Gefen Equips Avantgarde Acoustics Hi-Fi Showroom With HD A/V Solution

When Avantgarde Acoustics, based out of Frankfurt, Germany, wanted to showcase its elite audio system augmented by stunning high definition visuals, it turned to Gefen.
Setting up the audio in Avantgarde Acoustics' private showroom in Huntington Beach, California was just the beginning.
Their flagship horn speaker system enables an exceptional auditory experience, as if listening to live music. But to properly illustrate the capabilities of a sound driven media room, Avantgarde Acoustics knew they needed to enhance the sound with visuals.
David Day, head of business operations for Avantgarde Acoustics in the US, envisioned his showroom as a real-world environment, demonstrating how the system could be used for nearly any audio-based environment. As a result, the room was designed as a pseudo media room, sportsbar and recording studio.
Day equipped the plush, 20- by 25-foot room with a 110-inch Da-lite screen fed by a Sony VW100 projector, plus three 26-inch Sony LCD displays with access to a high definition cable box and a Microsoft Media Center.
While the audio from each source is fed into the high-end Triand complement of six bass horns, arguably the finest loudspeaker system available in the world, the HD video is delivered to multiple outputs.
To enable simultaneous viewing on the three displays and the Da-lite screen, when simulating a sports bar for example, Day added the Gefen 2x4 HDMI Switcher/Splitter to the equipment rack.
This high-end performer accepts two HDMI audio/video inputs and outputs either source to four HDMI displays and/or projectors, supporting HD video in resolutions up to 1080p.
"While some receivers will switch HDMI, that doesn't help if you need to drive multiple displays with the same signal," explained Day.
"We found the Gefen HDMI Switcher/Splitter to be perfect for our needs because of its ability to perform both switching and signal distribution in one unit," said Day. "It works perfectly, the visuals are beautiful and the unit is totally plug and play."
(CL)