By: Mark Goldman, VP of Sales, Pro Audio Technology and Theory Audio Design

For the past 20 years, up until joining PRO and Theory in the Fall of 2020, I have been on the “front lines” as an integrator. The company I previously owned, Sound Components, in Miami, FL, was an integration company that also sold high-performance audio and home theaters. As the owner, I was routinely approached by vendors looking for us to represent and sell their products. I don’t have to tell you that in the world of loudspeakers, there are dozens of brands available—all claiming to be the best in class—but very few of them actually offer any notable differentiators. The last thing I needed was another black box brand collecting dust on the showroom floor. I quickly realized there were far more brands out there then there were dealers and integrators to sell them, so it allowed me to be very selective in choosing my partners.

Ultimately, I found that the best products and companies to work with were those that offered a combination of three key differentiators:

• A solid brand story
• Outstanding product performance (ideally demonstrable)
• Stellar sales support

Pro Audio Technology (PRO) and Theory Audio Design (Theory) offer all three of these differentiators and that’s what immediately attracted me to the brands.

So what’s our story and how will it help you convert customers and close big sales?

Our Secret Sauce

In 1989, Paul Hales founded Hales Design Group and introduced his first high-end loudspeaker to the world—the System Two. This model and many more to come disrupted the two-channel audio world, earning stellar product reviews from many esteemed audio journalists, and establishing Hales as one of the world’s best loudspeaker designers of his time.

In 2000, Hales was approached by QSC Audio, the leading manufacturer of professional power amplifiers in the world. They offered him a position as director of R&D – Loudspeakers, which Hales accepted.  He was tasked with creating a new loudspeaker-engineering division from scratch. During his tenure, Hales worked extensively with DSP control, professional-grade drivers, high-frequency waveguides and horns, and audio over IP (Cobranet). Hales also oversaw the development of the QSC corporate logo and loudspeaker design language (which he patented), both still in use to this day.

Unlike consumer “hi-fi” loudspeakers, which to Hales sounded dynamically compressed and aurally “small,”, Hales admired the durability, reliability, and ability of professional loudspeaker systems to play at high output levels without strain or distortion. In Hales’ opinion, professional loudspeakers, especially those which employed DSP processing, captured the dynamic “life” and scale of real instruments and theatrical sound effects much closer to the real thing. So-called hi-fi speakers sounded unnaturally small and dynamically anemic when compared to real life.

The Birth of Professional Style Loudspeakers for the Home

In 2004, Hales returned to residential audio with a new perspective and new speaker company—Professional Home Cinema (PHC) —now known as Pro Audio Technology (PRO). Putting together everything Hales learned in high-end and commercial audio, PHC introduced a category of audio that did not previously exist in the market; professional-style loudspeakers designed specifically for residential installed systems. The product line comprised DSP amplifiers/processors with professional-grade loudspeakers and the added sonic refinement of high-end residential speaker sound. The intelligent full-system-design approach allowed Hales to tailor the DSP and maximize the performance of every system. It quickly became the system of choice by many A-list movie stars, producers, directors, and studio executives for their personal screening rooms.

Today, PRO continues to occupy this unique niche in the marketplace. PRO offers all the advantages of professional grade products—unlimited dynamic range, reliability, and durability—but with the delicacy, detail, and resolution of the very best high-end speakers. And, that difference is audible.

And Then Along Came Theory…

In 2020, Hales disrupted the audio market once again with the launch of Theory Audio Design in response to demand for PRO’s superior sound outside of the dedicated theater room. Theory represents an entirely new category of audio with a mission that is simple: to offer a highly-focused range of class-leading audio products for premium residential and commercial installed sound, indoors and out.

With a simple and intelligent line of loudspeakers and amplified loudspeaker controllers, integrators can install everything from high-end soundbar-based surround sound systems, to distributed audio solutions. And, in Q2 2021, we’re introducing a range of high-performance architectural loudspeakers and extremely innovative amplified loudspeaker mixers that position the brand perfectly for high-end commercial installations.

Just like Hales’ System Two shook up the two-channel audio industry 30 years ago, Theory is doing the same in the residential and commercial installed audio market today. Every single audio journalist that has gotten their hands on Theory system for review thus far has been totally blown away with its unrivaled performance and high-end materials that bat far above its price category.

The Audible Difference

The combination of selling PRO and Theory allows a dealer to tell a single unified story to a client and offer the very best performance over a wide range of rooms and applications. Once you tell a client the brand stories and they experience the demonstrably better performance that is, quite simply, thrilling, selling both PRO and Theory becomes easy. 

It doesn’t matter how much a client knows about audio, all it takes is exposure to the extensive dynamic range and effortless sound PRO and Theory systems provide, and they are sold. We urge every dealer to demo a system for their clients or to bring them to the PRO and Theory Experience Centers in Southern California to let us do the demo on their behalf. Every single customer that visits the Experience Center and gets a demo then places an order for a system (and in most cases, a bigger system than they intended to).

White Glove Support

When you partner with PRO and Theory, you don’t just get access to two great brands, you also have an extended team for system design, proposal generation, post-installation system calibration, PR and marketing opportunities, and social media support. Essentially all you have to do is acquire the clients and install the products—we do the rest. And the icing on the cake is you also benefit from significant profit margins across both brands.

With PRO specifically, the systems are more complex, and our goal is to do as much of the “heavy-lifting” as possible. Just let us know your room size and approximate budget, and we will provide both retail and dealer cost quotes for you (and we even offer different quote tiers to give your clients choice). Included in each retail package is a 3D rendering of the loudspeaker layout, a fully itemized list of products, performance specifications for the room, and cut sheets for each product, all wrapped up in a pretty package you can hand directly to your client. Once the job is committed to, we also provide a wiring diagram for your installation department. Post-installation, we offer complimentary, on-site calibration for all theaters over $30K in North America.

Easy as 1, 2, 3…

Speaker brands are a dime a dozen, but PRO and Theory offer a unique and innovative story, superior performance, and a partnership that extends far beyond a transaction. It’s a unique combination of strengths that no other speaker manufacturer offers. We make it easy for you to grow your business into premium residential and commercial audio, and we welcome you to find out for yourself.

To join PRO or Theory’s exclusive network of authorized resellers, interested dealers can reach out to Mark Goldman directly at: mgoldman@proaudiotechnology.com or mgoldman@theoryaudiodesign.com, respectively.

 

About Pro Audio Technology

Through a thoughtful combination of consumer and professional engineering technologies, Pro Audio Technology (PRO) designs and manufactures a complete range of loudspeakers and DSP amplified loudspeaker controllers that address the needs of high-end residential installations. PRO products unite lively dynamics, high maximum output level, and refined acoustic performance – satisfying even the most discerning music and home theater enthusiasts around the globe. All PRO loudspeakers are designed, engineered and manufactured in the USA.Pro Audio Technology products are available globally through an elite group of high-end residential custom installers. Pro Audio Technology is the brand name of Professional Home Cinema, LLC.

About Theory Audio Design

Theory Audio Design was founded in 2018 to bring fresh thinking to the design of audio products for residential and commercial installations where too many “me too” products have remained unchanged and uninteresting for decades. Theory makes a simple promise: to deliver the best performance available in every product category we enter. 

Contact Pro Audio Technology by clicking the icons to the right (or below if you’re on a mobile device).