MAXIMISE YOUR MEDIA ROOM MUSCLE

Install by Sound With Vision

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 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.

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 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 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.

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

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