Essential Install September 2018

INSIDE

The essential magazine for the custom install industry

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SPEAKER FEATURE SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA

TOUCH-SCREENS AND INTERFACES FEEL THE WAY TO INCREASED FUNCTIONALITY

September 2018

IFA/CEDIA

PLENTY OF TOP LAUNCHES

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Essential Install | Contents

The essential magazine for the custom install industry

September 2018

INSIDE

September 2018 SPEAKER FEATURE SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA

TOUCH-SCREENS AND INTERFACES FEEL THE WAY TO INCREASED FUNCTIONALITY

IFA/CEDIA

PLENTY OF TOP LAUNCHES

This issue…

REGULARS

FEATURES

5 Editor’s Comment

26 Case Study: Bespoke Home Cinemas

People power

Drive-in cinema

7 Essential News

This month’s biggest and best

14 Pulse Cinemas

Big plans for the CI market revealed!

32 CEDIA Speaks

Some top CI insight

22 EI Exclusive: MQA

Simon Lever, owner of Anatech Distribution, delivers the MQA message

34 Essential Comment

London Experience Centre now open!

Ashwin Shah champions hidden audio

16 HDANYWHERE

36 Essential Speakers

68 Essential Review: Roon Nucleus +

Simple, effective control

24 Habitech Audio Special The sound of Sonance

18 EI Exclusive: Enno Vandermeer, CEO of Roon Labs

Sound-out the latest options

How does this hardware innovation hold up?

50 Touch-screens, drivers and programming Interesting and essential interfaces

75 Essential Products Get all AV happy

61 IFA/CEDIA Report Top launches from this September’s shows Average net circulation October 2015 to October 2016

5,212

Case Study

26

Speakers

36

IFA/CEDIA Report

61

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LINEAR THINKING CROMO LINE LindyCables.com

DISCOVER LINDY lindy.com

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17/07/2018 15:01

Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre April 30 | May 1, 2019

, E U EN

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24/09/2018 16:01

pages 24-25

From The

Editor’s Desk Daniel J Sait, Editor in chief

Very sad news this month as the industry mourns the passing of two highly respected and much loved professionals; John Bamford and Ted Martin.

John Bamford was involved in the Hi-Fi and AV industry for decades, acting as a journalist and also as a highly knowledgeable professional for brands like Pioneer. Universally popular and respected, John will be a big miss to the industry and his friends within it.

Ted Martin was co-founder & director of Martins Hi-Fi, a highly-respected and accomplished dealer/installer company with a history going back 50 years.

Based at its site in Norwich, the company delivers top install work and great Hi-Fi retailing. As a mark of respect, the company was closed on September 14 to celebrate Ted’s life. EI had the pleasure of creating an article about Martins back in 2013, a great company with a fantastic attitude and worth ethic, a testament to Ted’s legacy. Marcus Harbord, general manager for the company, was clear just how much the company owed to Ted’s vision to spot the opportunity in install as early as he did over 20 years ago.

This sad news started EI thinking about ‘people’ and just how important they are to the AV and install industry.

It may seem like a trite thing to say of course, because all industries rely on people to make them tick, however

in an industry where a feel for people and spotting new ways of doing things is so important, then this industry relies on its people more than most.

The install was a self-invented one, people spotting something that consumers wanted that mainstream companies at the time were not providing, so the earliest practitioners ‘glued’ disparate systems together to make a whole. Of course, its very different now, manufacturers have caught up and provide many wonderful and innovative products for us to use, however at the heart of successful install companies is still that ability to see an opportunity, understand people and customers and deliver it to them. As an industry, it’s important to remember where we came from and what makes us unique, it’s ‘us’, our knowledge, love of music, film, technology, good company and enthusiasm, all traits that those that that have moved and shaped this industry down the years have had. With that in mind its never a bad time to assess how we do things, could we do them better? Offer more excitement, engagement, create more opportunities. Its very easy to fall into a groove of doing things in a certain way, but trusting our instincts for a good idea and testing the boundaries are what gave birth to the install industry and its what will make it thrive in the future.

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Daniel Sait, dan@allthingsmedialtd.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR: Jordan O’Brien, jordan@allthingsmedialtd.com SALES DIRECTOR: Ian Kitchener, ian@allthingsmedialtd.com PUBLISHER: David Kitchener, david@allthingsmedialtd.com ACCOUNTS: susan@allthingsmedialtd.com CIRCULATION: carol@allthingsmedialtd.com STUDIO MANAGER: Ben Bristow, ben@allthingsmedialtd.com GRAPHIC DESIGN: Jon Appleton, jon@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 Whist we make every effort that everything printed in Essential Install magazine is factually correct, we cannot be held responsible if factual errors occur.

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

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20/09/2018 11:36

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Essential Install | News

Essential News Smart home happenings and automation announcements

A new concept is targeting the entry-level smart home market

Wondrwall launches affordable intelligent smart home concept Aimed at electricians, smart home installers and the developer market, Wondrwall says its easy to fit system is the world’s first ‘learning’ smart home modular system.

At the core of Wondrwall’s technology are its light switches, which are used instead of standard fittings in a retrofit or new build, and contain 13 different sensors that monitor temperature, humidity, power, motion, luminosity and sound to create a network of over 100 sensors throughout a typical three-bedroom home.

Using machine learning and predictive modelling to learn occupants’ habits and preferences, its creators say Wondrwall works out how a home is used and automatically makes real-time adjustments to its heating, lighting and security.

“Our vision of an intelligent home is to give it a brain and the ability to control itself,” said Daniel Burton, founder and CEO of Wondrwall. “We’ve never found the idea of having to go to your phone to control isolated parts of your home – for example heating and lighting – to be particularly intelligent.

“Instead we created a system that independently controls all aspects of the home based on how the people inside it live and behave as well how the home itself performs.”

Daniel added, “The power of our AI technology lies in our unique dataset with over 100 sensors in every home generating huge amounts of data about habitational patterns and how the home performs and our state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms. No other system embeds the equivalent number of sensors in to homes and the level of data we capture is the first of its kind in the world.”

Amazon’s Alexa voice technology is integrated into each switch so users can control the home by speech. the Wondrwall also works with and controls smart devices from other vendors via Alexa and is compatible with Sonos. As well as the light switches, the Wondrwall system also includes a thermostat, a siren and a key fob (to arm and disarm).

The system works over Zigbee so can act independently from Wi-Fi, the switches, however, do have Wi-Fi in-built, connecting them to the cloud and the machine learning and predictive modelling platform. Wi-Fi is also used to connect to Alexa. An iOS and Android mobile apps give manual control as well.

The company’s plan is to have install partners from the CI, electrician and developer markets. It will sell direct, but says it will focus on the ‘pro install’ market.

Wondrwall 0161 5330 150 wondrwall.co.uk

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Essential Install | News

The coolest trailers in the world just got even cooler

World’s first connected smart RV? Buddy Platform Limited, a player in IoT and cloud-based solutions, has announced the introduction of the Buddy Cloud to deliver what it says is the world’s first smart and connected recreational vehicle.

Starting with the 2019 Airstream Smart Classic, Buddy Cloud technology digitally connects owners to their recreational vehicles from anywhere. This customer experience is Airstream’s first to include Buddy Cloud technology, bringing new capabilities to enhance this iconic vehicle.

Buddy Platform’s technology inside the 2019 Airstream Smart Classic travel trailer coordinates communication between the trailer, Buddy Cloud, and the Airstream owner’s mobile app. Trailer functions such as lighting, air conditioning, awning, water, propane, battery levels and more can be controlled and monitored remotely.

Buddy Cloud technology was originally developed to connect disparate systems within smart cities, and is the backbone to all of Buddy Platform’s solutions, like Buddy Ohm and Parse on Buddy.

From connecting functions and amenities within trailers to monitoring energy resources within buildings, to unifying infrastructures in cities, Buddy can deliver smart connectivity and monitoring solutions for many IoT use cases.

“Giving Airstream customers access to these new experiences is very exciting. With increasing demand for modern monitoring and control of the things around us, Buddy technology enables Airstream an unprecedented customer experience,” said David McLauchlan, CEO of Buddy Platform. “We have seen the impact that our products can have for buildings and facilities management, and this is a great example of the impact we can have in other smart spaces.”

Buddy Cloud buddy.com

Fyne Audio secures Scottish Enterprise backing As part of Scottish Enterprise’s strategy to support ambitious Scottish companies in scaling more quickly, Glasgow-based loudspeaker brand Fyne Audio has secured significant funding from Scottish Investment Bank to drive business growth. This financing will allow Fyne Audio to grow its R&D facility, diversify product lines and increase production to meet rising international demand for its products.

Fyne Audio MD, Andrzej Sosna, said, “We are delighted that Scottish Investment Bank is supporting this exciting next phase for Fyne Audio. Our strong team, class-leading product portfolio and burgeoning overseas order book are more than delivering on our business plan and this funding will enable significant business acceleration. We are proud to build on Scotland’s rich heritage in audio engineering and plan to become a truly world-class audio design and manufacturing company, continuing the region’s Hi-Fi legacy long into the future.”

Kerry Sharp, head of Scottish Investment Bank added, “Fyne Audio epitomises the spirit of Scottish business with ambitious plans supported by extensive industry expertise. With several overseas investors already backing this emerging audio brand, Fyne’s international business strategy has solid roots and an already impressive track record of export sales. We look forward to supporting the continuing development and growth of this exciting new Scottish company.”

Fyne Audio 0141 428 4008 fyneaudio.com

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Essential Install | News

Dolby Atmos is now available on Apple TV

Apple TV adds Dolby Atmos Back in June, it was announced that the Apple TV would be receiving support for the Dolby Atmos 3D audio format. Thankfully, those who have been patiently waiting for the technology got their wish as it went live on September 17.

Dolby Atmos support has been a long time coming, the device has supported Dolby Vision for a while now. Apple wanted to do the launch correctly, however. That’s why anyone who has bought a movie or TV show on the iTunes store will automatically receive a Dolby Atmos track if one is available, free of charge. That means Apple TV users will be able to watch their favourite films or TV shows all over again with immersive audio.

Apple’s tvOS 12 update will be bringing multiple new features to the table alongside Dolby Atmos support, including zero sign-on technology, which will allow Apple TV users to login to their favourite pay TV providers if they already have broadband with them, and some new screensavers.

The biggest update for the custom installation industry comes in the form of compatibility for Control4, Crestron and Savant, which is included in tvOS 12. This means users with those home automation systems will be able to control the latest generations of Apple TV, and they can even use Siri for voice search and control.

Apple TV apple.com/uk/apple-tv-4k/

Get smart about the future at Building Tech Live Building Tech Live, as part of UK Construction Week, is described as a must-attend event for anyone in the smart buildings and home automation sector. Designed to showcase technological advancements in IoT, lighting, automation, security and communication technology, the show takes place at Birmingham’s NEC, between October 9-11, 2018.

Exhibitors include Canon, MSC Software, Risco and Voltimum, as well as LED lighting and technology specialist Aurora, showcasing its AOne smart lighting system. GEWISS will be talking about its home automation system, controlling the automation of air conditioning, lighting and motorised systems. Vivaldi, with its made-in-Italy smart multi-room audio solutions, including its updated in-wall amplifier with Bluetooth, FM radio and RDS, will also be there.

On the security side, TLJ Security Systems will be launching a new electronic residential multipoint door lock and showing sneak previews of its next-generation smartphone access key. Risco will be talking about the new version of its two-way iWAVE DT/DT PET detectors. The wireless security system offers live video, app support and a web application.

Visitors will also get a real, practical experience of IoT (Internet of Things) at the Gooee IoT Arena. Gooee will showcase its IoT ecosystem with its partnered companies, as well as welcoming several keynote speaker discussions and interactive sessions.

Nathan Garnett, UKCW event director, said, “Building Tech Live is at the heart of our innovation theme this year. What these architectural, communications and connectivity, smart lighting and security technologies offer for commercial and residential fit-outs is mind-blowing.

“This is such a forward-thinking sector, so it is an unmissable event for any smart home and home automation expert who wants to be up-to-date on the latest technology and to see exactly how it all works together.”

Building Tech Live buildingtechlive.co.uk

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Essential Install | News

Renaissance appointed Nordost distributor High-end audio specialist, Renaissance, has announced that it has been appointed as the UK and Ireland distributor for Nordost.

Nordost is a premier manufacturer of Hi-Fi audio cables and accessories. Over the past two decades, Nordost says it has grown its product line from just one cutting-edge cable to an extensive, all-encompassing range of Hi-Fi audio solutions, including audio and video cables, power products, and resonance control devices. Nordost says its cables are created to bring the pure, unadulterated reality of a live performance to audio systems.

Renaissance is renowned for its knowledge base of performance audio products and distributes high-end brands such as MOON and VPI. Nordost’s products complement VPI’s turntables and the class-leading MOON range of amplifiers, streamers, DACs and all-in-one music players.

Renaissance welcomes you to Valhalla

The Immersive Audio Event is back for a second year

Renaissance 0131 555 3922 renaissanceaudio.co.uk

Invision presents Immersive Audio Following on from last year’s event, Invision has announced it is set to host another Immersive Audio Event in London. .

Taking place on October 25, the event will once again take place at Dolby Europe’s HQ in London. Located in Soho Square, London’s cinema hub, this one-day event will take place at the Ray Dolby Screening Room and Lounge.

“This is a not-to-be missed opportunity to experience the advanced sound and imaging in Dolby’s state-of-theart screening room and to hear thought-leading keynote presentations from leading home cinema manufacturers including Trinnov Audio, Procella and Artnovion,” said Adrian Ickeringill, sales director, Invision UK. The event is free to attend, but spaces are limited. To register visit the dedicated Event Brite page; more details are available direct from Invision.

Invision UK 01359 270 280 invisionuk.com

Essential People

Rajen Singadia

Phillip Pini

Tim Ireland (right) and Peter Thomas

Sarah Hayes

Rajen Singadia has joined the Crestron UK Education Team in the position of business development manager.

Rajen joins Crestron after six years at NEC Display Solutions Europe GmbH where he progressed to regional account manager.

Rajen said, “It’s a great opportunity to be involved with the global leader in control and automation technology and I am excited to be joining the team at Crestron. I’m looking forward to working with the universities and growing this vertical further.”

Crestron has also added a familiar face to its UK Enterprise Team as Phillip Pini has joined the Commercial Enterprise team as business development manager.

Phillip has been a familiar face at Crestron EMEA with a career spanning eight years. He began his career in residential development, moved into the role of head of residential development, UK and recently to head of residential development, Europe.

In his new role, Phillip will become a key member of the commercial team and based in the UK he will be responsible for developing the Enterprise business, but will also keep an active role within the residential MDU segment.

Speaker maker, PMC, has appointed Tim Ireland to the position of chief executive officer, overseeing all day to day operations of the company as it expands its product portfolio, UK distribution business and global distribution network. Peter Thomas takes up the role of chairman.

Tim joins PMC after seven years as CEO of Meridian Audio and previously head of product development at Bowers and Wilkins. His appointment comes at a time of sustained growth for the privately owned business, that has seen its turnover increase considerably over the past five years and export markets grow to 55 countries.

Making the appointment, Peter Thomas commented, “The fantastic growth of PMC now requires it to have

a dedicated CEO who can be focused entirely on the running of the global business. The board and I are extremely pleased to have appointed someone of Tim’s experience and knowledge.

“With Tim in charge, I can now concentrate on supporting the board as chairman, as we look to expand our manufacturing facilities and introduce the hand-building of the Fenestria. I shall continue to work with my son, Oliver Thomas, who heads up the research and development into new technologies and products. I can also, finally, curate the PMC museum of landmark Hi-Fi products, of which we have a vast number, and I can also take some time to listen to the ever-growing stack of 78s, 33s, 45s, CDs and files!”

Tim added, “I have long admired the business and have watched the incredible rise in its profile, products and sales over the past few years. When Peter and the board invited me to apply for the position of CEO there was no hesitation on my part.

“What is immediately obvious to me is the dedication of all the staff and invaluable contribution they all make to the company. This family feel, that extends beyond the four walls to our dealers and distributors, is the true essence of the company and one that sets it apart from most other businesses. It’s a very exciting move for me to join such a team and I am relishing the opportunity to help drive the next stage of PMC’s continuing rise.”

Hamilton Litestat has further expanded its sales team with the appointment of Sarah Hayes as northern business manager.

With more than 25 years in the electricals industry, Sarah has worked both sides of the trade counter, making her well-versed in the needs of national and independent wholesalers. Her extensive experience comes from sales roles within major brands, including MK by Honeywell, Philips Lighting and Crompton Lamps.

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TV when it’s on.

Introducing The Frame TV

Art when it’s off.

William Morris, Cray furnishing fabric (1884), V&A © Victoria and Albert Museum,London

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26/09/2018 14:30

Essential Install | Pulse Cinemas

Plush interiors meets Pulse Cinemas at the new London Experience centre

Pulse Cinemas delivers fresh business opportunities

With the opening of the London Experience Centre and the upcoming launch of the ‘dealer finder’ portal on the Pulse Cinemas website, the company is looking to evolve a rich environment of opportunity for installers.

EI took a trip to see the new Experience Centre that Pulse Cinemas has created within the showroom of west London’s The Sofa & Chair Company, a luxury bespoke interiors provider with a very large and impressive HQ. Designers, architects, developers and end-users all use the showroom and its over 60 room sets to make choices on their luxury furniture, lighting fixtures and housewares.

The space has its own fabric library, and a host of staff on hand to show clients around this nirvana for those concerned with providing top-end interiors.

Situated on the second floor is the area Pulse has developed in conjunction with The Sofa & Chair Company to demonstrate just how well technology can integrate with high-end furnishings and interiors.

The space showcases a dining area, living room space, bar, and a fully integrated media room/cinema of the kind already featured at Pulse HQ in Stansted, designed by its own in-house interiors expert Stephen Clasper.

The media room delivers an Atmos 5.2.4 system, comprising a Loewe Bild7.65 TV, BenQ PCL50K laser projector, AudioControl AVR7 receiver, AudioControl Bijou, and Kaleidescape Strato with a suite of Paradigm speakers delivering the audio.

