REVIEW That’s a wrap! 10


AWE’s recent Expo event highlighted the best new smart home tech for the custom install industry, and ERT was there for a sneak peek!


O


ver 150 industry professionals attended the AWE Expo event in Epsom last month. Held over two days at its impressive show apartment in Epsom,


attendees not only had the chance to explore AWE’s recently revamped Reference and Performance Cinemas, but they also had an exclusive preview of the new Music Room. Additionally, visitors got an in-depth overview of the latest innovations from AWE’s wide portfolio of brands, and also got to tuck into the legendary hog-roast lunch! Each year, AWE Expo provides installers with a fantastic opportunity to see, hear and experience new, high-end smart home technologies as well as getting facetime with the experts from leading brands. The show apartment in Epsom includes a living room, games area and music room, as well as two dedicated home cinemas to showcase wow- factor installations at differing price points


Cinema upgrades to highlight


During its event, the company ran continuous demos


its newly upgraded


Reference and Performance Cinemas, allowing attendees to experience their enhanced AV capabilities. With significant improvements made, both cinemas offer an extra level of movie immersion, creating unparalleled viewing experiences at differing price points. In the Reference Cinema, visitors were blown


away by the breath-taking AV performance. The equipment, which retails from around £95k upwards, includes a 15.4.6 channel audio system with five Bowers & Wilkins CWM8.3D Diamond Series in-wall speakers for the front soundstage alone, all angled towards the reference seating positions.


An additional 10 CI800 Diamond Series speakers complete the surround and height channels, resulting in sound that masters in clarity and balance. The power behind the bass is massive, but precisely controlled, with four B&W CDA-2HD DSP amps, each one dedicated to powering a CT SW15 15- inch sub with up to 1,000 watts. Processing is provided by the new high-end Marantz AV 10, a 15-channel AV processor featuring DIRAC live calibration.


For the picture, AWE has all three of Sony’s latest native 4K laser projectors installed, including the 10,000-lumen GTZ-380. A notable upgrade to the room is the ADEO MovieMask LR, a four-metre-wide side masking screen capable of aspect ratios from 2.4:1 down to 16:9. Elsewhere, the Performance Cinema is specified with equipment hitting around £45k, with simple configuration options of either higher or lower price points. The full 7.4.4 configuration on demo shows what’s possible for a smaller room at a realistic budget. The room has four new B&W ISW-8 12-inch in-wall subwoofers, powered by B&W CDA-2HD DSP amplifiers, delivering jaw-dropping bass. Additionally, the new Marantz Cinema 50 provides upgraded processing with DIRAC LIVE calibration and powers the height speakers, with additional amplification coming from the new Marantz AMP 10. The room has also been upgraded with a 3.34m wide Adeo FramePro acoustically transparent screen. This provides a bigger, brighter, and more detailed wall-to-wall image from the Epson EH-LS12000B true 4K laser projector without compromising sound quality.


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