We are pleased to announce the launch of the first HDBaseT™3 matrix product to the market
Using HDBaseT™3 technology, these powerful HDBaseT™ matrix support uncompromised 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 resolutions over distances up to 100m over a CAT6A. The new HMX88-18G and HMX44-18G come into their own with advanced audio features specifically designed for maximising the integration of AV sources in the modern home. Enhanced audio routing is achieved through the integrated audio matrix. This enables the audio from displays (via HDMI ARC or Optical S/PDIF), and all other sources to be embedded and routed through the system at the users discretion. The inclusion of a 1Gb Ethernet channel allows for LAN serving to all HDBT outputs / zones as required, IR and RS-232 pass-through, advanced EDID management, and PoC provide the ultimate flexibility.
The combination of these technology features enable our installation partners the ability to create a truly immersive AV experience throughout the home.
NEW
HMX88-18G
8x8 HDBaseT™3 AV Matrix
• Uncompressed / unconverted 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 to 100m
28 SHOWROOM SHOWCASE Sevenoaks Sound and Vision Witham
34 ESSENTIAL DBM Wimbledon home cinema excels Via DbM’s winning combination
70 ESSENTIAL CASE STUDY Sound advice from Dirac
75 ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS Marvelous machines FEATURES
22 ALLTRADE: MEETING MODERN ACCESS NEEDS WITH 2N Lee Harding, CI Technical Director at Alltrade
36 DEVIALET/RGB Deep dive into Devialet
52 SOUL SEARCHING Sonus faber, McIntosh and Fine Sounds examine the power of music and the justification of proper investment
54 LET’S HEAR IT FOR VINYL! Clarity the Hi-Fi industry trade association
Benjamin Yeh, Operations Director, Kordz
Check
Adding
48 HEARD OVER THE TANNOY: MUSIC-ONLY IS BACK!
Tannoy Brand CEO Ciarán O’Toole
HVAC INTEGRATION
59 NERVOUS ABOUT HVAC CONTROL? Ivory Egg installs some confidence
60 HERITAGE HVAC
Markus Florian, Chief Commercial Officer, EnOcean
66 INSTALL PIONEER
PresentDayProduction: Part One
69 ZUMA COMPANY FOCUS Zuma helps simplify home integration
WEALTH INEQUALITY IS BAD FOR OUR MARKET!
As the UK prepares to go the polls in the General Election, the air is thick with anticipation and speculation. While the detailed outcome remains uncertain, current polling suggests a strong possibility of a Labour victory. By the time this issue comes out, we will know who the next PM is and what their plans are for the future.
However, regardless of which party comes to power, there are pressing economic issues that demand urgent attention, chief among them being the rising wealth inequality and its impact on our market and the economy as a whole.
In our industry, it’s no secret that many of our customers fall into the upper echelons of wealth. However, it’s wrong to think that wealth concentration at the top end does not impact our sector in a negative way.
A healthy economy thrives on the spending power of a robust middle and working class; even the higher income brackets, say between £100-200K benefit from a more equitable distribution of wealth. Rising wealth inequality, as we’ve seen in recent years, which rose significantly during COVID, does not make for a sustainable or healthy economic environment. It stifles consumer spending across the board, impacting businesses from high-end luxury services to everyday consumer goods.
EI is far from being an economics expert, but has increasingly been seeking out those that really understand how money works and not necessarily those vying for power, who either just think they do or are just plain dishonest about it all works. One
such figure is Gary Stephenson, an ex-City trader turned economics campaigner, who offers some fascinating insights into this issue. Through his work, Gary highlights how extreme wealth concentration harms the economy. He argues that an economy overly reliant on the spending of the wealthy few is inherently unstable and prone to cycles of boom and bust. Instead, broadbased prosperity, where more individuals have disposable income, creates a more resilient economic landscape.
Gary’s perspective is particularly relevant as we consider the future of our industry. With his background in highstakes trading, he brings a pragmatic view to economic equality, making a compelling case that tackling wealth disparity is not just a moral imperative but a practical necessity. His YouTube channel, Gary’s Economics, delves into these themes, providing a wealth of data and analysis that underscores the importance of a fairer distribution of wealth. EI’ suggests checking it out. Whatever your political viewpoint, a situation where assets and wealth continue to spiral up to a smaller and smaller group, is not a good thing for our sector.
For our industry, this means that we must advocate for policies that foster economic inclusivity. Whoever you vote for, we need to support measures that enhance the financial wellbeing of as wide as possible a group and provide opportunities for upward mobility. If you want to look at it from a totally pragmatic point of view, this is not about altruism; it’s about ensuring the long-term health and stability of our market.
In EI’s view, we need to pressure politicians to recognise and deal with this important issue, because right now, the main parties don’t seem interested at all, either our of fear or a genuine lack of knowledge.
GETTING IN TOUCH
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Daniel J Sait, dan@allthingsmedialtd.com
SALES DIRECTOR
Ian Kitchener, ian@allthingsmedialtd.com
GROUP AD MANAGER
Claire Talty, claire@allthingsmedialtd.com
PUBLISHER
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
The editors and publishers do not necessarily agree with the views expressed by contributors, nor do they accept responsibility for any errors in the transmission of the subject matter in this publication. Whilst we make every effort to ensure that everything is factually correct, we cannot be held responsible if factual errors occur.
In all matters, the editor’s decision is final. Editorial contributions to Essential Install magazine are welcomed, and the editor reserves the right to alter or abridge text prior to the publication. All articles are copyright and remain the property of Essential Install magazine.
X6i
X8i
Niko Rocker
Handcrafted in Belgium and made using today’s technology and materials,it celebrates authentic, vintage design.
Niko Toggle
Niko Toggle references one of Niko’s original Bakelite® toggle switches, launched in 1928, and gives it a contemporary twist.
Moss Technical
t:
FIVE REASONS TO EXHIBIT AT EI LIVE! 2024
Attending trade shows presents a wide range of important opportunities for businesses to thrive. From networking with colleagues, to showcasing products to a targeted audience, these events provide huge benefits that are hard to come by in any other space or activity.
EXPAND YOUR NETWORK
Trade shows like EI Live! offer unparalleled opportunities to network with both existing and prospective clients. Face-to-face interactions are crucial as they humanise your company and make interactions more personable, trustworthy and memorable to customers old and new. Visitors to EI Live! are genuinely interested in the products and services you offer to expand their businesses and if research is carried out beforehand, you can even target specific customers to convert into leads. Presence at trade shows isn’t just about prospective customers, but also about other industry professionals, including competitors. Speaking to fellow exhibitors is a great way to expand a supply chain or find new business strategies.
INCREASE BRAND AWARENESS
Trade shows are an excellent place to establish a business for the first time or gain expanded exposure. You have the freedom to design your exhibition stand to be unique and memorable and your presence can help raise brand awareness of you and your products.
STAY AHEAD OF INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
No matter how experienced you are in your industry, there will always be new things to learn. EI Live! is a great place to stay on top of industry research and developments. Listening to expert
speakers can provide insights and new information that you may have otherwise missed. Connect with these experts one-to-one to get advice for your own company.
Meet your competitors and see how they operate. Trade shows are often where businesses launch new products to see how visitors react and adjust business strategy accordingly.
SHOWCASE YOUR PRODUCTS
EI Live! is ultimately a place to generate leads and sell your products. Showcase your latest products and create an eye-catching display. A modular stand can integrate fantastic, customised features and is reusable. Interactive pieces can also help draw and keep guests at your stand for longer more meaningful interactions.
PROVE YOUR CREDENTIALS
Trade shows like EI Live! are an essential part of proving your credentials as a business. Meet people in person and show them your products, track record and history. Strong websites and social media can help, but nothing beats the power of confident face-to-face interactions.
EI Live! eiliveshow.com
18–19 SEPTEMBER 2024
FARNBOROUGH EXHIBITION CENTRE
ANATECH TO DISTRIBUTE MARTINLOGAN
Anatech has announced the company will assume the role of MartinLogan’s UK distributor, with responsibility passing from PMC Distribution from June 10, 2024.
Operating from its West London HQ, Anatech says that it aims to provide a seamless transition of supply and support to the established MartinLogan dealer network. Anatech appreciates PMC’s investment in establishing the brand and is equally committed to its success in the UK.
Anatech is the UK distributor of the multi award-winning Bluesound and NAD BluOS multi-
room streaming system, BluCube speakers and fire hoods, Acoustic Energy speakers, Audioflow and Rithum smart panels, along with a growing range of other premium brands.
With a 40+ year heritage, born from a friendship between Gayle Martin Sanders and Ron Logan Sutherland in the 1970s, MartinLogan is an exciting brand with an expansive portfolio.
Anatech can now offer this uniquely exquisite range of electrostatic loudspeakers, as well as beautifully engineered traditional bookshelf and floor-standing models. MartinLogan also offers a full range of architectural and outdoor speakers to extend this unique brand throughout a customer’s home.
The Anatech team says they are looking forward to working with the existing and valued MartinLogan dealers and expanding the network to help build the brand further within the UK market.
Anatech MartinLogan anatech.co.uk martinlogan.com
‘Utopia’ IW/IC models
Anatech will be in touch to ensure current dealers are supported during and the transition
the benchmark for luxury theater seating
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 preferred seating position.
AWE recently hosted its annual Expo, opening the doors to its Epsom-based HQ and show apartment to over 200 industry professionals across four days of events.
With solutions from a host of premium brands, the apartment includes a main show space, two dedicated home cinemas, product gallery and new for 2024, a dedicated music room and boardroom.
The boardroom demonstrates technologies that are a great fit for a media room, home office or corporate boardroom. It features custom cabinetry from Digital Furniture, which houses a simple yet effective Bowers & Wilkins CI600 Series 3.2 audio system powered by a Marantz Cinema 60, with an 85in Sony Pro Bravia display as the focal point.
The revamped Reference and Performance cinema rooms showcase two highly impressive cinema set-ups at differing price points.
The Performance Cinema has been upgraded with Dirac Live Calibration and Marantz power
amplification. The 7.4.4 configuration features Bowers & Wilkins CI700 series and shows what is possible in equipment terms from £30k to £50k. The full setup utilises four Bowers & Wilkins ISW8 12in in-wall subwoofers, powered by the active DSP optimised CDA-2HD amplifiers. This is combined with Epson’s EH-LS12000B true 4K laser projector.
In the Reference Cinema visitors experienced impressive performance with an equipment value of between £100k and £200k. Now powered and processed by a Marantz AV10 two AMP10s and four B&W CDA-2HD amps all in BTL mode, this 15.4.6 channel audio system immerses visitors in beautifully rich sound, but now with just half the rack space required. The room features 15 angled Bowers & Wilkins CI800 Diamond Series in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. There are all three of Sony’s latest native 4K laser projectors with the 10,000 lumen GTZ-380 topping the pile.
In the dedicated Music Room, orchestrated demonstrations continued with Hi-Fi excellence from Bowers & Wilkins, Marantz, Denon and Classé. Under NDA, visitors also had a preview of the new Marantz M1 ahead of its official launch (check out this month’s product pages).
During Expo, AWE also announced its new UK distribution partnership with Stealth Acoustics.
AWE awe-europe.com
LENBROOK MEDIA GROUP UNVEILS PLANS FOR MQA LABS
Lenbrook Media Group (LMG), specialists in high resolution audio, has announced a suite of products from the newly formed MQA Labs that brings audio processing enhancements across the music supply chain.
AIRIA by MQA Labs (also known by its technical name, SCL6) delivers high resolution audio while seamlessly scaling from full lossless to very lossy rates. FOQUS by MQA Labs represents an innovative approach for analogue to digital conversion. QRONO by MQA Labs brings a variety of audio processing enhancements within playback devices. These technologies are expected to debut in a variety of licensee products before the end of calendar 2025.
The creation of MQA Labs and its newest product families reflect Lenbrook’s passion to improve the whole audio chain and bring the highest quality recording, distribution and playback
technologies to benefit the entire specialty audio industry and its fans.
“The digitisation of an analogue signal introduces a range of imperfections to the resulting audio file. One of the most common and critical is something often referred to as time smearing - when the resolution of two sounds is reduced because their timing is incorrectly reproduced within the digital file,” explained Greg Stidsen, Chief Technology Officer at Lenbrook. “MQA Labs’ team are experts in time-domain audio improvements, having invented many of the techniques to avoid or eliminate such audio defects.”
Two of the new product families will address the issue head on: FOQUS, which tackles the analogue to digital processes, and QRONO, which will address converting digital back to analogue.
The third product family is among the most anticipated of LMG’s future products. Previously known by its technical name, SCL6, it is a new codec seamlessly ensuring the best resolution possible regardless of bandwidth availability. Now named AIRIA by MQA Labs, the codec was developed to transform audio across wireless connections. Most recently, LMG successfully completed pilots for use as a distribution codecperfect for streaming services.
Lenbrook Media Group lenbrook.com
Sonorise the Experience
Exceptional aesthetic design with highquality omnidirectional audio delivers versatile one-of-a-kind sound systems for custom integration projects, inside and outside.
AWE urges installers who perhaps missed the Expo to make an appointment to visit
New plans for MQA
AWE EXPO 2024 SIZZLES WITH INNOVATION
CUK TO DISTRIBUTE SIM2 PROJECTORS
CUK strengthens its high-end home theatre lineup with another high-profile cinema brand, Sim2
AV distributor CUK Group has signed a deal to distribute exclusively the SIM2 range of cinema projectors to residential and commercial integrators in the UK and Ireland.
A leading light in the field of cinema projection for over 30 years, Italy’s SIM2 is globally renowned for its innovative technical prowess and its leadership in perfecting High Dynamic Range as the ‘real revolution in video imaging and home cinema performance’. Use of excellent lens optics and laser light sources combined with Texas Instrument’s large format 0.66in UHD DLP technology and proprietary image processing software delivers a peerless union of high brightness and high contrast for spectacularly cinematic image fidelity on screen, argues the brand’s new distributor.
Commenting on the new partnership, SIM2 Sales Director Massimo Zecchin said, “CUK’s success and experience in supporting custom projects large and small for commercial and residential customers offers us a way to realise even greater market recognition and profile across the board with a new range providing a wider spectrum of project sizes and budgets, from the most luxurious integrations to smaller cinemas and media rooms, with superior SIM2 image quality.”
CUK MD Stuart Thomson said, “we’re delighted to be working with one of the world’s most accomplished innovators in home cinema projection. Its pursuit of excellence in a technically
challenging aspect of immersive theatre design dovetails perfectly with CUK’s objectives in providing the very finest products and support services to custom integrators.”
CUK’s SIM2 product line will include the Domino 4H projector, the Domino DTV ultra short throw model, and SIM2’s finest middle/ high-end production product, the ‘SuperHybrid’ Crystal 4SH. Topping out the range will be SIM2’s Gold Series of custom-made projectors, built using hand-selected components and created for individual projects.
CUK
cuk-group.com
with Faradite
Having already built a successful partnership in Australia and New Zealand, the partners say they are excited to be able to further expand on this solid foundation in the UK.
Sim2
sim2.com
As an experienced specialist distributor for KNX products, the Faradite KNX keypads and PIR sensor are the perfect fit for the product portfolio says Ivory Egg.
Ivory Egg General Manager, Monika Dove, said, “Faradite is a homegrown brand with products hand finished in Britain, and it is so exciting to see how KNX is becoming more prevalent in the UK. Our agreement to work together is a testament to the potential for continued growth of KNX in the UK market and I am excited to see what we can achieve by working together. Faradite’s KNX products are in demand, and I am certain will be a popular addition with our customers.”
Speaking about the partnership, Faradite Sales & Marketing Director, Matthew Emberson said, “We are so thrilled Ivory Egg UK will be distributing our KNX products. We have a great working relationship with Ivory Egg Australia and New Zealand so adding the UK team to our distribution network will be a great addition.”
Ivory Egg UK Faradite ivoryegg.co.uk faradite.com
IVORY EGG ANNOUNCED AS FARADITE DISTRIBUTION PARTNER
The Ivory Egg UK team have announced a new distribution agreement
The TAP- 5 ORE, ALPHA KNX keypads, and KNX Motion Sensor 360 PIR are available via the Ivory Egg online store
A new home in the UK for Sim2
Global AV solutions and services provider, Kinly, has announced the promotion of Duncan MacPherson to Global Service Director.
Since joining as a Support Manager in 2009, Duncan has worked his way up the company and has demonstrated his expertise in service management and operations roles over the last 15 years.
As Kinly looks to continue its growth, Duncan is the perfect person to guide and execute its service portfolio and ensure the consistency of delivery globally, said the company. In his new role, Duncan’s focus on driving innovation, efficiency, and continuous improvement will guarantee that Kinly remains at the forefront of delivering unparalleled, tailor-made service solutions.
Speaking on the appointment, CEO, Tom Martin, said, “Duncan brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this new position. His proven track record of leadership and commitment to excellence make him the perfect fit to drive our service initiatives forward and further enhance our customer satisfaction levels.
“As Global Service Director, Duncan will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our service organisation, focusing on innovation, efficiency, and continuous improvement. His strategic vision and dedication to customer-centricity will ensure that Kinly remains at the forefront of delivering unparalleled service solutions, tailored to meet the evolving needs of our diverse clientele.”
Duncan added: “I am thrilled to take on this new role within Kinly and lead the global service team. Our drive to deliver best-in-class technology and customer satisfaction aligns perfectly with my passion for innovation and operational efficiency. I look forward to delivering excellence on a global scale and driving our service offerings to new heights.”
