Another CEDIA Expo has come and gone, and the version this year, Expo 2025, had its share of disappointments, minor advances, AND pleasant surprises from several companies. In this post, I will share a brief synopsis of the items I saw that caught my attention. Many of these will be the subject of a more extensive article later, but this gives you an overview of some of the items I found interesting.
See some of my favorite items from CEDIA Expo 2025
This list of interesting products and programs at CEDIA Expo 2025 is neither exhaustive nor in any particular order of precedence, but gives you an idea of what presentations caught my eye. Here now is my list…
Crestron – New Cameo & Horizon Keypads
Crestron just seems to continually surprise me with a seemingly never-ending stream of always meaningful and often excellent product introductions. This show was no exception, as the company rolled out several new products, each of which drew huge crowds jostling to try them out. Its CEDIA Expo 2025 introductions included Cameo® keypads, dimmers, and switches with 100 customizable layouts, RGB backlighting (of up to 16+ million color options!), and are said to be a retrofit-friendly install.
Equally impressive, but in a different way, were Crestron’s new Horizon® keypads and dimmers, which come in a really dramatic array of genuine metal finishes. When I first heard about these, I didn’t fully appreciate the concept – until I personally saw them – of the tactile impact of actually seeing and touching these metallic finishes, which really serves to convey a luxurious look and feel. Your clients’ interior designers are going to LOVE these…so be prepared. These dramatic-looking finishes include brushed brass, dark nickel, dark bronze, and brushed black. You’ve got to see and touch these to truly appreciate the impact of this design.
Creston Cevo Mini Remote & Configure Pro Software
The company also surprised CEDIA Expo attendees with a very cool new “mini remote,” known as Cevo. Do you sometimes wonder if there is anything new in remote control designs? Take a look at Cevo and prepare to be surprised as it truly feels good in your hand. Its “mini” designation seeks to key in on a deliberate reduction of the clutter from seldom-used keys to focus only on the main operations users interact with every day. With sculpted keys and haptic feedback to confirm the user’s selection, and a dramatic backlit look, this may turn out to be your clients’ favorite remote.
But, my favorite Crestron introduction was the launch of its remarkable Crestron Home Configure Pro software, which dramatically improves system configuration for your whole team down to level one techs. I recently had it demonstrated for me and wrote about it here… Crestron invested more than a year and an untold amount of money (perhaps millions) to create this free software that will make system configuration more efficient and more accurate for integrators. The company offered live demos at CEDIA, and no matter how skeptical you are (and I can be quite skeptical), this demo would win you over with its clearly intuitive, yet robust and capable design.
See more on Crestron at this link…
Premium Audio Company – Onkyo, Integra & Klipsch
Premium Audio Company (PAC), now part of auto parts maker Gentex Corporation, was not on the show floor, but had a nice display and demonstration setup in the nearby Hotel Teatro, where they showed select products from their latest Onkyo, Integra, and Klipsch lines. Also, management shared with the media some of their near-term plans that helped give some context to the current strategy.
Of course, having only recently been acquired by Gentex, perhaps some of these plans will change down the road, but I appreciated the good-faith effort to help the media follow their current thinking. I have at times been hard on PAC, as true innovation has been slow in coming and relatively muted up to now. However, the company has launched a new line of Integra Professional Amplifiers that, on the face of it, represent a significant step forward in modernizing the line.
PAC – Integra Professional Amplifiers
The new Integra Pro amplifiers, the company says, are “engineered for reliability, high performance, and long-lasting precision.” The four models in the series – 4125DSP (4x125wpc), 8125DSP (8x125wpc), 4500DSP (4x250wpc), and 8500DSP (8x250wpc) – offer both 8-ohm and 70-volt configurations, making them useful in both residential and light commercial installations. They are also rack-mountable and the company offers an optional wall-mounted Zone Controller, an intuitive online setup GUI, and integration with most major control systems.
This is the most significant redesign I’ve seen in Integra in years, and I was pleased to see the company take steps to more completely contemporize the brand’s product offerings. There’s still much room for improvement, but this looks to me to be an important first step in the right direction.
