Progressive Audio's Open House
By Alan Wolf -- TWICE, 1/9/2003
COLUMBUS, OHIO— Progressive Audio was aptly named, given not only its products and services but also the way it presents them.
The 24-year-old super-high-end A/V dealer and custom installer, based here, had already begun with an unconventional retail format: A three-story building located in the heart of Ohio State University's business district.
Recently, president Scott Ranney took his facility to the next level by converting most of the second floor into a functional penthouse loft in which customers can see, hear and test drive best-of-breed home theater and home automation in a realistic apartment setting.
The railroad-style flat, dubbed the Progressive Home, features a living room, dining room, office/study, kitchen, bedroom, and sunroom/patio. All are linked by AMX's Netlinx platform to lighting, sound, security and video systems that drive speakers from Krell, Thiel and Wilson, HDTV display units by Loewe and Runco, and automated window treatments and shading by Lutron, among other suppliers.
"We have created a space where customers can discover and experience how residential technology can transform their homes," the company said in a written statement. "It is the embodiment of what we like to call 'modern luxury.' "
