Audio Advice Live

Revisiting Audio Advice Live 2024 in Videos and Photos

Mark Henninger | Aug 12, 2024

Audio Advice Live 2024 concluded a week ago, and I have just finished organizing all the photos and videos I captured during the event. This show is unique because it is the only consumer-focused exhibition I attend that is structured like a high-end two-channel audio show, while also giving equal importance to the home theater category. In fact, Audio Advice CEO Scott Newnam stated in his keynote address that it is the largest home theater show of its kind in the world.

If there is another event—outside of trade shows like CEDIA—that showcases more home theater exhibits, I am unaware of it. Additionally, the cooperative Raleigh Sheraton allowed for the installation of in-ceiling speakers, enabling these home theater systems to feature authentic height channels, rather than just reflected-sound Atmos.

The audio experiences during my visit were exceptional. For instance, MartinLogan demonstrated a masterclass in rendering spatial audio music. I was captivated by how precisely sounds swirled around the room and seemed to rise above my head, with no visual cues needed. Not to be outdone, Sound United presented a pair of impressive home theater systems. The Bowers & Wilkins Atmos system, featuring D4 series speakers and Classé amplification, was a true powerhouse.

KEF also put on an Atmos demo but made a point of using its Q Series to keep the overall cost manageable. Definitive Technology also emphasized price/performance ratio but did so with custom install in-wall and in-ceiling speakers.

Focal's speakers were present in dual home theater demos, the more modest powered by a Sony ES AVR. Theory Audio Design put on an impressive show with a simple 7.1 system that benefitted from using all the same model of speaker. And JBL Synthesis was demoed with a 100" Samsung TV, rather than a projector.

Meanwhile, many of the home theater demos used the new $4,000 Kaleidescape Strato V player as a source. The show also provided a first look at the new $5,000 madVR Envy Core.

Aside from AV, the show featured tons of 2-channel product launches. For example, DALI's Rubikore speaker line. Or The Abyss 10 sub from MartinLogan. Arcam unveiled its second round of Radia electronics while JBL showcased its MA series electronics and Stage 2 speakers. And it also had some rarefied systems to sample, like a McIntosh Reference system, MartinLogan's Neolith speakers, and perhaps the rarest demo of them all, Bowers & Wilkin's Nautilus, making its first show appearance in two decades!

Plenty of food for thought.