L-Acoustics has announced the appointment of Anne Hamlett to Chief People Officer, marking a pivotal moment in the company’s evolution. Anne, joining co-Chief Executive Officers Hervé Guillaume and Laurent Vaissié in leadership, places the company’s people-centric education and innovation culture at the core of its strategy and future. In addition to providing a people-focused contribution to key strategic topics at the C-level, Anne will also directly lead three L-Acoustics divisions: People; Legal, Tax & Compliance; and Education & Scientific Outreach. The teams Anne leads will cultivate an empowering experience for all employees, strengthen the company’s brand, and create an internal and external education program that boosts the creativity, employability and resilience of L-Acoustics team members, partners and end users.
Simon Peters joined L-Acoustics earlier this year and stepped into the role of Sales Manager in the Home & Yacht vertical markets, covering Northern Europe. Having been in the custom installation industry for over 18 years – working for manufacturers and high-end technical distribution companies – Simon brings with him a great deal of experience and knowledge to this new role. With
an understanding of what dealers and customers really want from their audio systems, Simon is best placed to showcase how L-Acoustics can bring concert sound into the home.
With over 20 years of experience leading teams at L-Acoustics, Anne has been instrumental in shaping the company’s success. Since joining L-Acoustics, she has overseen the recruitment of countless talented individuals and, over the last two years, has navigated the company through a 30% employee increase during accelerated growth that will see the company reach 1,000 team members this year.
“For years, we have valued collaborating with Anne and we value her unwavering contribution to the growth and success of L-Acoustics,” said Hervé Guillaume and Laurent Vaissié, co-CEOs at L-Acoustics, in a joint statement. “Her expertise, leadership, and strategic acumen position her as the right leader to shape our global workforce, enhance employee experiences, and help define our path forward.”
“As Chief People Officer, I’m proud to elevate our ‘people first’ culture at the heart of our global strategy,” said Anne. “The People, Legal, and Education teams have evolved into an exceptionally talented group, united by a mission to encourage growth and development for our teams and partners worldwide. Continuing to support their advancement—and the company—will be my honour and privilege.”
Lighting designer and manufacturer, Ansell Lighting, has announced a string of new appointments as it strengthens and expands its UK sales team. Three new Area Sales Managers have been appointed to look after the North, South East and Midlands regions and boosting the sales team to 36.
Tom Preece has more than a decade of experience in the industry, working his way up from Graduate Trainee to work in a range of roles including both internal and external sales at a leading electrical wholesaler chain in Stoke, where he built a varied customer base. Tom will be looking after the Midlands region.
Callum Tymon has spent the majority of his career in electrical wholesaling, most recently in Preston. He will be working with Ansell customers across the North of England.
Greg Faulkner joins Ansell as ASM for the South East region, having spent more than 16 years working in the industry for lighting manufacturers, including ASM and National Account Manager roles.
Mark Abbott, Managing Director at Ansell Lighting said, “These appointments are a further indication of our commitment to providing the very best service to our customers. Callum, Greg and Tom all bring with them a wealth of industry experience and will be great additions to our ever-expanding team.”
Duncan MacPherson
Tom Preece Anne Hamlett
Greg Faulkner Callum Tymon
Simon Peters
PURE SIMMETRY
New CUK brand partner SIM2 will help integrators to deliver a peerless balance of HDR brilliance and install practicality to projects large and small, says MD Stuart Thomson.
In home cinema there can be few companies as revered for their expertise and leadership as SIM2. Having passed its 30-year milestone in 2023, SIM2’s record of innovation is almost as long lived as the industry itself, with every leap in picture quality seemingly framed by a breakthrough SIM2 projector.
From the first CRT models back in the 90s, the legendary HT200 design (home cinema’s first purpose-built projector) in 2000, and the iconic C3X line of peerlessly compact, highperforming 3-chip DLP models in 2005, to the Nero4 DLP 4k UHD projectors in 2016, and the CRYSTAL 4SH 4K UHD ‘Super Hybrid’ laserbased models in 2021, each generation of firsts has been embraced by an industry dedicated to ultimate performance. But while SIM2’s reputation has been burnished by pioneering uber flagships and award-winning installations, today’s lineup applies similar engineering and technology to a much wider range of projects and budgets. And that has to be great news for integrators wishing to elevate the quality of immersion for more of their customers.
HIGH-END QUALITY FOR PROJECTS LARGE AND SMALL
They can harness the genius of SIM2’s engineering, which trickles-down proprietary technologies built for high-end models to class-leading projectors at more affordable £10 - £15k price points, in the process making
them more compact and aesthetically pleasing than offerings from rival brands. In every SIM2, from luxury to entry levels, the same winning formula of excellent optics, laser hybrid light sources, large format 0.66” 4K UHD DMDs and proprietary HDR management software is at work. This means that SIM2’s acknowledged leadership in perfecting High Dynamic Range (HDR) as the ‘real revolution in video imaging and home cinema performance’ can be utilised in almost every custom application, not just the large, luxury integrations for which it is justly famous. Realistically, SIM2 offers you the opportunity to enhance the great majority of your projects with a single high-quality brand.
ULTIMATE HDR
The brand’s obsession with detail spans all areas of product design, but massive attention is paid to image quality and HDR performance. Having worked with Dolby Labs on the development of the first large HDR display seventeen years ago, SIM2 concluded that within an artful balance of contrast, colour and signal processing, brightness contributes the most to optimal HDR performance, all other factors remaining equal. Says Domenico Toffoli, SIM2 R&D director, “HDR needs brightness. Brightness is the key point to get any benefits from HDR technology in a home cinema projector”. To make a first and lasting impression on consumers, SIM2
The Domino 4H
SIM2 is challenging the mid-market leaders with a step up in HDR performance, practicality and design, developed for the luxury market but priced to reach so many more spaces and budgets
The Crystal 4SH ‘SuperHybrid’.
Every SIM2 offers a winning combination of excellent optics, laser hybrid light sources, large format DMDs and proprietary HDR processing
has calculated that a minimum of 3,000 ANSI lumens is needed. Consequently, its flagship NERO4S Gold model offers up to twice that figure, while the new laser-based CRYSTAL 4SH design generates 3,600 lumens. Even SIM2’s delectable entry-level Domino 4H laser projector meets the required standard. In other words, and within most budgets, you’ll discover that exceptional brightness and contrast, combined with naturally wide colorimetry and proprietary processing will help you to deliver spectacularly cinematic results on screen.
SMALLER, QUIETER, MORE BEAUTIFUL
It’s not all about eye-popping performance though. The other part of the SIM2 allure concerns install practicalities. Industry design guidelines such as RP22 (of which CUK Group is both a supporter and event sponsor) suggest removing the projector from the room to cut noise, but it isn’t always practical to find or build an adjacent space, or to conceal the projector within a deeper wall utilising a mirror mount and installing a cooling system. Even if the build can facilitate this cost, it can still be financially significant.
When the projector has to stay inside the viewing space, as it often must, SIM2’s models are smaller, and with innovative ventilation design, quieter too. What’s more, excellent material choices offer cleaner lines and finer aesthetics, so integrators and their customers benefit from projectors that are elegantly compact, whisper quiet and look beautiful across the range, at prices that can compete with their larger, more cumbersome rivals.
INVEST IN LONG LIFE
It’s also worth bearing in mind that in these more environmentally sensitive times, SIM2’s use of metal and crystal glass rather than a plastic construction ensures that after a longer life (the factory in Italy is receiving back, servicing and repairing projectors that are 10 – 15+ years old), most of a SIM2 projector’s mass can be recycled. This makes the brand a very sound
investment, especially when the range is so well supported, serviced and reliably consistent, and you’re not having to support a multitude of different models from brands that replace their ranges every other year.
PRODUCT RANGE
CUK’s SIM2 product line will include the advanced Domino 4H projector, designed and priced to address a much larger community of film devotees. Conceived for mid/small cinemas and media rooms, the Domino 4H combines SIM2’s laser hybrid light source technology (up to 3,000 ANSI lumens) and single-chip 0.66” 4K UHD DMD with proprietary HDR management for precise HDR image reproduction.
Alongside the Domino 4H and extending SIM2 quality to an alternative product genre, the versatile Domino DTVs is a new Ultra Short Throw projector powered by a pure RGB laser technology. With 98% coverage of the BT.2020 gamut, the Domino DTVs tri-colour laser TV reproduces vividly natural displays from 90 to 120 inches.
CUK’s offering also includes SIM2’s finest middle/high-end production product, the ‘SuperHybrid’ Crystal 4SH. It features a new high-precision lens and laser-hybrid light source, single-chip 0.66” 4K UHD DMD with dual
colour wheels and state-of-the-art processing (including advanced autocalibration features). The Crystal 4SH combines high brightness (up to 3,600 lumens) and high contrast for a characteristically immersive HDR performance.
Topping out the range is SIM2’s Gold Series of custom-made projectors, built using handselected components and created for individual projects. Available in two versions, the Gold Series is produced “off line” for each customer by trained engineers and then factory tested and calibrated in an environment that simulates the individual customer’s theatre. Featuring up to 6,000 lumens of brightness, the Nero 4S Gold Series is designed for large theatres and the most demanding cinema enthusiasts, while the Crystal 4SH Gold Series is intended for mid/large screen size theatres and living rooms (with 4,000 lumens of brightness).
SIM2 AT ASCOT
We’re installing our new cinemas at the Ascot demonstration and training hub with one projector integrated into the walls using a mirror mount and forced air ventilation from Display Technologies, and a further projector mounted on the ceiling, so that multiple models and deployment methods can be shown to integrators and their customers.
BRILLIANCE FOR ALL
Exceeding expectations has become something of a speciality for SIM2, having punched way above its weight technically and aesthetically for over three decades. Today it’s breaking through again by challenging the mid-market leaders with a step up in HDR performance, practicality and design, developed for the luxury market but priced to reach so many more spaces and budgets.
To explore the capabilities for your future projects and talk to us about help with system design and specification, please get in touch:
The Crystal 4SH Gold Series, built and individually customised for each project
Domino DTVs Ultra Short Throw projector powered by a pure RGB laser technology
TEAM TOGETHER FOR CINEMA: LONDON TO BRIGHTON CYCLE RIDE 2024
This year, Team Together for Cinema (TFC) is set to make a significant impact in the London to Brighton Cycle Ride, with 32 riders and one runner participating. From just three riders in 2023 to an impressive squad in 2024, the event on Sunday, September 15th, promises to be a remarkable journey.
The primary goal is to continue to raise awareness and funds for Together for Cinema, a Community Interest Company (CIC) dedicated to designing and installing home cinema rooms in children’s hospices across the UK. These cinema rooms provide a safe space and an enriching experience for children, young adults, their families, carers, staff, and volunteers.
Supported comprehensively by the AV industry, all products and installation services for Together for Cinema are donated. As of June
2024, 45 cinema rooms have been installed, valued at £1,250,000 if paid for.
The London to Brighton Cycle Ride is essential for fundraising, allowing Together for Cinema to continue expanding its reach and impact. The 55-mile route from London to Brighton is a challenging yet scenic journey, symbolising the collective effort and commitment of the TFC team.
A huge thank you to our sponsors for the ride, Monitor Audio (Diamond sponsor), KEF and
LILIN (Gold sponsors), HDANYWHERE and OneAV (Silver sponsors), and Dellicompagni, Officina Acustica, CEDIA and Audioflow (Bronze sponsors). All sponsors logos will feature on the team TFC shirts.
Supporters and well-wishers are also encouraged to contribute through donations, support, or spreading the word. Together, we can help create moments of joy and comfort for children and families in need.
The TFC Cycling Squad includes: Ian Morrish (Together For Cinema), Matt McLernon (LILIN), Greg Stuttle, Ross Wilkins (KBO Fire and Security), Tom Dellicompagni (Dellicompagni), Justin Fothergill (OneAV), Kris Hogg (Samsung), Peter Aylett (Officina Acustica), Keith Purvis, Ron Locke (KEF), Ben Davies (Inspire AV), Adam Wolfe (Art of Integration), Kesh Patel (Smart Ohms Group Ltd), James Brown (The Cinema Company), Phil Hardaway (Origin Acoustics), Alister Smith (Monitor Audio), Nick Fichte (L-Acoustics), Christiaan Beukes (Sphere Custom), Hussein Jodiyawalla (Audioflow), Darren Orr (Aura), Steve Simper (Alltrade Distribution), Nick Cornwell (Alltrade Distribution), Simon Hodges (Alltrade Distribution), Simon Conner (Flux London), Craig Rayneau (Flux London), Richard Chaffey (Flux London), Shaun O’Mahoney (Flux London), A N Other (Flux London), Jonathan Pengilley (Habitech), Dan Winterton (Antiference), Matt Nimmons (CEDIA), and Steve Carter (CEDIA). Chris Pinder (OneAV and HDANYWHERE) will be running the 55 miles, adding a unique element to the event.
PULSE CINEMAS LIGHTS THE WAY FOR LUTRON SUCCESS
Every successful lighting project needs great support, planning and execution. At Pulse Cinemas we have the team and the knowledge to illuminate your path to more success in lighting and light control systems. Oliver Deakin-Faux, Senior Sales Specialist and Paul Smith, Senior Sales Specialist, stand ready to assist Pulse Cinemas customers and their clients in getting the very best from this exciting and expanding sector.
Paul explains, “My role at Pulse Cinemas is to work in partnership with dealers and integrators to make sure that they receive the best possible service, ensuring they have all the latest information on Lutron products and training and to act as the main point of call for all things Lutron.
Oliver adds, “I stand ready to support new and existing dealers with the specification and technical considerations of Lutron lighting systems and Sivoia QS / Triathlon Window treatments. Whether it be an RF retrofittable
solution, a full home panelised lighting system, a hybrid system, legacy upgrades and window treatment solutions, my role is to assist our dealers in ensuring we deliver the best possible solution that aligns with the client’s requirements.”
So, what are the key advantages of purchasing Lutron from Pulse Cinemas?
Paul explains, “Dealers will be purchasing through a long established and experienced distributor with some of the best showroom and demonstration facilities in Europe. Our
knowledgeable, qualified staff can offer dealers first class service and reliability, allowing them to make the best of the potential in this sector.” Oliver adds, “We not only provide support in system design and technical support, but dealers can also gain access to our stateof-the-art facility at Stansted, showcasing a full HomeWorks QSX system with an array of keypads, such as the popular Alisse and Palladiom products. We also showcase a myriad of Sivoia QS and Triathlon window treatments so that dealers can bring their clients to experience the system and the different options in a realworld environment.”
Technical support is crucial in this sector, what does the team offer here?
Oliver explains, “Whether you’re designing a new system or you are on site with a hardware or software technical issue, we’re only a phone call away so don’t hesitate to get in touch. When it comes to training, Lutron has a superb interactive online LCI training platform with an array of free courses along with paid qualification courses. Whether you’re just starting out and looking to get qualified or you’re an existing HomeWorks dealer looking to expand your offerings with window treatments, don’t hesitate to get in touch to discuss what you’re looking to do and we’ll assist.”
Lutron’s new Luxury App provides important insights and acts as a planning tool
Simon Gibbs, Head of Projects and Sales, Oliver Deakin-Faux, Senior Sales Specialist and Paul Smith, Senior Sales Specialist
Product-wise, what are some of the key highlights right now?
Paul states, “Lutron offers dealers unrivalled quality and reliability throughout the range, continually improving and bringing new products to market, all backed with Lutron’s world leading manufacturer’s warranty. Lutron’s range of products also complement each other perfectly, offering a full range of lighting control and window treatments that work seamlessly together within one control system.”
Oliver adds, “Lutron’s offering is the best it has ever been. With affordable retrofittable solutions like Ra2 Select to more highperformance offerings like HomeWorks QSX with the beautiful Alisse keypads and dedicated or retrofittable wire-free window treatments, there is something for every project and customer. Speaking of window treatments, we’ve seen dealers significantly accelerate their revenue with these offerings. What’s become more apparent is the shades being specified are no longer limited to whole home projects or cinema rooms, but feature in other single living areas such as kitchens or bathrooms and, (due to the ultra-quiet nature of Lutron’s shade motors), bedrooms have been very popular too, adding comfort and convenience.”
What would you say to a dealer who is not currently fully engaging with lighting or shading?
Paul says, “Lutron’s market leading products offer dealers an unparalleled level of reliability and performance in a range to suit all budgets and applications. Lutron products are an excellent opportunity for dealers to increase their sales and market share whilst increasing profits for their business.”
Oliver says, “For me lighting and shading is the most important element of any home, as it’s the thing that we use every day and is the first thing we interact with in the morning and the last thing at night. Lutron’s lighting and shading solutions work hand in hand filtering the light within a home to not only offer convenience but also enhance the ambience within the home. The security aspect is also important. Shades
not only control the amount of natural light from coming in but also prevent unwanted attention, deliver privacy and, with holiday modes, give the appearance that the property is occupied. Plus, with integration of HomeWorks QS into third party security systems, to activate lights if the alarm is triggered, there is another layer of security. With all that Lutron offers, it’s a great way to increase your business.”
What are the advantages of the new luxury app?
Paul explains, “The new Lutron Luxury app, running on the Apple iPad IOS platform, offers dealers and end users the opportunity to see first-hand the full range of Lutron products in a high-resolution vivid environment. The App offers users the ability to see Lutron products within their own space and experience different window treatment and shade options with augmented reality not seen before with Lutron products.”
