AliceSince AWE moved into its new HQ Alexander House in January 2014, the team have created a show apartment and cinema room to showcase a real world example of an integrated smart home.
The cinema room was designed, built and furnished completely in-house by the AWE team.
At the recent AWE Expo, the UK distributor revealed the new Dolby Atmos cinema room featuring KEF, Denon, URC and Philips Dynalite.
AWE’s aim was to create a cinema room which would ‘hit the sweet spot of home cinema’ within the installation trade – within the £15K-£50K price range.
“The team have been working extremely hard to deliver a truly stunning cinema room featuring the latest Dolby Atmos specification and we couldn’t be happier with the end result,” explains Stuart Tickle, managing director of AWE.
“Our customers are regularly installing home cinemas and we wanted to be able to provide them with a cinema room demonstrating what can be achieved using the brands we distribute. This exciting new space is now open to our dealers to visit and also to bring their clients for a truly inspiring home cinema experience.”
The Denon AVR-X5200W AV receiver is at the heart of the 7.5.4 Dolby Atmos layout, powering the KEF in-wall CI speakers.
The seven-channel basic configuration is supported by five matching in-wall subwoofers that are installed with two at the front, two on each side and one on the centre of the back wall.
Four Ci200RR-THX in-ceiling speakers providing the front and rear height channels have been painted black to match the design and decor of the room.
AWE’s dealers install a mixture of projectors and screens in home cinemas, so the decision was made to demonstrate both options.
A Samsung 85HU7500 85in 4K TV is mounted on the wall behind a Draper projector screen. AWE team mounted the projector to the firewall at the back of the room.
Philips Dynalite LED lighting control and URC Total Control is used in the cinema room to provide AV and lighting control.
Meanwhile the acoustic panels were custom built by AWE and are finished with an acoustic material that matches the carpet.
Bass traps include one that has been installed above the door and acoustic panels with printed graphics were designed and installed in the outside room around the apartment to provide sound absorption and reduce reflection in the open plan apartment.
“The AWE cinema room is an absolutely awesome experience,” comments Stephen Toal, Technocat. “I was very impressed with the demonstration of Dolby Atmos which transports you from an ordinary moment into an extraordinary experience with breathtaking, multidimensional sound that flows all around you. It would be my first choice for a high end system and would unreservedly recommend it to my customers who are looking for the very best of what available today.”
“I was very interested to see how the room will turn out, and it was worth the wait,” enthuses Zak Vracevic, M.E.G.A AV Installations. “The room has a nice interior design with interesting lighting and comfy chairs. But the most important thing – the sound is great! It is crisp and controlled with tight bass and has great performance from in-wall subs. The KEF THX speakers are doing a great job.”
“We use AWE for virtually all of our equipment due to their wide product range and faultless support,” says Stuart Burgess, Just Add Popcorn. “When they opened the show apartment it was a considerable bonus for us, as we were able to not only demonstrate solutions to potential clients, but also reassure clients of our wider contacts and relationship knowledge.
“The only area that needed further development was the creation of a dedicated cinema room, which has now been added and launched, to great effect. The cinema room demonstrates just what can be achieved without ‘breaking the bank’. Let’s face it; the majority of clients do not have millions to invest in a cinema room, so this solution is realistic and therefore achievable for our clients. The main observation from having experienced the cinema room is that you wouldn’t ever question the budget spent – it sounds tremendous.”
The cinema room will soon form part of the Smart Home Academy.