Electronics showrooms are becoming homier and more inviting than ever. Here's what to expect and how to get the most out of the experience.

The scene is the outskirts of Las Vegas. We're in a luxurious kitchen, noshing veggies and other munchies overflowing on a granite countertop, as a chef slices roast beef and turkey. It's much better than any cheap buffet served at one of the neon Strip palaces. Oh, and did we mention that we're here to view home theaters? The place is Creative Home Theatre, Las Vegas, a collection of several home theater showrooms, from a listening room furnished with a sofa and stereo system to a family room equipped with a full surround-sound system, to theaters that not only bang your head but boggle your mind. But we'll get to that. Boy, are these veggies yummy. Can I have some more roast beef?

Across the continent in West Palm Beach, FL, the representatives at Audio Advisors don't just take their clientele through a few showrooms, they take them through 11 rooms, from a reception area to a living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom, master bath, workout room and home theater. It's a whirlwind tour of high-end home décor and the endless electronic possibilities that exist.

Cut to North Attleboro, MA, where visitors to Home Smart Home are greeted by a Marvin the Martian rendering that surrounds a wall-mounted control panel. Artie Eaton and company chat with guests in a whimsical, fifties-style kitchen.

Then there's the new Integrated Media Systems showroom in Sterling, VA, where visitors are greeted with a high-tech vista of plasma screens on a curved wall behind the reception area before strolling into a fan-shaped exhibit space showcasing control systems, lighting and much more for the whole house.

There certainly is a lot of variety in custom electronics showrooms today, but the one thing all these showrooms have in common is a sense of integration—a blending not only of electronics systems but of home décor and home life.

The New Look in Showrooms

Take the new showroom at Integrated Media Systems outside of Washington, DC, Visitors are treated to a high-tech look, but on either side of the wall-mounted plasma monitors are touchpanel controllers: an AMX home automation system on one side and an Elan Home Systems home control system on the other. Guests can start using the systems and see how everything from music to lighting to security can be "integrated" and controlled from one device. But more than that, the space evokes a sophisticated and warm look so people can see how the technology can be blended into their own lives.

Audio Advisors takes the home-away-from-home concept one step further, offering an entire luxury homes worth of electronic vistas, from a parlor with travertine marble floors and a touchscreen controller to a luxurious master bath with a television visible from behind a two-way mirror. "People seem to get excited about how well integrated everything is and how well everything blends, because having it displayed in this facility is the same way they would have it displayed in their homes," says Audio Advisors president Jeff Hoover.

"Showrooms are introducing elements of the whole house today," says Spencer Kalker, president of ImageCrafters, a Lakeville, MA-based company that designs and builds showrooms for custom electronics professionals. "They show people how they can enjoy technology in their homes."

Perhaps more importantly, they appeal to both men and women. It seems that the days of the gear-driven retail store for men is over, as more women of the house are now involved in the electronic purchasing decisions, in many cases even driving them.

Kalker talks of the huge showroom his company designed and built for Bjorn's Audio & Video in San Antonio, TX, and the grateful parties aren't only women. "Bjorn has had male customers come up and thank him, because their wives are allowing them to do the projects they want," says Kalker.

A sense of domestic realism now pervades electronics showrooms, from the cute living room, sitting room, and kids' bedroom of Home Smart Home's 1950s-style bungalow in North Attleboro, MA, to the six apartment showrooms in a brownstone used by Progressive Audio in Columbus, OH.

And although you may yearn to experience the power of that home theater showroom, expect to see many other rooms on your showroom tour, including multipurpose rooms. As part of a collection of 12 showrooms located in a historic colonial in Sudbury, MA, the new Home Entertainment Expo features a multipurpose family room with a home theater and a foosball table. "We think there's more opportunity in this type of room than in a dedicated home theater, because people want to use it for more than one thing," says CEO David Gormley.

And don't forget kitchens and dining rooms. Their presence in an electronics showroom space can give you some powerful ideas. "Most people are surprised to see a kitchen in our showroom. We use it to first meet with clients there," says Hoover.

