Interior Design and Audio Video Systems

La Quinta TV Installation

At Imagine Home Audio we are highly intrigued by installations that push the interior design envelop. Obviously, we are huge fans of interior design, and we tend to lean a little modern, but we can design an Audio Video System to flow seamlessly with whatever style you are going with. It is interesting because most audio video companies claim to be designer friendly, but my opinion is shallow, but it makes sense. If you can’t dress yourself, or brand your company in a high end fashion, then you should avoid doing any designs, unless they are electrical drawings.

We are highly involved in the design community and spend our past times looking at interior design trends (Luxe Design and Interiors & Dwell Magazines) and watching the fashion market. Their is something about art that we try to bring to our field of audio video systems and home automation systems.

A few things that we can bring to the table are ultra low profile speakers that have a tiny bezel (I’d claim to be the smallest)

Imagine Home Audio

Also we can flush mount TV’s in wall and we can also provide designs that can allow for larger televisions in the future without having to completely redo the entire cabinet, wall, or custom finished surface.

I think one of the questions is always where do we put the equipment and how do we have a state of the art system without looking like a bachelor pad. Well, depending on the home closets are always a viable option, custom built cabinets with pull out and slide racks (for servicing), or even behind hidden wall panels.

For us the system needs to be able to be serviced, upgraded, and have a decent amount of airflow. Other than that we can work within any constraints. If we can come to terms on the equipment location, everything else will flow seamlessly.

Lastly, we will say that some pieces are made of exotic materials and are what we would call as furniture grade. Mostly this applies to speakers, and we try to keep these limited to an area that is a listening room, music room, or possibly an office. These settings are the optimal setup for a high end 2 channel system. These systems are generally extremely high end and offer finishes that can compliment any interior. This isn’t the big black boxed speakers and the 125 button remote system. These are simple, designer friendly, and offer extremely high end sound quality.

Here are a few good rules to stick within:

1. Every interior will normally require in ceiling flush mounted speakers, in rare occurrences you may opt for in wall speakers, but aesthetics are the only determining factor.
2. Everything viewing room with a theater setup will either require a boxed subwoofer (bass) or an in wall or ceiling flush mounted subwoofer. These are determined by aesthetics and quality, and sometimes room layout. The quality is substantially increased by a boxed version, which can be built into a cabinet and will require a front firing subwoofer, and a 100% sealed enclosure.
3. The equipment closet should be as central as possible in the home. A good rule is to put the equipment closet near the main viewing area and to try and keep the structured wiring in the same closet.
4. Have the clients pre-wire for everything possible, because it will cost 2-3 times more to do it after the fact, and in most scenarios will require drywall work and moving of furniture.
5. Having a home automation system installed by the right company will allow them to use all the features of their lighting, pool features, security, audio video system, without needing a degree in audio video systems. People pay a substantial amount of money for these systems just so they can use all of their homes features. Our instruction on a high complex home, can be in as little as 30 minutes.
6. Stop mounting TV’s with thick mounts.
7. Speakers should never mounted on a wall inside, only outside. Speakers are outside are weather proof and in most scenarios require a sealed cabinet.
8. Mounting a TV flush, is not expensive, so please suggest this to your customers, especially if they are trying to use a thicker TV in a remodel, or new construction. We just did a walk through in a featured home in a high end design magazine and they had a beautiful home with a 3 inch thick Vizio TV mounted right about a wall mount modern cabinet. It baffles me to think that someone wouldn’t spend the $700-$1000 on a new TV that could be mount and have an overall depth of 1.2″, instead of 4″.
9. Remember that lighting system are made to enhance the interior (and exterior), and they allow the customer to create that magazine style interior everyday. Otherwise, they will need to go and press 50+ switches and set the dimmers to custom levels throughout the home. Honestly it will cost more than the standard system, but it will be the favorite item of home. Especially when they never walk into a dark house again, and knowing that when they are gone it can create random lighting scenes to hopefully allude any unwanted intruders.
10. Audio Video consultants and installers are here to make you look better (designers, architects, and home owners). if you find one you trust than stick with them, but I can assure you that we are top notch and get the big picture. So please allow us to bid on your next project and open the doors to high end home automation, lighting controls, and dedicated home theater systems.