Audio in the bar and dining room areas is again delivered by Paradigm speakers and Lutron Homeworks delivers automated lighting right across the demonstration area. Crestron is also involved on the automation side using a MC3 processor, TSW-560P touchscreen and a HR310 handheld remote.

In the demo space, visitors can experience automated lighting, shading, multi-zone music and, of course, the fully-loaded cinema which combines AV with a luxurious sitting room, featuring products from The Sofa & Chair Company’s catalogue.

Mike Beatty, company MD for Pulse Cinemas explains, “This is an exciting development for us, now we can boast demonstration spaces at our own company HQ in Stansted, our impressive Cabin Cinema and now this incredible space in London.

“Having a place where dealers can bring their clients in London will be a real boost and it’s not just the fact that it’s one of the wealthiest cities in the world, it’s that we are situated in a space where exactly the right kind of client group are coming to every day. We will have Pulse staff here three days a week able to develop leads or be onhand to assist in demonstrations.”

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Essential Install | Pulse Cinemas

Enhanced Dealer Portal

High-end furnishings and interiors bring clients from across the capital and beyond to The Sofa & Chair Company

However, Mike is keen to underline that the demonstration spaces should not be seen as an isolated add-on to what the company provides, but part of a whole group of services that are designed to give dealers the best chance of success, and a big part of that will be the company’s enhanced ‘dealer finder’ portal on the company website.

Dealers who can demonstrate a full commitment to Pulse will get access to all of the company’s demonstration spaces, as well as their own dealer portal on the company website, which will showcase their work and provide leads for each installer involved.

Mike explains, “We are looking to develop genuine partnerships, so getting access to everything we can provide does require some commitment to the cause from dealers, and that is not just business, it’s engagement, getting involved on social media, coming to events that we do, and attend the training courses we provide. We believe that in this way we will build genuinely valuable mutually beneficial relationships.”

Check out the criteria box (right) to see what is involved and what the different levels deliver. As each dealer’s relationship and engagement grows, their own dedicated portal on the website grows too with images, videos and other collateral. Interested parties wont just get contact details, but a genuine insight into what each installer can do.

The new London Experience demonstration space is very impressive, it’s slick, stylish and, in particular, shows off what genuine integration with interiors and tech should look and feel like. To the end-user, the AV and automation needs to feel like just another part of the home they are buying, this space really delivers that and delivers it in the installation hot spot that is London.

Contact Pulse to find out more about how to gain access to the space and the other dealer portal benefits.

Pulse Cinemas 01279 647 039 pulsecinemas.com

Criteria: Basis to determine dealer status with Pulse Cinemas • Turnover (three-year rolling score) • Quotation-to-order conversion rate • Range of Pulse Cinemas brands specified and installed in live cinema projects • Use Pulse Cinemas HQ showroom, London Experience Centre or Cabin Cinema for client demonstrations • The number of Pulse Cinemas brands on demo (if company has a showroom) • Social network engagement •G eneral engagement: Level of engagement with Pulse Cinemas in the early stages of projects, partner events with Pulse, attend Pulse Cinemas events.

• CEDIA member or not • Other industry accreditation, such as Pulse Cinemas Training Courses, THX, ISF, HAA etc.

• Promote Pulse Cinemas brands on your own social media accounts

Dealer Levels Platinum Pulse dealer benefits* • Photography / video of installations** • Audio-video calibrations** • Exposure through the Pulse Cinemas social media network • I nstallation of the Month / Installation of the Year Awards • Certification / accreditation for training courses at Pulse Cinemas venues • Preferential credit terms • Dedicated account manager • Manufacturer factory training events (worldwide) • Access to ‘Exclusively Connect’ networking events for powerful high-end brand association • End-user industry event support (eg. Grand Designs) • Support with your entries for CEDIA awards • Technical design & specification support • On-site sales support • Priority service to Pulse Cinemas’ own bespoke lighting, furniture & complete solution design experts • Support on photo-realistic cinema renders * Silver, Gold & standard dealers will get a gradually lower number / level of these benefits, but the exact details have yet to be confirmed. ** Installations must contain at least five Pulse Cinemas ingredients to qualify, with Screen, Seating, Speakers, Kaleidescape and Electronics being the most important.

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Essential Install | HDANYWHERE

HDANYWHERE brings multi zone I/O for anemic controllers Advanced drivers for Control4, RTI and URC leverage HDA’s patented matrix IP2IR technology to hijack IR ports on the hub and display receivers – delivering much expanded multi-zone I/O for low cost controllers.

HDANYWHERE’s new driver allows for easy integration with Control4 without the need for a control processor

There’s a new class of simple, low-cost home automation controllers hitting the market (such as Control4’s CA-1 and URC’s MXHP-H500), often with limited I/O (inputs and outputs).

Assisting installers to get around this is a new advanced driver for HDANYWHERE MHUB matrix systems, which in addition to delivering multi-room 4K video distribution, can now also be used by third-party control systems as a multi-zone I/O expander.

The drivers are developed in partnership with expert Australian software and app company Chowmain, and are offered complementary at no cost from HDA. The drivers work over IP and have been completely re-engineered to operate on HDA’s new and innovative API – allowing installers and developers alike to take advantage of MHUB’s unique control feature set.

“We picked Control4 as our first driver for numerous reasons,” says Chris Pinder, MD of HDA, adding, “its dominance in home automation helped, but also C4’s ability to take advantage of MHUB’s expandable I/O made it a no brainer to start off with – we expect it to be a big hit for us.”

Doing more with less

The new drivers have been developed in partnership with experts Chowmain Software and Apps based in Australia

Take for example the cost effective CA-1 controller; this is the cheapest Control4 home automation device at £260 RRP, and has been designed specifically as an entry level controller to quickly integrate modern IP devices into the Control4 ecosystem. Other than LAN/Wi-Fi or Zigbee, there is no other method to communicate to or from this device.

HDA says that by installing MHUB with the CA-1 and loading the new driver into composer, installers can effectively turn the MHUB into an I/O expander, similar to the C4-IOX-E-B. Once configured, the MHUB will convert commands from the CA-1 or any C4 controller into IR signals which can then be used to control AV devices connected to MHUB such as Apple TV, Sky Q, AVRs and even in-room control for devices such as displays, soundbars and projectors.

“What you have here is a clever way to install video/audio distribution and importantly include Control4 as part of the project outlay”, says Rich Heppell, MD of install company Art of Smart, based in Yorkshire. “It makes recommending pro control systems like Control4 much easier for entry-level projects and briefs as overall function remains the same. Perfect for those jobs where just AV distribution, plus control, is required.”

More to come

HDA’s new driver works over IP and offers other benefits such as full two-way feedback, meaning that Control4 always knows what MHUB is doing and network self-healing, meaning should anything change on the router, the control system will know the IP of the device: no more fixed IPs! The drivers are available to download from HDANYWHERE.com and from Chowmain’s website for all MHUB systems, including the new MHUB AUDIO. Drivers are also being developed for RTI, URC and Crestron.

In a hurry? Watch our video on youtube or on our instagram page @hdanywhere_ hdanywhere.com

Source Control

Display Control

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Become a

Hijacked

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...and they’ve taken control of MHUB’s ports!

Advanced drivers for Control4, RTI and URC leverage HDANYWHERE’s patented matrix IP2IR tech to hijack IR ports on MHUB and at displays - delivering expanded multi zone IO for low cost controllers, like the CA-1.

Do more with less. Available on all MHUB systems.

HDANYWHERE.COM Untitled-8 1

18/09/2018 16:48

Essential Install | Smart Thinking: Roon

Roon has introduced hardware products with the Nucleus and Nucleus+, check our review on page 68

A Roon with a view

A music interface that is well suited to the install world, Roon has been gaining lots of fans of late. Enno Vandermeer, co-founder and CEO of Roon Labs, tells EI why installers should delve into this rich musical world.

Enno explains that the company has been established since 2015, but the core team responsible for Roon has been together much longer.

Enno explains, “In 2004 we created Sooloos – a multizone CD-quality music server system – and shipped the product to critical acclaim in 2006, winning (among others) the prestigious Product of the Year award from Stereophile magazine. Sooloos was acquired by Meridian Audio in 2008, and the team spent six years there developing ever more advanced high-resolution network streaming products, while simultaneously producing music software for HP. “When we left Meridian to form Roon Labs, we had more than a wealth of technical expertise in digital audio and streaming; we had spent a decade understanding the challenges facing dealers and customers in the twochannel Hi-Fi and custom install channels.”

So what were the aims and ambitions when the concept was first thought of?

Enno says, “Our product and go-to-market strategy was based on everything we had seen – both technically and commercially – over the previous ten years in the digital audio space. Today we still live by that strategy, which we call the Three Pillars of Roon.”

1. Roon is a music player for music lovers.

“First and foremost, Roon aims to be the most engaging and enjoyable way to browse and play music, and to create and curate a personal music collection. It provides a wealth of information – lyrics, credits, reviews, bios, high-res artwork, concerts, and more – about all your music, whether it’s local files on a hard drive or favourites on TIDAL.”

2. Roon is a network audio streaming platform.

“These days, almost every new audio product on the market comes equipped with Wi-Fi, an ethernet interface, or USB or HDMI input. Roon works with thousands of these products, so a single app can now control music to a wide range of different hardware products.”

3. Roon is a community of premium audio partners committed to excellence.

“In addition to supporting widely-used streaming protocols like AirPlay and Chromecast, we’ve worked with a who’s who of premium audio brands to implement Roon’s own streaming protocol in their devices. These ‘Roon Ready’ products have be co-certified by Roon Labs and the manufacturer to ensure that they work flawlessly with Roon, right out of the box.”

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Essential Install | Smart Thinking: Roon

Having checked it out, EI is a fan of the rich, but easy to navigate environment Roon provides

Features focus For a user then, what are the main benefits? Enno enthuses, “From the end user’s perspective, Roon is all about user experience. It presents music the way music lovers ‘think’ about it, and lets them enjoy their local files right alongside streaming music, all from one beautiful interface. Using Roon, music lovers can have the ultimate ‘lean in’ experience, exploring music and the people who created it; for the casual listener, the ‘lean back’ experience provides automatic playlist generation based on any artist, track, genre, or composer.

So just how does the platform fit into the custom install world?

Enno argues, “For installers, what makes Roon shine is the way it breaks down walls between streaming ecosystems. Historically, once a customer had a Sonos speaker or an AirPlay device, they were locked into that ecosystem to expand into multi-room. Roon streams to AirPlay, Chromecast, Sonos, and Squeezebox devices, and provides high-resolution streaming to over 100 Roon Ready products from our premium audio partners, including Naim, Bluesound, NAD, Devialet, Mark Levinson, and many more.

“In addition to network audio devices, Roon can connect to devices like AVRs and DACs via USB and HDMI, and even play back multichannel content on those products. With Roon, installers are no longer constrained to closed multi-room systems, so they can choose the right audio products for each room in a project. Roon lets the customer manage all their music in one app and play it on all the audio devices around the home.”

Not content with delivering the interface, the brand has now branched out into hardware.

Enno takes up the story, “After a few years in the market with a software/service offering, we found that our early adopters were highly technical ‘DIY audiophiles’.

While Roon offers a great feature set for that audience, we were missing a much larger market. When we surveyed a number of dealers and installers who were recommending Roon to their customers, we discovered that their pain point was supporting installs with random PCs or third-party music servers.

“Coincidentally we were approached by Intel to develop a product using their outstanding NUC platform, so the stars aligned and we created the Nucleus and Nucleus+ servers.

These products really are the best of both worlds: the latest-generation Intel hardware and a custom Linux-based operating system developed by Roon Labs, power-efficient and highly optimised for ‘multi-roon’ audio.

Enno adds, “Nucleus and Nucleus+ are designed to have horsepower to spare for Roon’s powerful DSP algorithms, which allow real time EQ, up-sampling, convolution, and room correction, among others.

Another unique feature of the Nucleus line is integration with Crestron and Control4 drivers for automation. While the Roon user interface is where we expect people will go for music browsing and playlist creation, key browsing and playback control functions are accessible via these drivers.”

So, future plans for the install market? “As installers start to see the opportunities that Roon and Nucleus create for them,” says Enno, “We’d like Roon to become the industry standard for music experiences among highend customers. To do that, we offer dealers and installers complimentary Roon subscriptions for use in their showrooms, as well as personal accounts for their teams.

“We believe strongly that once they’ve started using Roon themselves, they’ll understand the value proposition and be able to communicate it more effectively to their customers. Signing up for dealer accounts is easy, visit https://roonlabs.com/go and register.”

Other future plans include adding to the over 70 Roon Ready and Roon Tested brands in the partner programs already, Roon’s ambition is to continue to grow those programs by partnering with more audio brands.

Likewise, the brand expects to add support for additional streaming services and integration with the automation and smart home products installers use.

Enno urges installers to check it out for themselves, “Explaining Roon’s ability to interoperate with many audio devices is easy, but it’s more difficult to communicate what’s unique about its user experience. You can download and install Roon on any Mac or Windows PC to try it out and get a feel for its capabilities, and I encourage every dealer and installer who hasn’t yet done so to follow the link above and register for a complimentary subscription.”

Roon can also be experienced at the HQ of UK distribution partners Henley Audio. Check out page 68 for EI’s review of the Roon Nucleus+.

Henley Audio 01235 511 166, henleyaudio.co.uk, roonlabs.com

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Essential Install | Comment

MQA saves on bandwidth and delivers what the artist intended

MQA: Behind the music Simon Lever, owner of Anatech Distribution, supplier of the Bluesound and NAD/BluOs range in the UK, encourages installers to hear the MQA message.

Simon is a big believer in the power of MQA

One of the latest artists to use the platform is Gilbert O’Sullivan, with his very well received new album

MQA is compressed. Compressed means lossy. Lossy means loss of quality, right? wrong. MQA stands for Master Quality Authenticated. As the name suggests, an MQA-certified track has been signed-off (authenticated) by the studio as being true to the original (Master) recording and how the artist and the studio intended it to be heard. That sign-off process is encrypted and embedded in the track so there is no ‘cheating’ the listener (more on that later).

MQA is stream-able high-res music. It can be up to 24-bit/192kHz. To make it stream-able, MQA is therefore compressed. It uses clever algorithms which are often referred to as ‘musical origami’ to capture 100% of the original studio performance and fold the data into the music file without significantly impacting its size so that it can be streamed without impacting sound quality. It uses the FLAC format which means FLAC players can claim to play MQA (even though they cannot, of course, unwrap the extra MQA content without the MQA decode capability).

A typical three-minute (non-MQA) high-res (24/192) track will occupy approximately 300MB data storage.

Its MQA version will occupy approximately 60MB, a CD-quality FLAC version is approximately 40MB and a 320kbps MP3 version typically about 8MB.

Do believe the hype

There are those who do not offer, and therefore try to dismiss MQA. They typically do this by stating that broadband speeds are now so fast that we do not need to be concerned about bandwidth. 300MB for just one three-minute HD track is still one heck of a lot of bandwidth (Netflix HD is only about 50MB per minute).

That’s multiplied if you’re streaming multiple tracks simultaneously to a multi-room system. Yes, many of us do have fast broadband, but what of those that don’t? And why waste your customers’ bandwidth and risk creating annoying music-stream break-ups unnecessarily?

So, if the studio is signing off MQA music as being ‘as they wanted us to hear it’ and it also saves on bandwidth, what’s not to like about MQA? Especially if your chosen streaming system handles both high-res and MQA – as Bluesound does.

What is the significance of the MQA authentication process? What about high-res (non-MQA) tracks? It is possible to wrap a 16-bit music file into a 24-bit file and call it high-res. The file size will be significantly increased, but without any more music data to provide the high definition experience. Yes, that would be cheating the listener and the author is, in no way, accusing any commercial vendors of high-res music of doing this but, unlike MQA, there is no encrypted authentication process, so who knows what’s going on out there?

MQA music can be streamed from Tidal Masters with their MQA library growing weekly. It can also be purchased from HighResAudio. Non-MQA high-res music is currently only downloadable as one-off purchases which must be stored in a local library. CD-quality streaming (16bit FLAC) is available from Tidal Masters and Deezer Elite.

Does MQA trump high-res? No. It’s a useful option.

Bluesound is the multi-room Hi-Fi system that has both MQA and high-res options covered. Contact Anatech Distribution for the full Bluesound, NAD Electronics, HighResAudio and MQA story.

Anatech Distribution bluesound.anatech.co.uk

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21/09/2018 10:45

Essential Install | Habitech

Peerless performance, discreet in every way Not just resi: many of the world’s leading brands have chosen Sonance for the most discreet high quality sound

For high quality sound, build, reliability and reputation, nothing ticks the box quite like Sonance. Habitech’s Jonathan Pengilley profiles the unique value of CI’s original innovator.

The most effective communication, said President Theodore Roosevelt, happens when you “speak softly and carry a big stick”. Today, the world’s original and America’s most acclaimed and prolific CI speaker company is acting on his advice. It may not shout about its audiophile ethos as loudly as home-grown Hi-Fi brands such as B&W or even Monitor Audio, but through its impact on the global business of CI, Sonance carries the ‘biggest stick’ of all with a record of innovation that stretches all the way back to the very first in-wall speaker.

New Cinema Reference Series delivers full-range fidelity from a flexible mix of flush wall/ceiling configurations

Make the biggest impact Unlike many of its rivals, Sonance hasn’t strayed into CI from a world of trad speaker design; its DNA was custom made for our market. Across the widest product range, you’ll find CI’s Californian curator active in every space, ready to help you master any challenge with proven engineering that delivers great audio with minimal effort. Last year alone Sonance launched over sixty new speaker designs including the brilliantly practical Pro Series range of in-ceiling, pendant and on-wall commercial models; new super-discreet high performance ‘Landscape’ outdoor sat-subs; ‘Mariner’ all-weather on-walls, ‘VP Extreme’ in-walls, and low-profile ‘VP Thinline’ models for slim-cavity installation. All this plus the high-end ‘Reference’ and ‘VP Surround’ series’ of flush speakers and subwoofers, complemented by ingeniously flexible adjustable-width soundbars and a range of supercompact stand-alone subs, mixed and matched for every possible home cinema/surround project.

