Meet the Designers

Mark Callenberg is a home cinema design specialist and SketchUp operator with more than 12 years of experience creating custom AV spaces. When a project calls for a higher level of planning and presentation, Mark develops detailed design work that helps clients and builders see exactly where the room is heading.

Steve Varga brings more than 15 years of hi-fi and AV experience, with a strong understanding of how to build systems that sound immersive, balanced, and convincing in a real room.

Together, they bring practical experience, technical understanding, and a sharp eye for what makes a cinema room work properly.

Experience Before You Build

Our Melbourne showroom includes three dedicated home cinema demo rooms, giving clients a chance to experience different approaches before moving ahead with a project.

You can hear what acoustic treatment actually does, see how lighting changes the feel of a room, and get a much clearer sense of what is possible in your own space. For many clients, that makes the whole process easier to understand from the start.

How Our Cinema Design Service Works

Consultation

We start with the room, the brief, and the end goal. That means understanding how the space will be used, what level of performance you want, how the room needs to look, and what constraints need to be worked around.

System Design and Equipment Selection

We build the system around the room and the client, not the other way around. That includes selecting equipment that makes sense for the space, the performance target, and the way the room will actually be used.

Acoustics, Lighting, and Room Planning

This is where a lot of the real work happens. Acoustic treatment, lighting design, seating layout, sight lines, cabinetry, and finishes all play a part in how the room performs and how it feels once completed.

Installation and Delivery

Once the design and specification are locked in, we manage the delivery with a focus on clean execution, attention to detail, and a result that feels resolved rather than pieced together.

Optional 3D Cinema Design

For clients who want a more developed planning stage, we offer detailed 3D cinema design as a paid service.

This work is done in SketchUp and gives a much clearer picture of the room before installation starts. It helps with layout decisions, speaker and screen positioning, cabinetry concepts, sight lines, acoustic treatment placement, and the overall direction of the build.

This is not a free inclusion. It takes serious design time and is offered as an optional paid service for clients who want that extra level of planning before moving ahead.

Optional Design Book

We can also provide a personalised Design Book as a paid add-on for clients who want a more complete presentation package for their project.

Depending on the scope, it can include:

• high-quality SketchUp renders
• detailed AV system quotation including installation
• acoustic treatment concepts
• lighting and ceiling design direction
• project staging and timeline notes

The Design Book is not included as standard. It is a separate paid deliverable for clients who want a more detailed design and presentation package.

Why Choose The Audio Experts? 

With over 25 years of combined experience, TAE is Melbourne’s ultimate authority in custom home theatre and premium AV design. Every project is treated as a bespoke masterpiece — no generic soundbars, no cookie-cutter setups. Only expertly engineered solutions that combine style, function, and jaw-dropping performance.

We are obsessed with bringing the very best in home entertainment to the Bayside area. Every room we touch is crafted for maximum impact — immersive audio that hits you in the chest, visuals so crisp you feel part of the action, and automation that makes technology disappear so you just enjoy the experience. From intimate media rooms to sprawling multi-room luxury cinemas, TAE transforms spaces into personal entertainment palaces.

Homeowners, architects, and builders trust TAE because we deliver flawless execution, meticulous attention to detail, and a level of service only true Audio Experts can provide. When you choose The Audio Experts, you’re not just installing a home cinema — you’re elevating your lifestyle, commanding every frame of sound and vision, and doing it all with passion, precision, and an obsession for excellence.

Architects and Builders

We work closely with architects, builders, and trades to make sure cinema and AV systems are planned early and integrated cleanly into the home.

That includes design input, equipment planning, speaker and screen positioning, cabinetry coordination, electrical planning, lighting considerations, and practical site coordination. Done properly, it makes life easier for everyone and avoids messy decisions later in the build.

For builders, that means a clearer process and less guesswork. For architects, it means working with a team that understands design intent and knows how to integrate technology without dragging the project sideways.

Audio Visual Project Management

We also provide AV project management for projects where proper coordination matters just as much as the gear itself.

That can include working with electricians, cabinet makers, plasterers, painters, and installers to make sure the room comes together properly and on time. The aim is simple: fewer problems, better communication, and a cleaner finished result.