Creating your high-end home theater is about more than just assembling top-tier audio-visual equipment; it’s about crafting an immersive, luxurious environment that rivals or even surpasses the experience of a commercial cinema. Drawing inspiration from the room-by-room approach of K&W Audio’s smart home automation guide, let’s delve into the essential components and design principles that define a truly opulent home theater.
🎬 The Vision: Crafting Your Personal Cinema
A luxury home theater is a harmonious blend of cutting-edge technology, meticulous design, and personalized comfort. It’s a dedicated space where every element—from acoustics to aesthetics—is thoughtfully curated to deliver an unparalleled cinematic experience.
🖼️ Visual Excellence: The Heart of the Theater
Ultra-High-Definition Display
At the core of any premium home theater is a state-of-the-art display. A Projection based system defines the High End Home Theater. Options range from expansive OLED televisions known for their deep blacks and vibrant colors to high-lumen, but 4K or 8K projectors offer a true theater-like experience. For those seeking the pinnacle of visual fidelity, systems like Kaleidescape provide access to a vast library of high-resolution content, ensuring every frame is displayed in stunning detail .
🔊 Immersive Audio: Surround Sound Redefined
Dolby Atmos and Beyond
To replicate the enveloping soundscape of a commercial theater, a sophisticated audio setup is essential. Dolby Atmos systems, which incorporate overhead speakers, create a three-dimensional audio environment, allowing sounds to move fluidly around the listener . Configurations like 7.1.4 or even 9.2.6 channels ensure that every whisper and explosion is rendered with spatial precision.
🛋️ Seating: Comfort Meets Functionality
Ergonomic and Luxurious
Comfortable seating is paramount for prolonged viewing sessions. High-end theaters often feature motorized recliners with ergonomic support, upholstered in premium materials like leather or velvet. Additional amenities such as built-in cup holders, USB charging ports, and ambient lighting enhance the viewing experience, combining luxury with practicality
💡 Lighting: Setting the Mood
Layered and Controllable Illumination
Effective lighting design enhances both the functionality and ambiance of a home theater. Incorporating layered lighting—such as recessed ceiling lights, wall sconces, and LED floor lighting—allows for customizable illumination levels. Smart lighting systems enable users to adjust brightness and color temperature, creating the perfect atmosphere for any genre or mood .
🧱 Acoustics: Engineering the Sound Environment
Soundproofing and Acoustic Treatments
Achieving optimal sound quality requires careful attention to room acoustics. Implementing soundproofing measures, such as insulated walls and acoustic panels, minimizes external noise interference. Additionally, strategically placed diffusers and absorbers help manage sound reflections within the room, ensuring clarity and balance across all frequencies
🎛️ Automation: Seamless Control at Your Fingertips
Integrated Smart Systems
Modern home theaters benefit immensely from automation. Integrating control systems allows users to manage audio, video, lighting, and climate settings from a single interface, whether it’s a dedicated touch panel or a smartphone app. This seamless control enhances user convenience and contributes to a clutter-free environment .
🧃 Amenities: Elevating the Experience
Concessions and Comforts
To replicate the full cinema experience, consider adding amenities such as a snack bar or beverage station. Features like a popcorn machine, mini-fridge stocked with refreshments, or even a wine cooler can add a touch of indulgence, making your home theater the ultimate entertainment destination.
🏗️ Design Aesthetics: Personalizing Your Space
Thematic and Cohesive Decor
The visual design of your home theater should reflect your personal taste while maintaining a cohesive theme. Whether you prefer the classic elegance of Art Deco, the sleek lines of modern minimalism, or a theme inspired by your favorite film franchise, thoughtful decor choices enhance immersion and make the space uniquely yours .
🛠️ Professional Installation: Ensuring Excellence
Expertise and Precision
While DIY projects can be rewarding, the complexity of a high-end home theater often necessitates professional expertise. Experienced installers can ensure that all components—from wiring and calibration to acoustic treatments—are executed flawlessly, maximizing performance and longevity .
🏁 Final Thoughts
Designing a luxury home theater is an investment in quality, comfort, and entertainment. By focusing on state-of-the-art technology, ergonomic design, and personalized aesthetics, you can create a cinematic haven that offers an unparalleled viewing experience right in the comfort of your home.
