In the fourth instalment of the Mastering Connectivity podcast series, hosted by AV Trade Talks, a distinguished global panel of audio experts reveals the secrets to designing, building and delivering the ultimate audio experience in a word-class trade show demo room, and what integrators can learn from this to take their own installations to the next level. In this engaging and insightful episode, the panelists – Kordz Managing Director, James Chen, David Meyerowitz from Trinnov, Lars Johansen from Perlisten Audio and Peter Aylett from Officina Acustica – demonstrate how, even in the challenging environment of a noisy, bustling trade show, immersive and enveloping audio excellence can be achieved. The key lies in aligning all stakeholders, engineering and calibrating products to perfection, and ensuring the foundational cabling supports uncompromised performance.
This formula is a hallmark of custom home cinemas, but as the panelists explain, it’s possible to elevate audio quality even further—despite the odds. These experts and their teams of audio designers and engineers have perfected this approach at trade shows worldwide over the past few years.
Now, for the first time, they take listeners behind the scenes of this “Ultimate Audio Demo Room,” which will be showcased for the final time at ISE 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. “ISE marks the last opportunity for trade show attendees to experience audio excellence on this scale,” says Chen. “However, the skills, insights, and innovation behind it will endure forever.” “This room resets the level of expectation,” adds Johansen. “Anyone who steps inside has a new audio benchmark.”
In this illuminating discussion, together the panellists reflect on the enduring impact and legacy of crafting world-class trade show audio demo rooms, highlighting how many of these techniques serve as a blueprint for systems integrators developing state-of-the-art home cinemas. Aylett compares “The Ultimate Audio Demo Room” experienced by thousands at trade shows over the past ten years as an iceburg. “You see the tip—the remarkable, spine-tingling audio performance—but not the incredible amount of work that went into its design and execution.”
The podcast delves into the many facets that contribute to the timeless performance and innovation of this one-of-a-kind demo room:
Ready-to-Assemble and Repeatable Design Reduces Show Floor Labor
Responsible for the overall design of “The Ultimate Audio Demo Room,” Officina Acustica minimised unexpected issues by pre-constructing the shell and core of the demo room at their factory in Italy, rather than on the trade show floor. This approach allowed them to test, tweak and perfect the acoustical properties and equipment performance over several months. “This gave us the freedom to panic in private,” Aylett notes, referring to the ability to resolve issues early. The demo room was then shipped as a modular system, ready for assembly in just two days—a stark contrast to the years it often takes to complete theatres of this calibre.
More Speakers, Bigger Bass
The demo room’s acoustical isolation, provided by its outer shell, significantly reduces trade show noise, achieving a respectable noise floor of 30 decibels. Yet, the team took extra measures to ensure uninterrupted, immersive audio in this challenging environment. Perlisten Audio specially engineered 13 speakers and 14 subwoofers for the 54-square-metre space, further overcoming external noise and delivering all 18 seats the same incredible listening experience.
WaveForming—Next Level Bass Control
Having 3,000 watts of power in an audio demo is impressive, but delivering bass that’s truly pleasing to the ear requires precision. Trinnov’s unique WaveForming technology addresses low-frequency resonances that persist regardless of subwoofer placement or room design. This transformative technology plays a pivotal role in elevating audio quality to unprecedented levels. Meyerowitz, who frequently leads the trade show demonstrations, emphasises that this innovation exemplifies how quality engineering drives the next evolution of audio performance.
Foundational Cabling—Deliver the System’s Full Potential
High-performance speaker and HDMI cabling from Kordz forms the backbone of the demo room, ensuring all connected equipment performs at its best. The panelists unanimously agree that the quality of these connections can make or break the audio experience. This principle extends to future iterations of the demo space, as revealed later in the podcast. “We make a point to reuse all equipment and cabling from one trade show to the next,” says Aylett. “We’ve used the same Kordz cabling multiple times, and it continues to perform flawlessly.” The cables reliably deliver audio signals for a wide range of demo content, carefully curated and refined over the years to provide the ultimate showcase of audio performance. “The content we play in our demo serves as a good baseline for any integrator with a showroom or who designs high-end home theatres for their clientele,” Aylett adds.
In the podcast, the team also shares their recommendations for creating a comprehensive and impactful audio demo, offering valuable insights for professionals looking to elevate their own demonstrations and home cinema projects.
Exceptional audio performance is the result of multiple factors alchemising seamlessly—the equipment, the room design and the expertise of the professionals behind the scenes. The tips shared by the podcast panelists offer invaluable guidance for creating your own demo space or designing the ultimate home theatre for a client.
To dive deeper into the cutting-edge technologies powering these remarkable audio experiences, listen to the podcast.
For updates on the evolution of Kordz’ award-winning, professional grade connectivity solutions, including HDMI and speaker cabling, sign up for our newsletter and stay tuned for future episodes of Mastering Connectivity.
If you missed the first episodes of the Mastering Connectivity series, you can catch up here.
A special thanks to AV Trade Talks host, Katye McGregor Bennett, and the team at KMB Communications, for collaborating on this podcast series.
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