Bracknell.

If you would like to know more or to request a demo, please contact your account manager.

Alternatively, email sales@invisionuk.com or call 01359 270280.

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POUND-FOR-POUND THE BEST

HOME CINEMA DEMO ROOM We feel that our Home Cinema is pound-for-pound the best home cinema demo room in the UK. Consisting of a handpicked selection of the finest and industryleading home cinema brands that produce the ultimate visual and audio setting, Invision’s demo room will knock you off your feet.

Don’t just take our word for it, experience it now by booking your own demo.

Contact us for more information 01359 270280 | sales@invisionuk.com

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ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT

MAKE SONOS HOME CINEMA SETUPS SIMPLER WITH FLEXSON

From TV Mounts and mount attachments for soundbars to wall mounts for subwoofers and floor stands for peripheral speakers, Flexson, leaders in Sonos accessories, offers a solution for every installation need.

With Sonos ever-expanding into the home cinema space, Flexson offers a full catalogue of mounting solutions to build the perfect wireless movie setup within the home.

Designed to securely hold both the TV screen and Sonos soundbar in one unified full-motion installation, the Flexson Cantilever Mount for Sonos Arc and Beam allows you to position your home entertainment system at the perfect viewing – and listening – angle.

Suitable for TV screens from 32” to 70” weighing up to 50kg, the Flexson Cantilever Mount enables the viewer to pull out, swivel and tilt the TV and soundbar in unison. The Flexson Cantilever Mount, which comes with the relevant attachments for either Sonos Arc and Sonos Beam, has a slim depth of just 49mm but extends out to 491mm. Ideal for both flat walls and corner placements, this mount can swivel up to 100-degrees and tilts up to 13-degrees. In designing the Cantilever Mount for Sonos Arc and Beam, Flexson carefully considered the design to brilliantly harness the power of the soundbars’ capabilities. A 30mm step in the soundbar mount positions it in front of the TV, which ensures that the upward firing drivers are never blocked by the TV and can fill the room with showstopping audio.

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Flexson even has mounts for incorporating the brand-new Sonos Ray into home installations. The Flexson Wall Mount for Sonos Ray allows you to position the soundbar anywhere on the wall, perfect for custom placing the TV and soundbar for the desired effect.

Much like the Cantilever Mount for Sonos Arc and Beam, the Wall Mount for Sonos Ray also features the 30mm step to position the Ray just in front of the TV for optimising the full range of sound. Meanwhile, Flexson’s coveted cable management system comes into play, with a hole driving cables straight into the wall for a brilliantly clean installation. Designed bespoke for the new Sonos Ray and precision engineered from High Grade Steel, the Flexson Wall Mount has multi-point fixing points and a one-part design for easy mounting. The one-part design also helps to reduce packaging and waste.

The Flexson range also includes TV Mount Attachments for both Sonos Arc and Beam and the new Sonos Ray. These solutions securely fit onto an existing TV wall bracket (both stationary and full motion cantilever), and neatly unify the audio and the visual. Both versions of this mount attachment are designed to suit a wide variety of TVs, suitable from 40” to 80” and VESA compatible from 200x200 to 800x800.

Vertically and horizontally adjustable, the Flexson TV Mount Attachments make it easy to perfectly align soundbar centrally with the TV and at just the right height. Once again, the Flexson TV Mount Attachment for both Sonos Arc and Beam and Sonos Ray features Flexson’s clever 30mm step design to prevent Atmos and audio interruption.

Every proper home cinema setup needs a quality subwoofer, and the Sonos Sub certainly fits the bill when putting together a Sonos wireless setup. With Flexson’s bespoke bracket for the Sonos Sub, it’s simple to position your subwoofer in the perfect spot for the best audio effect for home cinema viewing. The Flexson Wall Mount for Sub is perfectly designed to match the size, style and colour of the Sonos subwoofer and allows you to discretely mount the Sub on the wall, both freeing up floor space and lifting it above any potential spills or household incidents.

The Sonos One is the ideal candidate for use as a peripheral speaker in a Sonos-focused 5.1 surround sound system. The Flexson Floor Stand for Sonos One positions the speaker at the ideal listening height for an immersive surround sound home cinema setup. While clever cable management helps to ensure that power leads are kept hidden away, the flat base (which comes with fittings for both wood flooring and carpet) has a very low profile, sliding neatly under sofas and sideboards.

Available in both black and white and colour matched to perfectly blend with the speaker, the Flexson Floor Stand for Sonos One (which come either as a single or in a pair) seamlessly fits into any home cinema setup.

Flexson’s diverse range of accessories for every Sonos speaker makes it simple to integrate wireless audio into any size home. To learn more about the full Flexson range, perfect for any home cinema installation, please contact support@flexson.com, or visit our brand new website Flexson.com.

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Learn more at cinergy.monitoraudio.com

Cinergy

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Install by Sound With Vision

MAXIMISE YOUR MEDIA ROOM MUSCLE What a home cinema/media room needs to deliver is evolving. Redline stands ready to supply the products and the support to deliver hidden or discreet and multi-function systems that increasingly form part of a wider world of home improvement.

The dedicated home cinema room that looks to recreate the very best from commercial cinema in the home is a strong category, but what about the needs of more diverse and numerous groups of consumers whose needs are more varied, and want to use their existing space for their entertainment needs with a discreet or hidden system? These customers, and this approach deserves attention as it has potential outside the world of specialist AV and these days is part of the mainstream as buyers look to improve their homes in lots of ways. The AV community can offer a home upgrade that matches or exceeds the value and pleasure that buyers can experience from any other type of home improvement. There is no doubt that the quality available from hidden audio systems has advanced greatly in recent years. No longer are we talking about audio compromise when we introduce hidden audio. Genuinely for most consumers, what we are delivering is the best

16 HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT 2022

of both worlds. Rooms like this have the power to enhance the family home, bringing people together to enjoy their favourite content, games or events such as music festivals or the big match.