Take care and we’ll chat soon.

Imagine Home Audio & Pioneer Elite LEDs

What is home automation?

Welcome back my friends. It has been a while and things have been going great for us. We hope that things are going well for you as well. Maybe all that Apple stock that you bought back when it was being given away, is now splitting at over $600 a share. Sadly that is not my case, but in an industry where things are a little tough now, we are growing into our own niche.

Our company is a systems integration or custom installation low voltage contractor. Our license basically let’s customers know that we have passed state certifications for understand basic principles and safety standards related to construction. We can even set up scaffolding should you need some painting while we are installing cameras or speakers.

For the past few months we have really focused on high end home theaters and home automation systems. We have really pushed company wide training via our manufacturers, custom installation forums, and onsite training. It has been a very good growth period for all of us. In this industry there is a huge learning curve, and it requires being a sponge to new concepts constantly pushing the envelope. So there has been a lot of cool projects from, motorized TVs, motorized telescopes, tons of multi-zone audio systems with full feedback on touchscreen about volume, bass, treble, source, Pandora channel, artist, and just about any other type of information you would need. There is nothing better than offering options to the customer even using their iPhones, iPads, and even Android devices.

Choosing a company to do your home automation system or home theater should really be a well though out process. Our goal is to consistently be the company that is leading that way for our competitors. It is wild to assume that you can spend $50k or more and still not have a qualified company but it happens all of the time. We are backed by the best manufacturers in the industry such as, Pioneer Elite, Crestron, RTI, KEF, Canton, and Lutron. We offer more brands, but these are examples of brands that require dealer commitment, training, and a deep skill-set.

Home Automation is a phrase used to describe integrator’s ways of connecting your landscape lighting, indoor lighting, heating and ac system, home theater, pools and hot tubs, whole home audio and video systems, security systems, camera systems, and just about anything else.

Having an automation system can make your home management a much easier process and allows you to easily create the same environment on a daily basis. It also allows you to do much more complex activities in your home by pressing one button. Honestly if you have a large home, with a lot of different pieces and moving parts, having one system with one interface, can allow you the opportunity of learning one system that can do everything.

It is similar to seeing 5 or 6 remotes on an ottoman, a thermostat on the wall, a pool controller on another wall, and light switches all over that are not labeled for their loads. With a basic automation system, you can eliviate almost all of these different branded devices, and learn one.

Should you have any questions please let us know and we will talk to you soon in our next blog.

Aestetics or Quality

Lately my company Imagine Home Audio has gone through some tough, but needed growing pains. So we appreciate your support and for the followers of this blog, I apologize for not posting more.

Tonight, I was considering what topic to write about, it struck my mind to demonstrate and document what really sets us apart from our competitors.

One of the interesting feats about today’s technologies is that with a little skill, some luck, and decent marketing, one can appear to have a successfully run business. Unfortunately, one can’t tell anything beyond that without some more evidence. Unfortunately for you, it was probably too late.

With Imagine, we have a strong marketing campaign that covers a pretty wide range of areas. We tend to specialize in high end home audio video, and commercial audio visual and surveillance. Another area that we have grown into is automation systems. Our range is from San Diego to Malibu and from Newport Beach to Palm Desert, so at times we are covering nearly every high end community or commercial development in Southern California.

In the last 6 years, we have really grown from a smaller home theater company, to a company with a larger footprint in the tech savvy communities in Southern CA.

Because of that we have had to possess skills similar to that of a chameleon, and adapt to what our surroundings are. We have seen a huge gap in lighting design and installation, and have had a great relationship with Lutron Lighting during our growth phase, which is one example of how we are adapting and giving more to our customers. Another example is that we have grown to be extremely designer friendly and strive to only install equipment in a way that adds to an environment, and does not take away from the look you are trying to achieve.