Learn more about the new Integra line by following this link…
Savant – Virtual Power Plant
One of the things I like about Savant is that they are not afraid to think differently. And one of the best examples of that is its Savant Power division, which I have written extensively about over the last couple of years, such as my story on The New American Home 2025. In my meeting at CEDIA Expo 2025 with Angie Larson, Senior Vice President of Professional Solutions for Savant, I learned that Savant was continuing to build and expand its Power division. The company has created what it calls its Virtual Power Plant (VPP) capability – and it truly stood out as a shining example of innovation that offers capabilities not readily available elsewhere, but that makes a positive impact on client enjoyment…as well as a significant contribution to the global environment.
Larson told me that they believe that there have been two major waves of technological advances driving the custom integration industry to this point. The first major wave was the emergence of total system control solutions. The second major wave is the rapid scaling of the lighting segment, which is helping to expand the influence of integrators with CI clients.
Savant VPP – The ‘Third Wave’
And the third wave is interactive power resource management in the home. It is this third wave that Savant is addressing and scaling now. Larson said that several local utility companies around the country are partnering with their local consumers in unique new ways that benefit all. As such, Savant OS 11.1 incorporates VPP capabilities, which essentially allows a Savant Power home that, say – incorporates a renewable energy source (i.e., solar power, wind power, etc) and power storage capabilities (such as with Savant’s batteries), all integrated with the local grid power supply – to function like an independent power plant. When the grid gets stressed as it can from time to time, the power company can access and draw from the end-users’ batteries and renewables to buffer the system – paying the consumer for any local capacity it uses.
This is a remarkable win-win solution that allows your power company to access your clean energy supply to load balance for the utility’s entire supply network. As far as I know, Savant is the only system control provider that offers your clients this capability. And that makes them unique…and makes VPP a truly innovative solution.
Read more about Savant Power here…
Hunter Douglas
Hunter Douglas is one of the leading providers of custom window treatments in the U.S. It is also embraced by many custom integrators. At CEDIA Expo 2025, Scott Stephenson, Hunter Douglas’ Senior Director of Product for Global Motorization, demonstrated a couple of interesting solutions for me. First was a pretty ingenious implementation of motorized shades of off-shapes and dimensions. I’m convinced they could fit just about any window, and it’s kind of cool to see how these non-traditionally shaped shades operate with the push of a button.
But it was the next product Stephenson showed me – motorized outdoor shades – that delivered a real surprise. Outdoor shades, he tells me, are big in Europe, so the company is showing them here in the U.S. as well. Outdoor shades offer certain advantages over their indoor versions. First, by stopping the sun on the outside of the home, you more efficiently prevent thermal build-up inside the home.
Hunter Douglas Talks About The Fastest Growing Shade Category in the U.S.
Interestingly, even though sales of outdoor motorized shades in North America represent a fairly small share of the overall shade market, Stephenson says it is the fastest-growing segment. He showed me a specially ruggedized version that can protect from more than just the sun. These outdoor shades, with a proprietary technology called MagnaTrack feature a rigid and rugged shade material that has its edges ride inside of a track on either side of the blind. Magnets in the track hold the material tightly, so if some foreign material, such as a strong wind gust, stone, or other flying debris hits the screen, the window remains protected. And if the shade material is hit hard enough to be slightly pulled out of alignment, the magnets automatically disconnect and instantly reconnect to realign the material perfectly.
And with that, Stephenson turned towards the screen and raised his fist and hit the screen…hard…producing a very loud “BANG.” He then operated the screen to show it was not damaged. It was an impressive demonstration. Not surprisingly, MagnaTrack is popular in areas that are subject to strong storms. I can see why…
More on Hunter Douglas can be found at this link…
Sonance May Be ‘Designed to Disappear,’ But Its Torrent of Innovation at Expo Was Very Visible
It’s easy to see why Sonance remains a perennial market leader, with its launch of a large number of products, as well as its continued leadership in marketing tools useful to its dealers. At CEDIA Expo 2025, the company had a huge number of new product launches for both its James Loudspeaker line as well as the stalwart Sonance line. It was a breathtaking array of new products, line refreshes, and innovative marketing updates.