Creating a high-performance multi-use space allows installers to target a larger group of customers and give them something that fits around their existing home, or if the customer is embarking on a new build or renovation project.

The interior scheme for the property can remain untouched, whilst the room can still deliver a performance level consumers will love. We have helped install many of these systems and the way they fit into the lives of customers is always impressive, they become part of the fabric of the home and never feel like a separate addon or something divorced from the rest of the home, it’s a beautiful living room with additional entertainment and fun!

The whole family can enjoy an immersive, spacious sound that envelopes the whole room, never favouring one seat over another.

Often it feels as if the audio travels beyond the space itself creating an impression of sound that extends far beyond the listening area with effortless performance that chimes with everyone who hears it. Never harsh or abrasive, these systems coax the best sounds from any

content and present them with precision, rather than overpowering a space and putting buyers off with too much power. Yes, these systems can go loud, but it never feels strained or struggling, viewer fatigue is never an issue. Natural feeling audio is another strong trait of these systems.

Great for music, making vocals and instruments sound as they should, but also effective when it comes to movie night when a more direct approach is needed to add atmosphere or excitement to whatever is being watched.

Creating the full-on Dolby Atmos experience customers are after in their living room is, of course, no problem for hidden audio, all the channels can be accommodated unobtrusively including the bass with today’s high-performance hidden solutions for any size of room.

Imagine a supersized TV or hidden projector system, complemented by completely hidden audio, a totally clutter free automated room, where the whole family gets to enjoy what they love best.

THE PERFECT PRODUCTS

Redline has a strong set of products and an excellent record in assisting dealers with the design and installation of hidden home cinema systems.

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Image courtesy of Hogarth Architects

Image courtesy of Clarke Infinity

Amina is the UK based innovator which has evolved the hidden audio category perhaps more than any other brand.

Using incredibly lightweight, stiff and resonant panel material, products such as the Amina Mobius7i have been created to work with a wide variety of surface covering material and are being used to deliver incredible high frequency detail and extension, providing some of the greatest flexibility for interior design integration and installation of any invisible loudspeaker.

The Mobius7i can be installed behind a wide range of covering materials such as wet plaster skim (2mm), stucco, polished plaster, wood, slate, leather or high-pressure laminate. The interior design ambitions for the space will never be compromised when using this high-performance speaker. Critically with these systems, invisibility is key. Mobius is a full plaster over product and does not have

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to be blended in to the surrounding finish.

This guarantees invisibility, even with washed lighting or challenging natural light environments. Performance wise, the speaker incorporates OptiDamping, OptiDrive and Reduced-Resonance Exciter technology, providing smooth high frequency extension, high power handling and improved low frequency performance.

Invisible speaker systems can sometimes lack ‘real’ bass. The kind of bass that can only be viably and economically produced by a conventional speaker cone. Redline has a great stable of discreet bass units from Amina, Artison and Velodyne.

The Amina range of subwoofers offer smooth low frequency extension with minimal visual impact. No shrinking violet, these products can move air when required, but also add a wonderful level of subtle support to movies and music of any genre. The passive

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design of products like the all new Amina ALF100SM also offer space saving qualities inside the room as well as offering highperformance audio.

The Amina ALF100SM is mounted directly to studs or joists on 400mm / 16in centres and is designed to fit into standard 4in cavity stud walls and cavity ceilings. All these products need is a DSP amplifier (or suitable system processor), to deliver bass down to 30Hz at 110dB (half space) at 1m. This means the subwoofer is perfect for music-only playback, media rooms, gaming. You name it, it’s got the capabilities.

Artison’s Reactance Cancelling Configuration (RCC) architectural technology subwoofers, now in MK11 form bring classy and fast dynamic bass to the discreet sub stage.

The RCC320 and RCC160 offer increased output levels, improved dynamics, lower distortion, and a significant increase in efficiency on previous models. They are also totally vibration free and IP65 rated. These amazing compact and flexible subs are designed for both in-wall and in-ceiling and joinery installation. The RCC320 MKII has four 4in by 6in drivers per unit in an extruded aluminium enclosure engineered for tight spaces, with easy pre-construction or retrofit installation into a standard two by four stud bay. The RCC160 and RCC320 both ship with a discrete perforated speaker grille and an HVAC-style ceiling grille. Redline also offers a sharp looking plaster in grille at extra cost.

The pinnacle of discreet bass performance comes from Velodyne The SCIW-DVR now in MK11 form is often described as the best hidden sub in the world, for good reason. The SCIW-DVR leverages the company’s patented ‘T’ shaped drive unit gives extreme performance from only a very small vent. The SCIW-DVR has been created to be powerful, but easy-to-install and designed to meet any need whether in-wall, in-floor, in-ceiling or in-cabinet. Once fitted rooms up to 2500 cu feet can easily be catered for using just one unit.

For all of these products and brands, Redline offers expert design and installation assistance.

Redline has 15 years experience blending our invisible and discreet brands together to form world-class systems.

This year we are launching our ‘White Glove’ installation service which provides a fast professional installation service for all our invisible and discreet products. This service will give dealers the ultimate reassurance when specifying invisible systems.

Whatever the level of support needed, we can provide it and assist installers in creating the very best, flexible, beautiful media rooms and home cinema around. Talk to us to find out more.

Redline red-line.co.uk

HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT 2022 17

A new residential focused AV, Automation and Home Cinema Event based in Amsterdam is being introduced beginning this year.

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ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT: WISDOM AUDIO

DRIVING PERFECTION Wisdom Audio’s unique speaker design proposition is custom made for CI says International Sales Manager Barry Pim. Rapid technological advance has gifted your business with the power to deliver astonishing performance and intuitive ease of use to your customers. But amid the dazzling science of the metaverse, AI, M2M comms and IoT, a technology you install every day has remained virtually unchanged from the moment it was patented on 2nd April 1929.

