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4 minute read
Summary
On this New Product Alert, the Collab Collective’s Craig Durr speaks with Patrick Heyn, Vice President of Marketing at Q-SYS, recorded live at ISE 2026. The conversation introduces the Q-SYS RoomSuite Modular System, shown publicly for the first time, and examines how Q-SYS is addressing the need for standardized, scalable meeting rooms that sit between simple soundbars and fully customized AV environments.
Their discussion covers:
- RoomSuite Modular System Overview: Bringing modular design to standardized meeting rooms that need more capability than soundbars
- Purpose-Built Room Processor: A single-box processor combining audio, video switching, AV bridging, and integrated networking
- Table-to-Display Architecture: USB-C connectivity and AV bridging using the QIO-VEN4 extension box
- Configuration over Programming: Device discovery and setup without Q-SYS Designer Software
- Simplified Deployment and Management: Automatic EQ, echo cancellation, and room tuning
- Availability Timeline: Expected market availability beginning in March
Transcript
Craig Durr: Hey, I am Craig Durr, Chief Analyst and Founder of the Collab Collective. This is an incredible show, ISE 2026. You would not believe some of the excitement taking place. And of course, what I like to do is bring to you new products.
Now, this one is something that was launched a little while ago at an event called Activate, which was sponsored by Q-SYS, part of the QSC and Acuity network. I have a really special person to walk me through this.
Craig Durr: Hi, Patrick. How are you doing?
Patrick Heyn: Good
Craig Durr: Patrick is the Vice President of Marketing for Q-SYS, which is part of the new Acuity Intelligent Spaces area.
So Jason walked me through this, and so did Chris when we talked about it before, but this is my chance to see this hands on for the first time.
Patrick Heyn: I love it. Literally, this is the first time it's in the wild. If you're here at ISE, please come. But if you're not, let me give you a little tour through it.
Craig Durr: Let's do it. Okay? It is called…
Patrick Heyn: Q-SYS RoomSuite Modular System
Anybody that's aware of what we do at Q-SYS knows that we specialize currently in high impact spaces, things that require a lot of nuance, a lot of programming, and can do incredible things. We're still doing that with RoomSuite Modules, but this gets a space of these rooms. Let me just show you. Again, like high impact spaces, we've come to know and love what Q-SYS brings to that, divisible spaces, things that have extreme scenarios. If you can dream it, you can do this.
Craig Durr: This is your sweet spot there too, right?
Patrick Heyn: But we're talking about, and again, there are places appropriately for the bar solutions. You know, in smaller rooms, bars are great. However, there is this sweet spot in the middle that requires a little bit more nuance but is standardized in a way that you want to be able to mass deploy them and not program every single one, because they're not all individual flowers.
Craig Durr: One of the biggest challenges I hear talking to people is not a combination of simplicity and scalability. That's coming together, right?
Patrick Heyn: That's exactly why this is perfect.
Craig Durr: How do you guys do it?
Patrick Heyn: We've taken a couple different processors, and we combined them into one.
Craig Durr: This is the super box we talked about. We joked about this.
Patrick Heyn: If you know about cores, this is not a core. This is a processor dedicated to rooms, and what it does is, again, it's an integrated network switch, so you don't have to deal with any networking problems. You plug all of your peripherals directly into that. You serve up your audio and video to the far end via this AV bridge, and you're doing all of your video switching. So if you've got remote video somewhere in the room…
Craig Durr: All that's taking place here in one box you're talking about, right? Is that correct?
Patrick Heyn: Yes, so proximity wise, this is going behind the display or in the credenza. And when it comes to then bridging your laptop or getting your video onto that display, this lives at the table.
Craig Durr: This is what you call the extension box, right?
Patrick Heyn: This is the QIO-VEN4. This lives at the table; this is where you plug in your laptop. And again, same deal, integrated network switch. You plug directly your USB-C, which delivers all your audio, video, and the bridging got it in one device.
Craig Durr: But now, part of this story is also around the simplicity of deployment and management. Why don't you talk to me about that?
Patrick Heyn: Yeah, come on close. Let me show you something. So again, we're not using Q-SYS Designer Software to do individual programming. What you're doing is you're configuring. You're not programming. It means that you plug your devices into this, it recognizes them, it discovers them. You literally turn it on, and that's all you do. So again, anybody that's aware of the effort it takes and the kind of the learning curve you need to overcome, for Q-SYS, this means that for rooms that don't require the nuance, it’s super duper easy.
Craig Durr: So all of a sudden, I've got an expander, sound bar, camera—all discoverable, all in one location, easy to configure, easy to deploy, right?
Patrick Heyn: Yes, and you don't need to be an audio engineer, we've got a system that automatically rings the room out, does all the EQ, does all the echo cancellation.
Craig Durr: That is incredible. All right, so you guys announced this at Activate, when do you expect it to be available in market?
Patrick Heyn: Should be available coming in March.
Craig Durr: Oh, we're gonna hold you to that, okay?
Patrick Heyn: Oh, no. *laughs*
Craig Durr: No. *laughs* Hey, Patrick, this has been fantastic. I hope you guys are having a great ISE and another fantastic product.
Patrick Heyn: I appreciate it. Take care.
Craig Durr: All right, everyone. This is Craig Durr, Chief Analyst here again at ISE 2026. New products, cool stuff like this—there's nothing more I love than this. We'll talk to you later with some more.
