Melbourne has a brand new audio experience centre which has been specifically designed for retailers who want to demonstrate a custom designed home theatre room without have to take up floor space in their stores, developed by distributor Audio Active the centre will also be open for consumers with jobs allocated to custom installers who bring their customers to the new experience location which is packed with cutting edge audio and entertainment technology.

Designed by leading architect Martin Friedrich who is better known for his $10M houses the new experience centre is a combination of affordable premium and super premium home theatre options.

The new Amplify centre in Port Melbourne is located in a location where there is easy parking with visitors able to scope their experience needs, including the latest in automatic cinema chairs to cinema’s with both $10K and $100K Sony projectors within and acoustic panel wall speakers with fluorescent lights that are hooked up to a Crestron control system, visitors also have a choice of speaker options.

Amplify Launch Event. Melbourne 06/05/2025 photo:James Thomas

Among the guests at the opening of the new experience centre was Will Stevenson from Galleria Sight and Sound, Rab Turner From Carlton Audio Visual, Phillip Luder from Tivoli Hi Fi as well as executives from multiple Melbourne and Sydney based retailers.

According to Bruce Thierbach the General Manager of Sales & Marketing at Audio Active no other distributor has invested to the level that his Company has to lift “the experience” that consumers need to experience if retailers are going to close sales around both premium and affordable premium home theatres.

The former general manager of JB Hi Fi for over 20 years he said, “Setting up environments similar to what we have delivered takes a serious amount of money and time”. We have been working on this for over 18 months”

“What we are providing is a location that allows a dealer to walk a customer into our experience centre and close a deal that they will benefit from”.

“I know that some retailers are not happy but there are a lot who like the idea of a simple trip to our showroom to demonstrate a solution. It saves them time and money”.

“Retailers need to think about the per square metre return from their stores. What we are delivering is better utilization of floor space and cost savings”.

The Experience Centre also allows high end custom installers who don’t have a retail operation to bring their customers to us and walk away with an install deal and all the products they want for the installation”.

“The new centre operates under the newly established Amplify Audio Visual brand (amplifyav.com.au), marking a significant investment in the future of high-end home entertainment”.

Amplify Launch Event. Melbourne

Amplify Launch Event. Melbourne 06/05/2025 photo:James Thomas

Not all retailers are happy one retailer said, “What Audio Active should be doing is giving an extra margin to retailers who have a show room over a man with a van who has not invested in a showroom”.

Thierbach added “The space is designed not just to demonstrate products, but to provoke thought and inspiration around what’s possible in premium residential entertainment. “The Amplify branding allows us to speak directly to discerning end-users who want to experience the very best in audio-visual performance,” he

Among the products revealed were new Sony and Kaleidescape, that showcased reference-level content through the world’s most advanced movie players. Each room within the facility highlights elite audio brands including Paradigm, Martin Logan, Anthem, StormAudio, Luxman, Pro Audio Technology, and Theory Audio Design—demonstrating the full potential of cutting-edge home theatre systems.

The event was attended by international brands partner for the US and Canada. retail and Ci partners, architects, and builders. The Amplify store will open to the public on the 20th of May.

New website is live now at Amplifyav.com.au