Loaded into on-wall, in-wall and freestanding cabinets, headphones, even buds, Kellogg and Rice’s electroacoustic transducer, otherwise known as the ‘dynamic moving coil’ loudspeaker, has been making waves ever since, with varying degrees of success. There’s no doubting its popularity: it’s widely understood, easy to adapt for specialised frequency roles, relatively cheap to produce and for most applications sounds just great. But for a more tenacious breed of highend speaker engineer, this goody bag of virtues is simply not great enough. In answer to the question “can we do better?”, Wisdom Audio’s design team has refined the ‘Planar Magnetic Driver’, or PMD, to become the epitome of ultra-discreet high performance transducers: the perfect choice, in fact, for elite screening rooms, home cinema and media rooms.

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A THIN FILM OF RADIATING GOODNESS

This is because PMD tech hands you the means to integrate extraordinary sound for your best customers. By chemically bonding the voice coil track to a thin-film diaphragm of high temperature resistant polyimide, surrounded by the extraordinary force of tiny rare-earth neodymium magnets, Wisdom’s proprietary PMD design combines the virtues of electrostatic drivers and ribbons (detail, low distortion, and even, controlled dispersion), with the strengths of dynamic speakers (high reliability, power handling, dynamic range and sensitivity). In other words, Wisdom’s magical PMD has transformed the capabilities of traditional driver design, removing compromise while boosting detail, dynamics, accuracy and power handling across an extended range from beyond 20kHz down to an unprecedented 80Hz (in the flagship LS4 model). What’s more, when used together in a tall column speaker, Wisdom’s large-scale Planar Magnetic Drivers are able to generate the fabled qualities of Line Source design.

LINE SOURCE V POINT SOURCE

Most speakers in the world are Point Sources, whose sound expands away from the speaker as an ever-enlarging sphere. This happens because the vibrating diaphragm is small compared to the sound waves it is producing. Sound from a Point Source spreads out like ripples from a pebble thrown into a pond, but in three dimensions. It thins out as it expands, reflecting back into the space from the room boundaries so that delayed versions of the original signal collide with the direct sound at the listening position. It’s an audio mashup, and the reason why enclosed spaces are an earache for audio designers.

Line Source speakers make everything simpler. The physics says that when a vibrating diaphragm approaches the size of the sound wave it is producing, the sound becomes more directional, radiating away from the source in the shape of an expanding cylinder. Sound from a line source advances like a tide, rather than a 3D spray of frequencies. Aided by this focus, the

Magical chemistry: the engine of Wisdom’s PMD is the union of voice coil and thin film diaphragm

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ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT: WISDOM AUDIO sound from a Line Source doesn’t ‘thin out’ nearly as fast as sound from a Point Source speaker.

In fact, Line Sources deliver half the propagation loss of conventional Point Sources, generating a more uniform SPL throughout the space and a generous ‘sweet-spot’ of level and frequencies. Front to back, side to side, each listener is served with the same dynamic, wideband audio experience. And since Wisdom’s Line Source PMDs deliver sound into a space more efficiently, effortlessly high intelligibility and level are achieved with less strain on the electronics. Counter intuitively, greater ‘power over distance’ does not mean ear-splitting volumes close to the speakers.

It’s a physical phenomenon unique to Line Source design. Best of all, vertically controlled dispersion eliminates those damaging floor and ceiling reflections where human auditory senses are most acutely focussed, so the audience hears more of the speaker and less of the room. With Line Source, everything becomes easier and significantly clearer. This makes Line Source the go-to technology for the best cinema and media room applications.

Point of confusion: Point Source propagates in all directions providing more reflected sound v direct sound

IS LINE SOURCE THE SAME AS LINE ARRAY?

Perhaps with the best intentions, some of the marketing available has blurred the distinction between Line Source and Line Array, but they are not the same. Being tall and thin, a Line Array may look like a Line Source, but rather than use a limited number of large wideband drivers, Line Arrays squeeze multiple Point Source speakers into a column (like the PA towers at a rock festival). By virtue of its size and shape, a Line Array tries to mimic the dispersion of a Line Source, but instead multiplies the distortion caused by many Point Source speakers interfering with each other and room boundaries. Sound from rivals deploying a Line Array of multiple AMT or moving coil drivers for instance will suffer comb filtering: the sound will be chopped up by many tiny delays.

In free air within large commercial venues, Line Array towers are a great solution because comb filtering effects are less apparent at large distances, but within an enclosed space such as a cinema room, it’s another audio mashup. As we’ve seen, Line Source is a wholly different technical ball game, so when a manufacturer claims to have developed a Line Source product, it’s almost certainly something else.

Line of clarity: Line Source propagates in a controlled vertical fashion, providing more direct sound v reflected sound

Power over distance: Line Sources have half the propagation loss of Point Sources, providing a better row to row consistency

SPACE CRAFT

So why isn’t every speaker made for Line Source dispersion? Two big reasons: practicality and technical complexity. To target the benefits of Line Source where they matter most, above 160Hz, Wisdom’s line source speakers are tall - around 2m. This means that in-wall, on-wall, and free-standing versions are a natural fit for LCR and stereo applications within the larger home environments, but sometimes impractical for smaller rooms – we have other designs for that.

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A shared experience: Line Source provides a wider sweet spot

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HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT 2022 21

ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT: WISDOM AUDIO

Every Wisdom Audio in-wall, in-ceiling, on-wall and free-standing speaker, including the flagship LS4, L150, L75, P38, P20 and ICS7a deploys PMD technology

Then there’s the rarefied engineering. It would be impossible even for a high-end brand comfortable with moving-coil drivers or maybe AMT ribbons to attempt the leap of invention necessary to devise a driver as advanced as Wisdom’s ultimate technical tour de force: the large scale PMD. By way of this extraordinary breakthrough, Wisdom Audio meets the demand for outright quality, performance and exclusivity.