Technology updates saw new models in popular series such as the James BE Series…now the James BE MKII Series – an in-wall theater speaker system, including the BE806 MKII, QX-BE806 MKII, BE808 MKII, and BE812 MKII. Updates to this series include a new CDX crossover, significant acoustic improvements, and changes that simplify installation. This new BE MKII series will begin shipping in September.
Sonance…But Wait, There’s More!
Also new for James is a reengineered PowerPipe X Series, which takes a line of products you probably thought were already perfect and makes them more perfect. The changes to the line include a redesigned flexible pipe that is shorter and even more flexible than in the past. This makes it easier to route in the often tight spaces integrators face when placing the woofer box. With a total of eight models – four in standard MDF and four marine-rated – in four performance levels – there’s a PowerPipe X solution for any situation. PowerPipe X is planned to ship in early 2026.
Sonance also announced four new James Quadratech QX models shipping in late September…a new James Wedge WX Series which is expected to ship in late Q4…and a new Sonance-branded UA Series Local Zone Utility DSP Amplifiers that are shipping now. Whew! That’s a lot!!
See all things Sonance by clicking here…
Sound United / Masimo Consumer
Although Sound United did have a booth on the main floor at CEDIA Expo 2025 under their official name of Masimo Consumer, the real center of operations for them took place on the second floor of the La Meridien Hotel. I will refer to them as Sound United, as it is only a matter of time before they are no longer part of Masimo.
At an event it held for the industry media, you could instantly sense a relaxed but enthusiastic ambience, as its future – after a long period of dangling in flux while Masimo figured out what to do with the division – now knows its virtually certain future as part of Harman Luxury Audio (which itself is part of Samsung Electronics). The Sound United team seems optimistic and energetic about this turn of events and this event was a celebration of its audio roots, along with the expansion of its proprietary HEOS wireless future. There were, to my mind, three key takeaways from this event…
Sound United – Rapidly Expanding HEOS Technology
First, Kevin Zarrow explained to me how the company is rapidly expanding its HEOS wireless technology beyond its captive HEOS wireless multi-room music system to include it in the company’s other brands, such as Marantz speakers and component electronics. The company has a vision of expanding the lifestyle options for end users who may at times choose to listen to a freestanding component system independently on some occasions, but then choose the convenience of multiple HEOS-connected devices for, say, multi-room background music listening. I like this concept that both celebrates the company’s heritage in high-end component systems with its emerging contemporary innovative HEOS wireless lifestyle options.
Finally, Sound United arranged two amazingly impactful demonstrations. As many of you know, I’ve been an active participant in this industry for several decades. It’s hard to WOW me. Sound United WOW’D me in this demo! The first demonstration was an opportunity to critically listen to a Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus system playing high-definition audio files. The music was selected by Sound United’s Eric McBride (who is a legacy B&W employee), and it was clear he was trying to show off the range of Nautilus. I have heard Nautilus before, but under less controlled conditions. That’s not to say a hotel suite is an optimal environment, but certain sound panels had been employed to make the best of the situation. The sound was stunning…full and rich…the most accurate soundstage I think I’ve ever heard…and an ability to reproduce soft whispers to ear-bleeding drums/timpani and horns.
Sound United Partners with Dirac on New ART Technology
You might think that nothing could top that, but the next demo was in some ways even more compelling. This demo was a huge theater setup – and I mean huge. It included 4 large Definitive Descend DN 15 subwoofers, which are configured with 15″ main driver, two 15″ passive radiators and is said to outperform an 18″ ported subwoofer. These were driven with 1,000 watts of power…to each of them. It was a total 16-channel system with B&W speakers and Marantz power. It was powerful. The visual portion included an Epson QL 7000 projector onto a 200″ Stewart 235 Film Screen. All of this was to demo the remarkable DIRAC ART (Active Room Treatment) system.
When the DIRAC ART circuitry was switched into…and then out of the system, the effect was obvious and powerful. I mostly noticed it in the bass frequencies, which went from slightly amorphous to snap into very deep and tight low-frequency reproduction. Everyone in the demonstration could hear it.