Oliver adds, “This is a fantastic app and a game changer for the specification process. This allows dealers to show their clients different keypad or shading options in real time in their home, making the process of choosing a keypad or discussing engravings and specifications a more streamlined process.”
A SPECIAL OFFER
Adding to the excellent proposition offered by the Lutron range and our dedicated Lutron team, a further special offer is open to dealers purchasing their lighting and shading products through us. Whether it’s the HomeWorks or RA2 systems, we offer complete system and planning support including initial measuring services for shades and curtains. Site visits like these are charged at £500 + VAT and are credited back to dealers upon order confirmation. Dealer engineers are required to verify measurements with our engineers on site.
We can provide full quotations for either supply only or supply and fit, with a generous dealer margin on the latter. If clients are providing their own material for curtain tracks or Roman blinds; our technical document details the maximum track weights so the right selections can be made. Orders should include the Lutron fabric model number and be emailed to Pulse Cinemas direct.
If installation support is not needed, Pulse Cinemas provides a free ‘Pre Sales’ service for the first two projects, and then standard services apply thereafter. Get in touch to find out more!
Pulse Cinemas pulsecinemas.com
Making choices is easy and attractively presented via the new app
The Lutron team hard at work supporting dealers
THE QUESTION OF THE Q-ACOUSTICS 5040
Our intrepid trade-focused reviewer, Richard Stevenson, takes a listen to the recently released Q-Acoustics 5040. A competitively priced (£999 retail) pair that promises to pack a punch.
Q-Acoustics’ loudspeaker range offers a lot to like at both the entry-level 3000i Series and the far more affluent Concept 30/50/90 family. In between the two there existed a Polo-like void. Enter the Q-Acoustics 5000 series, aiming to bring much of the performance of the premium models through trickle-down technology, with the sort of great value that has made the 3000i Series best sellers.
The 5040 is the smaller of two floorstanders in the range. Compact and slimline, it packs a pair of 5in mid/bass drivers and a 1in dome tweeter ‘floating’ (isolated) in the baffle. The cabinet is sleek and contemporary, with all of Q-Acoustics’ signature design cues present and correct. Solid build, tick. Curved horizontal edges, tick. Rear outrigger feet, tick.
Despite casting a similar shadow to the Concept 50, it is easy to see where some cost savings have been made in terms of reduced design flourishes. The 5040 is simpler looking, less fussy, and, for those with an eye for purist contemporary design, arguably even better looking than its pricier cousin. Our satin white review pair looked particularly lush in the room, and the vinyl wrap and finish are absolutely faultless throughout.
Top of the trickle-down tech list is Q-Acoustics’ C3 Continuous Curved Cone
diaphragm on the two mid/bass drivers. The design is said to combine the bass performance of a traditional straight-sided cone with the improved mid-range frequency control of a flared shape. Given that the 5040 packs a bass punch like Tyson Fury while remaining exceptionally well controlled, I’d go with certain success there.
The MDF cabinet deploys Q-Acoustics’ P2P (Point to Point) bracing to give the enclosure maximum support through audio band vibrations, and a no-frills crossover; albeit using some rather tasty components. The cabinet is rear ported with a foam bung supplied for some LF attenuation if placed close to a back wall and is supplied with a magnetic-fit plastic grill.
The three drivers are arranged in D’Appolito configuration with identical min/bass above and below the tweeter. This creates a dispersion pattern that is wider than it is tall, reducing sound output that would otherwise bounce off the ceiling and floor, potentially muddying the direct sound from the speaker.
Speaker set-up is no more arduous than four Allen-head bolts to secure the rear aluminium outriggers and four M4 spikes with locknuts as feet per speaker. The speaker terminals are perhaps the only part of the design that I find a little challenging. The flat binding posts with
4mm banana sockets are a sleek work of art to behold and offer very little protrusion out of the back of the cabinet. Yet, for my saveloy-like fingers, the shallow profile and inset positioning make it a real faff to tighten up on spades or bare wires.
On the plus side, once secured, the low profile means the speaker can be parked much closer to a rear wall than most designs with traditional chunky speaker terminals. Having tried both freestanding and close-to-wall placement, the freestanding is better for imaging and articulation, but being close to the wall, with the port bung fitted, doesn’t upset the 5040’s overall performance.
Electronically, this is a modern speaker with a 6-ohm nominal load that will not upset all but the flakiest of amplifiers and offers 91dB/w efficiency. Now, that is quite a claim for a compact floorstander packing no more than the ‘two-fives’, and perhaps 88 or 89dB/W would be more the norm for these dimensions. Given that 3dB represents a doubling in sound pressure (or about +30% in perceived volume), the 5040 looks like it can party with the best of them.
A quick Google search will reveal that the 5040 already scooped innumerable consumer magazine accolades before arriving at I can certainly see why. From the first bars, these compact floorstanders sound a lot bigger than they are, delivering an engaging, foottapping presentation underpinned by bass that punches a lot harder than those two-fives have any right to.
The balance has gained some serious energy over the 3000i models I have listened to previously, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find a slightly ‘smiley face’ EQ curve if measured. The
tweeter is fast and very detailed and sits slightly forward in the overall mix. Combined with the rich and weighty bass, which alone has made me a huge fan of these speakers, the presentation has masses of get-up-and-go!
A quick blast of Faithless the 5040s establish themselves as happy dance party accessories while switching straight to Anette Askvik’s Hi-Fi-show standard demonstrates they cut it equally well with smooth vocals and moody atmosphere. Cody Fry’s symphonic interpretation of stretch any speaker’s resolve from its emotional lyrics to detailed instruments, and the huge orchestral crescendos. The 5040 handles it all with remarkable grace and aplomb, making for a very musical, very enjoyable experience.
That 91dB/W sensitivity really pays dividends
ALLTRADE: MEETING MODERN ACCESS NEEDS WITH 2N
Lee Harding, CI Technical Director at Alltrade gives some insight into the company’s origins and focus – and introduces the 2N product line – NextGen access control crafted in the heart of Europe.
Established in 1989 and incorporated as a limited company in 1995, Alltrade has been a firm favourite as a major distributor to the installation and retail trades for over 35 years. We are one of the UK’s leading distributors of custom install, security and smart home products but unlike traditional CI distributors, we operate from 14 branches across the UK. This unique trade customer-facing service offers instant product availability over the trade counters and face-to-face help and advice from our experienced staff.
With our own fleet of vehicles offering free next working day delivery and an industryleading website, no other distributor is investing more to support its trade customers across the smart home and security industries!
Around the same time Alltrade was founded, three friends in the heart of Europe founded another company – 2N. They began specialising in the telecommunications field, but, after inventing the world’s first IP intercom, the company rapidly evolved into manufacturing high-quality access control systems. In fact, their line was so impressive that they became part of the Axis Group in 2016. They continue to manufacture and develop their products in Europe, using the best quality materials, and now specialise in securing residential and office environments.
Our recent partnership with 2N has enabled us to expand our offerings and we are delighted to stock such quality technology. Our customers can now access 2N’s portfolio of intercoms, answering units, smart access readers and accessories quickly and conveniently and we also deliver 2N training online and at our branch network across the UK.
RAPIDLY CHANGING NEEDS – IS ACCESS ENOUGH?
In a quickly evolving world, simply opening a door is not enough anymore. Seamless and secure access control that goes beyond door opening has become paramount for businesses and residential complexes that want to increase security, maximise convenience, and streamline the flow of people.
Being a seasoned distributor of audio, video, networking, and security products, we recognise what integrators and users want
– which is why we are proud to offer the full 2N range. Their products can integrate with and enhance an existing system or can build a complete 2N solution. Whatever you choose, it is sure to add value to your building.
KEEPING UP WITH MODERN DEMANDS
Integration with third-party systems (home automation, security systems, and so on), remote management, mobile access control, full-HD intercom cameras – all of this can work together in a 2N access solution to offer comfort, security, and convenience.
From IP intercoms like the 2N IP Style (which features a 10’’ touchscreen and FullHD, WDR-capable camera) to the 2N IP Verso 2.0 (a fully modular IP intercom that meets the access needs of any customer), 2N’s products are designed to meet modern demands with sophistication and efficiency, whilst always prioritising device reliability and the needs of the integrator.
Visit our website to discover 2N’s innovative and reliable access solutions. We are sure you will find something that will suit the needs of your project.
Connect with Alltrade to get your hands on 2N’s NextGen access solutions
• IP intercoms with Full HD cameras
• Smart access readers
• Sleek yet capable indoor panels
• Fast, reliable, and secure mobile access
• Remote management & configuration
• Seamless integration with third-party systems
Alltrade alltrade.co.uk
18–19 SEPTEMBER
HOW TO START A SMART HOME BUSINESS
Valued at £2.9 billion, the smart home business offers a lucrative opportunity for installers throughout the UK. Home automation technology is fast becoming more affordable, widening the market for those looking to branch out. Whether you’re founding a company or expanding an existing one, we’ve got key tips on how to start a smart home business.
Step 1: Define your services
Your first step is to assess what kind of smart home systems and services you can provide. In terms of products, you might offer smart home devices such as:
• Thermostats or HVAC
• Audio and video entertainment
• Blinds and smart lighting control
• Security systems (video doorbells, alarm systems, smart locks etc.)
• Virtual assistants (Alexa, Google Home etc.)
Alternatively, your home automation business might focus on services, such an installation
service, bespoke design, maintenance and ongoing tech support. Look at your resources – do you have access to a designer, product partnerships or installers? This will help to define your value proposition to potential customers.
Step 2: Make sure you and your team have the relevant qualifications
New business is built on trust – and homeowners need to know you have the right certifications to complete the job. CEDIA offers four core smart home certifications. For example, electricians will benefit from our Cabling and Infrastructure or Integrated Systems Certification. Designers may wish to explore the Networking Specialist or Designer Specialist qualification.
This ‘badge of approval’ from the leading trade association will drive your competitive advantage in the smart home market – offering new customers peace of mind.
Step 3: Put your business plan together
To secure funding and give you a sense of direction, a business plan is essential. Here you can outline your financial projections, looking at the smart home solutions you can offer, and the resources needed.
You can also include marketing strategies here. CEDIA Integrator members get exclusive access to the latest research in the home automation industry.
Step 4: Start branding and marketing
With your business plan in place, you can start targeting your potential clients.
A website is a great way to showcase your whole ecosystem of smart home automation products. Use imagery wisely and tailor your copy. For example, if you’re targeting home builders, you could focus on energy efficiency with smart thermostats.
Next up is social proof. Have your clients or contacts leave recommendations on LinkedIn, helping you win new business through referrals. An accessible, user-friendly website will complement your digital footprint to build awareness of your brand.
Step 5: Keep up with your network
They say it’s not what you know – so take your business to the next level with the right contacts. Don’t think of these people as competitors, but collaborators who can help you succeed.
CEDIA regularly runs events that support workforce development and offer great networking opportunities. Here you can learn about the latest trends and industry standards while building new relationships.
For more tips on how to start a home automation business, join CEDIA today. Learn from the experts in home automation systems, setting the standard for industry best practices and customer satisfaction. Find out more at cedia.org
Designed to dovetail with Focal speakers, the Naim CI Series comprises the CI-Uniti 102 streamer/ amplifier and matching mono and eight-channel amp platforms, the CINAP 101 and CI-NAP 108.
Integrators choosing Focal for residential or commercial projects will further enhance speed of deployment and system performance by making them Naim powered. Their clients will enjoy the highest quality audio streams for cinema/media rooms, garden or distributed audio from a brand pairing globally recognised for fidelity and prestige.
SIX WARNING SIGNS A PROJECT’S LABOUR MIGHT BE MORE DIFFICULT
EI
columnist Jason
Knott, data solutions evangelist at D-Tools and ex-editor-in-chief at CE Pro, examines the importance of labour cost.
For many integrators, accurate estimating of labour costs on a project can be more of an art than a science. That difficulty is expounded when there are intangible obstacles placed in front of you that can potentially ramp up your labour costs. The result is ‘goodbye labour profit!’
Indeed, achieving a high percentage of profit on your labour is vital, especially as the influx of consumer-grade products erodes the integrator’s profit margin on equipment. According to data drawn from D-Tools Cloud, integrators achieve between 51% and 56% profit margin on their labour on every size project, whether it is a quick TV mount or a massive whole-house mansion job. Thus, estimating labour costs accurately is crucial, especially on large home construction projects. So, what are some potential indicators that can require increased labour? Here are six warning signs to look out for.
High Ceilings: The presence of high ceilings in a home is certainly aesthetically pleasing, but for integrators it can necessitate the use of scaffolding. That means the integrator has to rent, erect and then remove scaffolding for the installation of products like intelligent lighting fixtures, wireless access points and in-ceiling loudspeakers. That not only introduces additional direct costs but also increases the time required for installation. Tasks performed at height are inherently slower and more challenging, further extending labour hours. These factors can be incorporated into labour estimates using the difficulty multiplier in your estimating software, such as D-Tools, to ensure that the projected costs align with the reality of the project.
Older Homes: In an existing home project, the age of the home can be a major challenge. Older homes like those common in the UK can have poor or inadequate electrical supply or wiring, tight attics or crawlspaces, structural impediments and even ornate finishes that require special care. These challenges often require additional troubleshooting and problem-solving time, which must be factored into labour cost estimates. If not anticipated, these difficulties can lead to significant budget overruns and missed profit targets.
There are also extreme situations where it’s difficult to get the equipment to a certain part of an older home. There have been instances in which integrators had to remove second or third floor windows, rent a crane and then lift their pre-configured racks and giant flat panel displays to the appropriate level because the stairwell access is too narrow.
Occupied Homes: It’s always tricky working in an existing home that is occupied, but it can be especially challenging if technicians are restricted from entering certain parts of the home. For example, if you’re not allowed in the nursery during working hours because the baby is taking a nap, that slows down the timetable.
Large Projects: Needless to say, the potential for delays is greater on a larger project. That slowness is often not due to anything the integrator does, but other contractors’ schedules, such as electricians, plumbers, or HVAC specialists. If they are off schedule, it can cause delays in your timetable. That means you might get stuck paying your technicians to show up to the jobsite only to find out they can’t do any work that day. That can suck your profit dry.
Restricted Access: More common in high-rise condo projects, there can be restrictions on the number of contractors allowed on the jobsite at any given time due to safety regulations or logistical constraints. That can wreak havoc on your scheduling and potentially your labour profitability.
Similarly, in some new construction highrise projects, there are assigned elevator access times. These are especially common in projects where some floors of the high rise are already occupied while others are still under construction. Integrators and all other contractors are then limited to only certain elevators. One integrator shared that his team routinely waited up to one hour to access the elevator up to the jobsite floor.
Limited
Parking/Traffic/Tolls: Inner-city projects that do not have adequate parking for your vehicles add labour time, and that means more money. Technicians often have to park some distance away and then lug their gear to the jobsite. That is time not spent doing the actual installation that you are paying the technicians. Moreover, the vans become vulnerable to receiving parking tickets or even worse, getting broken into because they are parked out of eyesight. If the job requires toll roads over bridges or through tunnels, that adds even more costs. Inner-city projects should certainly be considered for adding a difficulty percentage into your labour estimates.
In conclusion, accounting for the level of difficulty in labour cost estimation is vital. By thoroughly evaluating potential obstacles, companies can create more accurate and realistic labour estimates. Using a difficulty multiplier, like the one found in D-Tools software, can help mitigate those increased labour costs.
ADDING VALUE EVERYWHERE
Almost two decades of success in commercial and residential AV gives us the versatility to support your projects in residential, marine, retail, hospitality and beyond, in spaces large or small, no matter how complex the challenges.
A proven track record of brand and technology introduction ensures that the solutions provided are uniquely featured and backed by industry leading system and technical support.
In these ways we help our partners to stand out, flourish and grow.
More than the sum of the brands we proudly represent, CUK supports our partners with complementary services including system specification and design, RP22 design support, acoustic modelling, commissioning support, and training.
SEVENOAKS GROWS IN HOME CINEMA STATURE
EI took a trip to the Witham branch of Sevenoaks Sound and Vision, one of the group’s most established and succesful stores. A recent refurb of the main shop area and a new high-performance home cinema demo space meant there were plenty of exciting sights and sounds to learn more about.
Trading for over 50 years, Sevenoaks Sound and Vision began with Paul Lee Kemp founding a store in Sevneoaks and then with business partner Peter O’Brien expanding the company. The Sevenoaks brand has continued to grow into one of the country’s most prominent specialist Hi-Fi, AV and home cinema retailers and installers.
Witham is one of the brand’s most wellestablished locations, enjoying its position in its home of The Grove Centre, since the development was built in 1988. EI was hosted expertly on the day by Simon Robinson, Store Manager, Dan Whipps, Senior Sales and Mark Succamore, Assistant Manager – enthusiasm and knowledge run through the team right from the off. The impressive and open plan store now also boasts a large home cinema demo space, and overall the store is welcoming and bristles with exciting AV equipment whilst also maintaining a good, uncluttered flow. Having had successful refits carried out at other locations, the Witham store’s transformation was begun in July 2023, taking seven weeks to complete.
Simon explains, “When we decided to renovate the old shop-fit to the new model, we discussed how best to utilise the existing demo rooms. Was it better to have two smaller demo rooms as was the case, or one bigger room that allowed us to showcase the latest tech, whether it be stereo or home cinema?