Just look at what our largest drivers can do. For example, the towering LS4 Line Source flagship housing Wisdom’s reference PMDs delivers a radiating area equivalent to as many as eleven twelve-inch moving coil woofers, and ninety-six one-inch dome tweeters, with a sensitivity of 100dB. Amazing as it may seem, a single system is capable of reproducing sound pressure levels to a staggering 130dB at four metres, satisfying the most critical music and film aficionados.

Wisdom’s Regenerative Transmission Line (RTL) tech can generate 123dB at 20Hz from the twin 5x7-inch drivers inside the super-thin S90i in-wall design

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And where Line Source isn’t practical, Wisdom Audio deploys matching, tonally accurate PMD tech across no fewer than twenty-six Point Source speakers for in-wall, on-wall, in-ceiling, LCR and free-standing applications. All this versatile product prowess means that in rooms of any size, Wisdom’s promise to deliver ‘being there’ fidelity is not only viable, it’s assured. What’s more, because the PMD’s radiating surface is inherently flat and thin, our technology is perfect for the flush installation so beloved by CI. As a custom cinema designer, you can take it to the bank!

THE DEEP

You’ll love our bass as well. Below 150Hz, where sound is far less directional, we integrate multiple bass drivers with our Line Source modules. At these frequencies the outputs couple together to create what is effectively a single low frequency radiator with the speed to match our PMDs. But to generate natural dynamics with low distortion down to 20Hz and flat to 2dB, we needed to design something far more radical, having the ability to enhance output over the complete bandwidth of the woofer system. Wisdom’s Regenerative Transmission Line (RTL)® subwoofer technology uses the acoustic output of both sides of the woofer diaphragm to drive the same internal transmission line. In effect the operation sums three acoustic outputs to deliver between six to nine dB of gain over the total pass-band, boosting efficiency and maximum output and significantly reducing cone movement and distortion. Available from our freestanding STS, SCS-2 and SAS subs and as many as six super-discreet in-wall and in-ceiling

variants, RTL can generate, for example, up to 130dB at 20Hz from the flagship STS model, 128dB at 30Hz from the single 10-inch driver inside the S110i in-wall system, and 123dB at 20Hz (enough to pressurise a small, terraced home) from twin 5x7-inch drivers within the impossibly thin (15.5cm) S90i in-wall design.

Astonishing but demonstrable. As the old proverb goes, the proof is in the pudding…

THE POWER TO COMMUNICATE

And that’s exactly what I’d love you to do. Try the pudding. Wisdom Audio can supercharge your design potential in any cinema or media room application. No other speaker brand offers you the compelling choice of pure line source and compatible point source designs, inherently slender in profile yet capable of matchless fidelity, custom made for the complete CI playbook. It’s a giant leap in capability for loudspeaker technology, but in this age of dazzling science, you’ll take that in your stride!

Meet Habitech at Basingstoke for the complete Wisdom Audio experience. sales@habitech.co.uk

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Behind every great cinema there is wisdom...

From the rack to the room Wisdom Audio’s beautifully discreet system architecture proves that it’s not what you see that makes high-end home cinema magical, it’s what you don’t…

Reserve your private Wisdom Audio experience at Habitech

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ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT

SPREADING THE STEINWAY LYNGDORF LOVE Steinway Lyngdorf underlines why the brand’s combination of high quality and ease of use is a hard proposition to beat.

Since 2005, Steinway Lyngdorf has redefined the standards of audio innovation and sound reproduction. In 2006, in a re-imagining of digital acoustic compensation, RoomPerfect was launched, marking an entry to the market of the most sophisticated solution for adapting sound to its environment. Despite advanced technologies, Steinway Lyngdorf components are among the easiest to install in the audio market. They are also built to last, imbued with a strength and longevity unseen in competing products. All Steinway Lyngdorf products work with all other series components to create custom sound systems. We guarantee the legacy of absolute perfection that comes with the Steinway Lyngdorf partnership, and this cannot be attained with a mix of ‘off the shelf’ products from different manufacturers. No chain is stronger than the weakest link, and our full system approach ensures high efficiency in every aspect. Steinway Lyngdorf’s integrated system approach delivers solutions for any room and for any need.

It identifies the characteristics of your speakers and the influence of your room, and simply takes the room out of the equation.

“No one has an ideal listening room.

RoomPerfect measures and adjusts the loudspeakers in the room, so we can guarantee the best sound performance in any room shape, with any interior design.” Says Roland Hoffmann, Director of Product Marketing.

UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP Designed, developed, and manufactured in Denmark, Steinway Lyngdorf sound systems are the only systems on the planet that are qualified to be manufactured in partnership with Steinway & Sons. Steinway Lyngdorf brings together Steinway & Sons, makers of the world’s finest pianos for more than 165 years,

and Peter Lyngdorf, one of the most forwardthinking audio innovators of our time. The partnership is based on an ambitious promise – that the Steinway Lyngdorf audio systems reproduce the sound of a Steinway & Sons grand piano to the degree that even seasoned concert pianists cannot discern the difference.

STEINWAY & SONS FINISH One of the hallmark features of the Steinway Lyngdorf brand is the iconic black lacquer which is applied by hand exactly as it is done for the legendary Steinway & Sons pianos in Hamburg, Germany. Using time-honored techniques, trained craftsmen ensure that the classic black finish of each component attains the highest standard of quality. Because it’s not finished until it’s finished.

THE WORLD’S FINEST ROOM CORRECTION

With most systems, the majority of the sound you hear comes not from the speakers, but from the room. The placement of the speakers and the shape and dynamics of the room (echoes, reflections, and absorption) have great influence on what you hear. Because no available room correction system would make your speakers sound exactly as the manufacturer intended them to, we had to develop RoomPerfect.

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SOLUTIONS FOR ANY SETTINGS

At one end of our product line, the discreet and award-winning Steinway Lyngdorf Model S speaker system is a petite powerhouse at a competitive price point. At the other end, the flagship masterpiece Steinway Lyngdorf Model D system offers heart-stopping performance and an imposing presence. Choose in-wall, in-ceiling, on-wall, on-ceiling, or freestanding components – no matter the configuration, every Steinway Lyngdorf speaker series combines our advanced core technologies, including RoomPerfectTM room correction, to ensure your listening experience is secondto-none.

