AWE has announced the return of its AWE Expo for the smart home industry, taking place on 16 and 17 May at AWE’s Show Apartment in Epsom, UK.
Registration now open, the event will give installers the opportunity to discover the latest in smart home, home cinema and home entertainment offerings from the distributor.
Visitors will receive an exclusive preview of new technologies in the Show Apartment, including two dedicated home cinemas: The Reference Cinema and The Performance Cinema, demonstrating AV set ups at different price points. They will also meet experts and enjoy AWE’s famous hog roast BBQ lunch.
Reference Cinema
The Reference Cinema has recently been updated to include new products, including an ADEO Movie Mask screen with side masking, new high-end AV processing from the new Marantz AV10 15-channel AC processor, and four of the new Bowers & Wilkins CDA-2HD amplifiers which power four Bowers & Wilkins CT-SW15 15” subwoofers.
All the main speakers are Bowers & Wilkins CI800 Diamond Series, featuring the exact same technology as the mastering speakers found in Abbey Road Studios.
The complete range of Sony home cinema projectors will also be on display, including the GTZ-280, which provides 10,000 lumens of brightness with a 100% DCI-P3 wide colour gamut.
Performance Cinema
Having recently undergone a full refurbishment, the Performance Cinema now includes four Bowers & Wilkins 12” ISW-8 subwoofers, powered by new Bowers & Wilkins amplifiers. The ISW-8 subwoofers are used to demonstrates a no-compromise design for when power and performance are key, but combined with a thin profile that allows them to into a 2” x 4” stud wall.
A new 3.34m wide Adeo fixed frame 2.4:1 acoustically transparent projection screen has also been a key upgrade, giving a bigger and brighter wall-to-wall image from the Epson EH-LS12000B True 4K Laser Projector.
Show Apartment TVs
AWE has introduced a TV gallery to the living room area of its Show Apartment to display the new 2023 models from its portfolio of TV brands, including LG and Sony. Details will be released nearer the time of the event as the screens will be brand new.
A Hisense L9 Laser TV will also be on show, demonstrating the option to have a big screen experience at a modest price. The laser TV comes in two parts: an ultra-short throw laser projector and a 100” or 120” ambient light rejecting screen. It is an ideal option for bright, multi-purpose rooms, where a large screen is required but a dedicated blacked-out cinema room is not possible or wanted. It has a built-in Freeview tuner, integral streaming services using Hisense’s VIDAA operating system and speakers, so can be used as a standalone projector or built into a system.
Complementing the UST projector, AWE will be demonstrating its Kinetik UST Projector AV Cabinets (KLIF-UST1CS). The cabinet comes in a variety of finishes and accommodates a variety of projector and screen options. Designed for the exact requirements of UST Projector TVs, it ensures the optimal height for comfortable viewing. The soundbar shelf can be removed and a centre speaker placed below, and the optional side-cabinets have ventilation built-in for discrete equipment housing.
The Marantz CINEMA 60 will also make its UK debut at the two-day event. The 7.2 channel AVR is ideal for those seeking to create an immersive home theatre. It features Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro-3D, 8K Ultra HD, and HEOS Built-In streaming.
Control
The distributor will be showing URC home automation options. The entire AWE Show Apartment is controlled by the URC smart automation MRX-30 processor and is operated by a combination of URC interfaces, including the new TKP-8600 8” In-Wall Touchscreen and TRC-1480 2.4” Touchscreen remote controls, both with integrated voice control.
Visitors will also get to see URC’s new gaming-inspired TDC-5100 handheld tabletop controller, now available with hard and digital buttons and fast response processing. There will also be live demos of URC’s HDA (High-Definition Audio).
AWE’s managing director, Stuart Tickle said: “Expo is a fantastic opportunity to see and experience the newest innovations from our world-class portfolio of brands – find out what’s new, how the market is evolving and where the opportunities lie for your business in the next 12 months. It’s always a great few days, with the CI industry coming together to talk, share, learn and have a bit of fun during our lunchtime BBQ too!”
Alongside everything else being shown, AWE Expo will also feature the latest reference amplifiers from Michi, Rotel’s powerful amps and multichannel DT-6000 DAC, and HDANYWHERE’s new MHUBS stackable matrix. Multiroom audio solutions from Denon will also be on display, featuring Heos and the latest from Definitive Technology.
Live demonstrations will also take place from smart home security solution, Ring, and automated window shading company, Silent Gliss.
A popular attraction of AWE Expo, the Base Performance Simulators Blade Racing Simulator, is returning to allow visitors to beat their best lap time.
With limited spaces, registration for 16-17 May AWE Expo is now open.