“The initial plan was to choose a solution that was commercially matched to the Sevenoaks profile, whilst deciding on whether to have a TV or projection solution. Whatever we did, it had to be flexible due to the nature of the demos that customers want. We were lucky that in the planning stage, our Managing Director (Rob Lawley) had a meeting with Monitor Audio, who told him about their new Cinergy series that was about to be launched. The timing was perfect and we created a home theatre around this new product line up.”
The single space demo room also allows for two-channel demos boasting some imposing Focal Scala Utopia EVO III speakers.
From LtoR Dan Whipps (Senior Sales), Simon Robinson (Store Manager), Mark Succamore (Assistant Manager)
The team explains that the initial home cinema speaker design was based on a 7.2.4 layout to Dolby Atmos specification. Due to the change from two smaller rooms to one large room, additional subs were added to control the sound in the room.
Dan says, “We needed to pre-wire wall plates for day-to-day demos. Whilst we wanted a bigger projection screen, we needed to accommodate our high-end Hi-Fi option, so allowing large speakers to be left in situ without impeding the screen was also important.”
As always, there were some technical challenges, Mark explains, “Sound proofing the room was important so as not to leak into the neighbouring store and the shopfloor area. Building a suitable framework to allow the install of the Monitor Audio Cinergy 300 and subs behind the screen also needed careful planning and execution.”
Once the main build for the cinema was completed, as Mark and a cinema enthusiast customer calibrated the subwoofers using REW to correct phase and delay. Following this, the Dirac functionality contained in the McIntosh processing equipment was used to further improve the performance and deliver a knockout performance for customers. The team also cite strong support from Monitor Audio for the room layout and calibration support from AWE (James Drummie) for the Sony projector. All other installation work was in house.
Mark enthuses, “Now it is all finished the whole team is really happy with the performance, the scale of the cinema is way beyond any system we previously had in store.”
Simon adds, “We are really excited to be able to provide a professional listening space with flexibility to meet our customers’ needs, but also show a level most clients would not be familiar with.”
Customers can now make appointments for demonstrations, so preparation for any special requirements can be prepared for and the systems can be thoroughly checked beforehand. However, the space can also accommodate walk-ins. Parking is freely available for the Grove Centre and the store enjoys a fruitful location between Chelmsford and Colchester on the
A12. Customers can either call the store or book an appointment for a demo online. The team have already been hosting special events and showcases to make maximum use of the demo space and the main store.
Dan explains, “There has been a Sonus Faber / McIntosh music evening and a Project turntable event with cartridge upgrades. We also had an opening event after the store was refitted and it was great to see customers new and old come into the store to see what’s changed and how things have improved. The store was busy all day!”
The store offers a carefully curated run through some of the sector’s best brands
DEMONSTRATION TIME
Comfortably seated, EI was ready to see what the room could do, and Mark was keen to put the system through its paces. Mark’s connection with AV and this store is a great story. Always an AV fan, and a Witham native, Mark spent Friday evenings like many youngsters visiting the local Blockbuster with his family to choose the evening’s entertainment.
Mark picks up the story, “We decide to invest in a cinema system from my local HiFi store (Sevenoaks) which was a Pioneer AV
receiver with Ruark Templar and Bowers & Wilkins speakers with a REL sub using a Pioneer laserdisc and Sony S-VHS player. My hobby was films and investing in the latest laserdiscs. I transformed my system as new technology was released, adding a Fujitsu plasma and upgrading as Dolby digital became available. Having visited the store regularly in my lunch breaks when I worked in town, in 1994 I began working on Saturdays. Then moved to full time when a position became available. My passion has always been home cinema.”
The Monitor Audio Cinergy speakers partnering a McIntosh MHT300 AVR, supported with Monitor Audio IA 750-4 amps, get to show what they can do. Some full-on action sequences from Top Gun: Maverick and James Bond No Time To Die amply demonstrate that the system is fully on-point when it comes to dynamics, range and also subtlety, as the finer points in these scenes are not missed. The tolling of the bells and change in audio tone when different parts of the car are hit and the dialogue and heavy breathing in the Bond sequence are particularly good.
Vinyl-over-IP
IT’S DONE WITH DM NVX.
Drop the needle. Network the fidelity. DM NAX® Audio-over-IP Edge Devices easily bridge any audio from any source — CDs, Bluetooth® audio, even vinyl records — onto the network. Powered by the DM NVX® AV-over-IP platform, they give your clients more ways to enjoy their favorite music. However they want. Wherever they want. With pristine audio reproduction and effortless Crestron Home® OS control.
Aldous Systems(Europe) Ltd distribute over 30 brands of audio, networking, control, and video equipment exclusively to trade.
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Works with Araknis In-Ceiling Mount
It's time to stop hiding access points in cabinets and suffering from reduced network coverage and performance! This access point works well with the Araknis In-Ceiling Mounting Bracket, allowing for a beautiful, flush, and aesthetically pleasing installation in any room.
Limited Stock - Call to place your order!
Tired of HDMI headaches?
Inconsistent source signals or cables not delivering?
Learn HDMI troubleshooting from the best and join Jason Dustal, ISF Calibrator and Murideo Technical Trainer on 3rd July (NorthCrewe), or 5th July (South - Aylesbury) for a unique hands on session never brought to the UK before!
Want to make more profit from every TV or Projector install? Jason will complete the course by teaching you exactly how that is possible using the Fox & Hound test kit.
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• 2N IP One Single Button Intercom
• Full HD Camera
• Built in QR Code reader
• IP66 & IK08 Certification
• Built in Switch & Relay
• PoE powered
• Control System Integration or Standalone Operation
In a nice contrast, EI experiences for the first time Pink Floyd’s Dolby Atmos recording celebrating 50 years of Dark Side of the Moon Now if ever there was a legacy recording that is crying out for a spatial audio remix, this must be it and the recording and the room do not disappoint. The mix uses more channels than some Atmos music tracks, but if there is a recording that can handle this more expansive approach to spatial music, this is it. The main music track remains locked mostly in the twochannel space, but all those effects that populate tracks like Breathe (In The Air) and The Great Gig In The Sky are launched around the room giving an expansive approach that surely the
band would have embraced if they could have when conceiving the album. However, this does not mean the core of the songs are damaged, as the vocals have more room to shine and some of the instruments get more room in the mix than previous versions. The trippy experience of On The Run is the best version of this track ever conceived. Time for some two-channel courtesy the of the Focal Scala Utopia EVO IIIs and Naim. Mother Nature’s Son, by The Beatles shows off the level of emotional detail available with a system like this and equally, when it’s time to give it a blast with a bit of Back Street Symphony by Thunder, the system can rock as well. Awesome! The room shows it can do music
just as well as movies. This new set up is a credit to the team here and everyone involved. Great to see a serious home cinema demo occupying a space on a UK retail space!
Essential Kit List
Home Cinema
• Projector: Sony VPLXW7000
• AV: McIntosh MHT300 supported with Monitor Audio IA 750-4 amps for the Atmos and Subwoofers.
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 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 was 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 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.
Eight DSP750 digital active architectural in-wall 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.
Bringing all this audio together is a Meridian Audio Digital Theatre 271 Controller which effortlessly integrates the loudspeakers to 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.
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 fitted a Dynamic 2TB masking screen, measuring 4300mm wide and 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 in-wall 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 – perfect again for the classical music lovers in the house.
For more information on DbM, visit distributedbym.com. Further details on Surrey Hills Home Cinemas are available at surreyhillscinemas.co.uk.
Home Cinema Kit List
• 2 x Digital Theatre 271 Controllers
• 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
DEVIALET DEEP DIVE
EI met with the team behind Devialet and the maker’s UK/Ireland distributor RGB at the company’s demonstration centre at Canalot Studios West London, to discover more about this audio innovator that combines striking looks with high-quality sound.
Head of Sales, UK and Ireland for Devlialet, Philip Rose, explains, “Devialet is a French acoustic engineering company with unrivalled technological savoir-faire, on a mission to deliver transformative sound through unique listening experiences. While designing our line, we didn’t look at manufacturing the best product ever, we looked at delivering the best acoustic experience ever, in every single detail. Because in the details lies what strikes you when listening to music or sound ‘live’.”
Philip adds, “This leads us to imagine our products with a totally different approach that puts humans at the heart of the experience. This leads us to invent technologies that can come very close to this comprehensive sound restitution. This led us to Phantom, a product that can reach never seen performances in terms of distortion, noise and saturation - a product that is alive inside and makes the sound live; you can hear it, see it and feel it within your bones.”
Fleshing out the range, RGB offers access to Phantom II Custom, tailored to custom commercial and residential projects, meeting professional standards for connectors, using only wired installations (retrofit or new structure), home automation and audio format selection. The speaker delivers impressive sound-quality coupled with eye-catching design. The product also boasts professional features such as Dante network and analogue/ AES input, is fully compliant with technical integrator requirements, and is simply configurable through IP address webpages.
Control drivers make it possible to include the product in a Savant, Control4 or Crestron system. Devialet also chose Audinate’s Dante network for its reliability on an ethernet network infrastructure helping the product fit seamlessly into any existing setup, allowing up to 256 channels of HD audio to be streamed over standard ethernet cables. Cousin to this product, the Phantom II Hotel is a two-way active loudspeaker, specifically tailored for hotel/hospitality audio requirements.
The Phantom I Custom is described as the product of Devialet’s unparalleled acoustic engineering expertise, featuring a wide range of innovative technologies. The Optical Direct
Mode allows installers to disable consumer wireless features (Bluetooth, AirPlay2, Spotify Connect), for a full control, latency-free experience. This product also comes equipped with the proprietary Devialet Operating System 2 (DOS 2) but can also fit into any audio system thanks to Dante.
Using several configuration options featuring various combinations of Devialet Phantom I and Phantom II Custom speakers, the Devialet Phantom Theater mode lets installers maximise the acoustic potential of the customer’s space and deliver a full entertainment experience, from stereo to multichannel, immersive gaming and home cinema.
The Phantom I in white
Devialet Dione is Devialet’s acoustic engineering applied to home cinema, a highend, all-in-one Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 soundbar that elevates all content on a TV. Scan the space in the Devialet App using Devialet Dione’s four calibration microphones to establish an accurate acoustic model of each room.
Considering the impressive performance of the products, the competitive price points are perhaps surprising. How is this achieved?
Philip explains, “Devialet thrives on endto-end innovation (hardware, software, design inside and out, manufacturing) to offer everenhanced acoustics. In fact, to create Phantom, we have had to build our own plant, hire talents who were used to unique challenges in other industries, conceive our own robotics and quality control.
“Each Phantom is designed and manufactured in France. A dedicated team ensures that the same rigor we put into research is carried through to the very final step. A fully automated assembly line leaves nothing to chance.
“We put the same obsession for precision at the very heart of engineering, design and manufacturing. Our will is not to produce products that already exist, but products that change the game and elevate sound at the level of a unique experience.”
This approach has led to the company into developing many of its own patented technologies.
Philip reveals, “Devialet’s major innovations include ADH (Analog Digital Hybrid), a technology that combines the precision and finesse of analogue amplification with the power and compactness of digital amplification; SAM (Speaker Active Matching), ensures perfect synchronisation between the amplifier and the speakers connected to it; or the IDC (Internal Delay Compensation) algorithm, which acts directly on the transfer function of the anti-noise filter, ensuring that its response is optimised in order to extend the anti-noise’s range of action from infra bass to midrange. Today, almost one in four Devialet engineers is the inventor or co-
inventor of a patent.”
This ability to innovate has led to come interesting projects such as a special edition of its Devialet Mania portable speaker with fashion company Fendi. Wrapped in the fashion house’s FF monogram, the product is a fusion of tradition and haute technology. The company also launched Devialet Gemini II in the Opera de Paris edition, presenting a complete range of Devialet’s products in the colours of the French institution and promote it worldwide
So, armed with an impressive range and many achievements under its belt, what plans does the company have for the UK and Ireland?
Philip says, “The CI market has huge potential. It’s growing rapidly, even though the ‘concept’ of it is still quite unknown to the masses. Or at least there’s a major percentage of the population that doesn’t know what options are available to enhance their ways of living, working and socialising. Alongside completing some of the amazing projects in our pipeline, we want to keep optimising our current assortment, whilst continuing to innovate; elevating sound and offering unique experiences.”
RGB became part of the picture after experiencing the products at CEDIA Expo in the US with Devialet becoming part of the line up in May of 2023.
Sales & Marketing Director, Andy Atwell, says, “There were clear synergies between the customer sector that RGB serves and the target audience for Devialet. The quality of the products and brand positioning made perfect sense to add to our portfolio. There are also strong synergies between Devialet and Savant with future technical advances allowing for even better integration. We saw an opportunity for a disruptive technology and philosophy that challenges modern concepts around audio design and aesthetics.”
Andy continues, “Progress is steady and encouraging. To be truly understood, you must experience the quality of the brand and be prepared to consider alternative ways of thinking when designing solutions for end-
users. The key is having the end user experience the product for themselves. The conversion rate of demonstration/experience to purchase is staggeringly high.
“Our strategy is to expose as many of the CI partners to the potential for the brand in their space. What has been traditionally viewed as a product with a retail/HiFi route to market now has true value in the CI channel both in terms of integration capabilities (via Danté for example) and the margin opportunities that channel requires. As a protected brand there are no online routes devaluing its price point in the market place.”
In terms of next steps for the brand, Philip says, “Since inception, our growth has been phenomenal, and we’ve continued to push the boundaries in audio engineering at every step. You can be quite sure that we’ll continue with this commitment and passion because we are in front of a paradox; we’ve never had such an exposure to sound (streaming, from radio to smartphones, laptops, TVs) but whereas screens and images in general have made a huge quality improvement already - sound quality is often so low.
“In this perspective, each ‘sound point’ is an opportunity for Devialet to innovate and bring a pure, dense, rich listening experience.”
For dealers that want to get involved RGB has Technical Sales Specialists that can demonstrate the full range of products at Canalot Studios in London. The team can also arrange demonstrations at customer premises, or loan equipment. Philip is also keen to meet to discuss what the brand can offer whether it’s a first look/ introduction, or a deeper run-through looking at specific use cases / setups / wiring diagrams.
EI was very impressed with the audio quality of what was on offer here, and the brand can definitely add something very eye-catching into the bargain; well worth investigating.
Devialet
devialet.com
A full-throated Phantom Theater set up
JOIN THE ALLIANCE!
Stuart Burgess, experienced installer and Director at The Home Cinema Alliance explains some of the key aims of the group.
For those not aware, explain what the Home Cinema Alliance is.
Our vision is to bring industry professionals together in collaboration. Our goal is to showcase to homeowners the advantages of hiring an industry professional for their next project. We promote our members through a variety of marketing strategies, utilising all social media platforms, website listings, feature blogs, advertising in client facing publications and regular editorials in trade press.
Who is involved? How long has it been around?
The group was founded in 2018 by myself, (Immersive Cinema Rooms), Owen Maddock (Cinemaworks) and Melanie Malcolm (Bespoke Home Cinemas). Between us we have over 50 years’ experience working in the industry.
What are the main aims of the HCA?
Individually great, but better together. The three of us all have businesses in this industry, and we know as business owners the challenges we can face at gaining visibility in the industry, and how costly this can be individually. Our aim is to make a significant impact collaboratively, utilising combined funds to enable us to explore marketing avenues to reach a broader client base. We believe that alone we can make a small dent, but together we can explore more avenues, reach more clients and make a bigger impact.
What are some of the major initiatives you have been involved in so far?
We understand that keeping fresh content for your business can be challenging. We ask members to share images and videos of their recent works. This content is then used to promote each member on the HCA’s social media platforms, website, YouTube, and
in publications like Home Cinema Choice magazine and Intelligent Homes. This ensures a steady stream of content to reach a wider audience and engage followers. We showcase various styles of work from members across the UK. If you struggle to create content, we can help with that too.
What initiatives will you be introducing in the future?
In early 2024, we launched a new YouTube channel to add to our group advertising efforts. Google is heavily investing in this and tipped to be building it into their combined social media platform. Many of our members contribute content, allowing us to upload videos weekly. If you need assistance with video production, we can help.
Additionally, we conducted a trial at the Grand Designs Exhibition this year. Exhibiting at client-facing shows can be costly and time consuming, but using the same principles, we aim to potentially create a collaborative HCA stand for Grand Designs or another consumer facing shows in the future.
We are also looking to expand the HCA globally. We are getting enquiries from across the globe and looking to expand into new markets.
How do installers join the HCA and what are the benefits?
We have three different levels of membership for UK based businesses and one for Global members. Each level carries different benefits,
and some levels have limited availability and a waiting list. More information can be found on our website - https://www.homecinemaalliance. co.uk/join
What in your opinion makes a great cinema?
A great cinema starts with a great design, and this starts on paper first. Everyone who steps into a well designed and implemented room just wants one. Trouble is that most people who could afford it have no idea it’s a ‘thing.’ Most of the members have a demo facility or can arrange to take customers to one of our industry partners to experience theirs.
RP22, how important is that for the sector?
Getting properly trained in all aspects for business is important. Your client is trusting you with vast sums of money to design and build an amazing experience for them, and having industry recommend practises is a great starting point for people either entering this industry or furthering their knowledge. You do get have-ago-heroes unfortunately, maybe last week they were doing a different part of a tech industry and then get asked about a cinema room because they are onsite. It’s no problem to explore a new market but with customers at the end of it, you have to get properly trained.