When you include the 35 SKUs of the award-winning Visual Performance Series of in-wall/ceiling models, the sublime high performance ‘Invisible’ models, and the wonderfully inventive Architectural Series created for flawless full-range in-ceiling installation, you begin to

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Essential Install | Habitech

Squeeze great sound from tiny cavities with Visual Performance Ultra Thinline.

Your design options are wide open with Visual Performance in-wall/ceiling: 35 models across 4 performance levels

get the picture: if you’re integrating high quality custom sound anywhere, the most versatile and innovative audio toolkit is always expanding and at your disposal.

Kudos included

And add WOW factor to your bottom line

Sonance Pro Series raises the performance bar for commercial sound installations with a range of in-ceiling, pendant and on-wall 70V/100V/8ohm selectable speakers

Boost your earning power as well. When you’re competing for business it’s easy to get sucked into a race to the bottom on price, but nobody ever made money from a skinny margin in a premium market. Apple’s extraordinary $1 trillion capitalisation demonstrates the rewards of generating quality in a sea of cheaper tech: last October, global stocks of its most expensive iPhone X sold out in less than 10 minutes – your customer may well have been in the queue! So step back from the bun fight and upsell: Sonance has all the wow quality you need to create great installs and a much better return for your time.

And whenever a brand-obsessed client looks at you blankly when you recommend Sonance, hit him with the brand’s unique custom provenance and the cache derived from flagship installations for many of the world’s most desirable brands including Burberry, Louis Vuitton, H&M, Gleneagles, Maclaren, and Oxford University. If he still needs convincing, mention the fact that in the world’s toughest CI market, US integrators trust Sonance above all other brands, including B&W!* From the advent of the first in-wall speaker, Sonance has been copied but never bested, so it seems appropriate to sign-off with another pithy proverb: imitation is, of course, the sincerest form of flattery! *2018 CEPro Brand Analysis

More information: Habitech 01256 638 500, habitech.co.uk

Nature-proof ‘VP Extreme’ discreet all-weather speakers with independently certified IP66 and military standard 810G capabilities

CEPro’s brand analysis consistently ranks Sonance as the No 1 US brand. 2018 results continue the trend

September 2018 | 25 Habitech.indd 25

20/09/2018 11:41

Essential Install | Case Study

The cinema has proved to be popular with all of the family, not just the younger members

Drive in cinema

Bespoke Home Cinemas took this garage conversion project from concept, right through the building work, to a 5.2.4 Atmos configuration cinema installation.

Bespoke Home Cinemas (BHC) is a CEDIA certified custom install company which has been trading since 1995. Specialising in home cinema and smart home automation systems, the company is unusual within the industry as when it says it builds cinemas, it literally does just that, as the company carries out all its own building and conversion works in-house without subbing this out to third-party contractors.

Offering this complete service means that the speed of conversions is increased, as the company delivers concept right through to completion.

Gifford Malcolm, MD for BHC, explains who makes up the team, “We are proud to be a family-run organisation with a vast knowledge, passion and expertise within the CI industry and have been certified members of CEDIA since 2007. Melanie Malcolm is our marketing director and runs the Bespoke showroom and office, she recently sat a tenure as a director on the CEDIA EMEA board. Melanie often volunteers her time to support CEDIA and is chair of the Smart Home Apprenticeship Trailblazer Committee, she also contributes to monthly CEDIA groups with fellow industry peers.

“With a wealth of experience in the sales, marketing and networking arena, Melanie recently joined forces

with other industry professionals to become a founder member of the Home Tech Gallery Community. Aside from industry work, Melanie is a director of two event management companies called Yorkshire Ladies Links and the Yorkshire Choice Awards, hosting conferences and award ceremonies throughout Yorkshire.”

Gifford adds, “Our technical director Richard has over ten years’ experience in advanced networking, automation and Control4 programming as well as heading up our installation team.”

Gifford is the MD and is a qualified industrial designer and electronic engineer (and a proud tech geek), actively involved in all aspects of the projects, still spending as much time on site as possible in a hands-on role.

BHC is also proud to be certified a Control4 Gold dealer and has been awarded the prestigious Control4 MVP 2016 (Most Valued Partner) Award. Amongst other numerous accolades, the company has won the Control4 ISE 2017 award for Best Single Room Cinema Solution for the ‘Big Basement Cinema’ that has also been featured in consumer title ‘Home Cinema Choice’ Magazine.

The company’s areas of expertise include dedicated projection-based cinema (turnkey design & construction),

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Seamless 4K Integration for the Smart Home

LILIN are the leading brand globally for video surveillance in the Smart Home market. Our professional grade equipment delivers remarkable 1080p - 4K video quality for the high-end residential market; backed by 3 year warranties and UK support.

Our 4K NVR 5 series units are capable of displaying and recording up to 32 HD IP video channels. The NVR5832 is finished in high gloss black with no front panel controls to compliment your server rack; the NVR5832S features hot-swappable HDD and supports RAID functionality.

LILIN’s committment to the CI channel means that all NVRs- including the 5 series- will integrate fully into the Smart Home, allowing you to watch live video, control playback of recorded video and select different camera views; all using the same remote control used to watch Netflix.

INVISION UK IS LILIN’S PARTNER AND DISTRIBUTOR FOR THE CUSTOM INSTALL SECTOR IN THE UK

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Essential Install | Case Study

Bespoke cabinetry much in demand for this project

dedicated media rooms, smart home automation, HDMI and digital 4K UHD matrix distribution, multi-room audio distribution, scene lighting, intelligent heating control, data and telecom networks and CCTV and access control systems.

Some top work from the company’s back catalogue? Gifford says, “We are proud of all our projects that we get to do full turnkey packages on, one of our favourite projects was the conversion of the old servant quarters in a listed manor house into a cinema, the client gave us complete authority to design and build the entire project to our specifications, his only involvement was the choosing of the leather colour for the custom seats! So the room turned out exactly as we envisaged.”

Garage conversion

Much of the exposed brick work and beams were kept on show to retain character

So how about this particular cinema? Gifford explains, “The client came to us as a direct referral from a member of his own staff who had previously purchased a complete cinema conversion from BHC. He had a disused double garage in the grounds of his property that he originally wanted as a self-contained ‘guest space’ with en-suite bathroom and a large TV-based media room area, however on visiting our showroom he immediately upgraded the spec to a full-blown projection-based cinema.

“The room was to be used on an even mix of sport, gaming and films, so a traditional 16:9 ratio screen was chosen. The client wanted the design to be relaxed, so a slouchy sofa was specified instead of formal cinema seats, he also specifically wanted the lighting to be complementary to the space.”

The en-suite was still specified within the build, which gave the room a slightly unusually rear shape, but was specified by the client so that the family didn’t have to go back to the house for amenities, and also gave the area the ability of being made into a flat if the property was sold in future.

The client wanted to keep as much of the building’s character as possible, so BHC kept all the beams exposed, as well as some of the brick buttresses.

Gifford adds, “The entire room was framed out and Kingspan insulated, plus additional rockwool sound

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Essential Install | Case Study

The client wanted high-quality, but discrete sound

The shell of an old garage was the starting point

insulation and double dB boarded along with custom aluminium bifold doors fitted into the original garage door openings. The client took a lot of the interior inspiration from Houzz, the interiors website, which we interpreted in concept sketches and eventually made custom cabinetry for the media wall to conceal all hardware.

“Given a relatively modest budget we went through numerous equipment configuring to achieve the right specifications, as the client specifically want high-end audio, but installed as discretely as possible, so subwoofers were chosen to be concealed behind the screen. Arcam was specifically chosen for it’s DIRAC room calibration abilities to get over the audio anomalies caused by the vaulted ceiling. It did an amazing job at balancing the room out, the difference was day and night!”

So a little bit of an awkward room this one, what were the challenges?

Gifford says, “The throw distance from the projector required for the desired screen size meant that the projector couldn’t land on either of the of the exposed beams, the client didn’t want a long pole coming down from the vaulted ceiling, so a new oak beam was inserted across the trusses to allow the projector to be positioned correctly.

“Likewise, with the vaulted ceiling open, it was doing to be hard to position the Atmos speakers correctly, luckily the truss beams were in the exact position needed for the Atmos speakers, so custom brackets were fabricated to position four Artcoustic Target wall speakers horizontal on the beams on a ‘virtual’ ceiling height of 2.5m.”

Beam based speakers got the job done

Essential Kit List • Epson TW9300 4K projector • Future Automation PM 1 mount • Display Technologies Frontier 4K acoustic screen • Arcam AVR550 receiver • 3x Artcoustic Spitfire 4-2 • 4x Artcoustic Target Speakers (2x Surrounds, 4x Atmos) • 2x Artcoustic Spitfire Control2 subwoofers • Control4 EA1 processor • SR260 remote • 3x Control4 adaptive phase dimmer keypads • HD Connectivity 4K extender (from house Sky Q) • Pixelgen 15m HDMI kit • Xbox One S • Ruko Stick • Sonos connect

Gifford adds, “Outside of the technical pack on the room, our favourite feature is definitely the cabinet work and the lighting design, both really achieved the client brief and look really good.

“The client assumed the room would be primarily as a retreat for his teenage kids, however quite the opposite has happened and its now used by the entire family so much that the children have to book their own movie nights in advance!”

Bespoke Home Cinemas 0113 2660101 bespokehomecinemas.co.uk

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01684 576 348 sales@oneav.co.uk oneav.co.uk 24/09/2018 09:35

Essential Install | CEDIA

A top demo room can make all the difference

Get demo room acoustics right How important are demo room acoustics? Crucial, argues Chris Adair, acoustics expert and owner of CEDIA member company, Adair Acoustic. Chris explains the significance of a good acoustic system and the things that integrators need to consider when designing a state-of-the-art demo room.

Everyone building a new demo suite is aware that the acoustics of the room will have a huge bearing on the performance.

The problem is that to design an acoustically sound room in a very small space requires a specific set of priorities. Traditionally, the only professionals working in this area have been recording studio designers, and they are looking for very different things from the space.

A demo room needs to look appealing, so looks often win over performance, meaning that the room is constructed on a wing and a prayer that the acoustics will turn out fine. They frequently don’t!

My personal experience of demo rooms is that they are the key selling tools, demonstrating the acoustic experience. People can hear the difference, and if you make a great sound, they will take away that great experience.

You can show people a light switch, or a picture of a light switch, and they’re happy to confirm the purchase with no need for a demonstration. Show them a speaker though, and they’re more likely to think about how big it is and how it’ll look at home, so a demo is essential to promote its acoustic importance.

In a great sounding demo room, you are already off on the right foot. Play a great piece of music and very quickly, your client will be hearing your system sounding at its best and will be less concerned about how those speakers look.

However, if you play that same music in a terrible acoustic environment, then nothing will sound great, and those ugly speakers will stay ugly. Sure, you can compare one piece of Hi-Fi with another and reveal huge differences, but there is no way you’ll really wow the client with a great sound that they’ll carry with them in their head all the way home.

Consideration

When you are designing a demo room, there are a few things you should consider:

1 2 3

Bigger is better! Don’t make two small rooms, make one big one.

A void low ceilings. You need that ceiling height for a variety of reasons.

D on’t put the listening position against the rear wall.

Just watch what people do in rooms like that: they perch on the edge of the sofa leaning forwards to get their head away from the wall, so they can ‘hear’ the system.

4 5 6

Acoustics likes variety. Perfectly flat parallel walls are the pits. (Flutter, echoes, etc.)

Side wall reflections. I used to think that the shoebox shape was best as you listen down the length of the room, but that’s a basic mistake. Being so close to the sidewalls means that the first reflections really smear the sound, so it’s usually better to make your demo room wider and sit closer to the speakers.

Bass. This is a really complex subject, but people are sensitive to bass. You must balance the bass 80300Hz especially, and to do it naturally, that means the walls of your rooms can’t be too rigid so avoid a small cubic concrete box. But that’s the favourite starting point for a basement home cinema, isn’t it?!

Time to call in a specialist acoustician!

Adair Acoustic 07956 236 108, adairacoustic.co.uk

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Essential Install | Comment

Hidden oportunties

This month, highly experienced installer, Ashwin Shah, chairman and founder of Visual Systems Sales, part of the Myriad group established over 25 years ago, champions hidden audio.

High-quality invisible loudspeakers create tremendous freedom for home owners and installers alike.

Whereas a client may have previously been planning to have a dedicated home cinema room, which can be used for little else other than watching films, invisible sound allows multiple surround sound options within a home without impacting on the principle function of the rooms or decor.

Consider a family that enjoys watching movies and perhaps gaming together, but also likes their own space to relax and enjoy. The lounge may include an inspiring interior design to impress visitors and be used for entertaining family and friends. By including a Dolby Atmos 3D invisible sound solution, this same space creates a cinematic experience for the family to immerse themselves in whilst relaxing and watching films together and also the same speaker system could be used for room filling atmospheric background music and the occasional party.

The children’s playroom may include a more standard surround system, 5.1 or 7.2 for example, for enjoying CBBC or Disney films or perhaps include a full 3D solution for the immersive gaming experience as the family grows up.

A master bedroom is another area in which a relaxing or romantic décor can be easily enhanced by mode setting music or surround sound options for watching movies or TV together, all with zero visual impact on the decor.

Hidden speakers are still an unknown joy to most UK consumers

Raising the profile

The installer is the person who can introduce the concept of invisible surround sound to a client, potentially avoiding conflict between family members in terms of functionality required and visual impact. It is rare that anyone wants to have 11+ speakers visible in their lounge but film buffs certainly would enjoy having a 7.2.4 system in place for movie viewing.

Whilst home automation products, thanks to Google Home, Amazon and others, are greatly increasing their presence in the public consciousness, invisible speakers remain a well-kept secret. Demonstration of what can be achieved with an invisible surround systems, whether 2D or 3D, is the only way for people to believe what can be achieved and the ‘wow’ factor is enormous.

No longer is there a compromise on quality, and with positive benefits such as increased sweet spot area, invisible sound offers a perfect solution for many clients.

For example, at Visual Systems our speakers of choice are the UK designed and manufactured Amina range which offers both plaster up to (Edge Series) products – which are highly efficient and have significantly enhanced bass performance – and the fully plaster over (Mobius Series).

The latter products can also be rendered invisible behind a variety of materials such as wood, wood veneer, leather and even sheet slate or concrete, further enhancing the interior designer’s freedom to create your clients dream home or space.

Many modern homes are acoustically harsh with large areas of glass and an array of hard finishes creating a challenging environment for reproducing sound. VPT (Vibrational Panel Technology) loudspeakers, the technology often used for invisible solutions, has an incoherent phase waveform, which while the laws of physics obviously still apply, suffer less from cancellation and additive effects reducing issues with hot and cold spots.

Invisible speakers are not generally suitable for DIY installation or the novice and if not installed professionally, invalidates any extended warranties manufacturers offer. This offers installation companies such as us the opportunity to make sensible margin both on products and installation while, at the same time, demonstrating a state of the art solution to our prospective clients that they are unlikely to have thought of themselves.

Being able to offer clients an innovative flexible solution for their homes creates an opening for offering a more comprehensive smart home solution including lighting, security and multi-room AV solutions creating a valuable business opportunity for our industry.

Leading with something different like an invisible sound solution creating multipurpose rooms can be an effective way for installation companies to demonstrate their added value to potential clients and open the way for offering a comprehensive smart home solution.

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Loud and Proud

EI takes a listen to some of the options that ensure customer expectations of their audio experience are exceeded every time.

Dynaudio is making waves in the CI space

One of the company’s pushing the boundaries with hidden speakers is Amina and the company underlines that as well as making advances in sound-quality, the hidden element still creates a big wow factor for the end user.

Amina knows demonstrating what is possible invisibly is essential to convince installers and clients alike that choosing invisible is no longer a compromise between sound and aesthetics. Full Dolby Atmos media room demonstrations are available at Amina’s HQ in Huntingdon and at Amina’s UK Distributor, Redline in Wickford, Essex.

Both facilities also offer stereo demonstration of the entire range enabling clients to select the right price performance point for their application.

Amina says additionally it is essential to give installers the knowledge of how to complete a successful install and ensure it is right first time. Both Redline and Amina offer project support in helping select the best speaker solution in terms of product and placement complete with supporting documentation. Additionally, bespoke training is available, where applicable, on site especially for complex installations.

Redline frequently provides on-site support especially for first projects or particularly complex installations.

Amina explains that the installation is not difficult, but often for the less experienced, insufficient time is given up front to understanding fully the structure of the building into which the speakers are being put.

Martin Morecoft, Redline’s MD says that his company helps installers think on their feet on site, “Working with installers on site allows us to provide more tailored training than is possible in a classroom, increasing understanding of what questions to ask next time before commencing install.

“Additionally, being present on site and solving challenges, based on many years of experience of installing Amina speakers, gives our partners confidence to specify Amina into many more projects. We offer a partial ‘white glove’ installation service with training built in. It works well for us.”

Being able to easily provide high clarity room filling sound, whether in standard plaster finishes, or in a wide range of other surfaces such as wood, wood veneer, leather or even sheet slate or concrete provides extra flexibility for the Amina range. The standard finishes can be discussed in traditional training sessions, however additional support is available for more unusual requests including a testing service.

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Essential Install | Speakers

Amina demo spaces are available at Redline and Amina HQs

DALI’s new OBERON series offers six affordable speaker models that cover a wide range of room sizes for both music and home cinema. Created to make genuine audio reproduction more affordable, DALI says OBERON was conceived to deliver superior stereo and surround experiences by incorporating key elements from DALI’s high-performance EPICON. Encompassing two floorstanding and two bookshelf models, the series also includes a single on-wall and a centre channel speaker. OBERON models will commence delivery in mid-November.

DALI says OBERON is the first entry-level loudspeaker to incorporate DALI’s unique SMC (Soft Magnetic Compound) technology. This combined with DALI’s brand-new 29mm soft dome tweeter, large DALI signature wood-fibre cones and rigid-build MDF cabinets, makes for a series of speakers that deliver sound, from any source, exactly as it was intended to be heard, says the maker.