Meeting in the kitchen also gives guests a chance to sample technologies such as LCD TVs that can be flush-mounted in walls and an iCEBOX monitor that folds down from under counters and allows quick and easy access to the Internet.

Dining rooms can show how whole-house audio can be enjoyed with nearly invisible in-wall and in-ceiling speakers—as well as lighting control systems with various lighting "scenes" available at the touch of a button. Users can switch from a scene that illuminates the room for a dinner party, then dim the lights for a romantic setting, or show off artwork.

A lighting control system is one of those things that you have to see to appreciate, and that's why you'll see a lot more lighting control in showrooms today. In fact, don't be surprised to see more custom electronics showrooms featuring not just lighting systems, but lighting fixtures as well. A chain of design centers called the Home Theater Store with several locations in Texas is doing that and more.

"We show a lot of lighting," says Mihir Mody, who with his brother co-owns both the Home Theater Store and Houston-based Mody & Mody Interiors. "There's a lot of Italian and European lighting, and the furniture is very unique, with pieces you won't be able to find elsewhere."

The Home Theater Store is laid out in high-tech, modern-looking room vignettes, much like you'd see at an upscale furniture store, but with actual electronics from flat-panel plasma monitors to audio systems to home theaters right alongside the upscale furnishings and fixtures. The intent is to have a place where interior designers and architects can bring their clients who also want some audio/video or other electronics. It's an integration of lifestyle, home design and electronics.

One of the very best parts of a good custom electronics showroom, though, is that it can show you how various electronic systems, from audio and video to lighting and heating and ventilation, can work together in a home—and how all these systems can be controlled from the same source, such as a touchscreen monitor, a wallplate with a few buttons or a remote control. The showrooms at Stuarts in Westfield, NJ, for example, can be completely operated by a handheld computer such as a Pocket PC. And yes, you can have this at home.

How to Showroom Shop

Now that you know what's available in the showroom and feel like one of those silly guys in the Circuit City commercials, ready to go in and enjoy some good old playtime, what should you really be looking for? Or do these custom electronics dealers just want you to have all this fun and leave with a big bill of goods?

Well, you can have fun in these places, but be sure to do a little work and check out the company behind the showroom as well.

The tips provided from our experts generally fall into a few broad categories: the quality and neatness of the showroom and its installation, your interaction with the equipment, the quality of the equipment, and last but certainly not least, ethics and professionalism.

Quality and Neatness

First impressions are a good thing here. You should be impressed when you walk into an electronics showroom. If you have negative feelings when you enter, ask yourself why and trust your instincts. "I think a showroom should be clear of clutter. It has to be neat. It has to be detailed," says Audio Advisors' Hoover.

"If a showroom isn't looking good, imagine what it will look like in your home," adds Creative Home Theatre's Greg Margolis. But don't rely on first impressions alone. Once you see that nice neat showroom and ooh and ahh, remember to dig a little deeper. At some point it will be time to assess the company's audio and video installation prowess. "Ask to see the equipment racks, in front and in back, and see if it's wired nicely," advises Margolis.

"If it looks like a rat's nest, it's going to be a worse rat's nest in your home," says Wells. In many ways, the electronics showroom really can be a reflection of the audio and video setup—the good, the bad and the ugly of that setup—in your own home.

Interaction Is Good

Here's your chance to have fun playing with all the goodies in the showroom. "The interactive part is important," says Kalker. "First, make sure that the salespeople know how to use the displays."

"Make sure the product is actually doing something, and that the touchpanels are not actually props," warns Wells.

And after the salesperson is done playing, it's your turn. "Request that you're able to work the equipment," insists Hoover. "Customers need to touch the remotes and work the demos. It's not important that the dealer can do it. It's important that you can do it. If only the dealer can operate it, that sends a signal that it might not be easy for you to operate it."

Equipment Quality

Throughout your showroom tour, try to analyze the quality of the electronic equipment available. That may be tough to do if you don't know all the brands, but there are some simple ways to gain some general insights on the quality of the equipment.

Ask questions about the brands, their backgrounds, how long those companies have been around and the dealer's experience with them.