For more insights and personalized recommendations on building your dream home theater, feel free to reach out or explore our other resources.
In Calgary, where the mountains meet the skyline, the concept of a smart home is increasingly popular. Imagine a home that not only caters to your needs but also enhances your lifestyle with convenience, security, and efficiency. From the moment you step inside to the time you fully unwind in your bedroom at the end of a busy day, smart home automation can transform every room into a sanctuary of modern living. Here are innovative ideas to get you started on your automated smart home journey.
Step Inside: Your Automation Begins at the Front Door
Your home’s entryway is the first impression, and with automation technology, it can be both welcoming and secure. Smart locks eliminate the need for traditional keys, allowing you to unlock your door with a simple button tap or voice command on your smartphone, or deadbolt keypad entry. Arriving home with your hands full of groceries and only having to say “Unlock the front door” into your phone is slick. You could also easily unlock the front door remotely for a friend or maintenance person and secure the home after they leave.
Video doorbells add an extra layer of security, letting you see who’s at your door from anywhere in the world. Whether it’s that delivery person dropping off a package or a friend stopping by, you can also easily communicate with them via two-way audio from your smartphone when you’re not at home. Coupled with automated lighting that automatically turns on exterior lighting as you approach, as well as interior entryway lighting (along with Main Floor and other rooms in the home), your home will feel both more inviting and safer for you.
Smart Lighting and Voice Control: Elevate Your Home’s Entry Experience
Automation systems, such as Control4, can also adjust the automated lighting based on the time of day and the season you’re in, as well as your presence in a particular space of the home. This not only enhances security but also adds a touch of elegance to your entryway and as you move around your home’s interior spaces. With whole-house automated lighting, your home is ready to welcome you and your guests in style. These capabilities can also help you manage your smart home ecosystem with voice commands, allowing you to control everything from your thermostat to your entertainment system as you step inside. The seamless integration of technology into your home not only enhances functionality, it also creates a modern and sophisticated atmosphere that reflects your personal style.
The Heart of the Home: Living Room Automation Essentials
Centralized AV Control with Control4
The living room is where families gather, and automation can really enhance this experience significantly. Controlling your entire entertainment system with a single remote or even your voice. Centralized A/V control systems like Control4 allow you to manage everything in your system with a single remote without the need to even see the equipment, as it could be in a central rack in the basement mechanical room. Out of site, in the coolest room in the house.
Sonos Audio and Voice-Activated Smart Scenes
With Control4, you can create personalized settings for movie nights, sporting events, or family gatherings. Set the mood with dimmed lights, lowered shades, and the perfect temperature—all with a single command via the Control4 app on your device, from a handheld remote, or in-wall touch-screen.
Music is an essential part of any gathering, and distributed audio systems can fill your living room with rich sound. Selecting “Play my party playlist,” from your device or simply by saying it, to have your music start playing throughout the room. Touch or voice-activated scenes allow you to create an atmosphere that matches the occasion, from a cozy movie night to a fun get-together.
Smarter Cooking and Entertaining in the Kitchen and Dining Room
The kitchen is often considered the heart of the home, the hub of the house, and it can be made better with automation. From cooking to entertaining, smart kitchen devices can streamline your tasks and make meal preparation a breeze. Automated lighting can adjust to your cooking needs, brightening when you need to chop vegetables and dimming for a romantic dinner. Climate control systems can maintain the perfect temperature, ensuring your kitchen remains comfortable while you whip up culinary delights. And let’s not forget about music; having your favorite playlist playing in the background can make cooking a fun experience rather than a chore, and selecting that preferred music when dining is essential to set the ideal mood.
Create Dining Room Ambiance with Smart Scenes
Lighting and Audio Automation for Special Moments
When it comes to dining, ambiance is everything. Automated lighting control can help you set the perfect scene for every meal. You could choose a bright and cheerful lighting scene for family meals or a soft and romantic scene for those date nights. Hosting a dinner party where the lighting adjusts automatically as the evening progresses creates an inviting atmosphere.
Multi-room audio automation allows you to play different background music throughout the house that complements the many moods from family members in different rooms. Controlled directly via an app from a phone or tablet, in-wall touch-screen, as well as voice control.