The two floor-standing models, OBERON 7 and OBERON 5 represent the top of the series while OBERON 3 and OBERON 1 are bookshelf models equally suited for use on a shelf or stand.

The OBERON on-wall features the same drive units, but also uses DALI’s down-firing bass port system to deliver low-end power without relying on bulky cabinet depth. The combination of DALI’s technologies is intended to create a speaker that, despite its slim profile, will deliver the precise, engaging audio of a much larger model. OBERON VOKAL fills the centre speaker role in a surround sound system and has been designed to integrate with every other speaker in the OBERON range. With its 29mm ultra-lightweight soft dome tweeter and two 5in wood fibre SMC-based woofers, the OBERON VOKAL can sit either directly above or below the TV screen.

OBERON models come in four finishes; Black, Dark Walnut, Light Oak and White.

Well known for its Hi-Fi speakers and in-car technology, Dynaudio is less well known for its integrated options, however it is making efforts to change that with a new relationship with Custom AV Distribution and a fresh range of install speakers.

Of particular note is the Studio S4-LCR65 family which allows installers to create bespoke systems by installing speakers either vertically or horizontally oriented left, center or right.

This range uses a modular concept where the two units, S4-LCRMT (mid/tweeter) and S4-LCR65W (woofer), can be fitted in many different combinations to deliver the right set up for each room. Match just one of each, or where for example more bass is required, fit two of the woofer modules. Both modules fit around standard 16in studs (so no need to cut them away). Installers can position the tweeter either way up and at any height in the array to ensure good focus. The individual modules are easily connected using speaker wire, with their frames either connected together and installed in a single cut-out, or spaced apart in multiple cut-outs to create a bespoke single channel, so the possibilities are manyfold. Like the rest of the Dynaudio Custom range, all the modules mount into their frames without any tools.

Each module uses a passive crossover with a threeposition switch, pre-configured to standard LCR channel configurations that use one or two connected woofer modules. There’s also a bypass position to enable an unlimited number of fully active and customized S4LCR65 system set-ups with external DSP processing and a dedicated amplifier channel for every driver.

The S4-LCR65 system has five different optional paintable white grilles that attach magnetically (four standard-sized and one customisable), and it can also be installed behind acoustic fabric or acoustically transparent screens.

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Essential Install | Speakers

The new Sonance Cinema Reference Family

Also in the range is the Studio in-ceiling family which retrofit into many popular and existing cut-outs, while the patent-pending baffle latches are in place to deliver super-quick, super-simple tool-free mounting.

The main driver is angled 18 ̊ and can rotate 360 ̊ in its frame, while the tweeter can be positioned and adjusted for directional control. There’s also a tweeter-level switch for even more fine-tuning. The magnetically attached grilles can be painted and can be used interchangeably with optional square versions. Also available are the Studio in-wall designs, rectangular speakers which promote ease of install as the frames are pre-installed during construction or renovation, with the driver fitted later when all the dust has settled. Like the Studio series round in-ceiling speakers, the rectangular in-wall versions have a tweeter-level switch and include paintable magnetically attached grilles. The S4-W65 in-wall and S4W80 in-wall make up the range.

Custom AV Distribution recently held a series of dealer events to demo the ability of the speakers which EI attended and the speakers do have a very versatile neutral quality which lends itself well to the install sector.

The whole range can be experienced at Custom AV Distribution’s HQ in Marlow.

The Sonance brand is one of the mainstays of distributor Habitech’s audio offerings. The Sonance Visual Performance series is the brand’s most complete range of in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, offering strong sound quality and installation versatility in a discreet design. Over 50 Visual Performance models across four quality levels share a consistent aesthetic for discreet results including Round, Square, Rectangle models in 4in, 6in (2-way), 8in (3-way), Single Stereo; Thinline models for shallow wall or ceiling cavities; Extreme allweather models, LCR, surround, and subwoofer models and a range of discreet in-ceiling and in-wall woofers for bass augmentation.

The Sonance Architectural Series offers in-ceiling satellite speakers and subwoofers matching the footprint of downlights to provide sound quality with strong aesthetics for optimal room design in any architectural style. The line offers in-ceiling speakers in 3.5 and 6.5in sizes mounted on gypsum platforms to achieve integration with the ceiling surface. The maker says discreet combinations of in-ceiling sats and subs produce a wide and consistently high-quality sound coverage with a minimal look.

The Sonance Invisible Series deliver ambient music that emanates throughout the space with no visual footprint. Available in six models to accommodate a wide range of room sizes and budgets this series is used exclusively worldwide by Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Miu Miu, Fendi and Dior.

Matched with the Sonance DSP Amp, Sonance Invisible Series speakers are designed to reproduce the full range of frequencies, including clear treble, natural midrange and deep smooth bass response.

The Sonance Cinema Reference Series of in-wall/ ceiling speakers add larger drivers to go louder and lower than previous versions. These 4th generation coaxial speakers employ carbon fibre/rohacell laminated cones paired with ceramic dome tweeters. The high-excursion woofers have 38mm voice coils, which deliver +/- 8mm of linear excursion. There are nine new tonally-matched SKUs including two in-wall LCR speakers, two matching in-wall surrounds, two in-wall subs an in-ceiling LCR (with separately sold enclosure), and an in-ceiling surround (with separately sold enclosure). A cabinet centre channel is also available.

Available from Aldous Systems, the SpeakerCraft brand highlights its Aim Series 2. This concept adapted the line array technology used in large sound reinforcement experiences, introducing the adjustable pivoting ARC Tweeter Array. With multiple tweeters in a line array, AIM Series 2 is designed to deliver focused high frequencies further into the listening area and enable lowering the crossover point to increase the sound pressure level at mid-range frequencies to bring out the best in voice playback.

AIM Series 2 also updates the SpeakerCraft WavePlane, the ‘acoustic lens’ that focuses the high frequency audio energy into the listening environment for a cleaner and richer sound. Also included, SpeakerCraft Acoustic Isolation Technology, created to reduce resonance transfer to the surrounding wall or ceiling using comolded, lower density compounds.

In the market for a while now, SpeakerCraft is also keen on its Dolby Atmos enabled in-wall height speaker, the ATX100. This speaker delivers a solution when in-ceilings are not possible, reflecting the ‘height’ elements of the sound-track off the ceiling from an in-wall position.

Outdoor audio is of course one of the fastest growing segments in the audio category. Introduced in 2018, the SpeakerCraft Landscape Series brings the performance of the SpeakerCraft architectural line to outdoor spaces.

With enclosures built from UV stable fiberglass-reinforced ABS and weatherproof acoustic components, the maker says its SpeakerCraft Landscape speakers are built to last and are able to withstand even the harshest climates.

Distributor AWE offers several options here ranging from affordable up to more high-performance designs.

Of chief interest for a really integrated system is the KEF Ci5160REF-THX full range, in-wall THX certified speaker, part of the Reference series. The KEF Ci5160REF-THX combines attractive design with ease of installation, says AWE. Meeting KEF’s Extreme Theatre and THX Ultra Certification, the Reference Build Certificate underlines the quality of the Ci5160REF. The speaker features key innovations drawn from KEF’s signature ‘Reference’ technology, including the most advanced version of the Uni-Q point source MF/ HF driver array to give the speaker enhanced dispersion.

Together, the 25mm vented aluminium dome tweeter and the 125mm mid-range driver provide a single source for natural sounding audio with a wide dispersion area.

Optimised for in-wall use, the speaker’s bespoke 160mm bass driver features a vented magnet assembly, and the crossovers are mounted onto separate boards to minimise crosstalk.

Also available from AWE, KEF has also recently announced a re-vamp for its R Series cabinet speaker offering a complete, top-to-bottom transformation. This

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150 mm 57/8” V240 & V-CORNER

90° 168.9 mm 65/8”

V240 & V-MOUNT

90°

175.4 mm 67/8” 4 x V240-LV & V-CLUSTER 360°

VECTA Speakers

Optimal acoustic performance in corners, under eaves, wall or ceiling mounted

The stylish, compact and versatile Monitor Audio Vecta indoor or outdoor speaker cleverly combines architectural aesthetics with innovation. Available in both standard and LV models. Vecta blends seamlessly under eaves, in vertical corners, flat on any wall or four V240-LV speakers can be placed together to create a 360° of sphere. UV resistant finishes in black or white.

V-CORNER

V-MOUNT

V-CLUSTER

monitoraudio.com

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Essential Install | Speakers

Savant has introduced a number of new connected speaker devices

Series also drills down into achievements first included in KEF’s flagship Reference Series, bringing authentically highend design features and resulting in high performance levels at a new price category. No fewer than 1,043 individual changes have been made for the new R Series.

The latest, 12th generation of KEF’s Uni-Q driver is at the heart of the new range, as well as a redesigned motor system to improve the midrange and the area between the two drivers has been reimagined. The design of Uni-Q necessitates a narrow gap between the drivers, which can be excited by sound waves at certain frequencies.

The new structure and damping system eliminates these resonances, resulting in a smoother, transparent and detailed treble performance.

The Uni-Q Driver array’s role as a waveguide is further expanded by KEF’s ‘Shadow Flare’ trim ring design which is precision-designed to reduce the diffraction effects that come from having a speaker with edges, making for a clearer, more compelling and transparent sonic performance.

For the new R Series, KEF has re-worked the lowfrequency drivers, maintaining performance, but delivering a smaller form factor enabling the cabinets to be slimmer. The new bass drivers have greater excursion, as well as an improved low-distortion motor and a new, higher-rigidity cone.

KEF’s R Series now also benefits from a redesigned, suede-like, microfibre grille, which removes the performance-compromising thick frame of some grilles.

The new R Series consists of the R11, R7 and R5 floorstanders, the R3 stand-mount, the R2c centre speaker and the R8a Dolby Atmos-compatible speakers. All the loudspeakers come in three finishes; Black Gloss, White Gloss and Walnut.

Latest news from the Bowers & Wilkins camp is a refresh for its 600 Series designed to set a high sound quality standard at a competitive price point.

Performance is achieved by integrating higher-end technologies first used in the Bowers & Wilkins’ flagship 800 Series Diamond range. The 600 Series is the most affordable range to incorporate the Continuum Cone midrange driver, developed by the company to improve upon the transparency and accuracy of its Kevlar cone.

The new 600 Series also introduces an updated version of the Decoupled Double Dome Tweeter technology for clearer and more accurate high-frequency performance.

This technology, paired with new paper cone lowfrequency drivers in the flagship 603, have been created to ensure rich, powerful bass response.

The new range is available in Matte Black and Satin White and includes the flagship floor-standing 603, the 606 for stand or bookshelf use, the 607, a compact stand or bookshelf speaker and the HTM6, a slim, dedicated centre channel speaker. The ASW610XP, ASW610 and ASW608 complete the range with subwoofer options.

The Savant platform now has the expertise of the Artison brand to call on having acquired the maker in 2017.

The fruits of this new arrangement are beginning to come through now and, most recently, Savant announced it was launching a new architectural loudspeaker and soundbar solutions designed to make the design and installation of whole-house entertainment easier. Savant says the Savant IP Soundbar and the Savant Micro Aperture loudspeakers represent the first initiative to jointly leverage engineering from both Savant and Artison.

The Power over Ethernet (PoE) self-powered Micro Aperture speakers each contain an efficient amplifier, which not only reduces installation time, it also delivers strong sound quality as content remains in the digital domain throughout. There are three in-ceiling versions, each using a technology called Balanced Mode Radiator that delivers more sound per watt. There is a self-powered PoE speaker, a companion PoE satellite speaker, as well as a passive (4-ohm) speaker for interface with traditional audio systems.

Each self-powered PoE speaker can run up to three PoE satellite speakers giving installers an eightspeaker capacity based on a single pair of powered PoE speakers. Because each unit is individually controlled and connected to the network, the user can switch room configurations with ease says Savant. A compact, paintable round or square 4in grilles which complement the look of the Savant/USAI Lighting recessed fixture family completes the picture.

The Savant IP Soundbar is an AVB networked device compatible with Savant Audio, delivering access to all

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2018

P U B L I CAT

N

ION

TRA

N TO AW P.4 FO E IN SIG R THE HT

P U B L I CAT I O

AN

T EX E N SU IS

TRAINING

AN

TUR

TURN TO P.4 FOR THE AWE INSIGHT

FOR THE TURN TO P.4 AWE INSIGHT

TRAINING

2018

AN

PUB

ININ

LIC

AT I

ON

G 201

8

Annual in-depth

TRAINING SUPPLEMENT

To get involved, contact Ian on 01634 673163/ian@allthingsmedialtd.com

Essential INSTALL MAGAZINE

Essential INSTALL MAGAZINE

Essential INSTALL MAGAZINE

Immersive Home Audio

Doesn’t get more discrete than this Full training and specification support Additional on-site training provided by Essential INSTALL MAGAZINE

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enquiries@red-line.co.uk +44 (0) 1268 858222

www.aminasound.com | info@aminasound.com | +44 (0) 1480 354390

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Essential Install | Speakers

Meridian installers can now use The CEDIA Designer software as part of the Design and Specification Service

popular streaming services, and requiring no outboard rack-mountable hardware for distribution. Each Savant IP Soundbar features six-channels and 200W of amplification controlled by DSP all built into an extruded aluminium chassis. High-quality woofers and tweeters plus Artison’s Stage Tweeter are in place. Custom grilles allow it to match TV dimensions and finish. The replaceable grilles also make it easy to upgrade the TV without having to replace the soundbar. The Savant IP Soundbar comes complete with the TV mounting kit.

Also new is the Artison Sound Surface invisible speaker which uses soundboard tech popular with hidden speaker solutions. The speakers require less amplification than conventional speakers and are designed to be sheet rock mudded into the wall, allowing them to be textured for a final finish. The closed back design offers isolation from other spaces and the single-piece body is designed for simple installation into both pre-construction and retrofit options. The speakers are available in 40 or 80W versions.

Theoretically

Paul Hales, the founder/president of Pro Audio Technology, has launched Theory Audio Design, billed as a new company offering customers large-scale, life-like sound, in beautiful, contemporary form factors to suit any décor.

Theory’s in-wall and on-wall loudspeakers, soundbars, subwoofers and amplified loudspeaker controllers deliver the same acoustic signature that installers know from Theory’s sister company, Pro Audio Technology (PRO), but in smaller form factors. A uniform acoustic signature means Theory and PRO products can be combined to create system configurations ranging from a single soundbar to multi-channel Dolby Atmos systems.

Constructed from custom aluminum extrusions that are less than 4in in depth and available in black or white, Paul says they feature clean lines, countoured edges, machined aluminum accents, and configurable decorative trim pieces. Theory products are also designed to offer easy installation with a T-slot mount system that accommodates a variety of mounting brackets, including Z-Clips, yokes and ball mounts that can be positioned anywhere along the length of the speaker. Theory is partnered by a family of dedicated Amplified Loudspeaker Controllers.

Meridian is keen to support its partners in making the right choices for each system and so from this September installers now have the option to create their own instant cinema and media room designs using The CEDIA Designer (TCD) software, as an extension of Meridian’s Design and Specification Service. Previously known as The Cinema Designer, the platform is now part of the CEDIA set up and delivers 3D arrangement of speakers, in alignment with industry standards, incorporating the guidelines from Dolby and the CEDIA whitepaper on speaker positioning.

Also new for 2018, Meridian’s M6 digital active loudspeaker which includes updated features, such as the unique ‘mono’ mode technology; combining signals from the left and right channels so that the M6’s signature sound can be achieved from just one speaker. Both the left and right channels are summed, meaning you don’t lose any of the information, making the M6 a room-filling option whether used individually, in a stereo pair or within a surround-sound system.

Meridian of course continues with its flagship DSP loudspeakers, designed to deliver a powerful, authentic audio performance in any room size, thanks to built-in Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology. Featured in Meridian’s DSP8000SE digital active loudspeakers, this solution is designed to reproduce sounds at up to full natural level while providing all the resolution required by sources of up to 24bit and 192kHz. These speakers contain integral DAC’s, power amplifiers and built-in high efficiency digital crossovers. Enhanced Bass Alignment (EBA) technology within the DSP800SEs is designed to deliver strong bass and full-range audio performance, which results in an aligned immersive experience where all ranges of sound reach the listener at one time.

Falcon Acoustics’ GC6500R reference speaker is a new three-way flagship floor-stander using Graphene drivers for the first time. Priced at around £20k a pair and available through karma AV, the speakers include the breakthrough Falcon Sonaweave Graphene Enhanced Nano-Platelet Cone. The maker says that the use of Graphene allows the diaphragm to be 60% lighter and thinner than those of conventional drivers, with significantly improved rigidity, improved damping and a natural, well-controlled roll-off. Also included is a 2in dome horn-loaded midrange driver and ribbon tweeter.

The glass-topped cabinet hand-made in Italy comes in a choice of Walnut and Mahogany real wood veneers, exotic wood veneers or any customer-specified high gloss RAL colour.

Connected Distribution is another distributor with a range of choices.

From Russound comes the Acclaim range of inceiling speakers. The eight strong range of 6in and 8in speakers features an edgeless bezel design, easy-install magnetic grilles, acoustic refinements and prices to help installers deliver optimal performance while realising decent margins. The maker says they are engineered to fit virtually any installation environment, while delivering

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BEAUTIFUL SOUND SINCE 1998

artcoustic.com

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Essential Install | Speakers

The Focal Kanta range is now complete

the peak performance expected from a brand with a reputation for excellent audio quality. The signature edgeless magnetic grilles attach securely using an array of 12 Neodymium magnets and are offered in both round and square. All models feature a time saving and vibration free triple dog-leg fixing, which accommodate a wide range of ceiling materials from 6mm to 35mm thick, allowing installers to finish jobs quickly while guaranteeing the solid grip that high fidelity sound demands. Each model is a two-way design and variants exist with either a flat, non-angled woofer (RSF models) or angled (RSA models) in a low-diffraction baffle that can help direct audio to key listening areas.

Atlantic Technology specialises in high-performance multi-channel speaker systems for home cinemas and offers THX certification. Products such as the IW-30LCR provide an in-wall solution that can be mounted behind a perforated screen in a custom-built baffle wall, or on view to the side of a screen thanks to the bezel-less design. It is a three-way system with a long-excursion 8in woofer, two high-power 3 ½in midranges and Atlantic’s exclusive 1in Low Resonance Tweeter (LRT).

