World’s largest home entertainment experience debuts in Melbourne Australia featuring multiple THX Certified M&K Sound-fitted private cinemas

San Francisco, California, March 27^th, 2023 – M&K Sound, whose products are the undisputed ‘choice of professionals’, announced today its partnership with world-class high-fidelity audio and video tuning, certification, and technology company, THX Ltd., for a gala opening of the world’s largest multi-room home cinema demonstration facility. Located in Melbourne, Australia, the grand showcase opening on March 30^th, 2023, will feature Per Becher, chief executive officer of M&K Sound, and Steven P. Martz, vice president of global technology at THX Ltd., to highlight state-of-the-art THX® Certified M&K Sound audio in RIO home cinema showcase spaces.

The all-new RIO Sound and Vision experiential retail megastore in Bell Street, Preston, will lead customers and visitors through a scale replica of Lucasfilm Ltd.’s famous private screening room, the Stag Theatre at Skywalker Ranch. There will be six home cinema demo rooms in total at the site fitted with THX Certified M&K loudspeakers, and a vast and exciting selection of original Hollywood movie props and memorabilia. See the entire M&K demo room equipment breakdown in the Stag Theatre replica room at end.

“M&K Sound boasts having been one of the first audio lines to meet the stringent high-fidelity standards earning the THX Certification mark of approval,” said Per Becher, chief executive officer of M&K Sound. “This adds to our sense of honor and enthusiasm to be featured throughout RIO Sound and Vision’s amazing display of reference M&K home cinema systems, and to be showcasing these products at RIO with Steve Martz from THX Ltd. who has been a part of our mutual companies’ legacy going back to the days of Lucasfilm Ltd. This event underscores our solid market position in Australia and the world as a leading high-end home cinema audio solution.”

“Ever since we formulated a blueprint for excellent performance of home cinema products in the early 1990s, M&K Sound continues to prove to be an invaluable THX partner,” said Steven P. Martz, vice president of global technology, THX Ltd. “THX has been dedicated to maximizing loudspeaker performance for movies and music in the home. We continue to capitalize on our strong bond with manufacturers like M&K, so it is important for us to be here on this special day representing a hallmark of audio excellence and a love for high fidelity entertainment experiences.”

With more than 30 years in the audio business, CEO Paul Riachi´s latest grand project is the opening of RIO Sound and Vision, a premium AV retailer and custom integrator, the largest of its kind in the world. The new multi-faceted store will take customers on an experiential entertainment journey like no other when they visit the ground-breaking location in the Preston suburb of Melbourne. Visitors will get a chance to hear THX Certified M&K Sound’s reference portfolio of home cinema loudspeakers in multiple demo rooms, each tailored to an individual’s specific budget and residential space requirements. The featured audio lineup includes M&K Sound’s flagship 300 Series, the legendary 150 Series and a variety of in-wall solutions, all primed for the ultimate home cinema experiences.

Among the spectacular exhibits on show at the new RIO Sound and Vision store will be Paul Riachi’s meticulous scale recreation of Lucasfilm Ltd.’s Stag Theatre at Skywalker Ranch that was originally located in Marin County, California. The luxury viewing room with M&K Sound’s 300 Series loudspeakers and THX Certified M&K Sound’s X15+ subwoofers is tuned to exacting acoustical standards, so visitors will get a chance to experience movie magic first-hand.

“We purposely built a Stag Theatre room full of THX Certified M&K Sound speaker systems to provide the highest quality reference experience possible,” said Paul Riachi, chief executive officer of RIO Sound and Vision. “It is so important to achieve the best sound using the right speakers and, for us, this absolutely means M&K. The company’s loudspeakers are used in the finest dubbing studios and mastering suites around the world. When the industry’s top sound engineers and movie studios use M&K to mix blockbuster movie soundtracks, why would you choose any other speaker brand? Come visit RIO to experience it all!”

Also, on show at RIO Sound and Vision will be a huge collection of incredible original movie memorabilia. The centerpiece of the exhibits will be Riachi’s pride and joy, the Shelby GT500 Mustang 1967 Fastback from the 2000 film, Gone in 60 Seconds. Store customers can check out the original Chevrolet Camaro Bumblebee, as seen in Transformers (2007), or gawp at a five-meter-high replica of the Optimus Prime robot from the same movie.The VIP opening will take place on March 30^th, and the RIO Sound and Vision experiential store will open to the public on March 31^st, 2023. Becher, Martz and Riachi will all be available at the event for consumer and press questions.

The Stag Theatre Replica Demo Room Equipment List

• 6 x M&K Sound S300 LCR loudspeakers (behind screen)
• 8 x M&K Sound S300T Tripole loudspeakers on side walls
• 10 x M&K Sound IC95 in-ceiling loudspeakers (Dolby Atmos height channels)
• 4 x M&K Sound C15S 15-inch in-wall mounted subwoofers
• 2 x M&K Sound X15+ THX® Certified Dominus subwoofers
• 1 x Krell Foundation 4K Ultra HD processor with Auro 3D sound
• 2 x Krell Chorus 7200 XD 7-channel power amplifier (14 x 200 watts)
• 2 x Krell Theater 7 XD multi-channel amplifier (7 x 100 watts)
• 1 x Panasonic DP-UB9000 THX® Certified 4K Blu-ray disc player

About M&K Sound

For more than four decades, M&K Sound has been held in the highest regard by the audio press, film and music industries, as well as by home users seeking the finest loudspeakers for both music and home theater. Building on a truly unique heritage and strong market presence that transcends the traditional boundaries between professional and consumer audio, M&K pledges to continue to offer performance, reliability, and value for money that are second to none. For more information, visit www.mksound.com, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About THX Ltd.

Founded in 1983 by filmmaker George Lucas, THX Ltd. today continues to excel at empowering great entertainment experiences. The company provides innovative modern technologies and the assurance of superior audio and visual fidelity that truthfully delivers the artist’s vision. THX offerings go beyond studios and cinemas to consumer electronics, content, automotive systems, and live entertainment. Its THX® Spatial Audio and patent-rich THX AAA™ audio technologies, and world-class THX® Certification standards, help THX partners bring premium entertainment enjoyment to market in the cinema, home, and mobile lifestyle electronics. For further information, visit THX.com, find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and follow us on Twitter. 

M&K Sound, Miller & Kreisel, their associated logos, and the term ‘Tripole’ are trademarks of M&K Sound A/S, Copenhagen. All trademarks are registered in multiple jurisdictions. All rights reserved.THX, THX Certification, and all THX logos are registered trademarks of THX Ltd. All rights reserved.

Media Contacts: 

Jody Privette Young, Director, Global Public Relations, THX Ltd., [email protected]