Arshad Lakdawala shared insights into the company’s journey of bringing premium global audio brands to India, building a strong bridge between international manufacturers and the local market. With a focus on high-performance sound, design-led solutions, and immersive home cinema experiences, he discussed the expanding portfolio, evolving consumer demands, and the latest innovations showcased at Smart Home Expo 2026.
Could you briefly introduce MZ Audio and its role in bringing premium global brands to the Indian Market?
At MZ Audio Distributions (India), we specialise in bringing world-class audio and visual technology to the Indian market, with a strong focus on premium and high-performance brands. Over the years, we have built a robust distribution network that connects global manufacturers with a well-established channel of dealers, system integrators and experience centers across the country.
Our role goes beyond conventional distribution; we actively work on brand building, market positioning, and enabling our partners with the right training, technical support, and competitive strategies. This ensures that international brands are not only introduced to India but are also successfully adapted to the unique demands of our market.
You have a very extensive portfolio, including Marantz, Art Sound, UandK Sound and Q Acoustic. What are the latest offerings from these bands?
Starting with Marantz, the brand has recently introduced some very exciting products; the focus has significantly evolved towards high-end separates, especially for serious home theatre enthusiasts and custom installations. The latest lineup with the AV 10, AV 20, and AV 30 processors reflects this direction, offering scalability, performance and flexibility at different levels.
The flagship Marantz AV 10 is a true reference-grade processor, designed for uncompromising home cinema setups. It offers 15.4-channel processing, full 8K HDMI capability, Dolby Atmos and 3D audio formats, along with HEOS multi-room streaming, making it ideal for large, immersive theatres where performance is the top priority.
Moving a step below, the Marantz AV 20 is positioned as a high-performance yet slightly more accessible solution. It delivers 13.4-channel processing, retains full 8K HDMI support and uses advanced DSP architecture for precise decoding and sound tuning. It’s a perfect balance for premium home theatres that demand flexibility without going all the way to the flagship level.
The latest addition, the Marantz AV 30, further expands the ecosystem by making high-end separates more accessible. It offers 11.4-channel processing, supports all modern immersive formats like Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and IMAX Enhanced, and includes advanced room correction options such as Audyssey with optional Dirac upgrades. With 8K connectivity, HEOS streaming, and a modular approach with external amplification, it is ideal for modern media rooms and scalable installations.
What’s important here is that Marantz is not just launching products, but building a complete ecosystem of processors and amplifiers that can be mixed and matched. This gives system integrators and customers the flexibility to design anything from a compact premium theatre to a full-scale reference cinema, something that is increasingly relevant in the Indian smart home market.
We are also very excited about our association with UandK Sound, which is a rapidly growing brand in the high-performance home theatre and custom installation (CI) speaker segment.
UandK Sound’s latest offerings are strongly focused on cinema-grade audio solutions for both dedicated theatres and integrated smart homes. Their flagship Reference Series is designed in collaboration with film industry sound engineers and is aimed at premium, large-format home cinemas, delivering extremely high output, precision and dynamic range.
Alongside this, their Cinema Series, including ranges like M6, M8, and S Series, offers advanced multi-channel speaker systems with technologies such as AMT (Air Motion Transformer) tweeters, ensuring exceptional clarity and detailed high-frequency performance. These are ideal for serious home theatre setups where both performance and installation flexibility are critical.
Additionally, their broader portfolio includes Home Series speakers (M3, M4, M5, i Series) and powerful subwoofers and amplification solutions, allowing complete system design from entry-level setups to THX-level cinema experiences.
ArtSound continues to strengthen its position in the custom installation and architectural audio space. Their latest range emphasises discreet in-wall, in-ceiling and outdoor solutions, designed to deliver high-quality sound while seamlessly integrating into living environments, something that is increasingly important in today’s design-driven projects.
With Q Acoustics, one of the most exciting recent introductions is the 5000 Series, which marks a major step forward in both acoustic performance and design. The range includes models such as the 5010, 5020, 5040, 5050 and 5090 centre channel, making it a complete solution for stereo as well as home theatre applications. What really stands out is the new C³ (Continuous Curved Cone) driver technology, which delivers smoother frequency integration, lower distortion, and improved bass control, resulting in a more natural and detailed listening experience.
Additionally, the 5000 Series benefits from technologies derived from Q Acoustics’ flagship Concept range, including mechanically isolated tweeters and advanced cabinet bracing, which significantly reduce resonance and enhance clarity and imaging. Combined with a clean, contemporary design and premium finishes, the 5000 Series offers an ideal balance of performance and aesthetics, making it highly relevant for modern Indian homes where both sound quality and design integration are equally important.