Thomas Birkelund, company CEO, says, “As soon as you have heard it, there is no going back. You have to surrender.”

be open before the end of the year and will showcase a huge array of Steinway Lyngdorf products. The most exciting will be the cinema, which we are currently designing as we speak!

Cinema has become a huge part of the UK market, each year it is growing and with that more exciting products are hitting the market.

At Steinway Lyngdorf we have a full range of on wall, in wall and in ceiling offerings to help cater for this market, and we have processors and amplifiers to deliver a full Steinway Lyngdorf system too. From small single row cinemas to full on multiplex sized rooms, we have a range of

speaker technologies to help cover all scenarios, including line source, angled designs, high SPL output and even custom-built subwoofers with bespoke dimensions. But even more important is that each product is designed to be the best we could ever make, every system is designed to blow your client away. We are the one brand that your client probably HAS heard of, which will only give them confidence in what you as a dealer are suggesting.

For more information, visit steinwaylyngdorf.com.

YOUR HOME. YOUR SYSTEM.

Steinway Lyngdorf offers custom products to accommodate special installations, shallow wall depths, and non-standard room structures.

We also offer bespoke exquisite wood finishes and contemporary custom high-gloss colours to complement any home décor. Each space belongs to the customer and each sound system should sing their unique song.

Thomas underlines, “Quality will never go out of fashion. Everybody wants good quality, and everybody wants to have good experiences.

And that is what we bring to people. We bring good experiences.”

NOW DIRECT IN THE UK

We are very excited by the UK market and what we have planned. Our new UK showroom will

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HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT 2022 25

ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT

WIMBLEDON’S ACE HOME CINEMA VIA DbM’S WINNING COMBINATION Surrey Hills Home Cinemas used DbM’s highperformance range to deliver home cinema and AV excellence.

With its latest installation, Guildford-based integrator, Surrey Hills Home Cinemas has created an exceptional cinematic experience within a beautifully renovated contemporary home in Wimbledon Village. Built on the audio power and finesse of Meridian Audio’s Digital Signal Processing (DSP) loudspeakers in a High-Power Array (HPA), a Meridian patented technology, this stunning home cinema also benefits from the picture brilliance of Barco’s Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) compliant Freya+ 4K laser projector, a Display Technologies auto-masking screen, CAT-S

26 HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT 2022

acoustic treatment and a Trinnov Altitude 32 processor, all supplied by DbM. Having longed for their own premium quality home cinema for 40 years, the client took the opportunity to build this dream room in a newly formed basement space on the property. Surrey Hills Home Cinemas were briefed to construct a cinema where the family could indulge their passion for action movies but equally find a comfortable place where they could relax and lose themselves in a classical music performance.

“This was our chance to build the ultimate home cinema and listening room for a client who’d always yearned for a magical, immersive experience,” says Elliot Hicks from Surrey Hill Home Cinemas. “We knew the space would be used to enjoy a wide variety of content and

needed to be able to perform to the highest standard, whether the family were watching Spielberg’s ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ or listening to a Chopin piano recital. Whatever the selection, our job was to place them at the heart of the experience with the best seats in the house.”

Audio performance was obviously key to meeting the client’s expectations and, after listening to competing brands in a range of demos, the client selected Meridian. The team at Surrey Hills Home Cinemas then designed an environment where every component was specified and every detail considered to ensure the very best sound and video quality. The result is an incredible 11.8.8 HPA immersive 3D cinema powered by the latest Meridian DSP loudspeaker technology.

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ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT

PICTURE PERFECTION

Eight DSP750 digital active architectural inwall loudspeakers pack a significant audio punch along each side and from rear channels while a further nine DSP750s power the Left, Centre and Right HPA performance. Three Meridian Audio DSP730 digital active architectural in-wall loudspeakers were installed for the front left, centre and right height channels with an additional five DSP730s fitted to deliver in the overhead channels. Eight Meridian DSW600 digital active in-wall subwoofers give unbelievable depth, bass and resonance exclusively in the low-frequency effect (LFE) channel.

The DSP750s and DSP730s combine power and fidelity to provide both discretion and outstanding reference quality audio. The DSP750 delivers a maximum output of 120dB and bass extension down to 30Hz while the DSP730 provides 115dB and bass extension down to 38Hz. The DSW600 can handle bassheavy music and movie soundtracks, delivering incredible, immersive audio with ease and perfect timing down to 24Hz. Meridian’s HPA technology optimises the output and coverage of sound when Meridian architectural loudspeakers are arranged in this

type of close-proximity array configuration. It ensures that high SPL targets can be achieved across the entire listening region, without distortion. The HPA configuration ensures minimal interference and spectral variation between speakers, resulting in an even response so that every listener in the room can experience Meridian’s signature high resolution sound and fidelity. It also allowed the Surrey Hills Home Cinemas team to maintain the 100mm mounting depth while no extra equipment was required in the rack to support the additional channels.

The exceptional picture is provided by a Barco Freya+ DCI projector, featuring the latest in native 4K DLP chipsets from Texas Instruments and the acclaimed Barco Alchemy ICMP (Integrated Cinema Media Processor).

Installed on an XL Side Mirror Mount to save space in the cinema’s rear projection and rack room, the Freya+ offers great contrast and a wider colour gamut at 13,500 ANSI Lumens.

Surrey Hills Home Cinemas have fitted a Display Technologies Dynamic 2TB masking screen, measuring 4300mm wide and CAT-S sound diffusing and absorbing panels for acoustic treatment.

Elsewhere in the property, Meridian loudspeakers feature in 11 rooms, including a dedicated games room, gym and multiple living areas. Meridian DSP640.2 digital active inwall loudspeakers provide left, centre and right audio either side of an 83in Sony OLED TV in the media room, combining with DSP320 in-ceiling speakers, another Meridian Digital Theatre 271 Controller and a Trinnov Altitude 16 Processor to deliver terrific surround sound impact. All loudspeakers connect with an easyto-use Sonos whole-house audio system.