Total Comfort in Your Bedroom
Wake and Sleep Scenes with Distributed Audio and Climate Control
The bedroom is a sanctuary, and smart home technology can enhance comfort and relaxation. From automated blinds that open with the sunrise to smart mattresses that adjust to your sleeping position, the possibilities are endless. Imagine waking up to soft lighting and your favorite morning playlist, gently coaxing you into the day. Creating a peaceful sleep environment is crucial for a good night’s rest. Integrated climate control systems can adjust the temperature to your preference, ensuring you are comfortable throughout the night. Also, with automated distributed audio, you could set a soothing soundscape with calming music to help you drift off.
In the morning, a wake scene can gradually brighten the lights as well as your favorite upbeat tunes, making it easier to start the day on a positive note. This seamless transition from sleep to wakefulness can significantly improve your overall well-being.
Smart Office, Smart Workflow
Automated Lighting, Noise Control, and Device Integration
As remote work has become more prevalent, having a smarter office can enhance productivity and comfort. Automated lighting can adjust based on the time of day, ensuring you have adequate brightness without straining your eyes. Noise control features can help create a distraction-free environment, allowing you to focus on your tasks. Smart devices can also be integrated to work together, creating a streamlined workflow. For an example, your calendar could trigger specific lighting and audio settings when you have a meeting scheduled. Stepping into your office and the lights turn on, your favorite instrumental music starts playing, and the temperature adjusts to your liking—all seamlessly and automatic. This level of automation not only enhances productivity, it makes working from home feel more enjoyable and less isolating.
High-Tech Bathrooms: Luxury Meets Automation
Voice Control, Audio, and Heated Floor Scheduling
Bathrooms are often overlooked in the smart home conversation, but they can offer luxurious automation features that enhance daily routines. Imagine stepping into a bathroom where the lights gradually brighten as you enter and your favorite music starts playing to create a spa-like atmosphere. Macros can be programmed to automate several functions from one button press.
Voice control can also make your bathroom experience even more convenient. Adjusting the lighting, playing music, or even to set the shower temperature with simple voice commands. You can schedule heated floors to warm up before you wake up, ensuring a cozier start to your day.
With mirrors that display the weather or your calendar, as well as a hidden television for watching the news, you can also stay informed while getting ready. These high-tech features can turn your bathroom into a personal retreat, making everyday routines feel more special and comfortable while you go about your day.
Extend Home Automation Outdoors
Outdoor Lighting, Distributed Audio, and Security Cameras
Outdoor spaces can also benefit from smart home technology, making them more enjoyable and secure. You can host a barbecue in your backyard while controlling the outdoor lighting and music from your smartphone, and have the sprinklers come on at the end of the evening.
Smart outdoor lighting can be programmed to turn on at sunset, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere for exterior evening gatherings. Outdoor speakers can mount to the house or be installed in the soffit to enjoy your favorite music while entertaining guests or relaxing in the sun. Sonos powered speakers could also be implemented and they could move around too!
Security is also a top priority for outdoor spaces. Wired security cameras can monitor your property, providing peace of mind whether you’re home or away, without the concern for ever charging a battery in a wireless camera. With outdoor smart home automation, your home can be both beautiful and secure.
How Smart Home Wiring Supports Seamless Integration
Behind the Scenes with ResiNet and Control4
To truly enjoy the benefits of smart home automation, proper wiring is essential. Implementing a comprehensive wiring infrastructure ensures that all devices communicate effectively and quickly, providing a seamless experience. This behind-the-scenes planning is crucial for integrating various systems and devices throughout your home. Planning is of paramount importance and is why having an experienced automation integrator like K&W Audio is a must.
A proper residential wiring infrastructure allows for efficient communication between devices and ensures that they work together harmoniously. Control4 systems can be greatly customized to fit your specific needs, allowing for a personalized automation experience. With the correct wiring and technology, your home can be a fully integrated haven that promotes your relaxation and peace of mind while at your home or not.
Build Your Dream Smart Home with K&W Audio in Calgary, Alberta
Creating a smart home tailored to your lifestyle is an exciting journey. K&W Audio specializes in helping homeowners design and implement smart home solutions that fit their unique needs. We guide you through the process—from consultation and design to installation—and equip every room in your home with the latest technology to best suit your requirements.