Overall, what’s exciting is that all these brands are not just launching new products, they are
evolving with changing consumer lifestyles, where design, connectivity and performance go hand in hand.
Yes, this year has been particularly exciting for us as we have expanded our portfolio with several premium global brands, each bringing something unique to the Indian market. One of the key additions is Bang & Olufsen in collaboration with Origin Acoustics, where we are introducing their Celestial (in-ceiling) and Palatial (in-wall) speaker ranges. These products are designed to deliver high-end audio performance while remaining completely discreet, perfectly aligning with the growing demand for luxury architectural audio solutions in modern homes. Alongside this, we have also partnered with Bec Akustik, as it brings a very unique and technically advanced approach to sound reproduction. Backed by over 25 years of German engineering, the brand has developed ultra-slim, line-array-based loudspeakers using flat-panel and magnetostatic technology, which is quite different from conventional speaker design. What makes Bec Akustik stand out is its ability to deliver wide sound dispersion, consistent audio even outside the sweet spot, and extremely discreet form factors, making it ideal for modern architectural and high-end installation projects. Their portfolio also includes powerful subwoofers, compact amplifiers, and scalable speaker systems, allowing integrators to design anything from minimalist invisible setups to full-fledged immersive theatre environments with excellent clarity and control and Elipson, we are introducing a brand that combines rich heritage with elegant design and natural sound performance. Known for its Prestige Facet series, Elipson offers a complete range of speakers suitable for both stereo and home theatre applications, delivering balanced and immersive audio. Alongside this, their iconic Planet series adds a strong design element, making Elipson a perfect blend of aesthetics and high-quality sound for modern living spaces, both of which strengthen our offering in the high-fidelity and design-oriented speaker segment, combining European craftsmanship with refined acoustic performance.
Any new brand you have collaborated with? If yes, tell us about the range they are offering.
We have also brought in Morel, a globally respected name known for its handcrafted drivers and high-performance loudspeakers, catering to both audiophile stereo systems and home theatre applications. In addition, Adept Audio further enhances our custom installation portfolio with solutions focused on performance-driven, scalable audio systems for integrators. Overall, these new collaborations allow us to offer a much more comprehensive ecosystem from invisible architectural speakers to high-end audiophile systems, ensuring that we can cater to every segment of the evolving Indian smart home and home cinema market.
What products, technologies, or brand solutions did you showcase at Smart Home Expo 2026?
At Smart Home Expo 2026, we showcased a comprehensive range of cutting-edge audio solutions and premium global brands, reflecting the direction in which the Indian smart home industry is evolving. A key highlight was Marantz, where we demonstrated high-end pre-power combinations and the latest Cinema Series, showcasing true reference-grade home theatre performance for immersive experiences.
Alongside this, we presented Bec Akustik with multiple solutions from ultra-slim architectural speakers to advanced line-array systems, demonstrating how high-performance audio can be seamlessly integrated into modern spaces. We also featured Elipson’s design-led hi-fi and home theatre speakers, along with Bang & Olufsen by Origin Acoustics, Adept Audio, Morel and Episode speakers, each bringing unique strengths across architectural, lifestyle and performance-driven audio segments.
Our focus this year was to present complete, real-world solutions from invisible speakers to reference-grade cinema setups, demonstrating the latest technologies and integration possibilities. We put together what we believe was one of the most engaging and immersive booths at the show and we were truly looking forward to presenting it in a big way. I am confident that visitors found our showcase to be among the very best at the expo this year.
Tell us about your association with Smart Home Expo over the years and how the platform has helped connect with system integrators and partners.
Our association with the Smart Home Expo has been both long-standing and extremely rewarding. Over the years, the platform has evolved into one of the most important meeting points for the smart home and AV industry in India, bringing together system integrators, consultants, architects, and technology partners under one roof. For us at MZ Audio Distributions, it has consistently served as a strong platform to showcase new technologies, launch global brands, and demonstrate real-world solutions in a live environment.
More importantly, the expo has played a crucial role in helping us build meaningful relationships with system integrators and channel partners across the country. It gives us the opportunity to understand market requirements firsthand, exchange ideas, and collaborate on future projects. Many of our successful partnerships today have either started or been strengthened through interactions at the Smart Home Expo. It’s not just an exhibition for us, it’s a key driver in expanding our network and staying closely aligned with the evolving needs of the Indian smart home ecosystem.
