As anyone who has built an experience center before can attest, it takes a great deal of patience to get the job done. For Emanuel Gonzalez, owner of Audio Video Concepts in Palm Desert, California, “a great deal” would barely scratch the surface.
Three years ago, the company, which serves the Palm Springs and Coachella Valley areas, was experiencing growing pains and grabbed a larger space not far from its original location. Well…half a larger space. “The tenant that was next to us was supposed to move out by the end of December that year,” Gonzalez explains. “He ended up staying another two years, so, we had to wait to do this until he left.”
With the tenant finally gone, the Audio Video Concepts crew got to work building a new showroom and experience center, which is something they did not have in their old location.
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“Over the past 15 years, we have grown in the options that we offer, adding services like motorized shades and lighting to our capabilities,” says Gonzalez. “But I feel that people only know us for audio and video, and all the other services we offer get lost. By building this experience center, we can bring customers in here and show them everything we can offer them, and they can see it in a real-life living space, which makes it easier for them to picture it in their own homes.”
Taking the Tour
Audio Video Concepts wastes no time getting into it — the front door opens into a large space that is teeming with technology and different home scenarios. “As soon as they walk in, the first thing customers see is the 8 x 8 video wall that can display two stacked 110-inch videos simultaneously. It is our own brand — we went directly with the manufacturer and we framed it to feel like a piece of art that also happens to double as a video screen.”
That space also includes a living room scenario that features the company’s own motorized seating, a Salamander Miami projector cabinet, and an ultra-short-throw projector in front of a Screen Innovation 120-inch light-rejecting screen with a Gallo Acoustics 5.1 surround sound system. Behind the seating area is a custom art piece that doubles as an acoustic panel.
As you head toward the kitchen and bar area, there is a Marantz turntable with a Salamander cabinet that can be played throughout the whole showroom. Lighting throughout the showroom is provided by DMF Lighting and has been programmed to support full circadian rhythm control, automatically adjusting color temperature and intensity to mirror natural daylight patterns.
The kitchen highlights accent lighting from DMF, as well as Screen Innovation motorized shades. It also includes a 65-inch Samsung The Frame TV and invisible speakers from Amina. The bar area has a 2 by 2 video wall and accent lighting. It also includes digital signage from Videri that Audio Video Concepts offers to its commercial clients.
This area has a doorway that leads customers into the dedicated home theater space, which features Audio Video Concepts seating, an Epson projector with a 133-inch screen, and a Theory Audio Design 9.4.4 Dolby Atmos immersive sound system.
A door on the other side of the theater leads to a former warehouse area that now serves as an outdoor patio showcase with a 65-inch Samsung Terrace outdoor TV, outdoor audio, and landscape lighting fixtures from DMF Lighting.
“In the Coachella Valley, outdoor spaces function as true extensions of the home, requiring outdoor audio to sound just as good as what’s inside,” says Gonzalez. “We wanted to give our clients a single-fixture solution that delivers both landscape lighting and outdoor audio, blending seamlessly into the environment. It follows the same philosophy as the rest of our experience center — technology that stays discreet and integrates naturally into the home.”
The experience center is controlled by Control4 with Josh.ai natural voice control and Control4’s Lux lighting keypads. Audio and video distribution throughout the space is handled by ADI | Snap One’s MoiP (Media over IP) system. In-ceiling Triad speakers and subwoofers handle the whole-home audio capabilities.
For video sources, Audio Video Concepts uses a Kaleidescape system, an Apple TV, a Roku, a PlayStation, and digital artwork from BlackDove. Any of those sources can be played on any screen, at any time.
“Our main video wall has three inputs, so we can display three images at the same time, layer them, or just show one image in different formats,” explains Gonzalez. “On that video wall we can show TV sizes starting from 65 inches all the way to 90-something. We frame the video so that the customer can get an idea of how big the screen is — we start at 65 and scale all the way up! It is great for comparisons.”
Finishing Up and Looking Ahead
Though the experience center is up and running under a soft launch, there are a few more loose ends to be tied up before the grand opening planned for February 2026.
“There’re a few things that are still missing that we should have ready by the grand opening,” says Gonzalez. “The theater room needs an acoustic wall treatment, we’re going to put a mirror TV in restroom, we are adding outdoor motorized shades to the patio area, and we have ordered a Leon Tile art speaker for the front living room. Once we are at 100%, we will look into adding a conference room, but that is further down the line.”
Showroom Spotlight – Electronic Concepts
In the meantime, the Audio Video Concepts team has been showing the space to clients and design-build partners by appointment, getting feedback on how to best use the showroom and all that it offers.
“As we’ve begun welcoming clients into the space, we’ve learned that less can sometimes be more,” Gonzalez says. “Rather than trying to demonstrate every capability at once, we’re refining the experience so it’s guided by what the client is most interested in. We’re developing a room-by-room guide that outlines the technology throughout the space, allowing us to focus the tour while still giving clients a clear reference to explore everything we offer at their own pace.”
However, showing them all that Audio Video Concepts can do is the main reason for this new experience center, and Gonzalez thinks it can take his company to the next level.
“We’re trying to focus more on the higher-end projects,” he concludes. “I feel that having this kind of showroom proves what we can do and it shows the customers, the contractors, and the interior designers the level of the work we do. The goal is to get in from the beginning stages on a new project. The experience center allows us to clearly show the difference between simply adding technology and designing it properly from the start.”
For more information, visit https://audiovideoconceptsusa.com.
