As the saying goes, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.” That philosophy is particularly appropriate in the ever-expanding world of custom installation. Here we highlight some dynamic showrooms that show off everything from 2-channel listening systems to full-blown home theaters, and motorized shades to whole-home automation.
Eargle Theater
Website: www.harmanluxuryaudio.com
Location: Northridge, Calif.
Showroom Dimensions (square feet): 18x25x9 feet (w x d x h)
Brands Featured: JBL Synthesis
Fun Fact: Within Harman’s Global Center of Acoustic Excellence in Northridge, Calif., is a must-see highlight — the Eargle Theater, which is a true showstopper that pays homage to cinema sound pioneer and former JBL product and engineering leader, the late John Morgan Eargle. Renovated last year, the dedicated home theater showroom and laboratory features a complete JBL Synthesis “Certified Elite” multichannel system that’s packed with more than $250k in ultra-high-end audio components. Driving the 13.4.13-channel system is the JBL Synthesis SDP-75 32-channel surround processor, in conjunction with six SDA-4600 4-channel and three SDA-8300 8-channel Class D amplifiers. For powerful bass that can be literally felt, the theater includes two SSW-1 dual 15-inch passive subwoofers and eight SSW-3 dual 10-inch in-wall subwoofers. The space is outfitted with a variety of SCL series architectural loudspeakers — including three flagship SCL-1 dual 12-inch LCR loudspeakers and eight SCL-2 triple 8-inch, nine SLC-3 dual 5.25-inch, and four SCL-4 7-inch in-wall loudspeakers — in addition to two S4HC horizontal flush-mount loudspeakers.
Sounds Good Inc.
Website: SoundsGoodInc.ca
Location: Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Showroom Dimensions (square feet): 900
Brands featured: Control4, Origin Acoustic, Nakymatone, Samsung, Nexus 21, Leon
Fun Fact: Sounds Good Inc. is an HTA member. The facility has three Samsung Frame TVs in its showroom, including a 75-inch mounted in Portrait with a custom Deco Frame. It sits in the foyer of the demo home and every single client thinks it is an art piece. What a great way to find a new room in the home to offer technology!
KEF Music Theater Lounge
Website: soundlab.kef.com/inspirations/bring-the-theatre-home/kef-music-lounge/
Location: Marlboro, N.J.
Showroom Dimensions (square feet): ~22×30
Brands Featured: KEF’s THX Extreme Home Theater range (see website for all products) and KEF’s Kube 12b Subwoofers
Fun Fact: The theater features a variety of KEF’s THX Certified Ultra loudspeakers and subwoofers, meaning the individual loudspeaker performance and the listening and viewing environment of the entire room have been expertly tested and adjusted and verified to provide a stunning and accurate entertainment experience for all listeners.
Related: Certifiably Excellent Sound
Elite Media Solutions, LLC
Website: www.elitemediasolutiomns.com
Location: Wellesley Hills, Mass.
Showroom Dimensions (square feet): 2800 square feet on three floors
Brands Featured: Control4, Triad, Sony, Snap One, Samsung, KEF, Origin Acoustics, Lutron, Hunter Douglas, JL Audio, Screen Innovations, Salamander Designs, Seura, Epson, Focal, Josh.ai, and many more!
Fun Fact: This showroom is located in a remodeled home so clients can experience products in a real home environment. There is a showroom on the first floor, a dedicated home theater and conference room on the second level, and offices on the third. The company is currently getting ready to add lighting fixtures in the first and second levels since lighting fixtures have become so important to the overall business.
PRO FX Experia 2.0
Website: www.profx.com
Location: Bangalore, India
Showroom Dimensions (square feet): 2500
Brands Featured: Pro Audio Technology, Theory Audio Design, KEF, Definitive Technology, Denon, Crestron, Lutron, Sony
Fun Fact: PRO FX Experia is open by appointment only, and a typical visitor time slot is 45 minutes. Not surprisingly, many visitors refuse to leave and beg to be allowed to stay and watch an entire movie. That’s how much they love the experience!
ByDesign Vision & Sound Marketing
Website: www.bydesignvsm.com
Location: Gardena, Calif.
Showroom Dimensions (square feet): 4606
Primary use: Experience Center/ Training
Brands Featured: Stewart Filmscreen, Bowers & Wilkins, Josh.ai, J Geiger Shading, Classé, Theory Audio Design, Pro Audio Technology
Fun Fact: It has been the company’s goal to have a design center/training center since inception day of ByDesign. The belief is that the products represented need to be experienced by homeowners for them to make the purchase, as the brands we represent are boutique.