In the study, a pair of Meridian DSP7200 floorstanding speakers, finished in piano black, provide authentic, high-quality sound of MQA recordings over Roon that’s perfect again for the classical music lovers in the house.

Bringing all this audio together is a Meridian Audio Digital Theatre 271 Controller which

Home Cinema Kit List

effortlessly integrate the loudspeakers to

• 2 x Digital Theatre 271 Controllers

bring the authentic, natural and ultra-clear Meridian sound to life and a Trinnov Altitude 32 Processor, capable of handling Dolby Atmos, Auro 3D or DTS:X formats. Meanwhile, a Meridian 218 Zone Controller acts as an endpoint for Roon, the high-quality streaming service so the cinema can be used as a Hi-Res listening room.

• 9 x DSP750 for LCR HPA configuration (3 channels) • 3 x DSP730 for front LCR height channels (3 channels) • 8 x DSP750 for side and rear channels (8 channels) • 5 x DSP730 for overhead channels (5 channels) • 8 x DSW600 for LFE (8 channels) • 1 x 218 for music listening via Roon • Trinnov Altitude 32 Processor • Barco Residential Freya+ DCI projector • Display Technologies Dynamic 2TB masking screen 4300mm wide, 1.78 ratio • XL Side Mirror Mount • CAT-S acoustic treatment • Kaleidescape Terra server • Panasonic UHD Player • Apple TV • Sky Q • Laserdisc • PS5 Playstation

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HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT 2022 27

ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT

STUDIO MASTERS

As M&K Sound approaches its 50th Anniversary, the legendary 150 loudspeaker family continues to be the preferred choice of residential and professional customers alike.

It’s hard to believe that M&K Sound will enter its sixth decade of operation next year. Even the company’s iconic S150 speakers are testament to their own enduring appeal as they celebrate their 26th birthday this year. With its undisputed and uncoloured performance characteristics, the look of the speaker has

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remained essentially unchanged over the years, though materials and manufacturing methods have evolved. The classic design of the line has always promoted audio function over form, but is compact and discreet enough to allow placement flexibility either in a studio, home cinema or living room. Never a company to rest on its laurels, M&K Sound has ploughed ahead with a line-up of SKUs to suit the whims of the studio community, custom install market and end user. The extended 150 family includes the MPS2520P active studio monitor, and both on-

wall and in-wall versions of the original classic S150 loudspeaker.

With a history of challenging the consensus, M&K invented the first satellite subwoofer system in 1976 and the first powered subwoofer the following year. The 1996 Tripole surround speaker was a nifty but THX-endorsed interpretation of Lucasfilm Ltd.’s dipole design mandate, ushering in a revolutionary way of accommodating both 5.1 discrete and 4.0 matrix audio sources.

More recently, the company has overhauled its reference subwoofer line to award-winning and earthquake-rendering effect with the X+ Series.

The M&K S150 satellites (combined with various versions of the company’s subwoofers) have been adopted by all the major film studios at one point or another for editing, mastering and monitoring of audio, both in production and post-production settings. Lucasfilm. famously deployed M&K speakers for the entire audio workflow of the Star Wars: Episodes I – III films, and many of the Blu-ray discs we enjoy at home today earn their sonic seal of approval after review on the S150 platform. If your residential customers want to know “what the director intended”, they could do a lot worse than invest in a set of the S150s or IW150s.

M&K Sound announced the arrival of the IW150 in-wall speakers in 2018. Along with

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ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT

the company’s other models, they can be mixed and matched for a cohesive soundstage. This is, of course, important for object-based audio sources where the audience’s detection of speaker placement is undesirable. The IW150 brandishes the 150 family’s archetypal vertical array of one-inch soft fabric dome tweeters and pair of 5.25in polypropylene woofers.

With a sensitivity of 90dB and 80Hz to 20kHz frequency response, the speakers are primed for demanding source material. The sealed enclosure design promotes the same neutrality of its S150 siblings, and paintable magnetic grilles and in-built mounting hardware ease the installation process.

CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT A more recent addition to the range is the IW150T Tripole which acts as the in-wall counterpart to the S150T Tripole on-wall model. Deploying the same crossover technology as the latter, the IW150T uses 2.35in angled polymer side drivers. Due to a surround speaker’s proximity to a listener, these hidden drivers trade off some high-frequency energy towards front and rear walls, resulting in an improved sense of envelopment.

M&K Sound is also using this opportunity in Essential Install to confirm that it will shortly release a further addition to the in-wall family,

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the IW150A. Targeted primarily as a Dolby Atmos-friendly in-ceiling model, it can also be used for other in-wall cinema or multi-room music applications. Its single 15-degree anglefixed tweeter makes the IW150A ideal for effects-based information in multi-speaker setups. The debut of this new 150 member means that, along with the IW28S subwoofer, M&K Sound will shortly have a complete in-wall solution for reference-grade home cinemas.

It is also worth mentioning that the M&K 150 family, in all its iterations, represents a realworld price/performance proposition in these uncertain times. The ubiquity of 150 systems installed in professional locations is proof of their value and ability to offer a return on investment. Achieving equivalent performance from those presented by direct competitors will often cost multiples of that of a 150 system.

Even though relocated back in 2008 to the European continent, M&K Sound’s 150 speakers are still unmistakably American, suited to the bombast and hyperbole of the Hollywood movie blockbuster, while also being detailed and restrained when needed. These workhorses prove to be fluent in the language of film, yet sensitive to the dynamics and precision of music sources. The speakers are also within that affordable range where customers are

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getting the performance they pay for, as well as an endorsement from the pro audio community.

One reviewer recently wrote of the S150 speakers that “…once you get hooked on M&K, you might find it forever difficult to walk away.”

