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The buzz from CEDIA 2018 may be fading, but a few show highlights are likely to live on in the memory of attendees. One is Paradigm/Anthem’s 7.2.4-speaker home theater demo, which gave viewers an immersive, high-intensity sampling of Ready Player One and Blade Runner 2049 on Ultra HD Blu-ray with Dolby Atmos sound.

“Our demo room was a unique presentation that most people never get the opportunity to hear,” said Paradigm/Anthem marketing manager Devin Zell. “Dealers seldom have showrooms where people can experience an Atmos home theater that features all custom-install speakers.”

The demo system featured the company’s flagship CI Elite E7-LCR in-wall speakers (shown above, $3,499/each) for the front channels, paired with four E3-LCR surrounds ($1,999/each) and four E80-R in-ceiling speakers ($699/each).

Electronics used to power the system included Anthem’s AVM 60 preamp/processor ($2,999) and MCA 525 and MCA 325 amplifiers ($3,499 and $2,499, respectively). Bringing up the bass: a pair of the new Defiance X15 subwoofers ($1,499/each), one of six new subwoofers from Paradigm.

Installation of the CI Elite E7-LCR in-walls behind the demo’s acoustically transparent screen was made easy by the speaker’s integrated back box (as shown in the opening photo), which eliminated the need to create sealed wall cavities.

Along with 7.2.4 Atmos, the demo also featured a presentation of the company’s new Premier 800F tower speakers ($999/each) and STR integrated amplifier ($4,499) playing music streamed from Qobuz. As the high-res streaming service’s exclusive CEDIA partner, the Paradigm/Anthem booth was the lone spot at the show where attendees were given a chance to hear Qobuz on a high-performance speaker system.