The midranges and tweeter are arrayed in a vertical M-T-M configuration, in a separate sealed enclosure, isolated from the woofer. The entire M-T-M assembly rotates 90°, so the tweeter-midrange array can be kept in the optimum vertical orientation for optimum dispersion, even if mounted horizontally. Matching bi/ di-pole surrounds and an active in-wall subwoofer, all THX Ultra 2 certified, are available for a tonal constant across the cinema.

Focal has recently rounded out its cabinet speaker range, the Kanta, a range which can be used as a standalone music/AV product, but also part of a wider room or multi-room proposition. New products, the Kanta N°1, Kanta N°3 and Kanta Center, join the Kanta N°2 launched last year. These attractive speakers offer some strong tech too, with their Flax cone combining with the company’s Beryllium inverted dome tweeter. The range contains other Focal tech such as a TMD (Tuned Mass Damper) suspension and an NIC (Neutral Inductance Circuit) motor.

Kanta N°1 is the Premium solution for rooms under 269 square ft² (25m2). This loudspeaker is suited to a bookcase setting and when positioned in an enclosed space such as this, or near to a wall, a piece of foam can be slid into the port, which will optimise the bass. It can also be installed on a stand (UK retail £4,499) The maker says Kanta N°3 is the gold standard of this line, generating power and bass that are structured and generous, this unit is suited to larger rooms of up to 861 square ft² (80m2). Focal says the innovations in place make it possible to recreate neutrality in the midrange with higher definition. The latest generation IAL tweeter has been created to reproduce the tiniest details with clinical precision (UK retail £8,999).

Finally, Kanta Center (UK retail £2,299) is designed to deliver the vocal range with neutrality, at both low and very high volumes, making it a useful weapon in home cinema set-ups. Focal says that whatever the film’s background noise, film fans will be surprised by the sound clarity and speech intelligibility. For a home cinema configuration using this line, the Sub 1000 F subwoofer, also featuring a flax cone, is the ideal addition. Focal underlines that the Kanta family is happy playing nice with its 300ICW4 in-ceiling loudspeakers, so Dolby Atmos, DTS X or Auro-3D configuration can also be created.

PMC is one of those brands which has a strong presence in the pro market, from which, through strong tech and word of mouth, looks to build a domestic presence also.

With regards to installation, PMC says its pro ranges make great large scale immersive LCR systems, accompanied by its wafer range for surround applications. The wafer range is also a strong choice as an in-wall or on-wall solution for small home cinema or media room applications.

PMC says its new products demonstrate its commitment to innovation, taken from all walks of life, and a variety of industries. For instance, the fact fenestria, the company’s recently added flagship floor stander, incorporates techniques used in structural engineering to reduce unwanted resonances and vibrations generated from the cabinet. The use of new precisely engineered,

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300 SERIES

A S O U R C E O F I N S P I R AT I O N . . .

MADE IN FRANCE

FO C A L

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Add a new dimension to your music with the new 300 Series from Focal. This discreet, ingenious French design offers simple tool-free installation across a versatile range of high performance products for stereo, multi-channel and home cinema environments. Thanks to patented ‘Flax’ technology drivers and an adjustable aluminium/magnesium inverted dome tweeter, the 300 Series offers a unique and uncoloured listening experience that will give your home a whole new atmosphere.

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Essential Install | Speakers

planar wings act as mass dampers; free to vibrate and move in opposition to the rest of the loudspeaker assembly causing noise cancellation. fenestria also offers new materials, innovative aerodynamic engineering, ground breaking vibrationcancelling design and striking looks to create a loudspeaker which adds no sound of its own leaving nothing but music, says PMC. A recent addition to the PMC team has been Oliver Thomas as research and development manager, who has moved over from Red Bull Racing. The company says this will add Oliver’s experience of designing, measuring and testing of every component to very high engineering standards to ensure products are manufactured consistently to exact specifications as well as the ability to take design concepts from outside the audio industry and apply them to latest products.

Distributed in the UK by Genesis Technologies, the dARTS high-performance home theater solutions are designed to reproduce high quality regardless of the environment. Using dARTS’ flexible system, home owners can have a dedicated home theater room or transform their living room into a high-quality cinema. dARTS drivers and speaker systems are digitally calibrated in an anechoic chamber where each system is tuned to within 0.5 dB of its reference response to create a very precise system. The digital filters for each system are then uploaded into the 16-channel dARTS amp and, once installed, dARTS dealers run a second calibration using a proprietary version of Audyssey that diminishes reflected sounds in the room, reducing the

impact the room has on the sound of the speakers. Once the room is calibrated, the measurements are sent to the 16-channel amp to bring the speakers back to their reference response. The maker says that this means every dARTS system sounds virtually the same in any room once calibrated and with minimal room reflection. dARTS also argues that this flexible approach puts it in a good position to exploit the trend for flex cinema incorporated into a diverse selection of living spaces, while it can still make a dedicated cinema sing too. The company debuted at CEDIA 2018 a sleek, flexible design that allows it to blend with any interior design in any room with in-wall and on-wall installation options.

Artcoustic says its expansive loudspeaker range is designed to have the right products for almost any application. By using the same building blocks throughout, the quality of the range is consistent, with other factors determining which model is the correct one to be specified. Using known and accepted industry standards, systems can be ‘designed’ correctly, rather than simply sold to a price point. Artcoustic helps its dealers to use the product that will deliver on the brief of the project, be it 108db full reference output at the seating distance, down to 99db peaks for smaller systems where the brief is less challenging. Artcoustic says that once the clients understand that there is science and basic mathematics at work here, the system can be looked at objectively it can be appreciated that it will deliver or exceed the brief. The maker’s approach also means that any compromises in terms of budget can be intelligent and considered ones.

The company says that designing this way means that dealers very rarely need to ‘sell’ a system. Artcousitc helps them ‘design’ a great one that clients want to buy.

Everything from a full dedicated Dolby Atmos cinema, a TV lounge, games room, bar, restaurant or study, Artcoustic says its got products to allow systems to be designed technically and honestly. This is all backed up with top quality support, including technical planning, 3D renders, initial site visits, an impressive showroom and final on site calibration and photography.

Custom AV Distribution 01628 563344, cavd.co.uk Aldous Systems Europe 01296 719 582, aldoussystems.co.uk Amina Technologies 01480 354390, amina.co.uk Redline Distribution 01268 858 222, red-line.co.uk AWE Europe 01372 729995, awe-europe.com KEF 01622 672 261, kef.com/html/gb Bowers and Wilkins: 01903 221 800, bowers-wilkins.co.uk Savant Europe 01488 649 340, savanteurope.co.uk Control4 01347 812 300, control4.com Habitech 01256 638500, habitech.co.uk karma av 01423 358846, karma-av.co.uk Connected Distribution 01242 511133, connecteddistribution.com Focal a.oattes@focal-uk.com, focal.com PMC 01767 686 300, pmc-speakers.com Genesis Technologies 0787 9412 280, genesistechnologies.co.uk Artcoustic 01245 400 904, artcoustic.com

46 | September 2018 Speakers.indd 46

25/09/2018 15:54

Rediscover Your Music CUSTOM INSTALL

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There is more to sound

In-wall speakers with no compromise on p

SVI Magazine-02-2018.indd 1 Untitled-2 2

26/09/2018 10:08

nd than meets the eye!

e on performance. The new DALI S Series.

www.dali-speakers.com Untitled-2 3

20/02/2018 26/09/2018 15.07 10:09

Essential Install | Touchscreens, Programming & Drivers

Stay in touch

EI presents a round up of the latest hardware, software, drivers and interfaces that are on the front lines of delivering the best experience possible to the end-user.

Control options have increased across the URC real estate with the MXHP-R700

Distributor AWE has announced three enhancements to the URC MX HomePro control system, with the introduction of a new MXHP-R700 hand-held remote, extended control to eight zones and a Sonos certified two-way control module.

“With these additions, the URC MX HomePro system significantly broadens its appeal to installers,” says Stuart Tickle, MD at AWE. “The MXHP-R700 is an attractive, fully featured controller that is very easy to use for integrated system control. By adding eight zone control capability and a new Sonos certified module to the range, MX HomePro deployment is now a great integration option for installers looking to deliver value for money, reliable, whole home control.”

The MXHP-R700 features a 2in LCD screen with custom on-screen menus, enabling integrators to personalise the remote. The unit also features a comfortable ergonomic design, a backlit keypad, intuitive layout and tactile finger grooves. The remote can also display live video from cameras when used in conjunction with the URC Z-Wave gateway. The remote features a lithium-ion rechargeable battery (single charge can last four days), a table-top charging cradle and on-screen battery indicator.

The introduction of a new two-way Sonos control module, backed by a ‘Works with Sonos’ badge, now enables reliable integration of this popular brand. It brings the capability to group Sonos players, access favourites, volume control and advanced automation features though a simple to access, on-screen interface for the Total Control 2.0 platform.

“URC Total Control 2.0 is an incredibly versatile control solution that’s intuitive to use and easy to customise to meet homeowner tastes and preferences,” says Stuart.

“We’re committed to making the URC experience as seamless, convenient and enjoyable as possible for all our customers. This latest URC certified control module ensures that installers can achieve fast, simple and reliable Sonos integration and brings an attractive feature set that will appeal strongly to their customers. It’s another great reason to go for Total Control 2.0.”

Control4 has had a busy year already with the roll out of its new Certified Showroom initiative across the globe.

Interface-wise, Brad Hintze, senior director of product marketing, argues, “Homeowners must be able to use the system with little training, and have the ability to choose a control device such as a touch screen, wall keypad, handheld remote, smartphone app etc. that suits the usecase and their lifestyle. For example, a handheld remote may be the most natural way to control lights in a TV room, voice control is beneficial for hands-free operation in the kitchen, and a touchscreen with one button press can make it easy to lock up the house upon leaving.

“The programming for custom buttons and daily schedules is important in providing a superior experience for the homeowner. With custom buttons, the homeowner only has to press one button on a wall keypad or their tablet to activate a few, or maybe dozens of devices to set

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20/09/2018 11:59

WE CRAFT AUDIO PRODUCTS THAT PERFORM LIKE NO OTHER Meridian has always challenged convention.

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meridian-audio.com

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19/03/2018 10:58

Essential Install | Touchscreens, Programming & Drivers

ELAN has trialed two new touch panels

Janus has introduced several new abilities for installers to exploit, including better RGB light control

up their house with different ambiances for their lifestyle and activities. A ‘Welcome’ button, for example, can wake up the house for the homeowner including the lights, music, and fan, in lieu of them flipping light switches, adjusting the thermostat, and connecting their music.

The ability to customise each system to the homeowner’s lifestyle paired with redundant control devices brings the benefits of the smart home, where there is rarely a onesize-fits-all option.

This programming combined with a slew of redundant control methods contributes to an intuitive smart home experience, where the homeowner rarely has to think about operating devices. Going forward, this experience will continue to become more seamless, as new technologies like voice control and AI are further incorporated to ease the need for manual control that exists today.”

A company that drives (no pun intended) much innovation across the sector is Janus Technology, responsible for many of the drivers that get disparate systems talking to each other.

A recent introduction has been enhanced control of RGB lighting across the Control4 platform. An intuitive colour wheel accessed on Control4 interfaces allows easy selection of colour and brightness and as device

selection is in-built multiple fixtures can be controlled all at the same time. The initiative supports eight pre-set scenes per light, with on-screen visual scene colour indication. This functionality is available this month for Rako and Collingwood lighting with Phillips Hue support coming in October.

Also for the Control4 platform, Janus has introduced a new driver to provide feedback from up to eight Faradite MOTION SENSOR 360 sensors via BrainBoxes’ remote I/O devices.

Faradite offers two motion sensors that can be used with this driver. The Motion Sensor 360 (0-10V) LUX has both a motion sensor (digital output) and a lux sensor (0-10V) for light sensing, while the recently launched Motion Sensor 360 – Volt Free has just the motion sensor on-board (volt free/dry contact).

The light level (in lux) and motion output are regularly polled by the driver at intervals of 1,000ms and 200ms respectively delivering reliable and fast functionality.

The driver licence is available to download/buy from Janus Technology’s website. Janus can deliver the same integration with other control systems on request.

Control of HVAC is often a challenge, so welcome news is the Janus’ driver for Heatmiser and Coolmaster for Control4.

This driver is designed to remove the need for a more complex and expensive BMS system and reduce client confusion having to deal with multiple thermostats in a single room. Janus has developed a driver that integrates heating and cooling control into a single intuitive thermostat so the customer gets a single setpoint and the driver automatically manages ‘deadband’ between heating/cooling to deliver efficiency. The driver also supports auto; heat only and cool only modes.

Also on tap from Janus is the company’s BMS Integration Consultancy services. AV Integrators sometimes struggle understanding HVAC and the complexities of integration and communication with HVAC installers can seem like they’re talking another language. This is the gap Janus bridges as the company understands HVAC and AV and can make a seamless integration between the two. A range of services from consulting advice, to bespoke driver development and even design of the complete BMS control solution are on offer.

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Control without limits

Crestron Pyng OS 2: video is here Crestron Pyng® OS 2 powers setup and deployment of the renowned Crestron smart home experience like never before. Now, you can deliver complete customised automation and control of your clients’ homes, including integration of DigitalMedia™ products, displays, AVRs, set-top boxes, local sources, remotes, and more. Crestron Pyng OS 2 lets you do it all at incredible speed, and deliver an unparalleled user experience your clients will love.

The operating system of the world’s smartest homes crestron.com/pyng All brand names, product names, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Certain trademarks, registered trademarks, and trade names may be used to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Crestron disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. Crestron is not responsible for errors in typography or photography. ©2018 Crestron Electronics, Inc.

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Essential Install | Touchscreens, Programming & Drivers

iRemoteControl is offering an exclusive deal through EI, get in touch with the company for more info

Demonstrating its abilities in the area, Janus has recently taken on a complex BMS job in Portugal using North to run a complex plant room involving heat pumps, chillers and solar recovery supplying a luxury villa with multiple pools, fancoil and underfloor heating as well as cooling, all integrated with Control4 and KNX. The ELAN platform, distributed in the UK by Indigo Distribution, has revealed two new touch panels which include voice control and IntelliVision face recognition.

“With the control enabled by face recognition and voice, these new interfaces go way beyond what we’d normally call a touch panel,” says ELAN product manager Jeff Shaw.

“They are fully interactive control panels that redefine what smart home control can be.”

Each new intelligent touch panel starts with a highresolution touch screen interface. Face recognition and advanced motion analytics from NSC’s IntelliVision enable these two panels to respond to individual users with personalised options. The dual digital MEMS microphonearray provides the voice control with flexibility that lets users choose their preferred voice interface without needing to fill the house with voice assistant hardware. The touch panels also display high-resolution video, including monitoring and playback from ELAN surveillance cameras and NVR. Two-way audio and video enables communication with the video doorbell, paging, and ELAN Intercom.

ELAN Discovery simplifies installation by autodiscovering the intelligent touch panels on the network and configuring them with just a click. Each panel mounts using a standard two gang (US) box, which means no custom bracket is required. The interactive panels can be powered locally using a 12VDC power supply (not included) or using PoE. The panels connect to the controller over Wi-Fi or using power over Ethernet and with a single wire hook up. Both touch panels, which come in 8in and 12in configurations, will ship in Q2 of 2019.

A company that has delivered some genuine innovation looking to save installers time and money

in this area is iRemoteControl delivering bespoke control code and interface packages. Paul Kasler, MD for the company, has some strong views on where control is headed.

Paul says, “My view on this, after considerable reflection over the past six months, is that the market is about to change dramatically as the major manufacturers in the Smart TV sector start to take a greater interest in AV control – in particular using communication protocols such as CEC and SDDP to simplify the control process.

“I believe that the end result, by mid 2019, will be very much like the effect of the iPad when it was introduced in 2010 which was ‘why should I pay thousands of pounds on a dedicated remote control panel when I can buy an iPad for £399’. The next wave of consumer response in late 2019 will be ‘why should I spend hundreds of pounds on custom software when my TV remote now comes with a self-configuring capability to also control my amplifier and sources?’.

Paul argues, “I don’t think the other remote control manufacturers have grasped the importance of the emergence of voice control and the growing support of this by manufacturers. It is not the actual voice control aspect that is the key issue here, but the front-end that discovers which devices are connected to other devices and then dynamically derives the control code – whether it is for voice control or the bigger picture of customising their own next generation of ‘Smart Remotes’.

“Up until now, this control has been limited to disparate devices with no real understanding by these manufacturers than in a custom installer environment we need to control the TV, projector, amplifier and sources in a carefully orchestrated manner i.e. a timed macro sequence.”

However, Paul is confident he has the answer, “Our current release of iRemoteControl provides a simple five-minute manual data entry process which achieves the above. The installer documents this information via a simple online form defining which devices are used where

54 | September 2018 Touchscreens.indd 54

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Integration solutions to enhance your install

RGB Colour Wheel

Supports Rako, Collingwood, Phillips Hue and more

BMS

Bespoke BMS solutions – Trend, North and Bacnet.

Now including plant room control

Integrated Heatmiser/Coolmaster

Single thermostat driver providing interlocked control

www.janustechnology.co.uk

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Essential Install | Touchscreens, Programming & Drivers

Ultamation has developed this new proof of concept for Crestron offering control via real world interfaces

and what HDMI/Matrix inputs are used for which room.

The custom code for that client is then available to them online within eight working hours.”

The next release of iRemoteControl in early 2019 will move towards automating this process further and driving down the code cost, from the current £150, to under £100 per licence, whether it is installed on an iPad or iPhone.

Paul adds, “Over the past two years, we have been quietly developing our code to be self-configuring so that we only need to change 40-50 lines of front-end code in order to provide a custom app for any dwelling – up to 32 rooms with up to 32 sources available across those rooms.