In the UK, M&K Sound speakers are distributed by Gecko Home Cinema. For trade enquiries or to show your clients the full M&K range in Gecko’s exclusive private listening rooms, call 01635 268114.

HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT 2022 29

PMC, CREATING SUPREME DOLBY ATMOS MIXES AND DELIVERING A TRULY IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE.

Find out more

Prestigious yet affordable

Motion CI series

MDA8

The Motion CI series

With Martin Logan’s prestige, acclaimed sound quality and a high-end fit and finish that provides a discreet luxurious feel, what isn’t there to like? Whether you listen to music, movies or a little bit of everything, Motion CI gives you a true high-end audio experience at an outstanding price.

MDA16

The MDA series

Martin Logan also offers power with the robust MDA models - fully matrixed distributed audio with easy-touse independent room correction for each loudspeaker.

MDA Series is the most flexible and adaptive distribution solution available today, delivering dramatic levels of performance where it matters - in the room.

These models are a small selection of Martin Logan’s vast CI portfolio. If you want to know more, please get in touch.

T 01767 686300 sales@pmc-speakers.com

ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT

ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY? René van Setten, Director at Home Cinema Modules, discusses the options with home cinema seating and why planning is important.

Ever seen a finished home theatre without a seating solution? No? We didn’t think so. It just doesn’t make sense. That’s why it’s an important factor when designing a home theatre or media room. The good thing is, there are unlimited choices available. From DIY solutions to the most luxurious sofa from a world-known designer, the perfect choice is out there. However, there are technical aspects to consider when you look at it as a home theatre professional. Not only do you have to meet the needs of your client, but you also still need to compose all the elements in the right way; how to minimise sizes, make sure everyone has a good seat that’s comfortable, while fitting in with the room’s aesthetics.

Many home theatres start their transformation into an area of entertainment from a room used for a different purpose and with that, all the elements must be integrated.

Large families or those who host movie nights with their friends want to get as many seats in their room as possible. Planning this up-front in the design stage is very important. The number of possibilities for custom-made seats are vast and can make the difference in having that one extra seat in the room. Every thought-out inch can be a win while saving you a headache in the installation phase.

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The seat width determines most of the total width of the row. But just like in the movie theatres, you can share armrests. Having seats in a joint configuration like this means that you can easily save 23 in of space with a row of four seats.

Although there are many designs, there is a basic principle for home cinema chairs that can be seen with many manufacturers. The used mechanisms for recline/incline have a wall-away system meaning you can put the seating almost against the back wall. This is often the case for installs where two or more rows of seating are planned.

The basic trend for seating has not changed massively since its introduction. In terms of upholstery, most people still choose to have black or grey, but increasingly more installs have seen colour injected into it. In 2021, we’ve seen an increase in green and red upholstery, in both fabric and leather options, chosen.

Interior designers, AV professionals and endusers can find a lot of inspiration online. They are becoming increasingly more aware and knowledgeable about the options available. No detail is left unturned.

Often, a configuration of five seats in a straight row is the norm due to the rectangular shape of most rooms. A curved configuration, where the armrests between seats are triangular, is a little less popular but is used more in the larger set-ups.

It has become noticeable that customers see the value of home theatre seating a lot more nowadays and not just as a ‘nice-tohave’. The extra options like a motorised headrest and lumbar support are great features of home cinema seating that are being integrated into many configurations that can be produced for clients. These combinations and extra features make the home theatre seating a one-of-a-kind in the furniture industry and makes it also a piece of technical equipment.

A good media or home theatre room execution depends on planning. For every aspect. Thinking about the actual use of it can make the difference in having a comfortable room or not. How do you position yourself and how is the line of sight to the big screen? These are important questions to answer. As a home cinema seating solution provider, we know the importance of planning and are involved in many projects at the design stage to help make our client’s project a success.

Home Cinema Modules seating is available from Invision UK invisionuk.com.

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First class seating for the ultimate home

cinema experience

Design your perfect seat today!

Available at our Home Cinema in Bracknell BOOK A DEMO TODAY www.invisionuk.com sales@invisionuk.com | 01359 270280

DALI

No compromise in-wall audio Enjoy unparalleled audio performance from a discreet, in-wall speaker solution with the DALI PHANTOM M Series.

Comprising of two models, PHANTOM M-250 and PHANTOM M-375, the series is ideal for home cinema or stereo use.

With integrated sealed back-boxes and a mounting depth of only 100mm, each model delivers best-in-class sound along with quick and easy installation.

PHANTOM M -375

PHANTOM M -250

The slim yet powerful DALI PHANTOM M series has been developed with versatility in mind so can be easily integrated into a variety of audio systems. Both models offer spacious and room-filling DALI sound - without physically dominating your living space.

Download whitepaper, product sheet and more at: www.dali-speakers.com/phantom

Cabinet Dimensions: 250mm x 775mm x 100mm

PHANTOM M

ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT

SPONSORED BY

TIME TO REGISTER FOR EI LIVE! 2022 This year sponsored by aico, EI Live! is back,

EI Live! 2022 will deliver a wide mix of existing

interesting related fields. Look out for more

bigger and better than ever, with extra floor

and potential new customers. The show is

information on the programme very soon.

space, more exhibitors and more attractions.

currently around 90% full, but there are still a

Making a visit vital for the health of any forward

few opportunities to get involved, so give the

looking install business.

THE VENUE

sales team a shout, but hurry, the space won’t be

The

there for long. Join the long list of distributors,

International Exhibition Centre has all the

manufacturers, software creators and service

attractions and facilities of a London venue

providers who make EI Live! their home

without the extra costs and hassle of reaching a

every year; showcasing home entertainment,

venue in the capital.

The EI Live! exhibition is unquestionably the main event for the residential AV and home automation industry. Attracting an audience of quality customers and decision makers with specific purchasing power, the show is the UK crucible within which the next phase of the smart home and high-quality AV market is forged.

