European Custom Installer

SnapAV and Control4 finalise their merger, the result of approval by 99% of Control4 shareholders. Unified into a single organisation, Control4 becomes a professional smart home brand in the SnapAV portfolio.

The merger follows the May 2019 announcement of the $680 million all-cash deal.

"The smart home industry is poised for massive growth, and much of that growth will be driven and satisfied by professionals. Our team shares a passion to deliver fantastic experiences to homeowners and businesses,” SnapAV says. "Through this combination of industry leaders, we have organised ourselves around delivering a unified and integrated company that gives dealers one place to go for the best and broadest selection of products, greatest technical support, most rewarding sales programs, robust training resources, and more.”

The Seymour-Screen Excellence Adjustable Ratio Theatre (ART) is what the company calls a "luxury" reference-grade acoustically-transparent motorised masking system spanning up to 6m tall and 9m wide for a 350-inch viewable image.

Available with either 2- or 4-way masking, the system is built on-wall rather than the traditional method of assembling, lifting and hanging, making for easier installation. As the largest of the three masking screen platforms available from the company, it comes complete with removable velvet fascia and 4:3 ratio with masking up to 120-inch per side.

Marantz announces the NR1200, a 75W-per-channel (8ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.08% THD) HDMI stereo receiver with a circuit design featuring separate, symmetrical left and right power amplifier blocks.

The power transformer is wired independently to the circuits of the amplifier, preamplifier, tuner and front display, a setup Marantz says improves channel separation, reduces crosstalk and preserves audio purity.

The NR1200 includes x5 HDMI inputs, each with HDCP 2.3, 4K Ultra HD 60Hz video, 4:4:4 Pure Color sub-sampling, HLG, High Dynamic Range (HDR10), 21:9 video, 3D and BT.2020 pass-through support. Plus, ARC (Audio Return Channel) supports the transmission of audio from the TV with a single HDMI cable, simplifying overall setup. The HDMI inputs automatically rename themselves based on information from the source.

Legrand launches a family of Nuvo 8-inch in-ceiling and in-wall passive subwoofers and matching digital amplifiers. The three subwoofers are aimed at small, medium and large home theatre and audio installs, while the amplifiers promise convenience and versatility.

For smaller installations, the NV-SUBIC8 in-ceiling subwoofer features a round magnetic grille (with an optional square grille available) and an infinite baffle designed for maximum placement flexibility. The NV-SUBIW8 and NV-SUBIWDUAL8 are designed for medium and large projects respectively, and both feature a sealed MDF cabinet for a distortion-free bass experience. The NV-SUBIW8 has a square magnetic grille, while the NV-SUBIWDUAL8 features a rectangular grille.

Josh.ai announces a collaboration with audio manufacturer Sonance and parent company TRUFIG bringing Josh.ai voice controls to Sonance products, as well as a TRUFIG in-wall mount for the Josh Micro.

“We’re excited to align with Sonance as a fellow innovator in our industry,” Josh.ai says. “Our device integrations and complementary products are extremely important as we recommend solutions for luxury clients who want performance as well as reliability. This is a natural fit given each of our company’s stances on the need to simplify technology to suit elegant design. Our goal with Josh.ai is to deliver a magical experience, and partnering with Sonance and TRUFIG is another step towards that vision.”