“Furthermore, because this code is 99.99% the same across all installations, the software is super stable and incredibly easy to update should the end-user change a device. Each client’s control code is encrypted into their own password-protected Dropbox folder. Any changes can be downloaded by the client online without any need for the installer to come on-site. This includes updating the 3/4 digit channel codes for our ‘Favourite Channels’ page – something that seems to change every couple of months nowadays.”

In 2019, the company will also be offering an OEM version of this front-end customisation code to the major smart TV manufacturers.

The other USP that iRemoteControl products offer is (where commercially possible) lifelike virtual remotes, drawn at retina-quality resolution, of interfaces the user if already familiar with, such as Sky. The main difference from the actual remote is that the interface knows what else is connected on the system delivering control across all the products included. iRemoteControl is offering an initial licence price of £100+VAT until the end of 2018 for any installers wanting to test the software out in their own home or demonstration room. This is an exclusive offer through

EI; installers should quote the code EI2018 to obtain their special pricing.

Asked for input, Crestron is very keen to talk about the abilities of its Pyng platform and in particular, the new OS 2 version.

Michael Short, global residential marketing manager, highlights the speed of deployment and lack of programming needed to get a system up and running.

With support for Cloud-based services, Crestron Pyng OS 2 also enables installers to configure, control and support clients’ systems remotely, saving time on-site and after deployment. Crestron Pyng OS 2 has also expanded access to third-party device drivers behindthe-scenes from the Cloud or via download, so the platform supports everything from IP and IR, to RS232 and CEC. Device drivers are downloaded behind-thescenes from myCrestron, or installers can directory load them into the Crestron Pyng system. IP control for LG, Samsung and Sony devices is on-board and installers can also create their own compatible IR drivers using the standard Crestron IR learner. Its also possible to deliver compatible IP or RS232 drivers using the Crestron Certified Driver SDK. Other new functionality includes the ability to define all video connections visually; control video and route sources, and group audio devices to play the same source. Also included are TV pre-sets for easy access to favourite TV channels, radio stations, movies and music.

The 3-Series Control Processor for Pyng (CP3-R) has been created to provide a secure, high-performance, rack mountable control processor with embedded Crestron Pyng OS 2. It is designed exclusively to function as the core of a Crestron Pyng home automation system and features enhanced processing power to handle larger home automation, home theatre, multiroom video and MDU applications.

56 | September 2018 Touchscreens.indd 56

20/09/2018 12:00

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26/09/2018 14:33

Essential Install | Touchscreens, Programming & Drivers

The maker also underlines that a complete Pyng home automation system can be controlled and monitored using the Crestron Pyng app, as well as Crestron touch screens, keypads, handheld remotes and lighting controls installed in each room of the home.

Another interesting move has been a partnership with EI ‘Day in the Life’ alumni installers Ultamation which offers a unique user interface that evolves the way homeowners interact with Crestron smart home technology.

Dubbed ‘Crestron Through the Looking Glass’, the technology uses the camera on a smart device to present a real-world interface for the customer to control their environment.

Ultamation was already well down the road to having this technology up and running when EI interviewed the company back in March, but now it’s officially available for Crestron. The augmented touch screen app has the potential to be integrated within residential, commercial and assisted living applications, providing a mechanism by which visual features around the home, such as a painting or a display, can be recognised through the camera on a device. These are then identified by the Crestron processor to display a floating menu of control options over the live camera image.

The app uses the floating menu which tracks the features as the user moves the camera and provides interaction with the feature in display. For example, when hovering over the TV, the screen will display control options over the top of the image, such as source selected and recently watched content. In addition, the window could offer shade control, and the door might provide information about the current meeting room status. The app earned Ultamation a Crestron Integration Award 2018 for ‘Most Unique Application’.

Oliver Hall, founder of Ultamation, says, “Following Crestron’s lead in driving innovation rather than safely following the crowd, we have developed a proof-ofconcept for an alternative way for users to interact with their Crestron powered intelligent home or workspace.

Our solution opens the door to some exciting possibilities covering assisted living, aesthetics and usability and could offer unique opportunities available only to Crestron solution providers.”

The app combines the power of visual feature recognition with the speech-to-text service, available in many Crestron user interface products, including the TSR and TSW ranges. With ease of configuration and no complex requirements or calibrations, image recognition is very adaptable for the user. Features are identified through images taken with the device’s camera, from multiple angles, to provide a high degree of feature recognition stability. This set-up method also allows for changes in environment, and the image recognition is adaptable to variations between the captured image and the current scene – such as allowing for people to be in the image.

The RTI platform, supported and distributed in the UK by Invision, has also introduced new software with its Integration Designer APEX 10.4 Programming suite. The upgrade offers time-saving features and provides support for new RTI intelligent remote monitoring solution. The backbone of RTI’s control and automation solutions, the latest version of the Windows-based programming platform, introduces a variety of new time-saving features for integrators including layers, viewports, and source bundles in addition to support for the RTiQ intelligent remote monitoring solution.

“When APEX was released last year, we promised our integrators that a number of advanced capabilities would be following in future software releases,” says Mike Everett, vice president of global sales, RTI. “Version 10.4 really delivers on that promise. This is one of the biggest Integration Designer releases ever, providing integrators with sought-after features like layers and source bundles, while allowing them to take advantage of pivotal new RTI solutions such as RTiQ. We can’t wait to see what they can do with this new functionality.”

With layers, Integration Designer APEX 10.4 allows programmers to manage complex layouts more easily by isolating changes to specific areas of the GUI. With shared layers, any edits made on one page are automatically implemented globally. Viewports add more versatility to RTiPanel devices by providing sections of the screen that can be swiped through without impacting other graphics on the page. Another huge time saver is the source bundle capability, which allows integrators to export fully developed interfaces for reuse in existing or future projects.

By providing access to the RTiQ cloud-based remote management solution, Integration Designer APEX 10.4 allows integrators to intelligently monitor their clients’ systems and receive alerts via email and text messages when a problem occurs. They can then remotely trigger custom actions and reset devices. RTI says the result is a better experience for customers, with system downtime reduced by eliminating the need for service calls.

New hardware is also part of the refreshed RTI landscape with the new T4x flagship remote control, KA8 and KA11 tabletop and on-wall touchpanels showcased recently for release towards the end of the year.

RTI says the new T4x remote control is suited for any contemporary environment with a sleek design offering strong ergonomics, a high-resolution 4in capacitive touchscreen, and fully programmable soft-touch buttons. The T4x also includes grip sensors, Wi-Fi and dual RF. Featuring fully customisable 8in or 11.6in widescreen high-resolution LCD displays with integrated capacitive touchscreens, the KA8 and KA11 touch panels have been created to provide simple, intuitive control over all electronic systems. The devices are easily wall-mounted or can be used with an accessory stand for tabletop installation. Ambient light and proximity sensors automatically adjust the screen brightness and LED backlight according to the environment’s light level, while built-in Ethernet with PoE and dual-band Wi-Fi enable video from IP security cameras, enhanced two-way feedback, and remote programming updates.

AWE Europe 01372 729 995, awe-europe.com Control4 01347 812 300, control4.com Indigo Distribution 02891 455 565, indigodistribution.ie iRemoteControl 0208 4204 333, remotecontrol.tv Janus Technology 01223 833 852, janustechnology.co.uk Crestron 0845 873 8787, crestron.eu Ultamation 0151 331 5210, ultamation.com Invision 01359 270280, invisionuk.com

58 | September 2018 Touchscreens.indd 58

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Untitled-2 1

23/07/2018 14:33

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Untitled-4 1

12/07/2018 11:18

Essential Install | IFA/CEDIA 2018

Sonos launched its new Amp and promised Sonance created integrated speakers

Launches galore!

With IFA and CEDIA 2018 taking place in Germany and the U.S at the same time this year, EI presents a round-up of just come of the key news and launches.

It’s actually a toss-up this year between these two shows as to which one had the most of interest for installers. Certainly IFA has upped its game in terms of install friendly products, could this be because install is becoming more of a mainstream consumer product proposition? We think this is definitely part of the story.

First up Philips chose IFA to launch its first collaboration with UK audio wizards Bowers & Wilkins.

These days the TV brand is made under license by TP Vision and some interesting concepts are coming through, like the OLED+ 903 TV – the first set to benefit from the two companies’ combined skill sets.

The partners believe that the OLED+ 903 will establish a new reference point for TV picture and sound and will create a viewing experience superior to any previous or current set.

The OLED+ 903 will launch this October in 55in and 65in versions, offering the benefits of the latest OLED technology working with a new second generation version of Philips’

P5 Perfect Processing Engine and the three-sided Ambilight system. New OLED technology includes the latest 2018 OLED panel, offering a 10% increase in light output to a new peak of 1,000 Nits – when compared to the 2017 sets.

High peak light output and OLED’s traditional infinite black level performance provide high contrast and are important in unlocking the full potential of HDR content.

TP Vision has also become the third manufacturer to join the HDR10+ alliance and the OLED+ 903 is one of Philips’ first sets to offer HDR+ performance.

However, for the foreseeable future, as the majority of viewed content is likely to remain SDR rather than HDR, this set includes Perfect Natural Reality tech which uses an advanced intelligent contrast algorithm in combination with the P5’s existing local and global contrast enhancement systems. This tech continually calculates how to increase source quality, brightness, sharpness and contrast performance to give SDR a boost.

September 2018 | 61 IFA-CEDIA.indd 61

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Learn more at cedia.net Untitled-7 1

29/05/2018 16:03

Essential Install | IFA/CEDIA 2018

Loewe got colourful at IFA 2018

The first collaboration between Philips TV and Bowers & Wilkins has produced the OLED+ 903 TV

The OLED+ 903 builds on the sound system of the OLED 803 by using Bowers & Wilkins’ engineering expertise and patented technology. The sound system features new Bowers & Wilkins drivers throughout, mounted in larger, more rigid and dedicated enclosures.

The rear bass enclosure features a larger low frequency drive unit with larger twin passive radiators. All are mounted in a larger enclosure, with an increased internal volume and additional ribs to stiffen the structure. The twin tweeter/mid-range units are now forward rather than downward firing. The drivers are also mounted in new stiffer enclosures. The soft dome tweeter and paper mid-range of the OLED 803 have been replaced by a flush mounted 19in titanium tweeter and a glass-fibre mid-range – both mounted within their own sealed areas within the overall driver enclosure.

Bower & Wilkins has also helped to optimise the OLED+ 903’s DSP functionality, while amplification and the overall power output has remained the same at 50W. Bass performance is also said to have been significantly increased, but remains clean and accurate, giving movies real impact but also allowing the OLED+ 903 to also offer strong music playback.

Loewe also used IFA to showcase new software updates alongside the new ‘Colour Code’ series.

In conjunction with German designer and creative director Bodo Sperlein, Loewe has debuted three new shades on its bild 5 OLED model. The three new colours, which make up the ‘Colour Code’ series, can be ordered upon request to create a bespoke TV and are made up of Himalayan Rose, Fog Blue and Citrine Yellow. The new colours are available on the signature wooden stand of Loewe’s bild 5 OLED model, also created by Sperlein for the brand.

Loewe has also partnered with Mimi Hearing Technologies to create Mimi DefinedÔ, the first ever TV with integrated sound personalisation. This new audio technology will shortly be integrated with its TV sets to profile the user and create a personalised sound specific to the owner of

that TV. Lots of detail is not available as yet, but basically the set profiles what the user does and tries to predict what volume level or emphasis on a particular part of the audio feed is needed for different types of content. This technology will reach all Loewe TV sets and connected devices via a software upgrade.

Loewe has also expanded its portfolio of solutions in cooperation with mounting expert Vogels. Thanks to software integration with the Loewe user interface (Loewe OS system), Vogel’s swivelling NEST 7335 TV wall bracket can be operated directly from the Loewe television and its dedicated remote control. Finally, Amazon Alexa is now available on Loewe’s range of smart TVs. The technology means it is possible to control up to three Loewe TVs in a household via voice commands, while also managing smart home devices in the Alexa app on a smartphone.

Users or installers just need to install the Amazon Alexa app and pair it with their chosen Loewe TV(s).

IFA offered several chances to meet with new projector offerings including three new models from Epson (EHTW7400, EH-TW9400, EH-TW9400W). Described as affordable, with great connectivity and easy set-up, the machines are all 4K compatible.

Epson is grouping its high-end visual technologies under the umbrella term PRO UHD. To deliver high-quality images, these PRO UHD projectors offer a high dynamic contrast ratio up to 1,200,000:1, 4K-enhancement technology, 3LCD technology, full HD, UHD BD and HDR support. Building on the previous models, the enhanced EH-TW9400/W are capable of handling all 4K input devices.

The manufacturer says 3LCD technology means users avoid the ‘rainbow effect’ and enjoy vivid colours thanks to an equally high white and colour light output of up to 2,600lm. HDR support reveals the extra detail and depth, giving natural yet richer colours. The ultra-wide colour gamut increases the range of lifelike colour, while the contrast ratio of up to 1,200,000:1 delivers deep blacks for defined detail in the shadows. The projectors have also been designed to be straightforward to set up. The motorised optics include a powered 2.1x optical zoom, powered focus and powered lens shift of ±96.3% vertical and ±47.1% horizontal.

The machines can also store 10 different set-ups to suit different types and formats of content. Additionally, the EH-TW9400W offers wireless viewing.

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Essential Install | IFA/CEDIA 2018

IFA witnessed a number of significant projector launches from Epson, JVC and Sony

Not to be left out, JVC also introduced three new projectors at IFA, all of which are using the newest Native 4K D-ILA devices. Of particular note is the DLA-NX9, which promises to use the company’s e-shift technology to deliver the world’s first ‘8K’ home cinema projector from full HD or 4K content. This model is joined by two native 4K models, the DLA-N7 / N5, with all three due to be available in EMEA from late October.

With 4K still in its infancy, the 8K DLA-NX9 tech via e-shift technology could be seen as a bit of a gimmick, however those that have seen them so far including the team at distributor CAVD, say the images are very impressive.

The DLA-NX9 has a new 100mm diameter high resolution glass lens, with the DLA-N7/N5 models offering the latest 4K D-ILA device and a 65mm diameter glass lens, all three feature a new 0.69in native 4K D-ILA device.

JVC says the newest 0.69in native 4K D-ILA device with 3.8µm pixel pitch achieves high resolution display of 8.8 million pixels (4096 x 2160 pixels), and with an improved planarisation technique which reduces light scattering and light diffraction results in both improved brightness and black level compared to conventional devices. The narrow pitch is designed to provide Native 4K imagery with smooth, detailed picture without any visible pixel structure.

The DLA-NX9 is equipped with a high resolution 18-element, 16-group all-glass lens with full aluminium lens barrel. To ensure high resolution up to every corner of the screen while realising a wide shift range of +/-100% vertical, +/-43% horizontal, a 100mm diameter lens has been selected.

The HDR10 mastering information MaxCLL (Maximum Content Light Level) / MaxFALL (Maximum Frame Average Light Level) varies depending on the content. Therefore, in order to achieve the best HDR10 experience, it is necessary to set the appropriate brightness settings for each content.

The new JVC Auto Tone Mapping function automatically adjusts settings based on the mastering information (in case of content that does not contain mastering information, it will be fixed value or manual adjustment).

JVC says all three projectors faithfully reproduce HDR10 content in addition to the HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) adopted in broadcasting.

A combination of 265W ultra-high pressure mercury lamp and efficient optical engine deliver high brightness of 2,200lm (DLA-NX9). Together with the new D-ILA device which has narrow pixel gap and improved light efficiency, smooth, powerful images are delivered, says the maker.

Brightness for DLA-N7 is 1,900 lm, and DLA-N5 is 1,800 lm.

The new 0.69in native 4K D-ILA device and optical engine with wire grid deliver native contrast ratio of 100,000:1 (DLA-NX9). In combination with Intelligent Lens Aperture which analyses the input image and automatically controls the black level, JVC says a dynamic contrast of 1,000,000:1 can be achieved. For DLA-N7 Native 80,000:1, Dynamic 800,000:1, for the DLA-N5 native 40,000:1, Dynamic 400,000:1.

Clear Motion Drive is JVC’s original motion control technology which also supports 4K60P (4:4:4) signal. The feature has been renewed for the new line-up improving moving images further. Together with Motion Enhance, which optimises the driving of D-ILA device according to the motion of the image, motion blur is reduced.

Also offering three new beamers at IFA was Sony, all with evolved 4K Motionflow enabling smoother and clearer motion by adding extra frames to reduce blur and maintain brightness. The three models also offer HDR (high dynamic range) images in delicate colour gradation thanks to HDMI 18 Gbps compatibility and 4K 60P 10bit processing, says Sony.

To meet the growing demand for 4K/60p gaming content, users can now also enjoy faster response speeds with input lag reduction, says the maker. This is combined with Reality Creation technology that is designed to analyse every element of an image to provide enhanced clarity and resolution without noise. The three new models include the VPL-VW870ES, Sony’s latest premium 4K laser light source projector which offers an All Range Crisp Focus (ARC-F) lens, and an 18-piece all glass lens that has been developed to deliver high precision in every corner of the image, yet within a compact and lightweight design. Alongside this, the addition of the Digital Focus Optimiser in the VPL-VW870ES provides refined image quality and accurate focus without distortion, says Sony.

The VPL-VW570ES is a versatile model with Picture Position Memory to change the settings for the ideal format including 16:9 and Cinemascope as well as high dynamic contrast by an Advanced Iris. Lastly, the VPLVW270ES brings a 4K HDR experience at Sony’s most affordable price point yet, including a new input lag reduction mode for gamers.

CEDIA U.S 2018

Noteable launches from the other side of the pond included StormAudio adding its first 20-channel preamp/ processor, the ISP 3D.20 ELITE. The unit joins the brand’s line-up of 16- and 32-channel analogue and digital preamp/processors, along with its suite of eight and 16-channel amplifiers. Equipped with 20-XLR outputs, the maker says the ISP 3D.20 ELITE is ideal for theatres that require more than 16 channels, for example those that will employ multiple subwoofers, or speaker configurations that accommodate all three immersive sound formats.

It also incorporates the same capabilities as the brand’s 16- and 32-channel models. This includes built-in compatibility with Auro-3D, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X and Dirac Live Room Calibration.

