Midwest AV Experience 2026
Think summer camp for home theater nerds — days of demos, seminars, and geeking out with your fellow enthusiasts.
Unity Village · 1901 NW Blue Parkway · Kansas City area
Until MWAVE 2026 kicks off with VIP tours on Sept 16
Why Go to MWAVE
Compare it yourself — no sales pitch
MWAVE 2026 flips the old dealer-floor model on its head. Nothing on the floor is for sale — you’re here purely for the experience of checking the gear out. No dealers, no reps steering you toward the highest-margin equipment, just kit set up side by side so you can compare brands head to head and trust your own eyes and ears.
Head-to-Head, No Sales Pressure
Compare amps, speakers, AVRs, and TVs side by side, with no dealer or rep nudging you toward the priciest option. Judge the gear on its own merits surrounded by others who are just there to chill and learn.
Side-by-Side Projector Shootouts
Watch competing projectors throw the same scene onto the same screen, back to back. Compare black levels, brightness, and color with your own eyes — no spec sheet required.
Unique A/V Demos
Experiences you won’t find at a typical show. Take our tactile transducer demo: a row of seats, each wired with a different bass-shaker — ButtKicker, Clark Synthesis, Crowson, and more — so you can slide from chair to chair and feel exactly how each one handles the same scene.
Passes
Build your MWAVE experience
Everyone starts with General Admission — it’s required for all attendees. Add one or more VIP Home Theater Tours to demo the theaters you want; each theater is a separate ticket.
General Admission
- ✓ Required for every attendee
- ✓ Full access to all classrooms and experiences
- ✓ Projector comparisons, tactile demonstrations, and more
VIP Home Theater Tour
- ✓ Guided tour & demo of one enthusiast home theater
- ✓ Buy a separate ticket for each theater you want to tour
- ✓ Stack as many tours as you like
Because tours are sold per theater, VIP tickets never include General Admission — that keeps pricing fair no matter how many theaters you visit.
Featured Voices
Learn from the experts
Jason Dustal
ISF Level III Calibrator · CTS · CEDIA-Certified Instructor · Envy Product Specialist
Please welcome Jason Dustal! As a highly respected figure in the AV industry, Jason has over 25 years of expertise and leadership. He is an ISF trainer and Level 3 calibrator, CTS-certified professional, CEDIA-certified instructor, and Certified for Envy Product Specialist. He is also a co-chair for multiple CEDIA standards committees, playing a key role in shaping best practices for video system design and calibration.
We’re excited that Jason is joining us at MWAVE to help with our projector comparisons where he’ll be putting his software engineering and ISF Level III calibrator certifications to work. This is your chance to ask your deep dive A/V questions and experience an audio/video show like none other by registering at midwestavexperience.net today!
Where it all happens
Unity Village & Kansas City
A serene campus for the show, and a legendary food-and-music town all around it.
The Venue: Unity Village
MWAVE 2026 sets up at Unity Village — a peaceful 1,200-acre campus just southeast of Kansas City, tucked between the metro and Lee’s Summit. The grounds hold Kansas City’s largest fountain display, an award-winning rose garden with 800+ bushes, the nation’s largest paver labyrinth, two lakes, and the historic, recently restored Unity Tower. It’s a genuinely calm, scenic backdrop for a weekend of serious gear.
The Area: Kansas City
Make a trip of it. Kansas City is famous for legendary barbecue and burnt ends, a deep jazz heritage around the 18th & Vine district and the American Jazz Museum, the buzzing Power & Light entertainment district, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (yes, the giant shuttlecocks), and so many fountains it’s earned the nickname ‘City of Fountains.’
Experience it in person
Demos felt and heard
nowhere else
Grab your seat at the A/V summer camp for home theater nerds — side-by-side projector shootouts, speaker and TV comparisons, and a room full of people who geek out just like you.
Testimonials
What enthusiasts are saying
I went to this event last year and found it more useful to the typical HT enthusiast than something like CEDIA, which is aimed more at the trade than end users. I participated in a couple of blind listening tests which really opened my eyes (ears?) on how difficult it can be to distinguish between well designed products. Just got a new Tesla and this looks like a good excuse for a long road trip. Also, KC has some great BBQ.
I thought MWAVE 2024 was great. My wife and kid enjoyed it as much as I did. I didn’t expect that. Thanks for organizing and putting it on.
You hear about Dolby Atmos, you hear about bass transducers, you see things like madVR, but to experience it is a whole ’nother thing.
I had a great time at MWAVE! It is an incredible event appropriate for enthusiasts of Home Theater!
MWAVE is not just an AV experience; it’s a pursuit to build a connected community of like-minded enthusiasts.
MWAVEWhere home theater is more than a hobby — the premiere A/V show for enthusiasts.
Venue
Unity Village
1901 NW Blue Parkway
Unity Village, MO 64065