Whether you’re looking to enhance security, improve comfort, or simply enjoy the convenience of automating the primary systems in your home (lighting, security, HVAC), K&W Audio can help you build your dream smart home. With our friendly experts alongside, you can transform your Calgary residence into a modern sanctuary that reflects your lifestyle and particular preferences.
Smart home automation offers endless possibilities for enhancing everyday living. Home automation can transform every room, from the entryway to the backyard, into a space that is both functional and enjoyable. Embrace the future of living in Calgary, and let home automation elevate your home experience. Contact our team to discuss your dreams!
Is There an Ultimate HiFi System? Sound, Size, and Investment
Acknowledging, first of all, that HiFi is a very subjective hobby, the most obvious answer to the above question would be “No, there is not ONE Ultimate HiFi System.” Moving on.
. . . Oh. . . You want a more detailed answer?. . . OK, here goes.
In this subjective world of HiFi, I would say that there definitely CAN be an ultimate system for each person in a given environment. The real key is understanding the expectations of the listener, the demands of the music, and the limitations of the room. So let’s tackle those in reverse order, starting with the limitations of the room.
Personal story: I lived in Vancouver for 8 years in my 20’s. Over the span of those 8 years, I had 11—count ’em, 11—addresses. When you’re a single guy living in Vancouver in the 90’s, you’re never NOT looking for a better deal on rent. Throw some roommates and the occasional romantic entanglement into the mix and I got to be very good at moving.
I don’t particularly recommend the nomadic lifestyle, but I can certainly offer some advice to those without deep roots: Rule 1, keep all the boxes for your hifi gear. Rule 2, when hunting for a place, the first priority is finding a good space to set up the stereo, and Rule 3, when moving day comes, the stereo is always the last thing packed at the old place and the first thing unpacked at the new.
Speaker Placement Matters
Speaker placement in relation to the room and the primary listening position is key. If you really want to aspire to an “ultimate” HiFi experience, you need to make sure that you are sitting equidistant from your left and right speakers and that neither of those speakers is overly close to a wall.
Most of the sound comes off the front face of the speaker, but a significant amount radiates from the sides and back. This brings us to room acoustics.
Understanding Room Acoustics
When you’re listening to a stereo system, only 20-30% of the sound you hear comes directly from the speakers. The rest reflects off surfaces in the room. Hard surfaces like glass and walls reflect more sound than soft surfaces like carpets and bookshelves.
If your room has too many hard surfaces, sound can become unfocused.
If your space has a lot of soft surfaces, sound may become too dampened.
For optimal sound quality, invest in acoustic treatments, rugs, drapes, or canvas painting art to improve reflections.
Room Size and Speaker Selection
Last but not least to consider in regards to the room, is the volume of air. More space sucks more bass. A small pair of bookshelf speakers in a huge space is going to sound thin and bright. You might like the look of bookshelf speakers on a slim, elegant stand, but if you’re not moving enough air, you won’t get any kind of satisfying oomph.
Conversely, if your hifi space is too small to be called a bedroom and is closer in dimensions to a walk in closet, then a giant pair of tower speakers is going to overwhelm the space sonically, to say nothing of visually, so when you’re shopping for a stereo, if the salesman doesn’t ask you about your room before he starts telling you what to buy, just walk away.
The Listener’s Expectations: What Do You Want From Your HiFi System?
Now let’s talk about the demands of the music. How loud is too loud? Some people want to be “blown away” by their HiFi system, while others prefer subtlety. Your music genre impacts your speaker choice.
If you love classical music or jazz, accurate sound reproduction at low to moderate volumes is key.
If you listen to rock, metal, or deep house, you’ll need a system that handles power and bass efficiently.
The truth is, not everyone needs (or wants) to be “blown away.” I remember one time I was trying to impress a young man with some gear back in the 90’s and nothing I was showing him was good enough. He finally said to me, “I want a system that goes so loud that I can’t breathe!” I told him I couldn’t help him. Different people want different things, and it’s not my place to judge, but I’m sure that young man is now in his late 40’s, and is probably deaf as a post.