Other features include 9.1.6 native processing to support Dolby Atmos and DTS: X and an advanced Graphic User Interface (WebUI) that is designed to offer intuitive access, setup, and monitoring. The unit also

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Loki Cinemascope The new Barco Residential Loki Cinemascope laser projector offers the same Ultra HD enhancements as his Loki stablemate, coupled with a high-capacity 2.37:1 aspect DLP engine. This exceptional design allows a 2.40:1 film to be shown without requiring an anamorphic lens.

In partnership with Genesis Technologies and Meridian Audio, we help you create the very best home cinema and media room experience for your customers. 路 Motorized DCI notch filters 路 HDR10

To find out more contact neil@genesistechnologies.co.uk or design@meridian.co.uk

路 HDMI 2.0a 路 HDCP 2.2

www.barco.com/residential

Untitled-1 Barco Barco edited.indd HER 1ad Loki 1Essential Install Apr17.indd 1

Experience the difference at CEDIA Booth #2127

14/07/2017 09:13 23/08/2018 14:38 12/04/17 09:55

Essential Install | IFA/CEDIA 2018

The StormAudio 20-channel preamp/processor, the ISP 3D.20 ELITE is now shipping

incorporates StormMonitoring, a feature that grants the installer the flexibility to diagnose all aspects of system health and reset just as if they were physically on-site. This built-in web-based remote monitoring platform provides complete up-to-date views on all parameters of system health with the ability to receive email notifications of desired thresholds when hooked-up with a Network Management agent and related service subscription such as Domotz. The ISP 3D.20 ELITE processor can be also customised and upgraded at time of order, or in the future by way of its scalable, modular platform.

In keeping with the evolving 2.0 HDMI format landscape, the brand is now also offering a 7.2 HDMI board with full support of HDMI 2.0 / HDCP2.2 and HDR. Savant had a strong show with new options for IP Music Servers and in-wall invisible speakers, while offering access to established DSP amplifiers. Savant says the objective is to provide integration professionals with the tools they need to satisfy the premium whole-house entertainment needs of every client.

The new Savant IP Audio Music Server has been designed to enable integrators to provide local content or streaming of music for their clients. The IP Audio Music Server works with Savant’s family of IP Audio products to create a whole-house entertainment system in any zone by accessing the network. The IP Audio Music Server features Savant Music 2.0, the new music server experience based on improved software that includes improved speed, easier navigation, preset recall and song queues. Savant Music 2.0 also features redesigned app control screens, making it easier for users to navigate.

Designed to be completely hidden behind the wall, recently part of the Savant family, Artison says its engineers have developed a technology that sounds rich and detailed yet requires less amplifier power than traditional speakers. Artison Sound Surface speakers are designed to be sheet rock mudded into the wall, allowing them to be textured for a clean final install for invisible audio. The fully closed back design offers isolation from other spaces and the single-piece body is designed for simple installation into both pre-construction and retrofit options. Artison Sound Surface speakers can be installed outdoors under material like stucco or beneath decorative wallpaper. Available in 40 or 80W versions.

Sonos unveiled its new Amp and promises a fresh collaboration with Sonance to create Sonos branded integrated speakers.

Underlining the increased connection between the world of mainstream consumer electronics and the install trade world, this initiative does not just feature two companies from different ends of the install spectrum, but also was featured at both shows.

The new Sonos Amp is described as a powerful and versatile home audio hub that powers traditional wired speakers with sound from nearly any source, and fully

integrates these speakers into Sonos’ wireless home sound system. The Amp is twice as powerful as its predecessor, supports Apple’s AirPlay 2 and more than 100 streaming services, and includes an HDMI ARC port for TVs. Launching globally in February 2019, UK pricing will be £599.

The Amp is designed to fit into standard AV racks and can power up to four speakers with 125W per channel.

Onboard HDMI and line-in ports means TVs, turntables, CD changers, and other audio components can connect with Amp and become part of the Sonos system.

Perhaps the most surprising and interesting part of the news is that Sonos and architectural audio maker Sonance have announced a collaboration aimed at delivering a series of three architectural speakers – in-wall, in-ceiling and outdoor – that gain additional functionality through software when paired with the new Sonos Amp. The two makers say that this collaboration will provide a complete offering for professionally installed architectural sound, exclusively enabling Sonos’ Trueplay tuning capabilities to ensure the best sound for the space as well as the benefits of Sonos’ software platform. These products, which will be sold and marketed by Sonos, will launch in early 2019.

Control4 had a busy CEDIA, most significant is the confirmation of its tie-up with KNX. Availability immediately is a new Control4 KNX solution, including KNX support within the Control4 OS and a new KNX product line.

Control4 says KNX has become a popular standard for lighting and HVAC control in markets around the world and this release embraces and integrates KNX into the Control4 ecosystem. The initiative is delivering over 100 new products, including lighting, HVAC, blinds and rollers, keypads, frames, and bus management products.

The new Control4 KNX Network driver, supported in the latest Control4 OS release, natively connects to existing KNX devices without requiring third-party integration. This new support for KNX enables interoperability with the entire Control4 ecosystem, including support for Amazon Alexa voice control and over 12,000 other connected products.

The company says for homeowners, the new Control4 KNX solution provides the full breadth of the Control4 experience, including intuitive ways to control and interact with a home through a mobile app, touch screens, handheld remote, and voice control. Additionally, homeowners now have the ability to directly fine-tune their smart home automation using When >> Then choices, a feature which stand-alone KNX does not support.

Another announcement at the show was that BakPak remote management capability is now available for all Pakedge WK and WX access points, as well as PowerPak PDUs (power distribution units). Dealers can now reboot devices, update firmware, or change Wi-Fi passwords from anywhere, without additional hardware or licensing fees.

Available via a firmware update, this BakPak release makes remote management a standard capability for all Pakedge access points and PowerPak PDUs, unlocking the benefits of BakPak for a wider range of customer home networks. Even the simplest systems, with a singular Pakedge access point or PowerPak PDU, can be remotely accessed, configured, and managed from a mobile device or web browser. An updated mobile BakPak app provides on-the-go management right from an iOS or Android device, and a new web-based user experience freshens up the interface with a more intuitive menu and navigation layout.

So plenty for installers to get their teeth into for 2018 and beyond, be interesting to see if IFA matches CEDIA for install relevance again next year.

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www.oneav.co.uk 14/09/2018 10:49

EssentialREVIEW Roon Nucleus+

Roon for another on top?

The Nucleus+ supercharges the Roon experience

This month our intrepid CI focused reviewer, Richard Stevenson, sets his sights on the Roon Nucleus+ music server.

Roon is a software-based music service that merges stored and streaming music content into a single library interface, adding a raft of detailed information on tracks, artists and albums along the way. It can be run on any PC, so why has Roon created a premium hardware platform for the service? The answer is ease of installation, improved reliability and a slicker, faster experience for the end-user. Sounds like an ideal installation product then.

The Nucleus+ is the higher specified of a two-strong range from Roon, based on a fast Intel i7 processor with 8GB of RAM. The custom Linux operating system and Roon firmware is stored on its own SSD, and the unit has a 2.5in HDD space for an on-board library. We used a second SSD drive here to keep the whole unit completely silent in operation, although if you have music on a NAS or other external devices, the extra drive is not essential.

Roon is very proud of the work it has done in conjunction with Intel on the Nucleus family architecture, creating a powerful, fan-less unit with passive fin cooling along both sides of the cast aluminium case. With no controls, lights or even legends on the front, the Nucleus+ is a sleek looking

device, although will require a shelf and 2U of vertical space to accommodate in a rack.

Roon OS eschews the advanced functionality (and associated issues) of larger OS’s such as Windows, Mac OS etc, in favour of a system that handles just networking, storage and fast database access. It’s relatively secure against end-user hacking and is designed to be reliable and robust. The system evolves regularly, with Roon-approved features appearing via automated network updates. That recently included Chromecast support.

The rear panel houses an RJ45, two USB 3.0 ports for external storage devices or a USB DAC, HDMI audio output for hooking it up to an AV system, and a currently redundant Thunderbolt port. The sockets are neatly recessed in the rear of the case beside an illuminated power switch. The power supply is a simple in-line 19V/3.4A switch-mode device.

The Nucleus+ is effectively a digital source device with no on-board DAC. Options for audio output are perhaps the most comprehensive of any server on the market including USB 3.0, HDMI or any number of Roon Partner end-point devices from brands including Sonos, Bluesound, Kef, Naim and many, many more.

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EssentialREVIEW Roon Nucleus+

Installation

Performance

Set-up and operation of the Nucleus+ is all done through the Roon app, available on iOS, Android, Mac OS and Windows. As an installer or retailer, you can set-up as a Roon partner, giving you free access to the fully-featured Roon 1.5 suite of features. You can manage your customers’ subscription to the service, currently running at $119 per year or $499 lifetime membership.

The Nucleaus+ is a Roon Core device that acts as the central hub and library management tool to all content on the network. This can include NAS drives, HDDs plugged into the Nucleus+, an iTunes library, network shares, UPnP storage, streaming services and libraries from Roon partner storage platforms such as the Bluesound Vault. The Core collates the content, manages the library and pulls in Roon metadata. The library information, metadata and indexing is built and held on the Nucleus+’s storage, while the content remains in its native location.

Once connected to the network and logged into a Roon partner account, the Nucleus+ undertakes a network search to discover all compatible Roon endpoints and shared available libraries. The interface here is supremely slick, right down to little line drawings of the end-point devices to help work out what is what.

Each device can have completely different capabilities regarding format support, sample rates and streaming protocols. You can enable each device individually, set up how they operate and where the format decoding takes place. The Signal Path feature shows a slick graphical illustration of the data path and status at every point from source to output.

The general settings menu is huge, but logical and comprehensive. Options from here include a suite of DSP pre-sets, manual 5-band parametric EQ, sample rate conversion, pre-sets for various headphones and speaker set-up for each end-point. All of which can be disabled for the audio purist.

The Nucleus+ makes for a blisteringly fast Roon interface. The system discovered 15 potential endpoints on my network (mostly Bluesound devices) and five storage devices with content, including NAS, iTunes and two PC libraries. It built a 30,000 song database, complete with 6,600 reviews and biographies, 6,000 images and 20,000 lyrics in less than an hour. That is a fraction of the time I have seen Roon take to build smaller cores on a Windows laptop in the past.

The metadata is variable depending on artist, so the likes of the Rolling Stones get the full treatment with detailed bios, PDF album notes, cover art and reviews. Hyperlinks in the text lead you to other bands, colorations and information. Lesser known artists from the niche depths of my library got no more than track listing and an album image.

Irrespective of the amount of metadata, the Nucleus+’s speed and seamless access to content shines through the app controller interface. There is no lag and very little delay in finding or selecting content from a variety of sources, including streaming services. It is easy to search for Masters MQA content on Tidal too.

Having no DACs on-board, the final audio sound quality is largely at the behest of connected devices, such as a USB DAC, AVR or Roon end-point. Yet, the Nucleus+ goes a long way to ensure as clean and low-jitter feed to those devices as possible. The result is a significantly more engaging and rhythmic sound to audiophile end-devices than is possible using a noisy PC to build the Roon Core.

Roon remains the most compelling music service for serious music enthusiasts and the Nucleus+ makes the concept super-slick, very fast and seriously robust. For premium audio installations, the Nucleus+ is a simply outstanding solution.

The Roon software experience now has a hardware partner that matches its love of music

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Essential Install | Training Dates

AL LT R A D E

RA KO T RA I N IN G

INDUSTRY UPDATE & NEW PRODUCTS FROM BLUSTREAM

FOUNDATION COURSE

DATES/LOCATION: October 2 (10am) Reading Branch, October 3 (10am) Hemel Hempstead Branch, October 4 (10am) Cardiff Branch, October 9 (10am) Bolton Branch COST: Free

DEMOPAD SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING DATES/LOCATION: October 18 (9:30am) Bolton Branch COST: Free

INTRODUCTION TO HDL DATES/LOCATION: October 10 (9:15am) Brighton & Hove Branch, October 16 (9:15am) Nottingham, October 25 (9:15am) Bolton Branch COST: Free

INTRODUCTION TO SONOS DATES/LOCATION: October 9 (10am) Brighton & Hove/ Bournemouth Branches, October 11 (10am) Hemel Hempstead/Reading Branches (2pm) Maidstone Branch COST: Free

LEVEL 1 UBIQUITI DATES/LOCATION: October 3 (2pm) Bournemouth Branch, October 4 (2pm) Maidstone Branch, October 25 (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch COST: Free

LEVEL 2 UBIQUITI DATES/LOCATION: October 10 (2pm) Bournemouth Branch COST: Free

INTRODUCTION TO IRS DATES/LOCATION: October 24 (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch, October 25 (2pm) Maidstone Branch COST: Free

DATES/LOCATION: October 11, November 15, Rochester COST: Free

ADVANCED COURSE DATES/LOCATION: October 18, November 1, November 13, November 29, December 13, Rochester (laptop required) COST: Free

MORE INFORMATION »

For more information or to book call 01634 226666 or email training@rakocontrols.com

CA I BASIC AERIAL & SATELLITE INSTALLATION DATES/LOCATION: Oct 30, 31, Nov 1, Watford, Hertfordshire; Dec 11, 12, 13, Watford, Hertfordshire COST: Member £510 / Non Member £765

FIBRE OPTICS IN SIGNAL DISTRIBUTION DATES/LOCATION: Oct 24, Watford, Hertfordshire COST: Member £210 / Non Member £315

MAKING THE BOND DATES/LOCATION: Oct 23, Watford, Hertfordshire; Nov 28, Watford, Hertfordshire COST: Member £165 / Non Member £250

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CAI 01923 803 030, cai.org.uk

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H A B I T EC H

INTRODUCTION TO CCTV

ARCAM – PRODUCT TRAINING

DATES/LOCATION: October 17 (2pm) Brighton & Hove/Bournemouth Branches, October 18 (2pm) Hemel Hempstead/Maidstone/Reading Branches

DATES/LOCATION: Oct 31, Basingstoke

COST: Free

DAHUA

CAT5E/6, THEIR CONNECTORS AND BEYOND

DATES/LOCATION: Oct 17, Basingstoke

DATES/LOCATION: October 4 (2pm) Reading Branch, October 24 (2pm) Bournemouth Branch, October 31 (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch

PRONET – QUICK START TO NETWORK DESIGN

COST: Free

COST: Free

All courses are free to attend.

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For more information or to book call 0344 225 2700 / 01273 765180, email training@alltrade.co.uk or visit alltrade.co.uk

COST: Free

COST: Free

DATES/LOCATION: Nov 7, Basingstoke COST: £99

PRONET – INTEGRATOR ADVANCED NETWORK DESIGN DATES/LOCATION: Nov 8, Basingstoke COST: £99

WYRESTORM HD DISTRIBUTION THEORY AND TROUBLESHOOTING (INCLUDING HDBASET AND 4K) DATES/LOCATION: Nov 13, Basingstoke

H DA N Y W HER E HDBASET EXPERT PROGRAM DATES/LOCATION: October 24, ACE, Cheltenham; October 25, AWE, Epsom All courses are free

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HDANYWHERE 01684 575 324, hdanywhere.co.uk

COST: Free

WYRESTORM – NETWORK HD DATES/LOCATION: Nov 14, Basingstoke COST: Free

4K HDR IN PRACTICE DATES/LOCATION: October 3, November 13, Basingstoke COST: Free

MORE INFORMATION »

Habitech 01256 638 500, habitech.co.uk

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Essential Install | Training Dates

MERIDIA N

C R EST RO N

MERIDIAN BASIC SETUP

NVX DESIGN AND APPLICATION

DATES/LOCATION: Oct 2, Nov 27, Meridian HQ, Huntingdon

DATES/LOCATION: 10/10/18 – 12/10/18, Crestron UK

MERIDIAN ADVANCED SETUP DATES/LOCATION: Oct 3, Nov 28, Meridian HQ, Huntingdon

HOME CINEMA ESSENTIALS DATES/LOCATION: Oct 23, Meridian HQ, Huntingdon

MERIDIAN SOOLOOS DATES/LOCATION: Oct 24, Meridian HQ, Huntingdon

MORE INFORMATION »

Meridian 01480 445 622, meridian-audio.com

CTI-FUSION-P CRESTRON FUSION PROGRAMMER DATES/LOCATION: 18/10/18 – 19/10/18, Crestron UK

CRESTRON STUDIO FOR RESIDENTIAL LIFESTYLE DATES/LOCATION: 08/10/18 – 09/10/18, Crestron UK

CTI-P201 CORE SYSTEM PROGRAMMING DATES/LOCATION: 10/10/18 – 12/10/18, Crestron UK

DMC-E-4K DM CERTIFIED ENGINEER DATES/LOCATION: 15/10/18 – 17/10/18, Crestron UK

CRESTRON SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN DATES/LOCATION: 23/10/18 – 23/10/18, Crestron UK

CTI-P101 FOUNDATIONS OF CRESTRON PROGRAMMING

L IL IN SURVEILLANCE FOR CUSTOM INSTALL DATES/LOCATION: Oct 23, Milton Keynes

DATES/LOCATION: 29/10/18 – 31/10/18 All Crestron training courses are free.