Another company that we have really pursued and have come close to nearly mastering their technologies is RTI (remote technologies incorporated). We took a look at what could provide customers with nearly every aspect of automation, one touch controls, and brilliant displays. RTI has been able to accommodate most customers with the utmost control and has a reasonably open platform to allow us programmers to do almost anything we want with it, from the graphics to 2 way Rs232 control or IP control. Should you want the best money can buy, we move up to Crestron which can do practically anything you can comprehend, but unfortunately it is not designed for any budget, other than the very elite.

Our business is designed to make your home (or business) more enjoyable, more efficient, and to make your home reflect the quality of interior design into your audio video systems.

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To our Facebook Page
Unfortunately, you won’t find too many companies that will understand what your wants, desires, and budgets meet, requiring them to fully meeting your criteria. We would like to think that we could fit the bill.

Until next time.

What Home Theater Company

It has been quite a while and I wanted to write a short page on “why us?”

First off at Imagine Home Audio we are seriously dedicated to making you happy, keeping you at your budget, and walking out the door with another friend.

Lately we have gone through a good sized growth spurt and are learning a lot about what is really important and that is shaking the hand with a happy customer, not selling the most expensive equipment and going out to get that Ferrari we have always wanted.

You are what is important to us and we understand that everyone has a different budget and a different set of goals for your home theater, media room, dedicated home theater, automation system, or just a flat screen tv installation.

We are there for all of the above, and we will truly go above a beyond to create that smile and positive relationship with you.

One note as I close is that it seems that the more people I run across are not understanding that a company like mine is a dealer for many of the brands you are looking to purchase. I commit to you that if you give us the opportunity to sell you the equipment it will make it worth your while.

Our pricing is always very competitive and we know the products inside out.

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To our Facebook Page

Take care and see you after the holidays.

Why apple products are great, but….

RTI App Picture

Over the last few weeks, I have come across a few installations, that are relying heavily on Apple products.  Specifically most were using iPods, or iPads.  I have a few words of advice before you commit to an automation system utilizing apple only products.

First, I would like to clear up some myths from most manufactures ranging from Crestron, RTI, Elan, Homelogic, Pioneer Elite, Yamaha, Lutron, and so many more.  These manufactures support great applications to terrible applications, but no matter how you look at any of these, they are in addition to what you currently have, and can be convenient should you have a few Apple products lying around the home.  These apps were not made to replace existing controls from control systems, or custom programmed remote controls.  They are a convenience item and a marketing tool, because right now Apple are the hot items on the market, and they realize that people love using their applications.

A friend who has been in the industry for over 15 years explains it this way:

There is a extreme difference between consumer grade products, and professional grade products.  Apple would be a consumer grade product, and a in wall or hand held touchscreen from RTI, or Crestron would be the professional side.

The main difference is that professional products are configured in a way, to only do what you need them to do, they are geared to run all day long every day, they do not need to be re-booted, and won’t loose network capabilities when they go into their sleep modes, and they are built off of a platform that can be fully customized.

Maybe with a few of those, I have already poked some holes in your cup, but I just want you to know that you must have a proprietary controller first, and then consider adding an app or two on your Apple products to control system after.

With that said Apple makes some great products and they can be fun additions to your entertainment system, but they are not the solution for control, they are a addition to your solution.

Apple products are like adding chocolate on an amazing gelato.  Or in industry terms like adding an IR flasher when you already have IP or RS232 Control.

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Lighting and Lighting Control

Lighting is one of the most important attributes to your homes design appeal.  Just like watching a set of American Idol you can see that lighting is a huge portion of their special effects and is a serious portion of their budget.

If you are considering some upgrades to your existing home, or even building a new home in the San Diego, Orange County, or Riverside area, you should seriously consider lighting and lighting control.

Imagine Home Audio is a certified Lutron lighting and Design firm and can integrate or automate your homes lighting with RTI (remote technologies inc), or most other home automation providers.

Lighting in itself is pretty simple, use the right color of light, have enough of it, and have it set to the right levels.   With providers like us you can press one button on a in wall keypad or touchscreen, and turn on certain lights in your home to create a preset scene.  For instance, if you are entertaining at your home during the evening, you would hit a button engraved with Entertain.  After that press, all of your art focused lighting, chandeliers, pathway lighting, recessed,  landscaping, and exterior, would turn on to a preset level.  All of those lights can be set to turn on a preset dimming percentages as well.