Now, you may want a system that you can really crank up from time to time, and that’s perfectly fine, or you may want to listen to a soft string quartet with all the sonic delicacy of a butterfly landing on a leaf, and maybe you want to be able to do both, but power is expensive and fidelity is expensive, and if you want both, be prepared to invest heavily.
Pro tip: You can easily download a reasonably accurate SPL meter app for your smart phone and it’s worthwhile to know that prolonged listening at levels louder than 95dB will cause damage to your ears. Optimal listening (when the human ear’s frequency response is most even) is typically between 75 and 85 dB.
Matching Your HiFi System to Your Music Tastes
It’s important to note that all music is not created equal. If all you ever listen to is female vocals and string quartets, you probably don’t need 600 watt monoblocks and 15 inch subs, but if your tastes lean toward heavy metal or deep house, then a 15 watt tube amp and a pair of micro sats isn’t going to cut the mustard either.
Now, don’t get me wrong, an accurate speaker is an accurate speaker—the speaker doesn’t know what type of music it’s playing, it’s just trying to reproduce the signal that it’s getting, so in that regard, sometimes when people say “this is a good jazz speaker,” what they really mean is that it plays better at a low to moderate volume, whereas a “good rock & roll speaker” just refers to something that can move more air, or take a bit more punishment. When you reach a certain price point, a good speaker is a good speaker regardless of what it’s asked to do.
Price vs. Performance: Finding the Right Balance
Sometimes you’ll get hit with something that you don’t expect and it takes a while to process. I’ve heard systems that, based on their price tag, should have left me breathless, but yet, failed to impress me at all, and other times, I’ve heard bargain budget gear that has knocked me for a loop because it outperformed my expectations. That being said, you can’t really expect to get a world class, mind blowing hifi system for $1000, but you also don’t have to spend $200k to get there (but it’s quite a bit easier to get there if that’s your budget).
Another funny story: One time, shortly after I started at K&W, I had an elderly woman who came in to the shop and all she had ever owned was a $600 Bose Wave Radio, but she loved music and wanted a really good hifi system and was willing to spend up to $10,000. I played her a pair of Martin Logan electrostatic speakers connected to an Arcam amplifier and CD player (Yes, that’s right. A cd player. This was almost 20 years ago, after all.)
I put on one of her favourite artists, Diana Krall and when I hit play the room was filled with rich mellifluous jazz and Diana’s voice came through as clear as you could ever imagine. After only a minute of playing the song the woman was shaking her head saying, “No, no, I don’t like that at all.” I was a bit confused because I was in the room too, and to me it sounded absolutely fantastic, so I asked her what it was about the sound that put her off? Her reply–and I swear I’m not making this up–she said, “It sounds like she’s right here in the room with me and that makes me uncomfortable.”
Final Thoughts: Creating Your Ultimate HiFi Experience in Calgary
Whether you’re wanting something that will feel like a punch in the stomach with every thump of the kick-drum, or something that casts out a sonic image that extends far beyond the walls of your listening room and transports you to Carnegie Hall or Abbey Road Studio, it’s what you want that really matters. At this level (meaning the K&W Audio level) we’re really arguing over fine wine.
At K&W Audio, we take the time to understand:
Your room setup
Your listening preferences
Your budget
What you want is what you want, so when the nice sales guy in the shop asks you what you want to hear, don’t be shy. Don’t tell him you want to hear classical music because your friend told you that’s the best way to compare audio systems but you don’t ever listen to classical music when you’re at home alone. If you want to hear 10000 Days by Tool or Hotel California for the 10000th time, he’s not going to judge you. The more we know about your Calgary home’s acoustics and your HiFi goals, the closer we can get you to the Ultimate HiFi Experience.
Ready to build your ultimate HiFi system? Contact our friendly and knowledgeable team at K&W Audio today. Whether you’re fine-tuning your current setup or starting fresh, we’ll help you find the perfect sound for your space. Visit us in Calgary or call us now.
With so many devices being used simultaneously and heavily taxing your home network, how can you ensure optimal performance every day?
Network stability and strength is critical and you shouldn’t settle for sub-par wireless performance. Pakedge wireless networks and superior routers work together to provide you with high-speeds, reliability, and consistent peak performance.