Home Cinema Alliance homecinemaalliance.co.uk
Pure Simmetry
Exceptional HDR design for every model, from luxury to affordable, involving advanced image processing perfected over seventeen years
Class-leading brightness up to 6000lm
Crystal glass lenses and optical components made for high contrast, detail-rich images
Advanced ventilation delivers quiet operation from smaller, more beautiful crystal glass cabinets
High-quality build for enduring image quality
A brilliant balance of high brightness, contrast, colour and practicality will deliver peerless HDR performance to projects large and small.
SIM2’s acknowledged leadership in perfecting High Dynamic Range (HDR) as the ‘real revolution in video imaging and home cinema performance’ can now be utilised in almost every custom application, not just the luxury, award-winning integrations for which it is justly famous. Today, SIM2 offers you the opportunity to enhance the great majority of your projects with a single high-quality brand.
To explore capabilities for your future projects and talk to us about help with system design and specification, please contact:
ENHANCING GAMING THROUGH OPTIMAL CABLING SOLUTIONS
Benjamin Yeh, Operations Director at Kordz, argues that when it comes
to cabling, it’s all in
the game.
As the gaming industry continues to expand and evolve, the demand for high-performance gaming systems has reached unprecedented levels. Systems integrators now play a crucial role in crafting these experiences, where the performance of every component, including cabling, is vital. This article explores the essential aspects of cabling that significantly influence the gaming experience, emphasising the importance of quality.
THE GROWTH AND EVOLUTION OF THE GAMING MARKET
The gaming market’s evolution is powered by technological advances and a growing audience that demands more immersive and responsive gaming experiences. As such, the importance of high-quality cabling has escalated, serving as the critical link between technological potential and consumer expectations.
The gaming industry has seen exponential growth over the past decade, moving from niche entertainment to mainstream cultural dominance. This evolution is driven not only by technological advances but also by the maturation of a generation that grew up with
computer games since the 1980s. Now possessing substantial spending power, these seasoned gamers demand high-quality, immersive, and visually captivating video gaming experiences that push the limits of current technology.
As this audience has matured from kids playing games in the family living room to adults entering the height of their career-earning potential, their quest for peak experiences and expectations for performance have made high-quality gaming systems a standard rather than a luxury. This is where the importance of superior cabling becomes evident. Quality cabling is crucial, as it bridges the gap between advanced technological capabilities and the high-performance output gamers expect. Without the right cabling, issues such as lag, unexpected dropouts and frame losses can detract significantly from the gaming experience and competitiveness.
Furthermore, as gaming intersects with digital entertainment and social interaction, the reliance on robust data transmission grows. Technologies like live streaming and virtual reality, which are integral to modern gaming experiences, depend heavily on the integrity and performance of cabling systems.
For a generation that values technological excellence milliseconds matter and the choice of cabling is key. This demographic seeks hardware that maximises the potential of their gaming setups and understanding this positions systems integrators to meet and exceed the sophisticated demands of today’s technologically-savvy gamers.
INFLUENCE OF CONSUMER DEMAND AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION
Modern gamers’ demand for seamless, immersive experiences with rapid load times and flawless graphics has significantly shaped the design of the required infrastructure. The rise of high-definition displays and advanced GPUs requires robust cabling capable of managing increased data throughput without compromising signal quality and creates the biggest strain on any cabling. These advancements necessitate cabling systems that support high bandwidth, minimise latency and prevent unexpected signal loss.
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As gaming technology evolves, incorporating features like real-time ray tracing and 4K video with 120Hz frame rates, the need for sophisticated cabling becomes critical. To prevent bottlenecking advanced hardware, cables must be engineered with higher-grade materials, advanced shielding and enhanced connectors to ensure reliable performance under high data rate conditions.
This technological push, driven by both hardware innovations and gamer expectations, has led to continual advancements in cabling design. As the gaming landscape becomes more interactive and visually complex, the cabling industry must keep pace, offering solutions that not only meet but exceed the requirements needed to deliver high-definition, responsive gaming experiences.
IMPACT OF CABLING ON THE GAMING EXPERIENCE
A lot of focus and investment goes into choosing the best gaming devices and equipment, but what about the cabling that allows those devices to deliver their maximum capabilities? When considering cabling options for gaming, the two most prevalent choices are HDMI and DisplayPort cables. Each has
its unique advantages that cater to different aspects of gaming needs. HDMI cables are widely used and compatible with a vast range of devices, including gaming consoles, PCs and TVs. They support up to 4K resolution at 60Hz, which is suitable for many gaming scenarios. However, the latest HDMI 2.1 version can handle 8/10K at up to 120Hz, making it ideal for high-frame-rate gaming on cutting-edge displays.
On the other hand, DisplayPort cables are often the choice of PC gamers due to their higher bandwidth capabilities. DisplayPort 1.4, for example, supports up to 8K resolution at 144Hz or 4K at up to 240Hz, and it also offers features like support for multiple video streams. This often makes DisplayPort better suited for high-resolution, high-refresh-rate monitors, providing a slight edge in reducing latency and enhancing colour depth and sharpness.
Whilst both HDMI and DisplayPort cables are capable of delivering high-quality gaming experiences, the choice between them often depends on the specific requirements of the gaming setup and the devices being used. Superior quality HDMI and DisplayPort cables can minimise latency, directly impacting the smoothness and responsiveness of gameplay.
CHARACTERISTICS OF OPTIMAL GAMING CABLING
When creating a high performance gaming setup, these are the characteristics of optimal cabling to look out for:
• Bandwidth Capacity: Cables should be designed to accommodate the bandwidth demands of the latest gaming systems.
• Shielding: Superior shielding in cables protects against external interference that can degrade signal quality.
• Connector Quality: Good connectors that ensure consistent performance and reduce the risk of disconnections.
• Durability: Engineered for durability and flexibility, cables need to withstand frequent handling and adjustments typical in gaming setups.
CABLING INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIVITY CONSIDERATIONS
Proper installation and connectivity are crucial. Systems integrators should ensure:
• Correct Lengths: Utilising appropriate cable lengths to avoid signal degradation.
• Proper Routing: Cables should be routed properly to avoid sources of electrical interference.
• Secure Connection: Ensuring all connections are secure to prevent physical disconnections during intense gaming sessions.
In this rapidly growing sector of AV installation, selecting the right cabling is paramount in delivering a seamless and immersive gaming experience. By investing in high-quality connectivity from well-regarded brands and official HDMI Adopters like Kordz, systems integrators can exceed the high expectations of today’s gaming enthusiasts and impress them with unprecedented gaming experiences, positioning themselves as leaders in this dynamic field.
WHAT DO GAMERS REALLY WANT?
In the world of high-performance video gaming, the demand for top-notch audio-visual equipment has never been greater. As competitive gaming and the demand for better systems from more casual fans continues to rise, so do the expectations for the perfect gaming setup. But what exactly are gamers looking for? EI presents a checklist.
SCREEN SIZE AND RESOLUTION: THE BIGGER, THE BETTER?
Serious gamers often seek a more immersive experience, which typically translates to larger screen sizes. However, it’s not just about having a big screen; it’s about the resolution and refresh rate. A 27in to 32in monitor with a 4K resolution and a refresh rate of at least 144Hz is ideal. These specifications ensure that the visuals are not only sharp but also smooth, crucial for spotting enemies and responding quickly.
For some, ultra-wide monitors or even dualmonitor setups are preferred, as they offer a wider field of view and can enhance multitasking capabilities during gaming. However, the choice ultimately hinges on the specific demands of the games played and the personal preferences of the gamer. Also don’t forget the casual gamer too, they can benefit equally from all of the above, they might just have never considered it before.
REFRESH RATE AND RESPONSE TIME: SPEED IS EVERYTHING
In competitive and online gaming, milliseconds can make the difference between victory and defeat. This is why refresh rate and response time are paramount. A higher refresh rate (144Hz and above) obviously means the screen updates more frequently, providing smoother motion. This is critical in fast-paced games like first-person shooters (FPS) where every frame counts.
Equally important is the response time, which measures how quickly pixels can change from one colour to another. For competitive gaming, a response time of 1ms is ideal, as it minimises ghosting and motion blur, ensuring that the onscreen action is as crisp and clear as possible.
LAG: THE SILENT KILLER
Lag, or latency, can be a gamer’s worst enemy. Input lag, the delay between a command given (like a keystroke or mouse click) and the action performed on-screen, needs to be minimal.
Professional gamers aim for setups with an input lag of less than 10ms to ensure their reactions are reflected in real-time. Again, all of this is true for the less ‘serious’ gamer. In much the same way as we make sure those who don’t consider themselves audiophiles have the best playback they can have; the casual gamer deserves an upgrade too and the installer gets an impressed and happy customer to boot.
AUDIO: MORE THAN JUST SOUND
Audio quality is another crucial aspect of a high-performance gaming setup. Pro gamers often seek immersive, high-fidelity audio to enhance their situational awareness. Surround sound systems, whether through high-end headphones or a multi-speaker setup, can provide a competitive edge by accurately conveying the direction and distance of in-game sounds, such as footsteps or gunfire or gunfire. Set ups like this deliver more fun and actually help the gamer improve their competitiveness.
UNIQUE SOLUTIONS
We specialise in home cinemas and distributed audio systems that deliver exceptional quality and unparalleled performance.
DESIGN & SPECIFICATION
Our complimentary design & specification service provides integrators with a customised, expertly designed, and integrated AV solutions.
DEMONSTRATION FACILITIES
We specialise in designing high-end audio-visual systems for luxury homes and residential spaces.
COMMISSIONING AND CALIBRATION
Providing expert calibration and commissioning services, we ensure your systems are set up for optimal performance and user experience. Book your experience at sales@distributedbym.co.uk
Many pro gamers prefer headphones with features like 7.1 virtual surround sound and noise-cancelling capabilities. These features not only offer an immersive experience but also help in isolating ambient noise, allowing gamers to focus entirely on the game.
CONNECTIVITY AND ERGONOMICS: STAYING CONNECTED AND COMFORTABLE
High-performance gaming setups also prioritise connectivity options. Multiple HDMI and DisplayPort inputs, USB hubs and easy cable management are essential for maintaining a clutter-free and efficient setup. Gamers often have multiple devices connected, including PCs, consoles and VR systems, necessitating robust connectivity solutions.
Ergonomics play a significant role as well. Adjustable monitor stands, comfortable seating, and desk setups that promote good posture are vital. Pro gamers spend countless hours in front of their screens, making comfort a key factor in maintaining performance and preventing fatigue. Maybe check out some of the companies that supply specialist gaming chairs.
CUSTOMISATION AND AESTHETICS: PERSONAL TOUCHES
Customisation and aesthetics cannot be overlooked. RGB lighting, customisable setups, and sleek designs allow gamers to create a setup that not only performs well but also looks impressive. Personalising the gaming environment, in the same way we do for other categories, goes a long way to making the proposition more attractive to a wider audience.
INTEGRATION INTO A HOME CINEMA SET UP
Some of the issues mentioned above become even more important in a home cinema environment as they can be harder to implement. Potentially longer cables runs can impact lag
time and screens created to deliver movies and streaming services might not necessarily have the refresh rates of a dedicated gaming monitor. So, if gaming is going to be a crucial activity, care is needed in choosing the right AV. There are of course plus points too: most desk-bound pro gaming set ups will not be able to match the immersive audio available in a home cinema, and with the audio tracks in many games being so advanced these days, there’s lots to get your teeth into here. Implementing gaming-specific profiles within the control system that adjusts the display and audio settings optimally for gaming with a single command is a nice option. Don’t forget lighting here – it can be really impactful and atmospheric.
Gaming consoles and high-performance PCs generate significant heat, so ensure adequate ventilation is in place and consider integrating cooling solutions to prevent overheating. Gaming PCs and consoles can be noisy, so this also needs consideration. Position these devices in a way that minimises noise disruption, potentially using soundproofing solutions just as we do with projectors.
As we know there is huge potential here and really all that is required is to apply the same bespoke approach for each customer and space as we do for all the other services we supply.
Installers can deliver big upgrades in equipment and set up for casual and serious gamers alike
HEARD OVER THE TANNOY: MUSIC-ONLY IS BACK!
As Tannoy approaches 100 years in audio (1926-2026) brand CEO Ciarán O’Toole reflects on ‘bringing the artist’s voice to life’ as music-only systems enjoy a renaissance.
Few mediums can transport people to places, times and special moments in life like music. It’s also a source to turn to in times of celebration and also, need. It’s intrinsic to our humanity and it comes as no surprise to hear that music listening, in all its forms, is on the up.
According to recent data from industry body the IFPI (the voice of the recording industry worldwide), we’re listening to more music than ever. 20.7 hours is the time, on average, that people spend listening to music each week (up from 20.1 hours in 2022). The IFPI also says we’re engaging with music via more methods: on average, we use more than seven different methods to engage with music.
Some believe that the COVID lockdowns have accelerated the trend, but whatever the catalyst, the trend is geared towards more time with music. At Tannoy, we’ve been part of audio and music-making for almost 100 years (2026 marks our 100-year anniversary).
From supplying The United Nations, The House of Commons and leading studios with loudspeakers, to trickle-down technology devices for the home, we’ve witnessed first hand how sound has evolved for almost a century.
Consistent with the rise in music-listening has been a rise in demand for high-performance playback equipment. Although Tannoy offers commercial installation speakers, as well as ‘retail’ music products, our premium Hi-Fi speaker ranges have been consistently bought by discerning music lovers around the world for decades.
One key demand-driver has been the increasing availability and commoditisation of high-resolution or studio-grade audio, delivered over increasingly capable high-speed networks in the home via streaming.
The ease with which music lovers can access high-res audio, including the recent longawaited arrival of Spotify’s (a platform with 600
million global users) lossless tier, all controlled from the ubiquitous smartphone in virtually every pocket, has inevitably put the spotlight on the replay chain – the equipment decoding, delivering or replaying the signal.
In the same way we want to enjoy 4K (or higher) TV/film content on commensurate-quality screens, users also expect their audio equipment to deliver the full potential of today’s high-res material. And so premium Hi-Fi equipment, in two channel, is enjoying a renaissance.
Audio experts agree that the loudspeaker is the most influential piece of equipment in the chain and so finding a trusted speaker brand with time-proven expertise and a portfolio broad enough to complement wideranging partnering electronics, a broad spread of budgets and eclectic musical tastes, has become paramount.
+4 CHANNELS
This feature increases the capacity of the processor to a total of 20 discrete channels. Combining the 16 analogue outputs and 2x S/PDIF outputs of the processor, Trinnov unlocked the full potential of the Altitude16. This update comes free of charge to all Altitude16 owners.
We’ve found demand for our Scottish-assembled flagship PRESTIGE Series models has been increasing globally, allowing us to add new markets, further fuelling investment and innovation.
Staying in the high end, Tannoy’s last three loudspeaker announcements: the Stirling III LZ; Super Gold Montor Series and the forthcoming Autograph 12, which celebrates 70 years since the original, have all been at the premium end of the spectrum and with our 100-year anniversary around the corner, there’s much more come – watch this space!
One commonality between them all, and arguably Tannoy’s wider cosmetic, is vintage aesthetics and timeless appeal. Turntable front-ends, classic-looking amplifiers and vintage-look loudspeakers make many a modern Hi-Fi system in living spaces, something that is echoed in media imagery and especially in TV and film productions.
However, higher-performance audio is not overlooked in installations, either: Tannoy’s Re-focus on all areas of the market, including the growing importance of home installation, has widened the appeal of our legendary 1947-created Dual Concentric drive units.
Are music-only systems, then, at the expense of the luxury AV market? Not necessarily. Those with the greatest means tend to have both and home cinemas and even simply home movie/TV-watching is a trend that’s not set to go away anytime soon. The real victims seem to be cinemas, music venues and concert halls, with a few notable exceptions, (Taylor Swift) as staying in increasingly becomes the new going out, whichever medium you choose.
SOUL SEARCHING
Members of the Sonus faber, McIntosh and Fine Sounds team examine the power of music and the justification for proper investment.
Andy Oattes, Country Manager UK & Ireland at distributor Fine Sounds UK, remarks, “The infamous psychologist Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote ‘...without music, life would be a mistake’. To call myself a ‘fan’ of music doesn’t really do it justice - it literally informs every day of my life. So, on this one point, I’m inclined to agree with Nietzsche. However, I would also like to add to that quote. Without music, life would be a mistake…but without a great system, we’ll never fully appreciate its wonders.
Music is the universal language of our species, worthy of communicating to the highest possible standards. But music remains difficult to reproduce in all its glorious, technicolour wonder. Therefore, we ought to be considerate of the technologies, materials, and design we use in the reproduction process.”
Andy adds, “Daniel Levitin, the American/ Canadian neuroscientist, wrote a seminal book called, ‘This is Your Brain on Music’. In it, he focuses on how mathematical structure
is a crucial aspect of the rhythmic patterns that we find so pleasing in music. If music is mathematical, a better loudspeaker design is critical. Not just to help us understand and appreciate the musical message, but also to deliver an immersive experience.
“Before any new loudspeaker is conceived, its design must first be underpinned by a fundamental brand philosophy. For Sonus faber, it starts with natural sound and materials, worked by a highly skilled workforce committed to hand-crafting luxury products in Italy. These are key philosophical tenets of Sonus faber. Combine them with emerging technologies and materials, and incredible performance is achievable.”
Andy concludes, “After dedicating half my life to music and audio, one of the things I still love the most is having an inexperienced listener in the audio room who is not aware of what a well assembled audio system can do. The very first experience is probably the most important for any passionate listener.