Other examples of scenes, would be relax mode, cleaning mode, pathway lighting, and you can even tie all of your exterior lights to your security system, which could flash on and off when your Alarm is triggered.

What is great about all of this is that it can be done in retrofit scenarios, and can also be easily integrated into a new construction project as well.

We are advanced level RTI programmers, but we do have Crestron and Elan programmers on staff as well.

Should you consider a full lighting system for your home we would love to show you a demo of what our company can provide.

If you have ever owned a lighting system you understand the convenience and the security aspect of these systems.

Everyone that has ever owned one of these systems will also tell you that they will never live in a home without lighting control again.

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Home Theater Installation and the Process

Are you considering a home theater installation in the San Diego area?

If you are, please allow a custom installation company to do your design.

It would really help you to understand what is available by speaking with someone in your home about the technologies available for your home theater or entertainment system.

Adding or upgrading your home theater and entertainment system can be a very enjoyable and simple process.

Any legitimate company will come to your residence and consult you on new technologies, the scope of work that could be easily performed at your home, and a basic timeline from start to finish.

You would be very surprised to see how competitive our pricing can be. Imagine is direct with many manufacturers (much more that listed on our site) and because of our relationship with these vendors we can offer very competitive pricing. Not to mention we carry many custom brands that are considered of much higher quality than what you may be aware of. Using our expertise to design a system can be a very smart move on your part. We understand the current products available and with a good understanding of what you wish to achieve we can put together a really nice and easy to use system for your home.

We cover all areas of installation from central vacuums, outdoor audio, security, surveillance, access control, flat screen installation, whole home audio video systems, dedicated or media room home theaters, and we are a certified Lutron Lighting design business.

Our company is also certified in advanced level RTI remote, touchscreen, and automation systems design and installation.

We pride ourselves on being very professional and our work is extremely clean and designer friendly.

We serve:
Orange County, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Newport, Newport Beach, Anahiem, Tustion, Corona, Palm Spring, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, Temecula, Murrieta, Oceanside, Escondido, San Marcos, Carlsbad, Rancho Bernardo, San Diego, La Jolla, Encinitas, Del Mar, Solano Beach, Rancho Santa Fe, and any other Cities between.

Should you have a home outside of this area please call us and we will discuss your options.

I wish you the best and please allow us to serve you in the future.

Back To Imagine Home AudioPanasonic's New 65" Top of the Line 3d Plasma Panel

What are you being sold on?

So this week I was called for a service call at an establishment that was just built, and it was truly state of the art all the way around.

I am in the industry of selling customers products, but shouldn’t I listen to what you want and then provide recommendations? Well, some installers have a no integrity and are going to sell you on what they feel you need, rather than what you are saying you need.

For instance, this new establishment is opening very soon and has yet to have any instruction on their new equipment and asked me to stop by on a favor to help them get it working. Here is a quick run down on the equipment. They have a Crestron media controller, surge protection, in floor VGA and HDMI ports, a sharp (2 year old model) TV, on wall speakers (on wall….really?), and a Crestron touchscreen tablet. So basically you have a outdated and incredibly thick Sharp TV and some cheap on wall speakers and a really nice touchscreen controller that turn the TV on and off, and not much more. There are zero sources unless you choose to plug a computer in, and they are using a Crestron control system to do the switching. They don’t even have any local sources that can be hooked up unless you lay a DVD player on the floor, and they are using 2 pages on the remote with zero options, and one page with cable TV options. Do they need a $7500 automation system to run just a TV and it’s volume?

Now keep in mind this place does have a very nice facility, but don’t you think that this room is a little overkill for a basic training room that seats maybe 20 people? This job probably cost them $15000, but they didn’t know any better and took the bait. This job should have had the lowest profile led television (because you have a profile shot walking into the room) or could even been built into the wall, in wall or in ceiling speakers (with 2 hours fire rated back boxes, because this is a commercial establishment), and a lower level remote capable of one touch commands and dock charging. This should have cost $5000-$7000 and I guarantee would have looked and sounded better. Unfortunately for them they are stuck with this system (and a TV that is mounted crooked as well) and will have to work through these issues and learn the next time around on their mistakes. For minimal costs, lighting, shade control, and HVAC control could have been incorporated, to make it a perfectly seamless training room and full control of every aspect.