The Central System of Your Connected Home
Just as the Internet is the electronic pulse that brings a connected home to life, the network is the central nervous system that carries critical information to all of your connected devices. In today’s continuously-connected world, more and more devices are coming online, most notably in our homes—and it’s more imperative than ever to have a robust, high-performing home network that you can rely on. Always.
Whether you have a few devices online or your home is brimming with automation, Pakedge delivers a sophisticated network—and the highest-quality products—all designed for the unique demands of your connected home.
Dependable & Packed with Performance
Pakedge designs networks especially for your connected home, ensuring everything from Netflix to Napster and Xbox to iPads works at all times. Your network prioritizes traffic to deliver a seamless, reliable, and consistently dependable experience. You can stream movies or music while emailing or searching the internet without interruption, and your cameras, intercoms, and other online devices perform just as they should.
Simple to Scale
A Pakedge network is a platform that evolves with you. As your technology demands change, some homes and solutions require more sophisticated configurations. With the simple addition of a component or two, your home network can be easily updated to manage new devices and adapt to changing network needs.
Routers
Your router connects to your ISP and acts as the brain of your network, directing data to the right device. To get the most out of your network, you need a router that can handle high bandwidth, low latency multimedia traffic.
Switches
Switches bring out the true performance of your connected devices to give flexibility for wired connections and even power your devices. Pakedge designs switches to process AV network traffic flows at incredibly high speeds and eliminate lag, jitter, and buffering in streaming audio and video traffic.
Wireless
The Pakedge wireless controller scans your local environment to adapt and optimize your wireless performance while access points provide coverage throughout the home and enterprise-level wireless communication between all devices within a network.
The Connected Home
Award-winning Pakedge networks are engineered specifically to improve multimedia streaming. From one-room entertainment to homes with automation, Pakedge provides an always-on foundation for your connected lifestyle.
The Advanced Connected Home
For homes integrated with an ample amount of streaming devices— from audio/video to intercom, cameras, and more—Pakedge enables traffic segmentation to ensure steady A/V streaming so you never miss a beat. For advanced homes that need a little more attention, Pakedge systems allow your integrator to monitor your uptime and remotely fix any issues should they arise.
Ready to add Some “Smarts” to Your Home?
A powerful, configurable and manageable network plays a critical role in today’s smart home. If you want to make your home smarter with the best home automation available today, choose Control4 and Pakedge. And even better, we’re even part of the same family, so our commitment to our customers is unwavering. Combining an industry-leading suite of advanced networking solutions with a unified smart home system that offers personalized control over the entire home, Control4 and Pakedge are enhancing the daily lives of homeowners around the globe. Our highly trained system designers and installers help build the smart home of your dreams.
It was only a matter of time and Sonos has now unveiled their new Ace headphones!
Arriving early next month, they support Bluetooth 5.4 and make it easy to redirect TV audio from a compatible Sonos soundbar for a private home theater experience featuring spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and Dolby dynamic head-tracking. They provide up to 30 hours of battery life along with a 3-minute quick-charge mode for 3 hours of listening. The right earcup has buttons for adjusting volume, controlling playback, answering calls, and switching between noise cancellation and Aware modes, and the left earcup has buttons for power and pairing a device. Bass and treble controls and turning head-tracking on/off are adjusted from the Sonos app.
Marantz Releases M1 HEOS Stereo Amplifier
Marantz has just released their MODEL M1 HEOS wireless streaming stereo amplifier! Made in Shirakawa, Japan, it has a compact form factor, 100 watts per channel, AirPlay2 and Bluetooth; an HDMI eARC input, stereo RCA inputs, an optical input, and a subwoofer output.
Bowers & Wilkins’ stellar 700 Series gets the Signature treatment. What’s your favourite finish? With the 700 Series, studio sound comes home. 700 Series Signature builds on that extraordinary pedigree, with optimised technologies and unique, luxurious finishes to deliver performance and elegance that’s a level above the best.
The 702 S3 Signature loudspeaker comes in two luxurious finishes. Which one will you choose?
You can also check out B&W’s 800 Speaker Series.