“Everything happens in a few moments, seconds, and I’m now able to understand the feeling of the listener from their expressions, from the shape of their face and smile. So if you ask me what a sound system must do I have a clear answer; it must be able to transport us to a different dimension, elevate ourselves from the routine and stimulate our senses.”
THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SPEAKER DESIGN
Livio Cuccuza, Chief Design Officer, Chief Design Officer, McIntosh Group Inc, continues in a similar vein. “Fundamentally, high-quality loudspeakers reproduce audio signals with great accuracy, ensuring that the mathematical relationships between frequencies, amplitudes and phases in the music are preserved. This fidelity allows listeners to hear the music or movie content as it was intended by the creators, with all the nuances and emotional messaging intact.
“Everything we create and do is intertwined with human emotions. The perfect design and setup of loudspeakers can help maintain a human-centric vision, ensuring that the products and environments we develop are attuned to human needs and emotions. This alignment can lead to better outcomes, whether in terms of product design, user experience, or overall satisfaction. Listening to music through well-designed and properly set up loudspeakers is more than just an auditory experience; it is a holistic tool that enhances mental, emotional and physical well-being.”
Roberto Gamba, Sales Director at Sonus faber, offers his own insight into fully connecting the listener to the music, “Well designed loudspeakers create a precise and realistic soundstage, accurately placing instruments and vocals in a three-dimensional space. Spatial accuracy helps in identifying the space between musical elements - this is exceptionally important not only in stereo systems, but also for cinematic content where we involve more channels of audio with DSP.
“Designing a loudspeaker which can intelligently convey the full dynamics of music or movies is essential. Well considered spatial dynamics will provide the listener with a greater sense of depth and dimension, deeply enriching the listening experience. It ensures the quietest and the loudest parts of the audio is reproduced with clarity, power and detail.
“An often-overlooked aspect of loudspeaker design is the materials used. Rigid materials and well-designed cabinets minimise unwanted vibrations and resonances that can colour and distort the sound.”
Roberto adds, “Sonus faber uses considered design and natural materials to faithfully
reproduce our philosophy of sound. Matched with natural driver materials, quality loudspeakers like Sonus faber can remove unwanted listening fatigue, whilst guaranteeing an immersive and detailed experience.”
DESIGNING FOR EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE
Roberto continues, “As materials, software simulation and our ability to design to a wider array of applications evolve, brands are achieving sensational performance at varying price points to suit the client’s needs. The huge leap forward in in-wall loudspeakers like the formidable Arena series represents a great example of this - eliciting incredible results from an in-wall solution.
“Whilst the application will always dictate the solution, great acoustic design should provide a solution that genuinely excites and engages the mind. In today’s busy and distracting world, it’s our duty to help our clients find bliss amidst their digitally disrupted lives, with beautifully designed and integrated solutions that delight the mind and the soul.”
Successful music systems move the soul – not just the air
LET’S HEAR IT FOR VINYL!
Of all the music formats, who would have thought vinyl would be one to be grabbing all the headlines? There’s a fascinating juxtaposition here, with modern consumers wanting the convenience of streaming and everything that digital audio brings (including seemingly being content with the generally low audio quality), alongside the desire to own something tangible, something real and intrinsically more satisfying.
Apart from the wax cylinder, the black plastic disc is the oldest medium for storing and replaying music. It has witnessed the emergence and demise of most rival formats, such as reel to reel, 8- track, cassette, MiniDisc, DCC, CD and streaming. It has remained stubbornly popular and is at the heart of the resurgence in the sale of turntable-based audio systems. Although clearly not all these purchases are of what we’d call high-end, or even mid-market, with many of them being the low-cost modern equivalents of a Dansette.
Vinyl is big news. It’s everywhere, even in places you’d least expect it - with one of the biggest retailers of vinyl a clothes shop! Urban Outfitters, whose demographic is quite unlike that of the average Hi-Fi consumer, is reportedly second only to Amazon when it comes to record sales. But that’s not surprising when you consider the biggest selling album on vinyl of 2023 was from Taylor Swift – yes, Taylor Swift, the darling of Gen X and Gen Z. No longer is it solely the domain of Baby Boomers and their love of The Eagles, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd and the rest of the oft-heard show demo tracks. In a recent MusicWatch report they cited the statistic that nearly half of all vinyl purchases are made by the under 25s!
So, what is it that drives these younger listeners and consumers to vinyl? What makes something cool, hip and trendy – or maybe that should read ‘sic’ and ‘dope’? Many articles are available online about this, and none of them really answer the question. They cite things like it’s tangible, it’s ownership, it’s retro – but none answer the ‘why?’ question. Maybe it’s the mechanical nature of the turntable – you can see it moving – and the interesting industrial design that is the result of sound engineering and a ‘form follows function’ approach? Whatever it is, even the godfather of our modern love affair with tech and music streaming, Steve Jobs, was known for listening to his music on a turntable, and a British made Michell Audio Gyrodec at that!
In another interesting juxtaposition, the growth of the vinyl industry has also highlighted the environmentally damaging effect of its manufacturing processes. Vinyl, or polyvinyl chloride, to give it its full name, has been described as the ‘most environmentally damaging plastic’ (Greenpeace), due to its production, use and disposal, all of which result in the release of toxic chlorine-based chemicals which build up in the water, air and food chain.
Given the heightened awareness of environmental issues to the young core record buying audience, it is hardly surprising that moves are afoot to try and do something about this. Whether it is Coldplay announcing their next record will be pressed using recycled bottles, or UK based EvoVinyl announcing its sugar cane based alternative to PVC, there is momentum to do something to reduce the impact of the industry.
However, regardless of the whys and wherefores and sustainability issues, the growth of records and turntable sales is a trend that shows no sign of diminishing and that’s got to be good for the audio industry. The latest GfK market data shows UK sales of turntables increasing in value from £24m in 2018-19 to £31m in 2023-24. And that’s on a slight decline in unit sales, which has resulted in an average price rise from £135 to £210, with, encouragingly, 22% of sales in the £750+ price band.
The resurgence and cool factor provide great opportunities, not only for traditional Hi-Fi retailers, but also for the custom installation sector and, of course, the manufacturers. For every turntable sold to a new, or returning, vinyl user (assuming it’s not an all-in-one unit), they’ll need speakers and amplifiers, and the corresponding data from GfK on these sectors also shows steady growth after years of decline.
The price doesn’t have to be astronomical either, with products like Clarity member, PMC’s prodigy speakers bringing studio quality sound to a wider audience, when coupled with a good quality-mid price integrated amplifier. For custom installers perhaps the trend towards active speaker systems is a better way forward – there’s no need for a Hi-Fi shop style rack full of phono stages, pre-amps and giant monoblocks – just a source (e.g. the turntable), a pre-amplifier and a pair of active speakers such as the LS60 made by another Clarity member KEF. It’s simple to set up, elegant, and fits in with the kind of homes installers often work in. And it will sound astonishing – satisfying that desire to experience vinyl and bringing added value sales to the installer. Vinyl is clearly here to stay – why not be part of it?
Clarity clarityhifi.com
LISTEN TO THE MUSIC!
Various members from the world of Lenbrook International have their say on the importance of music only systems.
Greg Stidsen, Chief Technology Officer at Lenbrook International /NAD Electronics, sees positive signs, “While the Home Cinema and distributed whole-home audio have been a primary focus for the custom installation market, the content for these systems has always included music. But in this context, it is primarily music in the background; movie soundtracks and ambient music. But increasingly, integrators are including purpose designed listening rooms for serious music listening.
“There are several good reasons for this trend including new neuroscience research about the benefits, both physical and emotional, of focused listening. From brainwave changes to lowered blood pressure, the evidence suggests that the meditative state engendered by music is highly pleasurable.
Greg adds, “The resurgence of vinyl also plays into this more involved listening experience as the album experience (as opposed to playlist listening) is being discovered by a new generation. Music, unlike movies, can be listened to over and over again, making the investment in a listening room well worth the expenditure based on usage.”
Peter Gibb, NAD CI Product Manager & Channel Development, is also positive about a growing relationship, “We deal with more and more integrators who are simplifying the overall complexity of their system design to focus on the quality of the audio & video, alongside
lighting & shading. They are recognising that this approach brings the best value for the client, focussing on the aspects of the smart home which are most rewarding and enjoyable for the client. As Greg said in his comments, music in the home has many benefits and as an industry we seem to be embracing this more.
“Most projects include multi-room audio, and there has been a tendency to focus on the control side first, then take a cookie cutter approach to the sound, with every zone receiving more or less the same solution or performance level, with the exception of a home cinema or media room. We are definitely seeing a trend in the CI market of integrators pushing better audio as a core part of their system design, tailoring the system in each room to the clients requirements. Taking this approach often leads to identifying several rooms that require a step up from the standard in-ceiling speakers to a more substantial system for listening to music, or where the client wants to enjoy TVs and movies but doesn’t want to accommodate a lot of speaker channels.”
Peter adds, “Technology is also driving a trend towards decentralising the audio, thanks to low-cost streaming devices such as Apple TVs being used locally with every TV; HDMI eARC is now being widely used as an audio source, making it convenient to place the audio system in the room, and we’re seeing proper stereo or
2.1 systems as opposed to just soundbars in more of these cases. Another advantage of an upgrade to a premium stereo product, aside from the performance benefits, is that some now include room correction software such as Dirac, so installers can optimise the acoustics on these stereo systems too, not just in dedicated cinemas, and since the rooms are often mixed purpose and not designed purely around the listening area, these rooms usually need room correction more.
I know several integrators whose experience centres now include stereo systems alongside home theatres, or have partnered with hi fi retailers, and of course many integrators started as hi fi dealers, so high end audio has always been a key part of their offering but now as part of a wider, more integrated solution.
“The beauty of BluOS is that within its ecosystem we have many solutions with different performance levels, connectivity options and form factors across brands such as NAD and Bluesound, which allows for tailoring the audio more than any other platform, allowing them to choose exactly the right performance and functionality for each room, and have a consistent UI to keep it simple for the user.”
From an installers point of view, there is also much to be positive about, as Stuart Lillis Director: Limitless Automation, argues, “People want quality audio again and it’s never been easier to provide. We now have super high streaming quality from a choice of providers like Tidal, Amazon, Apple etc and faster broadband than ever before.
“The equipment has been there for a while too, but it has now been refined to a point that those that use it just take it for granted as part of our day to day lives - that is until we are exposed to a teeny tiny smart speaker at friends dinner party - eek!
“Dont worry - millions did it - those scary first few months of lockdown, people were living and working from home like nothing we had ever seen before, and these little devices that although couldnt really reproduce any sort of audio quality, they did introduce the masses to the joys of music in every room.”
Now a few years down the line people are starting to see they can have this same experience at much higher quality, and with a sprinkle of magic from a smart home professional this can be integrated with all the other clever products in your home.
NERVOUS ABOUT HVAC CONTROL?
Ivory Egg describes how the company helps integrators handle HVAC with confidence and reap the rewards.
There is no doubt that HVAC is a hot topic, especially as requests for energy management and visualisation are on the rise from homeowners. But what is also clear is that HVAC makes some integrators nervous. We’re going to cover what HVAC really means and what you need to know to confidently offer HVAC control as part of your services.
WHAT IS HVAC, REALLY?
The acronym HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning, but is often used as a generic term to cover the environmental control system in a building. With AC being able to heat, and ventilation being able to cool, it’s too limiting to break it down the definition purely to its components.
HVAC also refers to both the system and the control of it. There are the mechanical components such as pipes, fans, boilers, condensers and evaporators. Then there is the control of these systems, which is often classed as part of the electrical specification, but in reality, is its own domain of control.
TAKING CONTROL OF HVAC
With heating and cooling involving many moving parts and multiple trades, how do you begin to make sense of what needs to be controlled and how to do that effectively?
An important distinction for integrators when working with HVAC is the demarcation between the mechanical elements and the control system. The understandable anxiety around taking on HVAC comes from the commonly misunderstood expectation that if you are responsible for the control of the system, you are also responsible for the mechanical system too, which is typically not the case at all.
No one wants to be falsely blamed for malfunctioning systems, especially if they have had no part in specifying or commissioning them. So how do we overcome this?
WHAT DOES SUCCESSFUL HVAC CONTROL LOOK LIKE?
Consider the controls needed for an underfloor heating (UFH) system to work. The room temperature needs to be sensed and then a thermostatic logic function used to determine
if the zone needs to turn on. A user interface is needed to change setpoints and configure timers, and when there is demand the manifold valve needs opening and the pump turning on. All relatively simple.
At a basic level these are the main requirements but there is more to consider if you want to ensure you aren’t left with the blame for an ineffective system, or something more serious.
Consider this: most UFH manifolds in the UK have a static mixing valve which reduces the flow temperature of the water to a level suitable for UFH, often reducing this from 60+ °c to 35°c. If for some reason this mixing valve was to fail, there needs to be a protective measure from the control system. The simplest way is to use a temperature sensor on the output of the mixing valve to turn off the pump if the flow temperature is too high. Alternatively, floor probes can be installed in each floor, shutting down the zone if the floor gets too hot. Either approach mitigates the risks of a mechanical failure causing irreversible damage.
In this example the worst-case scenario is a client querying why the UFH isn’t on, instead of
a furious homeowner claiming for damages and blaming you for a mechanical failure that isn’t your fault. Now that’s intelligent HVAC control that protects against disaster.
THE IMPORTANCE OF HVAC TRAINING
Having an understating of how to control a HVAC system can only be effective if you also understand how the underlying mechanical systems work. You don’t need to be an expert, but you need to know enough to raise issues during specification and installation and to ensure that the root cause of issues is correctly understood during commissioning and operation.
This is why Ivory Egg Training offers a different approach, with a focus on how systems work, not just on how to control them. This not only protects you as a business, it also makes sure that issues are resolved quickly, offering the client the best service.
To find out more about online KNX HVAC training and to get a discount code email training@ivoryegg.co.uk
HERITAGE HVAC
When modernising the building services and improving the air conditioning in the Bellevue Hotel Dresden, those responsible relied on products that use EnOcean energy harvesting technology. Markus Florian, Chief Commercial Officer at the company, explains.
Built between 1723 and 1727, the only remaining building complex on the famous Große Meißner Gasse was also the scene of politically significant events, including the reunification of Germany in 1989 and the G8 summit in 2007. The new owner of the now heritage-listed hotel with 328 rooms decided to modernise the building services. Particular focus was placed on correcting the manual regulation of the room temperature via the radiators as well as the outdated fan convectors, which were also in operation when guests were absent and had been proven to lead to energy losses and increased energy costs. Arndt Badsanierung GmbH & Co. KG was awarded the contract for the installation of energy- and cost-efficient room air conditioning solutions. For the implementation, the company relied on room thermostats and radiator valves from Thermokon’s EasySens wireless system, which makes use of the EnOcean energy harvesting solution.
INTEGRATION WITH BMS
“The key to the energy- and cost-efficient design of the room air conditioning was the decision to equip it with state-of-the-art technology and integrate it into the building management system. As a result, the hotel’s technical service is now able to centrally control all room statuses and device functions,” says Mario Arndt, Managing Director of Arndt Badsanierung.
“To ensure resource-efficient operation, the fan coils were replaced with fan coil units with energy-efficient ec motors and low noise levels. The radiators and fan coil units were linked to the presence detector and are now controlled depending on the occupancy status of the rooms: if the presence detector detects that a
room is empty, a defined standby temperature is activated via the building management system. If a guest is present, on the other hand, the system enables individual control by the guest.”
“The use of high-quality sensor systems from Thermokon, in particular the combination of the JOY room thermostat with Modbus interface and the EnOcean-based energy self-sufficient SAB+ electronic radiator valves and SRW03 wireless window contacts, was essential for the successful automation of the heating technology,” says Timon Deisel, Thermokon Sales Manager Germany. “With its flat housing, scratch-resistant acrylic glass surface and backlit LCD display, JOY blends in with the look of the room and makes controlling the indoor climate simple and precise. Communication with the building management system takes place via the integrated Modbus interface. Networking with the SAB+ radiator valve and the SRW03 window contact is radiobased and therefore also wireless. Thanks to their solar cells and intelligent energy harvesting, the two solutions reduced the installation work at the Hotel Bellevue to a minimum. By eliminating the need for regular battery changes, they also reduce the hotel’s personnel costs during operation. The energy savings during ventilation are also impressive: as soon as the status monitoring of the window contact detects an open window, the room air conditioning is automatically deactivated.”
ADDED VALUE THROUGH ENERGY HARVESTING
This project demonstrates the benefits of our energy harvesting technology and our sensor products. The use of alternative energy sources from the environment, such as temperature,
movement, and light in this case, as well as our integrated battery-free wireless switches and window contact sensors, which provide information about open windows, for example, have contributed to increasing the energy and cost efficiency of the Bellevue Hotel Dresden. Savings were also achieved during the modernisation by reducing downtimes, saving on cabling and through external pre-assembly of the components. In addition, Thermokon worked with Wago to develop a concept based on ready-to-plug-in cabling of the components via Winsta-Box. That way, commissioning in the rooms could be carried out quickly, safely, and error-free via plug & play.
SOLUTIONS FOR BUILDING AUTOMATION IN EXISTING BUILDINGS
The Building Energy Act 2024 (GEG) aims to promote the use of renewable energies in the building sector and also to end the use of fossil fuels by 2045. Sustainable building automation in listed buildings poses a particular challenge in this regard, especially when it comes to anchoring energy- and cost-efficient room air conditioning. The modernisation of the building services at the Bellevue Hotel Dresden demonstrates the potential that can be realised when all parties involved work together in a goaloriented and responsible manner. Together with its partners, EnOcean will continue to support owners and tenants of houses, buildings and industrial facilities with high-quality products and sustainable IoT solutions, especially in the area of retrofitting and energy optimisation of existing buildings.