Imagine More
Website: www.shopimaginemore.com
Location: Longmont, Colo.
Showroom Dimensions (square feet): 8000 total, with 700 dedicated to the Hunter Douglas Gallery
Brands Featured: Hunter Douglas, Hammerton Lighting, Hubbardton Lighting, Hudson Valley Lighting, Sonneman, Hinkley, Modern Forms, Lutron Lighting Controls, Control4, Sonos, Josh.ai, Samsung, LG, Focal
Fun Fact: It’s all in the name — Imagine More. The space is “more than just a lighting store,” offering four locations across Northern Colorado and in Cheyenne, Wyo., with fully interactive displays showcasing the latest in lighting, window coverings, home automation, audio, and video. Imagine More prides itself on continuing education, going above and beyond for its customers, and showcasing unique and fun applications that are not found anywhere else in town.
Related: 2022 Showroom Showcase Gallery
Brilliant AV
Website: brilliantav.com
Location: Costa Mesa, Calif.
Showroom Dimensions (square feet): 3000
Brands Featured: Focal, Naim, Sonance, Sonos, Lutron, Control4, Josh.ai, Samsung, Sony, Screen Innovations, Spatial Inc., Qolsys/Alarm.com, DMF Lighting
Fun Fact: Jim Walin and Paul Stary, the fathers of Matt Walin (CEO/owner) and Steve Stary (VP of sales), were strategic partners in the AV and security business in the 1980s. Steve started a home automation business in the 1990s and hired Matt to run operations. In the 2000s, Matt started his own business and then, in the 2010s, purchased Steve’s company. In 2023, the team at Brilliant AV endeavored to create an Experience Center to engage visitors’ emotions and senses before engaging their logic. Each of the six unique experience areas delivers a small “dopamine hit,” cementing a client’s connection to the brand and people. In between the experiences are digital presentations showcasing Brilliant AV’s technology solutions to enhance every environment where people live, work, and play. But the best part of the 3000-square-foot center is the Heritage Wall, a space dedicated to Jim and Paul’s pioneering work and the innovative products they created over the years.
TechPoint1, Inc.
Website: www.TechPoint1.com
Location: Plainfield, Ill.
Showroom Dimensions (square feet): 2400
Brands Featured: Pro Audio Technology, Theory Audio Design, Lutron, Ketra, Indy Audio Labs, Acurus, Seymour-Screen Excellence, Sony, Epson, Kaleidescape, Pro-Ject, Origin Acoustics, Sonance, James Loudspeaker, Fortress Seating, Octane, Widgets, Sonos, SurgeX, Furman
Fun Fact: The TechPoint1 Experience Center is an inviting demonstration facility that allows clients to fully immerse themselves in all the sophisticated, high-end technology systems available on the market. From Ketra and other advanced lighting options to the 9.4.4 Pro Audio Technology theater and Savant automation system, TechPoint1 has the ability to demonstrate the systems and features that their clients desire. The Experience Center is a single-family home that has been completely rebuilt and converted to a show home, with smart home technology seamlessly woven into every room. The Experience Center provides a space for clients to review advanced technology in a comfortable home environment.
The Experience Lab – TSP Smart Spaces
Website: www.tsp.space
Location: Boston, Mass.
Showroom Dimensions (square feet): 3700
Brands Featured: Savant, Ketra, Lutron, JBL Synthesis, Amina, Artcoustic, 2N, Basalte, Artnovion, Biamp, Cisco Meraki, Dolby Atmos, Josh.ai, K-Array, LG, Logitech, Sonance
Fun Fact: The Experience Lab in Boston has a private cinema hidden behind a secret door that is the favorite of everyone who’s taken on tours of the space (a particular favorite of the staff as well!). The theater is the only JBL-Synthesis-certified space in the greater Boston area. The company recently installed a Savant Power unit in the showroom, one of the first in the country to showcase this new solution from Savant, which coordinates batteries, solar, grid, and generator power.
SAV Design NZ
Website: www.savdesign.co.nz
Location: Hamilton Central, Hamilton, NZ
Showroom Dimensions (square feet): 1300
Brands Featured: Control4, Episode Speakers, Pakedge Networking, Triad Audio, Araknis Networks
Fun Fact: This showroom features access control, home cinema, lighting control, and multiroom audio.