"Also make sure the product is the current state-of-the-art. Make sure it's the product you want, not some DVD player that's four years old," says Wells. If you're unsure of how to do this, try asking what popular features in the products are available today, what features the company recommends you need and why, and whether the products you're being shown have these features. Don't be afraid to ask for something that you want it to do. After all, you're the one who is going to be using it.

Ethics and Professionalism

And that brings us to business integrity and ethics. In many cases, this is not too difficult to judge. "Don't fall for a salesperson telling you that you can get comparable quality for less. That's bait and switch," says Margolis.

"You should also feel comfortable with the salesperson, and they should have the knowledge that you want," says Kalker. Perhaps even more importantly, they should be good listeners. They should ask you about your needs and listen attentively. If they don't, there's no need to proceed to the demo. If they can't listen to you, don't listen to them.

The Demo

Your entire showroom experience should serve as a demo of the electronics, how they can blend into your home, how easy they are for you to use, and how professional and attentive the electronics dealer is.

But I know, I know: You're nearly drooling thinking about that way-cool audio/video demo. You're excited. You feel that silly Circuit-City funboy returning in you. So OK, sit back and relax and enjoy the show. This is fine, because if you want to enjoy it in your own home, then it's important that you can do that in the showroom. But remember: Your enjoyment alone won't guarantee your satisfaction at home.

This is where you get to be a critic. "If you listen to demos, you have to listen to a few," suggests Hoover. Don't just settle for one quick demo of the dealer's choosing. "Look for good quality on different sources," adds Margolis. "Ask to view several, from satellite to DVD. And don't just settle for HDNet (a high-definition video channel). Put on CNN and see how that looks as well. Play music in there and hear how that sounds. Play something with some boom, too."

It's often a good idea to bring your own DVDs and CDs, material that you're familiar with. Pick DVD chapters or CD tracks that move you—that give you goose bumps—and see how they look and sound and the effect they have on you in the dealer showroom—on different systems, if possible. Listen for clarity; don't settle for something that sounds muddy or shrill to you. And don't just select loud passages. Choose some quiet scenes and soft music and listen for how well you can hear whispered dialogue without turning up the volume. Also listen for any hums or distorting sounds from the equipment, because you definitely will not want to hear that in your home.

To assess video, don't just pick colorful scenes that make your eyes pop. Also look at some dark scenes that make it difficult for you to pick out details, because the better the video system, the more detail you will see in these scenes. Watch for fine details and troublesome motion artifacts when people or objects in the video move, and look at the edges of the screen and the images on the screen for troublesome artifacts as well.

Remember that bringing your own demo material can be a double-edged sword. If the video transfer on the DVD isn't good, or the soundtrack or audio mix is poor, a good audio/video system will only amplify those problems. That's why it's best to experience a variety of scenes or musical tracks. This enables you to look for discernible patterns. "Also inquire about speakers in the room, why were they placed where they are and how they treat the acoustics," says Margolis.

Showrooms today may certainly look like homes away from home. But don't get too comfortable in those designer Italian leather loungers. There's still some work to be done as a responsible shopper. Creative Home Theatre in Las Vegas is the perfect example. The original concept was for high-rolling couples to come in for a gourmet dinner in the kitchen, followed by a movie in one of the theaters, but that has since been scrapped. "People don't have time for that," Margolis says. "They want to see what they need to see and leave." As homey as an electronics showroom can be, once inside it's still a shopper's world, after all.

Creative Home Theatre
702-257-1007
www.creativehometheatre.com

Home Entertainment Expo
978-579-0003
www.homeentertainmentexpo.com

Home Smart Home
508-699-0300
www.helpinc.com

The Home Theater Store
800-488-8400
www.hometheaterstore.com

ImageCrafters
508-947-0420
www.imagecraftersinc.com

Integrated Media Systems
703-464-0736
[http://www.imsva.com

Progressive Audio
614-299-0565
www.progressiveaudio.com

Stuarts
908-232-0483

Steven Castle is a Senior Editor and the resident wit of Electronic House magazine. Email Steve at scastle@ehpub.com.

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