Visitors are drawn by the range of exhibitors that can’t be found in one place anywhere else, together with the show’s reputation for promoting emerging technologies and innovations. Many products and companies have had their launch at the show and this year will be no different. EI Live! prides itself on being the best face-to face sales opportunity for industry suppliers, generating new custom for exhibitors.

Companies will not find a more engaged audience for their business anywhere else and visitors will not find a more focused group of companies dedicated to making their installation lives easier, more exciting and fulfilling.

the

Farnborough

Contemporary in design, this purpose built venue reflects pioneering, innovation and

control, fire and security systems and design

sophistication - all fitting for world-class events

management software.

and in particular ones that showcase technology.

Every year exhibitors return to access the

Super-fast connectivity and innovative technology

strong mix of installers, electrical contractors,

means EI Live! is fit for the future. Located

electricians, architects, developers, interior

on Farnborough Airport, the venue also has

designers, facilities managers, and consultants

excellent security and vast amounts of free

that the show targets as its core audience.

commercial vehicle-friendly parking.

WHY VISIT?

selection of great hotels from high-end luxury to

The venue is also surrounded by a large

If you are an installer of home automation/ AV systems, work in the light commercial automation/AV world or are an electrical contractor looking to tap into smart utilities,

attending and learning more about how these

supply or support of AV and home automation,

of

control and distribution, lighting and lighting

interior designers will also benefit hugely from

If your company is involved in the manufacturing,

home

automation systems, home cinema, video/audio

the show is a must. Architects, developers, and

WHY EXHIBIT?

show’s

fields will affect their work in the coming years.

sensible budget choices if you are planning on attending both days.

Registration is open now, so visit the site and make a forward step for your business in 2022.

EI Live! 2022 eiliveshow.com

No show in the UK offers access to a varied choice of options for those involved in the industry to discover fresh things about companies and systems they already work with, but also find new, exciting, and profitable opportunities to move towards.

TECHNICAL THEATRE The Technical Theatre will be back

this

year,

offering

its

varied programme of training and learning opportunities drawn direct from the industry and

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HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT 2022 35

ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT

SPONSORED BY

THE SMART BUILDING AWARDS RETURN!

The Smart Building Awards (SBA) return in their full fat version this year with a full line up of categories decided on by our independent panel of experts industry judges.

Sponsored this year by Sonos, we are delighted to welcome back the SBAs for 2022 following a highly successful 2021, albeit in a slightly reduced format. We are back this season with our full programme of categories and the awards will once again be judged on-line and independently by our panel judges to be announced soon.

Organisers are careful to choose judges who really know what they are looking at, directly involved in the industry, so as to arrive at the most informed results possible. Judges make their choices independently of each other using a specially created portal allowing each judge to take their time and reach careful, considered conclusions.

The SBA initiative is also designed to make the awards easy to enter, using the same on-line portal that the judges use to access the entries.

Every year, organisers are asked how much the awards are to enter, and every year the answer is the same, nothing, nada, zip, we would not dream of charging entrants to enter their own industry awards. The awards are also designed to create a level playing field for companies large, small, long established or just arrived to enter and stand an equal chance of winning.

This year each winning entry will receive coverage across print, Essential Install magazine, digital platforms, newsletters and website, as well as dedicated smart building awards

36 HOME CINEMA SUPPLEMENT 2022

newsletter e-shots, underlining the excellence achieved in their chosen field.

Last year distributors AWE and CAVD were amongst the winners receive their trophy at the SBA dinner between the two show days at EI Live! on September 14, 2022.

The reach offered by this beefed up crossplatform marketing campaign will deliver all who enter an industry-wide showcase for the very best each company can offer whether they are a manufacturer, distributor, training provider or installer.

The aim is to deliver the most representative, inclusive and up to date awards initiative in the AV/install world maintaining the recognised brand and seal of industry approval for years to come.

Held in the Village hotel, Farnborough, this year’s smart building awards will bring back the full gala dinner programme, the SBAs really will knock your smart home socks off; providing fantastic networking opportunities, great food and drink, and, of course, the 2022 awards presentation.

We look forward to receiving your entry, and remember, you are not restricted to entering one category, you can enter as many categories as you wish. So what are you waiting for? Log on to the awards website, pick your categories and get entering!

Smart Building Awards smartbuildingawards.com

Categories for the Smart Building Awards 2022 • Best Home Cinema Projector Screen • Best Racking or Mounting Product • Best Standalone Speaker • Best In-Wall or In-Ceiling Speaker • Best TV / Display (Conventional) • Best Integrated TV / Display • Best Matrix / Signal Distribution • Best Multi-room / Zone Music System • Best Dedicated Touchscreen • Best Security Solution • Best Automation Platform • Best Lighting Control Company Categories • Best Training Initiative / Course • Best Distributor • Best Manufacturer Installer Categories • Best Commercial Integration Project • Best Home Cinema Project Over £50,000 • Best Home Cinema Project Under £50,000 • Best Media Room Under £50,000 • Best Media Room Over £50,000 • Best Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) • Best Whole Home Integration Project

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the HARV

Essential Install-add-2022-harv.indd 3

A triple-motorized incline mechanism allows the user to operate the footrest, backrest and headrest INDEPENDENTLY from one-another.

This allows the user to ensure maximum comfort by fine-tuning their

Cineak.com | Antwerp, Belgium | +32 (3) 354 03 66

preferred seating position.

| info@cineak.eu

24/05/2022 17:59

Steinway Lyngdorf home cinema Today’s home entertainment can range from of the purest music experience to the most thrilling movie night.

Steinway Lyngdorf developed a wide selection of loudspeakers and electronics for every home theater, from the most discreet built-in sound system, over to outstanding reference loudspeakers able to reproduce a full-scale orchestra, up to a 16-channel home cinema with the latest immersive audio formats Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro 3-D. Every sound system will be calibrated digitally with our proprietary RoomPerfect™ technology, adapting the loudspeakers to any given room shape and interior, ensuring the most extraordinary movie experience.

www.steinwaylyngdorf.com