State-of-the-art home theater systems are surprisingly difficult for consumers to experience. CEDIA Expo may be where the custom installation industry gathers to see the latest projectors, processors, loudspeakers, and room correction technologies, but its exhibit floor is restricted to industry professionals. Audio Advice Live remains one of the few major shows where enthusiasts can walk into a properly designed room, take a seat, and experience what a cutting-edge home cinema can actually deliver.
Audio Advice Live 2026 will be held August 7 through 9 at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, with more than 50 listening rooms and home theater demonstrations open to attendees. eCoustics will be there throughout the weekend covering the new products, systems, and demonstrations that deserve your attention.
In our previously published Audio Advice Live 2026 preview, we briefly mentioned that ASCENDO, Trinnov Audio, and Christie would be joining forces for one of the show’s most ambitious home theater demonstrations. We now have additional details about the 9.7.4 channel system planned for the Magnolia II room, including ASCENDO immersive audio, dedicated infrasonic bass, Trinnov Cylindrical WaveForming, and Christie projection technology.
Ascendo and Trinnov
Building on the success of last year’s Audio Advice Live demonstration, which earned eCoustics’ award for Best Bass Response at the show, Trinnov and ASCENDO will showcase the next evolution in active room acoustics using Cylindrical WaveForming. The demonstration will focus on how exceptional bass performance can be achieved even in a square room.
Unlike conventional approaches that attempt to correct standing waves after they occur, Cylindrical WaveForming is designed to prevent them from developing in the first place. Using a floor-level front subwoofer array and strategically positioned rear subwoofers, the system is intended to deliver more consistent bass response, improved transient accuracy, and greater seat-to-seat uniformity while requiring less architectural complexity than a traditional planar implementation.
WaveForming can be implemented with as few as four subwoofers, but for Audio Advice Live 2026, Trinnov and ASCENDO are planning a considerably more ambitious demonstration.
The 25-by-25-by-8-foot Magnolia II demonstration room will feature Trinnov’s flagship AltitudeCI audio processor, an Amplitude16 power amplifier, and Trinnov’s Dante interface driving a high-performance ASCENDO immersive audio system.
The low-frequency system will showcase ASCENDO’s subwoofer technology, with four THE18 SUB PASSIVE VENTED subwoofers positioned along the front wall and two additional units along the rear wall to complete the Cylindrical WaveForming array.
ASCENDO will also deploy its THE32 infrasubwoofer to reproduce the deepest frequencies below WaveForming’s operating range, delivering low-frequency impact that will be difficult to ignore.
Rounding out the 9.7.4-channel system, 13 ASCENDO coaxial point-source loudspeakers designed specifically for home cinema will deliver a realistic, time-coherent presentation across the room while reducing the traditional limitations of a single listening sweet spot.
The complete system is intended to demonstrate how Trinnov’s advanced room optimization and ASCENDO’s high-output subwoofer technology can produce bass that is powerful, articulate, and consistent throughout the listening area.
Christie
In addition to the ASCENDO and Trinnov Audio demonstration, the home cinema exhibit will feature Christie’s Korus 4K1000-KS laser projector. Best known for its substantial presence in commercial cinemas, Christie is bringing that professional projection pedigree to Audio Advice Live 2026.
The 4K1000-KS is a single-chip DLP projector built around a 0.8-inch HEP DMD imaging device. It delivers more than 10,000 ISO lumens, 4K UHD+ resolution, wide contrast, and accelerated color cycling intended to produce vivid, accurate, and lifelike images. A 1.25-2.0:1 zoom lens provides additional installation flexibility for premium residential cinema environments.
Pro Tip: Christie does not officially specify HDR format compatibility for the Korus 4K1000-KS.
For Audio Advice Live 2026, the Christie Korus 4K1000-KS will be paired with a 135-inch Stewart Wallscreen Deluxe featuring Harmony woven screen material.
Bonus Demo
In addition to their 9.7.4-channel home theater demonstration in the Magnolia II room, ASCENDO and Trinnov Audio will present a more “modest” 2.1-channel audio system in the Sheraton’s upstairs main lobby.
Featured products in this demo will include ASCENDO’s flagship BLACK SWAN loudspeakers in a Carbon finish and THE28 SUB SQUARED flat panel subwoofer in combination with the Trinnov AltitudeCI and Amplitude16.
The Bottom Line
Audio Advice Live has become one of the more worthwhile stops on an increasingly crowded high-end audio show calendar. More importantly, it remains one of the few consumer-accessible events where enthusiasts can experience a state-of-the-art home cinema rather than merely stare at equipment, specifications, and carefully staged photographs. CEDIA Expo is built primarily for integrators, installers, designers, and other industry professionals; Audio Advice Live puts consumers in the seats.
That makes the ASCENDO, Trinnov Audio, and Christie showcase especially relevant for anyone designing a dedicated home theater, upgrading a projection system, or trying to understand what advanced bass management and room optimization can accomplish in a challenging space. Most consumers will never install a 9.7.4-channel system with seven subwoofers and a 10,000-lumen Christie projector, but hearing and seeing one properly configured provides a useful reference for what these technologies can deliver at any scale.
Audio Advice Live 2026 runs August 7 through 9 at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. The ASCENDO, Trinnov, and Christie demonstration in Magnolia II should be considered a must-see and must-hear presentation, and the more approachable ASCENDO and Trinnov 2.1-channel system in the second-floor lobby should not be overlooked. eCoustics will be on-site, with our reactions and coverage following the show.
Price & Availability
All the products mentioned in this article are available through Authorized Dealers or Special Order at the following approximate prices:
- Trinnov Altitude CI: $11,000 to $26,000 depending on channel configuration
- Trinnov Amplitude 16 Amplifier: $13,250
- Ascendo THE18 Passive Sub: Starting at $2,450 (each)
- Ascendo THE32 Infrasub: Starting at $26,500 (each)
- Ascendo THE28 SUB SQUARED Flat Panel Subwoofer: $30,000 (each)
- ASCENDO Coaxial Point-source Speakers: Starting at $1,550 to $3,550 (each)
- Christie Korus 4K1000 KS Laser Projector: $12,500 to $14,800
Related Reading:
- ASCENDO DSP4-6602 Amplifier Delivers Massive Subwoofer Power for Custom Home Theaters
- ASCENDO Debuts DIRECTOR LED Wall Speakers
- Trinnov, dCS, and Perlisten First Listen @ High End Vienna 2026: Immersive Audio Grows Up
- Trinnov Audio Set to Launch Major Software Update for Altitude16 & Altitude32 AV Processors at CEDIA 2025