ADDING BALANCE AND STABILITY TO YOUR BUSINESS
AV and install veteran, marketing expert via The Big Corp, and EI regular, Pete Baker, offers some advice on stability.
When my kids were younger, I would tell them the following story to guide them towards better stability in their life. I would tell them if they had a stool with one leg, it would be very wobbly and unstable, two legs would improve the stability, but three would provide a great foundation for them to sit or stand upon. If they rely simply on friends or money to bring them joy in life, it likely won’t provide them great, long-term stability in life. I would continue to explain that at times friends may move away or fail to support them, family may disappoint at times, and their faith may waver over the years. Regardless, having a three-legged stool in their life will provide them with a better foundation. In my life, faith, family and friends have delivered great stability for me. While my foundational pillars may work for me, it is up to each person to define their own foundational elements.
The same principle can apply to business.
For example: It is not enough to just offer a good product or service, you must also have a talented, engaged and dedicated team, along with a financially stable business model. Each of these elements can be broken down individually:
• How to establish/improve financial stability.
• How to engage and foster dedication with your team.
• How to expand and improve your product or services.
In this article I will be focusing on how to improve your product and services and in return, explore how to increase stability in the sales channel.
Manufacturers, dealers and distributors worldwide have experienced a softened residential market for professionally installed consumer electronics, especially within entry level and mid-level projects. In my last article, I discussed exploring commercial opportunities to fill in some of the void in residential projects. Exploring commercial opportunities is certainly an important exercise and worthy time investment. The following are a few other elements to consider:
LEG #1: PRODUCT OFFERING:
While our industry has been built on audio/ video, automation and connected devices, many other emerging and thriving product categories exist and could deliver additional revenue for each project, allowing you to increase your ‘wallet share’ on the project.
Although surveillance is not a ‘new’ category, many integrators have not capitalised on this
opportunity enough. The reality is the average surveillance investment for a project is $5,100 and could easily increase to $10K or higher. Additionally, surveillance is a thriving product category which is expected to increase to $76B worldwide by the end of 2025. Unfortunately, it often becomes a race to the bottom to deliver the cheapest price rather than delivering an elevated level of comfort and security to the end user. This should certainly not be the case for a product category that delivers security and protection to the end user. Better quality cameras will likely last longer and deliver better perimeter protection, improved night vision, reduced false notifications and deliver many other valuable benefits that should be discussed with the end user.
Additional new(er) product categories that could be capitalised on and put into consideration are: Outdoor living spaces, with landscape lighting, outdoor entertainment, indoor tunable lighting for improved circadian rhythm, health and wellness solutions, energy management and storage solutions. Just to name a few considerations.
Expanding your product offering and increasing the value for each project is an important exercise to regularly invest time and energy.
Truly versatile choice of complete highperformance architectural systems.
Turnkey solution involving patented technologies and the most advanced electronics and loudspeakers.
All JBL Synthesis products offer the performance data required for CEDIA RP-22 recommended practice.
Two Certified JBL Synthesis systems will be showcased at our new Ascot demonstration facility.
With a lineage that can be traced back to the earliest days of cinema sound, JBL Synthesis has become a global leader in immersive home theatre audio, offering some of the most advanced multichannel systems available in the world.
Today it provides a truly versatile choice of complete highperformance systems comprising matching architectural speakers and electronics for discreet, dynamic, object-based immersive sound in a wide range of projects including the largest dedicated private cinema and media rooms.
LEG #2: RECURRING REVENUE:
Many years ago, with the help of an amazing team, I successfully built up and sold my integration company. A very significant element in the value of the company was my recurring security monitoring revenue. Security monitoring is certainly a great form for having a recurring revenue stream, but many others have emerged or become more popular over the years. A few examples are as follows: service contracts, extended warranty programs, SaaS (Software As A Service), most recently introduced by a few Automation companies. Recurring revenue adds great value to your business if/when you decide to sell the company, while also providing a steady and reliable (additional) income stream.
LEG #3: ENGAGE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS:
All too often we finish a project and move on to the next one, without further (proactive) engagement with past customers. The consumer electronics industry is constantly evolving and introducing cool and exciting new technology. I think back on the hundreds of past customers I worked with over the years and one thing comes to mind. Many of the older projects were designed prior to streaming media and may have used a two-channel amplifier and speaker selector connected to a stereo receiver. By simply upgrading the customer to a multi-channel amplifier, removing the speaker selector and adding a streaming device, this would dramatically elevate the distributed audio experience for the consumer. Of course, you may not have a massive client list with a similar existing system design, however you can still educate them on other cool technologies to consider as mentioned above, tunable lighting,
landscape lighting, energy management, 4K or 8K video, hi-res audio, power storage, etc…
Creating a quarterly newsletter to educate your customer on cool, new technology and trends in smart home lifestyles, such as featuring a recent project, could produce interest in upgrades from a past customer or one of their neighbours, friends, or relatives.
Business is typically not linear over the course of a year or lifetime of a company. Businesses encounter peaks and valleys, just as we may have in our life experiences. Having
a solid foundation and expanding revenues streams will help to successfully navigate dips in the road. The ‘legs’ described here are simply examples or suggestions. It is up to each person or business to establish the foundation that best serves their needs. Best wishes to you in establishing your three-legged stool, and a solid foundation, which will ensure success in your business for many years to come.
I would love to hear from you. Please email me anytime at: pete@thebigcorp.com
PRESENTDAYPRODUCTION VALUES HIGH-PERFORMANCE
EI spoke with the team behind PresentDayProduction, an innovative approach to speaker design and delivery for pro and home studio systems. Join us on a fascinating journey with a team working right at the cutting edge of creating next gen content and the equipment to play it on. Part 2 next month!
Tell us about your experience in the world of music and AV before launching PresentDayProduction speaker concept.
PresentDayProduction, run by James Nugent and Mark Ashfield, has been a production studio for the last 10 years, providing recording, mixing and mastering services for various independent and commercial artists and labels across the world. We intended on moving into Dolby Atmos when that began to grow in 2022, but the required investment to get a system of the same brand we were using previously was well into six figures. After lots of research and discussion with industry professionals, we decided the best route was to go DIY and make something for ourselves, with no intention of selling. After months of learning, researching and design testing, we landed on an initial concept - a tall, thin monitor ideal for placing out of the way close up to a wall, which meant it was perfect for Atmos - and began working on our own speakers to produce Dolby Atmos content, initially with the plan of using our speakers as surround monitors to augment our already great front left and right speakers. Pretty soon we discovered we were hearing more details from our new monitors than we were on the original monitors and so we decided to swap the whole system out for a PresentDayProductiononly setup.
Over the next few months, visitors to the studio heard our system and we were consistently hearing, “these sound great, can I buy a pair - but can you make it more studiomonitor-shaped?” And so, we began to rework the design to a more conventional shape and before long we came up with the concept of the MUM - The Modular Upgradable Monitor, a high-end monitor which can grow with you as your skills, budget or studio needs increase, featuring the latest and greatest in components to compete with the ‘big guys’ in the speaker manufacturing world.
What have you taken from your previous experience that informs what you are doing with PresentDayProduction?
Having been fortunate to have worked on high end studio monitors for the last 10 years, we had a solid idea of what a ‘great monitor’ should be and what it should sound like. Obviously the gap between knowing what something should sound like and actually making it sound that way is a monumental task, and so there was a huge amount of work involved in making that happen.
The team believes that the live music scene is out in front in terms of innovation, studios need to catch up
But without that prior experience, giving us a baseline to work from, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Tell us about PresentDayProduction; What is it, what is the concept?
PresentDayProduction essentially does what it says on the label. We were sick of the music industry constantly going in circles, trying to pretend we’re still in 1972. How many times have you seen an advert for yet another 1176 compressor? Or yet another plugin that will magically fix your mix? We wanted to do something different - push music into the present day and stop dwelling in the past.
Live music technology is a thousand times more advanced and up to date than the studio world is. Nowadays, very few live sound engineers want to tour with a giant analogue mixing desk, giant racks of equipment and so on. It’s much easier to contain everything within a digital mixing desk, send all your audio down a CAT5 cable or two and you’re done. The technology in the live world is making life easier. The studio world should follow suit - and the Modular Upgradable Monitor is our answer to making your monitor upgrade journey easier.
No need to sell your monitor and faff about on eBay or Facebook Marketplace - just upgrade the components over time to improve your monitoring.
Tell us about your roles in PresentDayProduction; What are you both responsible for?
James and Mark are a great team because they are very different in many ways. James is great with a computer, but if you give him a screwdriver, he will poke his eye out. Mark is fantastic with anything manual and can build anything required to get the job done, but give him a computer and it’ll be like watching a cat try to send an email.
As such, the roles in both the design and manufacture of PresentDayProduction were clearly defined from the start. Both James and Mark take part in the design process, with Mark working out the visual design of the speakers and James then creating 3D rendered concepts so that it’s possible to look around the speaker and view it from different angles, test it inside 3D studio models to see how it fits into an environment. The team has also been working on ideas like a future augmented reality tool to place a 3D model of a speaker inside the customer’s physical studio, using a phone or tablet, to allow them to see the speakers in their setup before purchasing.
What was it like creating that first speaker concept?
It was an immensely difficult task to learn the science and reasoning behind each decision made in the speaker design process. It was not only difficult to learn the science, but also to
learn the manufacturing side of product design. We had never designed a product before, and so we had to take every miniscule detail into account, from how to account for the actual sonic design of the speaker, right down to every nuance like which type of nut to use to hold the rack amplifiers in place. There were many more challenges thrown our way than we ever could have expected, but thankfully it gets somewhat easier with each new model we design. Experience is a big deal!
Tell us about the Modular Upgradable Monitor loudspeaker system
The MUM, or Modular Upgradable Monitor, is a high-end monitor which can grow with you as your skills, budget or studio needs increase, featuring high end components throughout. Rather than building a monitor to a strict budget and then skimping on the components to ensure the accounts department is happy, we decided to design a no-compromise monitor, and then see what it costs at the end. The result is a monitor with world-class design for half the cost of the competition. How? Direct sales. Rather than paying an extra 50, 60 or even 70 percent on top of the price of the speaker for someone who’s just shifting boxes, PresentDayProduction offers a sales model that puts you in direct contact with the people who made the speakers, offering advice on how to install the speakers and optionally coming to visit your studio in the UK for certain installations. On top of that, any customer service queries are handled by the people who designed the monitors, not a random call centre.
The MUM-8 has already received fantastic feedback by Sound On Sound magazine, claiming superior bass, detail and speed and this is mirrored by every single owner of our
monitors. One of the most regular comments we receive is, “I’m hearing things I’ve never heard before.” The MUMs take monitoring to the next level, revealing a new layer of detail you didn’t know existed.
The MUMs are transforming the way producers are working across the world and to date we have never had a return, and every person who’s bought our monitors has been extremely happy with their performance and how it helps them to improve their work. In terms of installing the MUMs, it really couldn’t be easier. On the rear of the speaker is the amplifier, which you can choose to leave on the speaker itself, or you can remove it and rack mount the amplifier, for situations where you may be soffit-mounting the speakers. The software onboard is already set up for the specification you order, and so it’s as simple as plug and play
Where are the speakers ending up?
Studios only or home cinema and other applications too?
Currently, the MUMs are in over 25 countries, almost entirely within studios – both commercial and home studios alike. There are a few home Hi-Fi customers within our user base, but 99% of our users are working in the music industry and use our monitors to earn their wages. Moving into the cinema world is one of James’ aspirations, so the sky’s the limit! A notable example is that of Phil Harding, famously the producer / engineer for Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue, Peter Andre and many more artists, with over 500 top 40 hits to his name.
Come back next month for part 2! PresentDayProductions presentdayproduction.com
A new approach to speaker production and evolution
CAN ZUMA HELP SIMPLIFY HOME INTEGRATIONS?
In this article, we’ll dive into what makes the Zuma speaker-light so flexible for home integrators and how Zuma can open up whole new markets to custom installers nationwide.
For many projects at a premium level, universal, whole-home integration ticks all the boxes. It’s easy to understand why - comprehensive home automation is a tantalising prospect for clients and installers alike, provided the budget is there to facilitate it.
But as more and more clients yearn for simplicity from their lives and homes, space is opening up for a decentralised approach to home integration. That’s where a product like Zuma shines - giving custom installers the opportunity to offer clients a whole new level of easy-to-use simplicity, whilst remaining scalable enough to be integrated into much more complex systems.
ZUMA AND CUSTOM INSTALLATION
Zuma is a multi-room wireless speaker and lighting system for the modern home. Each individual Zuma unit contains an ultra-compact HiFi-grade loudspeaker and a premium LED light, intelligently housed in a form factor not much bigger than the average drinks can. These units are installed into downlight fittings, and from there, they bathe the home in audiophilegrade sound and fully-adjustable light with a CRI of 90+. Installed in an array, these units connect to one another over WiFi, with control via an intuitively designed app on a mobile device, or Alexa voice control. In short, Zuma is designed to significantly simplify the smart home experience - making great sound and light easy for any home to achieve whilst reducing
cabling, counter clutter, and ceiling acne.
Zuma has already proved deeply popular with clients, and forward-thinking custom installers have started to embrace the power and potential of Zuma as part of their wider installation plans. It certainly helps that Zuma can be integrated into many of the leading control systems that are widely used in the industry today.
Zuma lighting can be seamlessly integrated into Control4, Crestron and Creston Home, Savant, Rako, and Loxone systems. Plus, Zuma light and sound functions can both be operated via Rithum’s popular wall-mounted smart home keypads. All this integration functionality means that there are plenty of opportunities to bring the unique benefits of Zuma to large, complex integration projects where required.
But Zuma offers another enticing use case for custom installation - one that is being embraced by more and more custom installers looking to diversify their offering, and open up new markets.
DECENTRALISING INTEGRATION
Whilst comprehensive whole-home integrations are a tempting prospect for some clients - and the market for these heavily programmed systems remains robust - the truth is that there are many homeowners that don’t require or desire a fully-integrated, fully-automated whole home system. For one, clients don’t like it when a complex system stops working, and they’re unable to find a quick solution themselves.
This is a significant potential pain point for many end users - they want the integration and ease of the smart home promise, but that promise soon falls apart when technical issues stand in their way. Troubleshooting complex systems can be an equally tricky pain point for custom installers, too, given many will be too busy on their next project to fix bugs, necessitating the need to pay out for expensive freelancers.
Zuma, on the other hand, offers a simpler way to satisfy a client’s need for home automation. Zuma is an out-the-box solution. Once installed, clients get easy-to-use, wireless sound and light that requires no essential control integration to operate. It’s entirely controllable from Zuma’s own proprietary app. For custom installers,
it means there’s no need to invest in weeks of technical education in the product, or to pay out for expensive freelancers - Zuma’s system is simple enough that none of this additional time and expense is required to get high quality sound and light into client’s homes.
End users love how straightforward Zuma is to operate. Their lives are made easier by simply focusing on the two most popular automation solutions - sound and light.
FLEXIBILITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS
It’s also worth considering the self-selecting ‘budget factor’ of large-scale, whole-home solutions. The cost of living squeeze is being felt at every level of the economy, and heavily programmed systems require clients with deep pockets. Seemingly, no budget is immune from the need to explore ways to reduce costs.
When budgets are too tight for large scale systems, Zuma offers installers the perfect alternative - delivering beautiful, automated, effortless sound and light at a more mid-market price point. And when your client looks to upgrade, Zuma can easily become part of a larger, centralised network, through integrations with the industry’s most popular control systems.
BOOK A ZUMA DEMO
Interested in finding out more? Book a demo from the Zuma team today. Get in touch at zuma.ai/book-a-zuma-demo/
SOUND ADVICE FROM DIRAC
Audio Advice blows away home cinema client’s expectations with Dirac-boosted JBL Synthesis 9.4.4. Atmos system.
At Audio Advice, one of the United States’ largest sellers of home cinema, every step of the process, from system design and product selection, to installation and use involves detailed planning and customisation to suit each project’s unique needs and goals.
As CEO Scott Newnam puts it, the company is ‘fanatical about high performance AV’, which is why the team recommend Dirac room correction solutions to clients including for this project featuring a Dirac Live-optimised 9.4.4 JBL Synthesis Dolby Atmos audio system.
“Every home theatre we build is designed to deliver the best possible experience for the client regardless of their chosen space or
surroundings,” Scott says, “and whether they realise it or not, one of the biggest factors affecting sound quality in any home audio system is the room itself. This installation is a great example because the client was thrilled with the audio system the first time we turned it on, but he was absolutely blown away after watching us perform the Dirac Live Room Correction and Dirac Live Bass Control optimisations and hearing the difference for himself.”
Many clients who work with Audio Advice start the process by using the company’s patented Home Theater Designer, an easy-to-use virtual room design tool found at AudioAdvice.com that allows potential
customers to quickly create a mockup of their room. With just a few clicks and swipes, users can adjust speakers, projectors and seating to see how their cinema would look and feel, with differing experiences resulting from floor standing, in-wall or behind–screen speakers, for example. Subsequent consultations with Audio Advice experts help fine tune the system’s attributes, components, appearance, sophistication and cost to ensure satisfaction.