You can find your way to your favorite Sound United brand by starting at Masimo Consumer Audio at this link…
Daisy – Growth Continues, Learning Accelerates
I first interviewed Hagan Kappler, CEO of Daisy, late last year to learn more about what Daisy was all about, how it was structured, and what its plans were moving forward. The company, which intends to be a national franchise of smart home technology integrators, planned to both sign up franchisees and to acquire some integrators for company-owned operations that they could learn more from. Even then, the company had a solid start and was quite successful. That success has continued as the company has continued to grow and learn more about the industry. At CEDIA Expo 2025, my mission was to learn more about how the company has progressed since that initial conversation ten months ago.
The company took a large booth at CEDIA Expo 2025 that had a casino set up on the floor that attendees could play and earn points for prizes. The booth was quite busy…and noisy. Kappler told me that they still feel that they are in their early days of this rollout, but things are progressing nicely. “We’re seeing nice growth,” Kappler told me, ” but we’re a little behind where we wanted to be.”
Daisy – 9 Acquisitions and 7 Franchises Added in 2025
The company had eight acquisitions last year, and this year, they’ve added another nine company-owned locations. In addition to this, Daisy has signed up another seven franchisees this year for a total of 14 franchise locations. Two of those franchisees signed up within two or three days of Expo 2025. Another positive indicator is that the company is getting a lot of inquiries from folks outside the industry interested in exploring the franchise opportunity.
The company is briefly pausing its acquisition activities to focus more on franchise development…and to focus on operating the locations and franchises it currently has in its network. They don’t want to get too far ahead of themselves, which is smart business management. “We want to make sure all our franchises are getting the support that they need,” Kappler said. The company is also focusing on consolidating its market share. “Daisy needs to be a 20% market share player,” Kappler says, “to drive global brand recognition.” It has attained that market share in Northern California and Florida, and is now working on the Northeast.
Learn all about Daisy at the end of this link…
AVPro Global
AVPro Global, parent company of a portfolio of brands, such as AVPro Edge, AudioControl, RTI, Murideo, and Bullet Train, was one of the most consistently busy booths throughout the entirety of CEDIA Expo 2025. This is in part due to the flurry of launches of innovative products from each of the company’s portfolio brands, and partly a reflection of the growing momentum the company enjoys as one of the fastest-growing companies in custom integration today. Recently added to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America, in the days leading up to Expo 2025 AVPro Global acquired control solution maker RTI, bringing it into its expanding empire.
At the show, AVPro Global brands showed: AVPro Flow, the most versatile high-performance AV over IP ecosystem (AVPro Edge), Hyperion Series high-end/high-performance home theater processors (AudioControl), powerful new processors and Intelligent Surfaces Remotes (RTI), STIX generators and analyzers for video calibration (Murideo), Calibrator Series HDMI cables (Bullet Train), and much more…
There’s much more to learn about AVPro Global by clicking here…
AVA
I continue to keep an eye on AVA, a company that I find is clever, savvy, and innovative. At CEDIA Expo 2025, they did not disappoint. The company had two significant announcements that integrators are going to love. First, AVA has received a Works with Sonos certification for its AVA OS. This brings a new deeper level of control of Sonos players on a local network. The AVA remote’s UI makes it easy and intuitive to control your Sonos system.
Second, the company has launched the next iteration of its operating system, AVA OS 2.0, and it looks to be a fabulous update. I was fortunate enough to have AVA’s CEO Raphael Oberholzer demonstrate it to me…and his enthusiasm was infectious. AVA says its OS 2.0 is “the next evolution” of its connected home operating system powering the AVA Cinema Remote, AVA Home Remote, and the AVA Nano Brain.
AVA OS 2.0 is expanding the ecosystem beyond its hardware as its app will bring the AVA experience to iPad, Mac, Windows PCs, and Android tablets. It also introduces enhanced pro-configuration tools for Mac and Windows, advanced automation tools and comes with a library of more than 1,000 IP drivers!
AVA’s OS 2.0 is a free update and became available on September 9, 2025.
See more on AVA here…
Wow, shocked that Coastal Source was not a big hit for you!