MORE INFORMATION »

Crestron +1 888 273 7876, crestron.com

COST: Free

MORE INFORMATION »

LILIN 0870 120 5550, lilin.co.uk

AW E FOUNDATION WORKSHOP

BEMCO K NX KNX ‘TASTER’ COURSE DATES/LOCATION: Oct 10, Nov 7, Dec 5, Bemco Wandsworth COST: Free

KNX BASIC COURSE DATES/LOCATION: Nov 19-23, Bemco Wandsworth COST: £750 + VAT

KNX ADVANCED COURSE DATES/LOCATION: Oct 22-26, Bemco Wandsworth COST: £750 + VAT

MORE INFORMATION »

Bemco 0208 874 0404, bemco.co.uk

DATES/LOCATION: Oct 9, AWE, Epsom COST: £200

FOUNDATION IN SMART HOME CONTROL WITH URC – MXHOMEPRO DATES/LOCATION: Oct 10, AWE, Epsom COST: £30

HDMI & 4K VIDEO DISTRIBUTION WITH HDANYWHERE DATES/LOCATION: Nov 15, AWE, Epsom COST: £25

WHOLE HOUSE INTEGRATION WITH URC TOTAL CONTROL DATES/LOCATION: Oct 16, AWE, Epsom COST: £60

HDBASET EXPERT INSTALLER DATES/LOCATION: Oct 11, AWE, Epsom COST: £25

MORE INFORMATION »

AWE 01372 729 995, awe-europe.com, smarthomeacademy.co.uk

IVORY E GG K NX TRAIN ING THREE DAY TECHNICIAN DATES/LOCATION: Oct 15-17, Bosham COST: £750 + VAT

TWO DAY PARTNER

CY P CYP VIDEO OVER IP INSTALLATION TRAINING SEMINAR

DATES/LOCATION: Dec 3-4, Bosham

DATES/LOCATION: October 3, TDI-Winchester; October 10, CIE-Nottingham

MORE INFORMATION »

MORE INFORMATION »

COST: £350 + VAT

Ivory Egg 01243 572 700, ivoryegg.co.uk

COST: Free

training@cypeurope.com, 020 3137 6690

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EssentialBUYERS’ GUIDE DISTRIBUTORS

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EssentialBUYERS’ GUIDE LIGHTING & LIGHTING CONTROLS

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More than just a badge: Your industry trade association carries more weight than certification alone.

Offering membership to businesses achieving the highest industry standards and certifications in all aspects of electrical and electrotechnical design, installation, testing, maintenance and monitoring.

www.eca.co.uk/become-a-member info@eca.co.uk

0207 313 4800

@ECAlive *Terms & conditions apply and are subject to change ** Membership eligibility and the stated 25% discount off initial 12 months membership of the ECA is subject to continued registration of qualifying schemes through accepted certification bodies or organisations. All rights reserved.

Registered in England: Company Number 143669. Covering England, Wales & NI.

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Shaping our industry. Enabling business growth. Getting you specified.

20/03/2018 17:26

Essential Install | Products

Essential products

Opulent offerings of AV automation

The SP4 surround processor is ready to rock

Surround yourself with Bryston PMC, Bryston’s UK distributor says it is introducing the SP4 surround processor to the UK home cinema market.

The SP4 is a 16-channel processor that comes with 16 assignable XLR outputs and two additional dedicated downmix outputs. It is expandable to a 32-channel system via a set of 16 optional RCA sockets, enabling the SP4 to run two parallel 16 channel systems. Its Dolby Atmos, Auro-3D and DTS:X TM capabilities sit alongside conventional surround formats, providing flexibility in set up.

PMC says with Dirac Live room correction technology built in, trained home cinema stockists and installers, who demand master quality performance and lifelike audio, will have access to the latest technologies within their Bryston home cinema environment.

Connectivity on the SP4 offers seven HDMI inputs, three of which feature HDMI2.0/HDCP2.2 and four with HDMI1.4/ HDCP2.2. These four inputs can also be configured for HDMI2.0/HDCP2.2 in the password protected installer setup pages.

Three optical Toslink and three SPDIF RCA digital audio inputs complete the digital connections and Bryston’s analogue audio expertise is also included, with eight RCA single ended inputs for use as 7.1 or four stereo inputs. The 16 balanced XLR outputs permit analogue signal transfer to the power amplifiers. Digital signals may be output via the two HDMI sockets and the SP4 can be controlled using Savant, RTI, Control4 and Crestron (with plugin modules).

An iOS app and webpage are also available for users who do not have control systems. The online connectivity of the product permits trained installers to remotely monitor the status of the SP4 and reconfigure it for their clients from anywhere.

The SP4 has been designed as a wholly customisable product, with fully assignable channel configuration and a fully configurable channel matrix and, being built on a 3U modular platform, Bryston engineers can integrate future advanced technologies and make upgrades available to consumers.

PMC 01767 686 300, pmc-speakers.com

IMAX and DTS partner launch Imax Enhanced program for home

The IMAX Enhanced program will launch beginning this autumn.

IMAX Corporation and DTS have announced a partnership for the next-generation of home entertainment with the launch of the IMAX Enhanced program. The new certification and licensing program combine high-performance consumer electronics products with IMAX digitally re-mastered 4K HDR content and DTS audio technologies to offer immersive sight and sound experiences.

The companies announced that a number of companies have joined the program as launch partners, including Sony Electronics, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and Sound United – parent company to Denon and Marantz.

IMAX and DTS say they have developed the program out of their decades of combined expertise in image and sound science to make it easier for consumers to select the products and content that will deliver the highest-quality, sharpest 4K HDR images and immersive sound. The companies are designing an IMAX Mode for the enhanced devices that will be optimised to play digitally re-mastered content as the filmmaker intended.

Consumers can access content from studios as well as select IMAX documentaries through its IMAX Home Entertainment division. The company will also work with its global studios and other content partners to make available a stream of enhanced versions of blockbuster movies and additional programming.

To be accepted into the program, consumer electronics manufacturers will need to design 4K HDR televisions, AV receivers, sound systems and other home theatre equipment to meet a carefully prescribed set of the audio and video performance standards, set by a certification committee of IMAX and DTS engineers and some of Hollywood’s leading technical specialists.

The companies say the program will use the newest, proprietary post-production process developed by IMAX to digitally re-master content to produce more vibrant colours, greater contrast and sharper clarity.

IMAX imax.com

September 2018 | 75 Products.indd 75

26/09/2018 13:16

Essential Install | Products

Naim Audio reveals special edition champagne finish for Mu-so wireless speaker Naim Audio launched its premium wireless and multiroom speaker concept, the Mu-so, four years ago.

Combining an elegant design with a high-class audio performance, Mu-so can now add a touch more style with a Special Edition Champagne Finish.

Sporting a new brushed Pure Champagne veneer, this limited-edition model is exclusive to John Lewis in-store and online initially, but will be available to selected retail channels following this initial period from October 4.

With the Mu-so’s entire metal anodised body covered in the new colour finish, the speaker comes with a matching front grille.

“This beautiful new finish has been selected as it ideally represents both a ‘celebration’ of the continuing success of the Mu-so family, but also because it delivers a unique appearance that oozes sophistication and exclusivity from every last detail,” says Simon Matthews, group design director.

“The Champagne Mu-so special offers a highly desirable and unique aesthetic, appealing to those music lovers who do not settle for second best when it comes to luxury in the home.”

At the centre of the Mu-so is it’s rotary control interface with the rear integrated aluminium heat sink, a major part of the aesthetic. Under the anodised metal skin are six 75W amplifiers driving the speaker array, delivering a total of 450W of power, while a 32-bit digital signal

processor, capable of millions of calculations per second, orchestrates the Mu-so’s sonic performance.

Connect Mu-so to a home Wi-Fi network, and users can open up a world of music around the home. Wirelessly stream downloaded music in high-resolution from a PC, Mac or network-attached storage via UPnP (Universal Plug ‘n’ Play) or music fans can browse and play millions of songs through Spotify, TIDAL and Apple Music streaming services.

Mu-so also integrate into a Naim multi-room set-up. A combination of Mu-so, Mu-so Qb, Uniti all-in-one players or network streaming products can play the same song insync in up to five rooms or play different music in different rooms with control via the Naim app for iOS and Android.

Support for Apple AirPlay 2 also allows multi-room functionality and connection to Naim products and compatible third-party speakers. Stream music from an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac computer and Apple TV to every room, one room or different songs in different rooms of the house.

Mu-so also features Bluetooth aptX, a USB input for charging and playback of smartphones, tablets and portable music players and a 3.5mm analogue input and a digital input to hook the Mu-so up to a turntable, TV, CD player, set-top box or games console.

Naim Audio naimaudio.com

Samsung Electronics promises 8K TV with Q900R QLED

Samsung is one of the companies pushing 8K upscaling TV tech

During its press conference at IFA 2018, Samsung announced its foray into 8K with the unveiling of the Q900R QLED 8K complete with 8K AI Upscaling. Available in four screen sizes (65in, 75in, 82in and 85in), Samsung QLED 8K TV will feature several 8K-ready enhancements, including Real 8K Resolution, Q HDR 8K and Quantum Processor 8K. The new Samsung QLED 8K will be available in the UK from Mid-October.

Samsung says 8K AI Upscaling is a part of the company’s long-term vision of leading 8K to the forefront as the most accurate and life-like screen resolution on the market.

To achieve 8K-quality images, Samsung says the Q900R features Real 8K Resolution capable of up to 4,000 nit peak brightness – a standard met by most film studios. This feature allows the TV to produce four times more pixels than a 4K UHD TV and 16 times more pixels than a full HD TV. Q HDR 8K powered by HDR (High Dynamic Range) 10+ technology, which optimises the TV’s brightness levels and produces pristine colours and images is also incorporated to deliver pictures as intended by creators.

Samsung’s 8K AI Upscaling technology based on artificial intelligence also comes equipped with picture and sound quality to a level compatible with 8K regardless of the original source quality or format, claims the maker. Whether a user is watching content through a streaming service, set-top box, HDMI, USB or even mobile mirroring, the Quantum Processor 8K recognises and upscales the content to appear in 8K quality. The TV can also detect what equipment is attached to it and adjust itself accordingly for the best results.

Ambient Mode helps the set blend in showing attractive images, weather, news and more on the screen when off. Samsung’s SmartThings platform is also included.

Samsung 01932 454358, samsung.com/uk

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26/09/2018 13:05

HDBaseT Recommended Cat 5E, Cat 6 & Cat 6A CPR COMPLIANT Available in up to 10 different colours - CPR compliant - Stocked in 305m pull boxes or reels for easy handling and storage - Available in PVC or LSHF - Screened or unscreened Duct grade & armoured options available

info@trucables.com | 01727 840 841 | www.trucables.com Untitled-3 1

19/09/2018 09:25

Essential Install | Products

The Chord Company hits a new high

The Signature Super ARAY Digital and the Signature Super ARAY USB are available now, with Custom lengths available to order.

20 years after the original Signature line-up was first introduced, The Chord Company has launched new and improved versions of two of its most popular digital cables from the high-performance Signature range.

The new UK-built Signature Super ARAY Digital and Signature Super ARAY USB interconnects both feature the latest version of The Chord Company’s unique Tuned ARAY conductor geometry (Super ARAY), plus a number of design and construction improvements.

At the heart of the new Signature Super ARAY Digital cable (£800 p/m) are two 75-ohm silver-plated oxygen-freecopper conductors with PTFE insulation. The conductors benefit from a high- density combination silver-plated braid and foil with high-frequency-effective shielding. The latest version of The Chord Company’s unique ARAY conductor geometry introduces greater flexibility in addition to improvements in detail and coherence.

Signature Super ARAY Digital also features the company’s ultra-low-mass silver-plated RCA connectors which benefit from precision-machined PTFE plug surrounds. Hand-made in the Wiltshire factory, the cable is precision-terminated using a zero-compression strain relief system which minimised unwanted changes in impedance which can be caused when cables are squeezed at the point of termination.

Engineered to take advantage of today’s high-performance computer audio hardware, the Signature Super ARAY USB (£550 p/m) employs high-precision silver-plated oxygen-free-copper twisted bi-data conductors with separate shielding for the data and power conductors.

The Super ARAY conductors, which benefit from tri-layer composite insulation (Polyethylene/low-density Polyethylene/Polyethylene — PE/LDPE/PE) introduce new levels of coherence, detail and involvement, says the maker.

In order to protect the delicate signal from detrimental RF noise, dual-layer precision-applied high-coverage foil shielding is used, combined with a PVC outer jacket to minimise degradation caused by mechanical noise. Custom UKmanufactured silver-plated USB plugs (made to The Chord Company’s specification) are used to terminate the cable to a high standard.

The Chord Company 01980 625 700 chord.co.uk

Making waves with McIntosh

Both units also include overload technology that prevents overdriving the speakers

McIntosh has introduced a new line of Custom Install friendly distribution amplifiers.

“We are excited to return to the custom install category with these new amplifiers and speakers,” says Charlie Randall, McIntosh president and CEO, referencing the company’s previous multi-room offerings.

“Many of our traditional home audio products have been used for distributed audio applications by talented CI installers. We are happy to once again offer products specifically designed for custom installation.”

The amplifiers consist of the MI254 and MI128. The MI254 is a four-channel amplifier outputting 250W per channel, while the eight-channel MI128 outputs 120W per channel. Each employ closed loop digital switching amplifiers that are paired with robust power supplies to produce performance levels that are rarely achieved in distributed audio, says the maker. Both have the same installer-friendly physical dimensions and are 2U rack mountable (mounting ears are removable for non-rack installations).

As efficient Class D amplifiers, they do not require noisy cooling fans to maintain nominal operating temperature.

In addition to distributed audio use, the MI254 is well suited for home cinemas to drive surround sound speakers and could be integrated into many existing home systems.

McIntosh loves a nice impacful display and these are no different as the front panels both feature multi-colour LED indicators to display the status of each channel. The MI254 also includes two blue McIntosh Watt Meters that display the summed power output of channels 1 + 2 and channels 3 + 4.

On the back, the MI254 uses the standard five-way speaker binding posts while the MI128 uses 2-pole Phoenix style push-in speaker terminals. The MI128 also includes back panel volume controls for volume balancing, along with two digital audio inputs (either coax or optical), and channel summing circuits for easy mono signal distribution. In addition to the amplifiers, a new line of in-wall & in-ceiling speakers have been be debuted, check that story out at esentialinstall.com.

Jordan Acoustics 01202 911 886 jordanacoustics.co.uk, mcintoshlabs.com

78 | September 2018 Products.indd 78

26/09/2018 13:05

ESTIMATING MADE EASY! QCONTRACTOR is a brand new, tailor made quoting solution for AV Integrators.

Over 2000 customers already signed up.

QConsole™ web tool makes managing the products and services simple and quick QContractor™ app is designed to focus purely on creating and delivering estimates quickly and professionally to customers.

It’s completely free, and it’s available now.

Templates now available for:

100% FREE “It’s really quick, and it’s really easy!”

QUICK SETUP takes minutes not hours

WEB CONSOLE to manage products and services

Short help videos will guide users through the process

Use the templates we’ve provided to set the stall

MOBILE APP to use on the go Saving time normally spent writing things down

INSTANT REPORTS straight from the app

SECURE hosting on industry leading global platforms

Give the customer the information they want, immediatel

Safe and quick ensuring zero downtime and maximum performance anywhere in the world

www.qcontractor.com Untitled-10 1

23/04/2018 16:48

Essential Install | Products

Pioneer UDP-LX500 4K Blu-ray player gets official UK release date, price Pioneer has taken a very high quality approach to its new disc player

Earlier this year, EI shared the news that Pioneer was prepping its first 4K Blu-ray player, and well now we’ve got even better news – as that 4K Blu-ray player has been confirmed for the UK market and is available now at £999.99.

The company has clearly thrown a lot of time into perfecting the UDP-LX500, as it has engineered a device designed to specifically handle 4K. That includes building a rigid double-layered device with a low centre of gravity, reducing the effects of vibration and allowing rotation speeds of up to 5,000 rpm.

The company says that the noise reduction techniques should improve video quality, minimising noise loops in the circuitry to guarantee high-quality signal transmission. The main printed circuit board has also received the noise proofing treatment.

To deliver the full potential of the sound quality contained in UHD Blu-ray discs, the UDP-LX500 employs audio boards designed with a focus on preserving signal purity, S/N, and tonal subtlety. It also features advanced sound-enhancing facilities, such as a direct function for analogue connection and Pioneer’s PQLS (Precision Quartz Lock System) for HDMI connection.

Support for Dolby Vision and HDR10 is included, but the unit can also produce audio only if required for music playback.

The UDP-LX500 supports three HDMI output modes: ‘separate’ which enables high-quality transmission by separating video and audio via the main/sub HDMI outputs, ‘single’ routes both video and audio output via the main HDMI output, and ‘pure audio’ which delivers an audio-only output from the sub HDMI terminal. The device itself features two HDMI outputs and a pair of analogue audio outputs.

Pioneer 0208 836 3500, pioneer-audiovisual.eu/uk

NAD drivers revving up for release NAD Electronics has announced new and updated chassis drivers across a wide range of its devices. Available for download from the brand’s website NADelectronics.com, the new chassis drivers offer custom installers greater control and flexibility over NAD Electronics’ hardware through popular home control systems.

The company has announced a corresponding Crestron PYNG OS2 compatible chassis driver for its line of AVRs. New chassis drivers supporting PYNG OS2 are now available for NAD Electronics’ T 758 V3, T 777 V3, and NAD Masters Series M17 V2.

“Crestron’s PYNG OS2 will feature rich media streaming capabilities so it makes sense for our line of AVRs to be the first of our products to receive the chassis driver integrations,” comments Joe de Jesus, custom install product manager for NAD. With Control4 certified hardware on the market since 2015 for the AVRs and integrated amplifiers in NAD’s Classic and Custom Install ranges, Control4 drivers are now available for the company’s NAD Masters range of products, including the M12 DirectDigital Pre-amplifier, M32 DirectDigital Integrated Amplifier, and M17 V2 Surround Sound Pre-amp Processor. The universal AVR driver and the universal integrated amplifier driver for the Classic and Custom Install range are also receiving some fine tuning to improve control and ease of use.

“Our Masters products are popular for installers with discerning clients,” adds Jo. “Adding Control4 drivers for these products was important to ensure installers have a broad choice of premium devices for their distributed audio projects.”

NAD nadelectronics.com

NAD has introduced some key new drivers

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14/09/2018 10:48

EIBackCoverV6.pdf

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24/05/2018

10:01

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BENQ

PRISMASONIC

FORTRESS SEATING

LUTRON

PARADIGM

VICOUSTIC

AUDIO CONTROL

ANTHEM

KALEIDESCAPE

PIXELGEN

SCREEN RESEARCH

D-BOX

NEAR SPEAKERS

FURMAN

BGW

JAMES LOUDSPEAKER

STORM AUDIO

DIGITAL PROJECTION

www.pulsecinemas.com Untitled-5 1

info@pulsecinemas.com

CRESTRON

LOEWE

Tel: 01279 647 039 24/05/2018 11:15