Still, Scott’s client explained that there is a difference between designing a great home cinema and one that optimises the full potential of audio performance.
“As a repeat customer with Audio Advice, I knew I could trust their expertise and dedication to achieving my goals,” the homeowner said. “What I didn’t know was that at the very end of the process, when everything looked
finished and I was already excited about how good everything sounded, they would use this calibration software that somehow made my system sound even more clear, balanced and lifelike than it did before. Scott said it already, but I really was blown away. There was this ‘Aha!’ moment where I realised that the unseen elements of a home theatre, including software like Dirac’s calibration tools, are just as important as the speakers, projector and seating.”
INSIDE INTELLIGENCE
The JBL Synthesis SDP58 processor includes Dirac Live Room Correction and Dirac Live Bass Control, both of which leverage patented algorithms to measure and correct the acoustic issues caused by a room’s shape, size, seating locations and other characteristics.
A complete from ‘concept to completion’ package was delivered
The games room also enjoys
Dirac Live Bass Control intelligently cooptimises a system’s subwoofers and speakers to deliver consistent and accurate bass throughout an entire room. It ensures smoother bass in the crossover region between subs and speakers and is available for single and multisubwoofer setups.
Dirac Live Room Correction, the company’s original room acoustics software, corrects for both the magnitude and phase of the entire sound system including the room itself –
resulting in more transparent, balanced sound, tighter bass, improved staging and enhanced clarity, says its creator.
The result is an enveloping room that succeeds in transporting the family from the reality of a rebuilt room above a garage into their favourite cinematic universes where every sight and sound is presented as intended, free from distortion, reflections or resonances.
Scott says this theatre represents Audio Advice’s mantra of exceeding expectations and
delivering unrivaled spaces. The performance boosts achieved through Dirac’s various room optimisation tools play a pivotal role in helping the company deliver the best possible experience for every client, which is why they carry products across the budget spectrum that include Dirac software. In fact, the company is so sure of the software’s value and ability to improve sound quality, that it has created tutorial videos to help other integrators and individuals calibrate their own systems.
Essential Kit List
• JBL Synthesis SCL speakers SLC-6, SCL-7, and SCL-8 models
• JBL Synthesis in-wall subwoofers 2 x SSW-3 Dual 10in (font) 2 x SSW-4 Dual 8in (back)
• JBL Synthesis SDP58 processor
• Sony VPL-VW715ES 4K HDR Projector
• Stewart Filmscreen 130in Acoustically Transparent Deluxe Screen
• Strong Signature Series Rack
• Audio Advice Revolution Home Theater seating
• Vicoustic acoustic treatment
“We want to be known as the most knowledgeable home theatre company and that means we have to share our knowledge with whoever wants it,” adds Scott. “Our room configurator tool is free, and we know that some of our competitors have even used it with their clients for early design discussions. By producing videos that show the full design and build progression of a theatre, or the calibration process and effects of Dirac’s optimisation software, we hope to advance the industry and help everyone maximise their spaces, no matter who a customer works with.”
The company also sells Dirac-enabled components direct to consumers on its website and assists with installation by remotely logging in to guide the room correction process. Scott was also quick to add that Dirac has improved and expanded its capabilities a lot in a short time frame, noting that integrators may want to take a second look at the technology if they haven’t tried it in a few years.
“If you’re a pro who tried a Dirac solution five years ago, or 10 years ago, it’s time to try it again,” he argues. “The AI and machine learning elements that take the room’s unique characteristics into account are a game changer for sound optimisation.”
The final result is a testament to the company’s dedication and expertise, which can be witnessed in a complete walk through video viewable on the company’s website.
Video Door Stations
you will find the right solution for every project. Easy installation due to compact components
wiring and start-up
through open
DESIGN & CONSULTING
With our experience of smart home integrations and BMS, we can bridge the gap between the AV and HVAC worlds, designing systems that take full account of how the client wants to use them. We offer a range of services from consulting to complete system design.
MONITORING & DIAGNOSTICS
All our solutions include advanced cloud-monitoring for analysing system performance and fault reporting. Turn a reactive response to a disgruntled client into a proactive call from you to let them know that their problem has been resolved, even before they knew they had one.
Multi-platform smart home integration tailors the experience to the client - whether that is elegant in-room controls complementing their luxurious decor, or virtually invisible sensors with App-based controls. All backed up with sophisticated installer tools.
PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT
EPISODE RADIANCE LIGHTS THE WAY FOR OUTDOOR AUDIO
The Episode Radiance series from Snap One creates new possibilities for integrated audio and lighting within the garden.
Built on exclusive, patent-pending technology, Radiance combines an audio signal and a low-voltage lighting signal on a single, easy to install two-conductor burial wire. The design of the bollard speaker allows for a 360o radiating sound signature and is scalable to suit any size of garden.
The full range of bollards within Radiance are designed for simple installation by using 70v amplification. Selectable 70v tap settings allow for tuning and balancing of the sound at each bollard, which means the individual volume can be set while the entire system is adjusted. The subwoofer utilises a 10in long-throw woofer mounted in a completely sealed cabinet, allowing for both above-ground and in-ground installation. Offered in black or white, each model is finished in a UV protected finish and IP66 certified.
Multiple LEDs in the light module output up to 300 lumens depending on the setting (path, spot, or both). From wall wash to direct path lighting, the options offer a wide variety of lighting solutions with the simple shape of the
speaker designed to work well in any landscape lighting design.
Radiance is a modular solution where the lighting can be added to speakers or speaker blanks for flexible placement and usage using secure Twist-to-Lock technology. As an additional benefit, the Radiance System does not require any special control programming to operate. Each feature, lighting and audio, are
FLEXSON LAUNCHES PRO RANGE FOR SONOS SPEAKERS
Accessories for Sonos manufacturer Flexson has launched a new product line titled the ‘Pro Range’ that is designed to provide commercial settings with optimum mounting solutions. The five new products offer security fixings, in-ceiling mounts for maximum discretion and adjustable floor stands – all tailored to meet the requirements of commercial settings.
Amongst the products launched is the inceiling mount for the Sonos Era 100, a discreet mount that fixes the speaker in an acoustically transparent metal grille that can tilt 40° for sound direction. The in-ceiling mount is an ideal speaker mount for the likes of museums, shops, restaurants and bars, or even for use around the home, says the maker.
The range also offers ceiling mounts for both the Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Era 300. Flexson’s dedication to the security of speakers while mounted has now opened the opportunity for a unique tilting mechanism that allows either one of these two speakers to be swivelled horizontally on an axis of 80° and titled downwards 15° so the speaker can be perfectly angled. Furthermore, both brackets offer the ability to hang the speaker upside down to make the on-speaker controls accessible.
If it’s wall mounts that are preferred to mount Sonos Era 100 speakers, the new Flexson Security Fixing Kit will help ensure accidents and theft of the speakers are not a worry. The stainless-steel cable secures the speaker to the bracket for that extra peace of mind.
New to the market is also the Flexson adjustable floor stand for Sonos Era 100, which
The products will work in bars and other commercial settings, as well as in the home if needed
separate functions and can be independently controlled in a Control4 automation system.
The maker says Episode Radiance is a game-changer for outdoor spaces, for installers and customers alike.
Snap One snapone.com
provides adjustability of the height at which the speaker is mounted at any time, as is the positioning of the speaker.
Flexson flexson.com
THE CINEMA DESIGNER LAUNCHES TCD 2.5 UPDATES
The Cinema Designer (TCD) has released updates, bringing more functionality to the online cinema design tool. The new features went live during June 2024, and all subscribers should have automatically seen the updates as they became available.
New features include Trinnov Waveforming within the TCD workflow. Within just a few seconds, TCD completes the complex calculations required to implement Waveforming within a design.
TCD now also includes Heat Maps/Polar Plots overlaid on the 3D viewport to illustratively demonstrate responses of the selected loudspeakers, relative to the main listening position and all other seats. This major feature allows users to dynamically adjust the design, in accordance with the loudspeaker data shown by the heat maps. Users can manually adjust seating row positions, with the 3D viewport updating in real-time to place seating in the optimum location.
Adding more surrounds is now simplified as users can now easily add surrounds that share discreet information – as many as an adjacent pair per row, if required. With the design adjusting dynamically as each change is made, users can add and remove the extra surrounds in just a few clicks.
In the real world, there are often practical reasons why the perfect design cannot be
implemented, and designers have to be pragmatic about the relationship between the perfect design and what is deliverable on the ground. To assist with this dilemma, users can now make minor adjustments to the placement of loudspeakers. Each loudspeaker can be repositioned within 10° of the calculated position, to accommodate the physical attributes of the room.
LILIN OFFERS MORE AI OPTIONS
LILIN UK has announced that an addition to the company’s range of AI cameras- the V1 seriesis now available in the UK. This competitively priced series includes a variety of turret, dome and bullet models in order to meet all project specification requirements.
Available in 5MP or 4K resolution, all models include AI Human and Vehicle Detection, allowing users to protect their property with reliable detection and accurate alerts using the LILINPro mobile app. Installers can customise and refine detections with multiple zones per camera, which can be set as a combination of cold (non-detection) zones, prohibited zones, dwell zones and tripwires.
V1W cameras (5MP and 4K) also feature a warm LED white light, which helps provide both clear night-time surveillance and a visible deterrent to those wanting to make an unauthorised visit to a property. Choose between three light settings- Smart Dual, IR Alert and Warm Light- to create a solution that works with any project requirements.
The V1 series is fully NDAA compliant, developed and manufactured in LILIN’s
Taiwan HQ. LILIN says the company focusses on maintaining strong cyber-security policies, working with Deloitte to develop a rigorous testing process that continues throughout the product’s lifespan. These ongoing tests allow
TCD2.5 also includes the placement of acoustic treatment. For selected manufacturers, acoustic products may now be positioned and repositioned within the 3D space.
The Cinema Designer thecinemadesigner.com
us to provide customers with the comfort of knowing that their surveillance system is secure.
LILIN UK lilin.tv
TCD2.5 includes four additional Dolby configurations: 7.1.6 and 9.1.6, providing six height channels; 2.1 for stereo with subwoofers; and Dolby Surround 9.1.
TRAVEL TOWARDS THE M1 VIA MARANTZ
Marantz has announced its all-new wireless streaming amplifier – the MODEL M1. The ultra-compact, versatile and high-performance MODEL M1 is described as a new generation of wireless streaming amplifier that has been carefully engineered to offer great sound from a wide range of music services. Thanks to its analogue and digital input sockets, it can also be connected to both physical music sources and a TV.
Marantz says this flexible design and feature set is backed by the heritage, engineering skill and renowned sonic expertise of a world-leading audio brand, ensuring MODEL M1 is uniquely positioned in the market as a wireless streaming amplifier that appeals to both first-time Hi-Fi buyers and the experienced audio enthusiast.
MODEL M1 has been designed with the power and quality to suit a wide range of loudspeakers, from compact designs to substantial towers, or ceiling or wall-mounted speakers. Its high-power amplification is efficient and offers 100W of stereo output with low distortion – just 0.005% THD via its digital inputs, a figure typically found in amplifiers costing a great deal more, argues Marantz. If desired, users can add a subwoofer for a 2.1-channel experience and MODEL M1’s
configuration options allow for full adjustment of both high-pass-filter and low-pass-filter frequencies independently, along +/-15dB of subwoofer level trim.
This powerful amplification is complemented by full high-resolution music support. MODEL M1 supports the full high-resolution music experience over streamed services, a network or even USB, including 24-bit/192kHz PCM support and provision for DSD. To ensure these high-resolution signals are delivered in the best possible quality, MODEL M1 operates in the digital domain from end to end. This simplifies
the signal flow and eliminates errors caused by the inexpensive DACs sometimes found in traditional Hi-Fi. It also means all sources leverage the powerful DSP technologies built in, including Marantz Music Digital Filtering (MMDF), first developed for the brand’s reference-grade audiophile CD players and designed to ensure the characteristic warmth and musicality of any Marantz product.
Marantz marantz.com
SANUS STANDS UP FOR SONOS ACE HEADPHONES
Sanus, innovator in mounts and accessories, is introducing a dedicated stand for the recently released Sonos Ace headphones.
The Sanus Headphone Stand is designed to complement the design of the Ace, giving owners of these premium immersive headphones the ability to store and display them conveniently in pride of place.
Available in black and soft white, to match the headphones, the stand’s aesthetic takes its styling clues from the ‘phones. The use of soft silicon for the cradle, that comfortably seats the headband of the Ace, ensures the lasting integrity of the soft headband, says Sanus. The solid, powder-coated, steel base prevents accidental tipping and incorporates a cable management system to keep the cable tidy, plus a handy magnetic clip for the charging connector.
The introduction of the Sanus Headphone Stand continues the established partnership with Sonos, which enables Sanus to introduce dedicated accessories for a variety of Sonos products – many of which are introduced at the same time as the Sonos product launch.
“As with all of our previous Sonos accessories, we have worked closely with Sonos to develop a solution which provides a perfect
match to Sonos aesthetics while delivering the uncompromising performance Sanus is known for. That is why it is very exciting to announce that these Sanus Headphone Stands for the Sonos Ace headphones represent the perfect complement,” says Dean Carroll, international sales director – consumer. “They not only match
the stylish look of the headphones but also give listeners a place to store and access them that’s truly elevated.”
Sanus sanus.com
The Sanus WSHSH1 Headphone Stand is available now in UK, Ireland and mainland Europe
MODEL M1 includes HEOS and is compatible with Crestron, Control4 and URC
THE WONDER OF WISA AND LITHE AUDIO
Lithe Audio is claiming to have transformed and simplified the fully immersive home cinema experience with its new WiSA-enabled Lithe Audio Wireless Cinema Hub and Lithe Audio Cinema Subwoofer. The products wirelessly connect to Lithe Audio WiSA-enabled PRO Ceiling speakers and recently launched WiSA iO1 all-weather speaker for a premium home cinema system. The maker says this new concept allows installers to transform any size living room – or garden - into an immersive home cinema.
With its NEW WiSA-enabled Lithe Audio Wireless Cinema Hub and WiSA-enabled Lithe Audio Cinema Subwoofer with 8in driver and premium amplifier, Lithe Audio says it has created a transformative system to deliver a high-quality cinema experience at home, in a living room or outdoors, without an AVR or speaker wires. The hub combines digital and analogue audio inputs for wireless streaming and video via HDMI inputs into one compact media unit.
Lithe Audio’s technology ensures a rich, distortion-free bass that brings audio to life, says the maker, including a crossover system meticulously designed to focus solely on the
MB25’S STILL GOT THE BLUES
McIntosh Laboratory, Inc. has announced the launch of its MB25 Bluetooth Receiver. Streaming music directly from a smartphone to a home audio system via Bluetooth offers convenience; however, argues the maker, many Bluetooth-enabled sound systems lack the premium sound quality necessary to truly honour a prized music collection. With the MB25 Bluetooth Receiver, discerning audio enthusiasts can now integrate Bluetooth streaming capabilities into virtually any high-end home audio system from any era, whether it includes McIntosh products or not, says the maker.
With the ability to function as either a receiver or transmitter, the MB25 is compatible not only with Bluetooth streaming devices, but also physical media sources such as CDs and vinyl records.
Designed as a compact, standalone unit with a relatively small footprint, the MB25 requires no third-party apps for operation. It boasts Class 1 Bluetooth technology, delivering strong connectivity with audio equipment lacking Bluetooth compatibility. With a transmission range of up to 150 feet (45.7 metres) and enhanced by an external antenna, the MB25 has been birthed to deliver optimal
lowest frequencies, guaranteeing a deep, resonant bass that you can feel. The line-out port allows for multiple stacking of subs for deeper and richer bass. An optional wall mount kit is available for fixing to a wall and keeping the sub off the floor.
Co Founder and Director at Lithe Audio, Amit Ravat, says, “Installers can now offer a high-quality cinematic surround-sound solution to customers without a dedicated cinema room, and also offer them the opportunity to have an
outdoor surround sound set-up with our new WiSA iO1s (pictured left).”
Amit adds, “Installers can now offer a high-quality cinematic surround-sound solution to customers without a dedicated cinema room, and also offer them the opportunity to have an outdoor surround sound set-up with our new WiSA iO1s.”
Lithe Audio litheaudio.com
performance for transmitting and receiving audio signals. The successor to the MB20, the MB25 retains all MB20’s features while introducing enhancements for an elevated user experience. Notable upgrades include an illuminated front glass panel that provides insights into audio signal rates and connection types, flexibility to select the desired input in transmit mode, giving users greater control over their audio experience and Power Control so the MB25 can be easily turned on and off with the rest of a McIntosh audio system.
Designed for integration with both McIntosh and non-McIntosh systems, the MB25 includes a wall mount and power supply with adapters for global compatibility
For multi-system integration, the MB25 offers a solution to enable wireless audio distribution between systems by simply connecting an MB25 to each system. In fact, the MB20 can be used in conjunction with an MB25 to achieve a multi-room, multi-system configuration. The product is encased in a sleek, custom aluminium chassis with a black glass front panel with illuminated logo.
McIntosh Laboratory mcintoshlabs.com
Lithe Audio Home Cinema Speaker Bundles offer flexibility for the ideal setup. Included at launch are 3.1, 5.1 and 7.1 setups to 5.1.2
Dolby Atmos
Elegant, Simple, Powerful
Designed and engineered specifically with the CI market in mind, Ellipse offers ease of installation, seamless integration and IP integration with drivers for Control 4, Crestron, Crestron Home, Nice / Elan.