In our industry people are taken advantage all the time with being oversold, because of their city, zip code, cars, home, or career. You need an installation company that will be honest and understand your needs. Do we sell some very high end equipment of course, but we let the customer decide what route we are taking.

Bottom line is:

If you are questioning an installation price, and you aren’t getting the answers from the company, move on. If you feel that they are taking advantage of you, clarify what your budget is and if they don’t get it, move on. Home and business entertainment systems are supposed to be fun, hassle free, and easy to use.

Should you need a company in the future for your residential or commercial audio video installation please let us prepare a quote or bid for you. We are honest, fair, and base our decisions off of your wants and needs, not ours.

Joshua

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Home Theater and Automation Installers

Flagship Model

 

In the last year or so we have really taken a look at some of our competitors in our low voltage field.  Normally called a “Home Theater Company,” but in the construction trade are refereed to as low voltage companies or C7 contractors.  We have come to some conclusions on what you should absolutely check for before bringing one of these companies into your home for work.

In our field you are required to be a contractor.  So no matter what you having done at your house please ensure you are using a currently licensed contractor.  It is always best to check out there license at the California State Contractors Board located here:

https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/CheckLicense.aspx

Regardless what they tell you or show you, it is your responsibility to check to make sure it is valid, or that it hasn’t been suspended, or that they aren’t using a friends license.  See what happens in this industry, is that the TV hanging companies that advertise all over Craigslist tend to be “fly by night companies” and will disappear in the event of a problem.  So you have no recourse because they aren’t licensed and do not carry a bond like a legitimate contractor.  Also most of the time the mounts and cabling they are using, are the lowest grade money can buy.

Let’s let’s talk about what type of license the contractor should carry.  So you have checked the license and you see that it is valid and the correct company name, but it isn’t a low voltage (C7) license.  Well don’t panic, because you are halfway there to getting it installed by a professional, at least with this person they have a license.  So my suggestion is to only use C7 contractors, and not to use C10.  C10 are electricians and like to cross the line sometimes and dabble in Audio/Video, but unfortunately for you this isn’t their forte.  They are electricians and understand, or should, understand electrical theory, but not audio video equipment installations.  That is like saying because I can control and iPod I must be able to understand how music production works; not quite that simple, we have executed many training events and trade shows to fine tune our knowledge and electricians couldn’t begin to explain the correct speaker placements or sound reflections and deadening.

We have an art in our field, from equipment selection to ensuring that our equipment flows seamlessly into your home decor.  I would consider my company a highly intelligent audio visual and automation company blended with an interior design firm.  All of our equipment comes directly from the manufacturer or from one middle man (the distributor).  Our pricing is dealer cost and cannot be beat.  We pride ourselves on selecting only the best brands, and from completing continuous training with these manufactures so that we can offer their products and be knowledgeable about them.  Having a company that understands the products it sells is really important, because that means they can put together a complete system utilizing multiple brands for your custom application.

Home theaters, home automation, media rooms, entertainment centers, whole home audio video systems, low voltage cabling, surveillance systems, and security systems need to have a legitimate C7 contractor.  I would also check some of their references  as well too.  And if you are a cost no object customer please check the pricing and ensure you aren’t being take for a run.  It is really sad how some companies feel that because you have more money, they can charge more.  Shouldn’t it be that you get better equipment if you spend more?  Well I am sorry to tell you but most of the time greed takes over for these Audio Video installation companies and they try to add some extra costs.

We run a honest and trustworthy company.  At the end of the day you should have a system that seriously impresses you and you should be excited to give our referrals.  Referrals is really where most of our business comes from, so that is our beating heart in this industry.

Until next time.

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Joshua Stanphill

Imagine Home Audio Video & Commercial

Serving: San Diego, La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Fallbrook, Temecula, Murrieta, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and La Quinta

 

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