LMG Press Release Regarding Evolution of MQA
An interesting press release from Lenbrook regarding the evolution of MQA:
JUNE 5, 2024, TORONTO, ONTARIO CANADA – Lenbrook Media Group (LMG), specialists in high resolution audio, has announced a suite of products from the newly formed MQA Labs that bring audio processing enhancements across the music supply chain. AIRIA by MQA Labs™ (also known by its technical name, SCL6) delivers high resolution audio while seamlessly scaling from full lossless to very lossy rates. FOQUS by MQA Labs™ represents an innovative approach for analogue to digital conversion. QRONO by MQA Labs™ brings a variety of audio processing enhancements within playback devices. These technologies are expected to debut in a variety of licensee products before the end of calendar 2025.
McIntosh has just unveiled a new compact aptX HD-enabled Bluetooth transceiver (transmitter/receiver) as an update to their MB20, called the MB25.
As with the previous model, the MB25 Bluetooth Transceiver also has a switch that enables it to function as a receiver or transmitter. In receiver mode, it enables an existing audio system to receive audio from a phone or transmitter wirelessly over Bluetooth, while as a transmitter it can stream audio from a CD player, turntable, or other audio source to Bluetooth-enabled speakers or headphones.
Upgrades include an illuminated front panel in McIntosh’s black glass with a button for selecting the input when the device is used as a transmitter and indicators showing the audio signal type (aptX, aptX HD, etc.) as well as the sampling rate (32 kHz to 192 kHz). Power Control jacks are also provided for integrating the MB25 into a McIntosh audio system, allowing it to turn on and off with the other components.
Our Calgary audio/visual shop has received our new swanky Elite Home Theater Seating chair with all of the trimmings!
With ultra-soft rose red silk leather, quilted cushions, and black piping.
With ultra-soft rose red silk leather, quilted cushions, and black piping. This exquisite piece is a testament to the luxury and comfort we bring to our custom home theater designs in Calgary. At K&W Audio, we understand that a private home theatre is more than just a room—it’s an experience. That’s why we meticulously craft each element, from the seating to the audio-visual components, to create a truly immersive environment.
Our expert team seamlessly integrates top-of-the-line home theater projectors, cutting-edge stereo systems, and state-of-the-art multi-room audio setups to elevate your entertainment space. But we don’t stop there. We believe in creating a cohesive smart home experience, which is why our home automation projects often include sophisticated lighting control installations. These systems allow you to set the perfect ambiance for movie nights or casual viewing with just a touch.
Let us transform your home into a cinematic paradise that reflects your unique style and fulfills your home theatre dreams.
Marantz’s New State-of-the-Art M4 Amplifier
Crafted in Shirakawa, Japan, Marantz’s new state-of-the-art M4 8-channel, 4-zone distribution amplifier is very comprehensive. It provides your stereo system with 100 watts/channel (8 ohms) of warm, lush sound to enjoy music listening throughout the house!
It has four built-in HEOS modules for independent music streaming in four zones, along with four stereo RCA inputs and dual optical inputs for external audio sources, as well as four stereo RCA pre-amp outputs. There are even four USB-A connections for external hard drives and memory sticks. 🙂
An attractive retro inspired room with a beast of a McIntosh system in their New York House of Sound. Discover the XRT2.1K full-range system on the fifth floor of the House of Sound. Renowned for its spacious sound reproduction and remarkably deep sound stage.
Pro-Ject has released a grounded carbon record brush with their Brush it Premium.
Perfect for any vinyl loving audiophile!
This metal brush with grounding cable and conductive carbon fibres guarantees optimal playing conditions.
The finest dust particles are removed and electrostatic charging is reduced. With Brush it Premium, you can quickly and easily clean the record before each play and enjoy the music without any noise. The included grounding cable keeps the vinyl record static free.
Explore the latest in audio and visual technology at K&W Audio, featuring the new Sonos Ace headphones, Marantz M1 HEOS stereo amplifier, luxurious B&W 700 Series speakers, and more. Our audio visual store in Calgary offers a curated selection of high-end products, including the latest equipment from the MartinLogan and Elite Home Theatre Seating.
Enhance your home entertainment experience with our expert team and top-of-the-line offerings. Visit us today and discover the perfect setup for your needs!
