Music Systems

Home Theaters

Home Automation and Control Systems

Acoustical Design

Custom AV Cabinetry

Architectural And Woodworking

Power Conditioning and Protection

Home Networks

Process

Costs

OnSite and In-Store Maintenance

In-Home Service Contracts

Services Overview:

Personalized Lifestyle Environments n: a harmoniously-integrated  technology, music, video, and control system, created specifically to meet the client's performance and visual aesthetic requirements, achieved through careful product selection, clever installation design, and meticulous implementation.

Each project begins with a careful and thorough design interview. We determine the your needs first by listening, then later by asking probing questions. We suggest possibilities. We discuss your lifestyle; daily routine, entertaining needs, special requirements for kids and guests. We will visit your home or construction site. Attuned to your needs, we then design a system and implementation plan specifically for you. Indeed, we may design several systems, showing you the costs/benefits of different performance levels or system features.

Involve us early

We can achieve the best results and the highest performance when we have the fewest constraints. Often in a project, early arbitrary choices -- where a pipe goes, where a door is, the exact room dimensions. We can achieve very high-performance cost-effective results when the project is still in the design phase. Once construction begins, the cost of high-performance rises.

If possible, involve us before your architect or builder draws up detailed plans.

A Taste of What's Possible

To some individuals with a dedicated room, such and environment may mean a proud display of electronic components on beautiful award-winning "art furniture", highlighted by halogen spotlights. Yet to another, it might mean carefully concealing all the electronics and technology and having it all implemented in a very discreet manner.

In a whole-house system, it might mean a music-immersed lifestyle, with hidden in-wall speakers in every room, and higher-performance speakers in the den. It might mean outdoor speakers that look like rocks, or underwater speakers for the in-ground pool. It might mean a easy-to-use, custom programmed portable color touch screen control system, or it might mean simple keypads in the walls.

In a home theater, it might mean the reproduction of a 1950's era cinema, complete with burgundy curtains. Or it might mean a carefully concealed theater installed in a family or game room, complete with "Jetsons" power-activated curtains, blinds, screen, lights, and maybe a projector that descends from the ceiling. We even have power-reclining leather theater chairs.

High Performance: Sounds Great, Looks Great

Our passion is high performance. In designing a personalized environment, we make dozen of choices in order to deliver the highest performance possible.

For example:

We allocate the budget carefully, selecting the highest-performance, most cost-effective products possible. We don't use "cookie-cutter" systems that were designed for some "typical" client.

We choose design topographies that yield higher-performance. We carefully choose and route the in-wall cables, thereby minimizing the interference and sonic degradation. For high-end rooms, we install very fine cables in the walls and floors. We always consider room acoustics, furniture locations, and lifestyle issues when we locate electronics.

Many of these choices are hidden. For example, if we had skimped on in-wall cables, you would never see the difference, but you'd hear it. If we had placed the speakers carelessly, you'd never experience the sound that you paid for. If we had picked a cheap amplifier, you'd end up with elevator music. If we used a cheap control system, it would be unreliable. It's ironic; the better we do our job, the less you'll see it and the more seamlessly integrated it will be into your lifestyle. Like the other infrastructure in your home, a well-designed and meticulously-installed system delivers carefree pleasure, even if you never look to see how it works.

Easy-to-Use Control System

A well-designed, well-implemented control system makes even the most sophisticated equipment a pleasure to operate. Our role is to abstract the complexity of any technology in your home and make it simple and a pleasure to use.

A great control system requires much more than just the automation. A talented system designer carefully considers what functions need automating and how those functions should best be provided.

Imagine pressing "Play DVD Movie". Watch the equipment turn on. Notice that the VCR, which you're not using, stayed off. Lights flicker on the equipment as the control system selects the right inputs and sets the right modes. Hear the volume adjust to your preferred listening level. The curtains dramatically open, revealing your screen. The light-tight blinds descend over the windows as the room lights slowly dim. The movie begins.

The design of a true high-end control system requires significant experience in software user interface design and ergonomics. For example, buttons should be grouped logically by function. Similar functions should be provided in a consistent location on each screen. The use of functional modes should usually (but not always) be avoided. Colors should be chosen carefully, with an eye toward the meaning (which varies from culture to culture). Our backgrounds in the information technology and software services world bring this expertise to our clients.

Often a poorly-designed control system frustrates its user because it affords too much control. Like a car stereo with a million tiny buttons, providing control over unused options will hamper daily use. We use the "houseguest" criterion. Could guests in your home pick up your remote control and listen to music or watch a movie? Could they do it without any instruction?

We strive to design control systems that are:

• Completely reliable, Automate all the necessary functions (no more, no less),
  Convenient to use, Carefully designed around your lifestyle, Logical and easy to understand ("houseguest" criterion), and Harmoniously designed and pleasing to operate.

• Aesthetic Integration with Architecture and Interior Design

• Most of our clients relish wonderful architecture. They appreciate outstanding interior design. They admire craftsmanship. And, of course, they love music and movies. So do we.

As home technology professionals, we form a team with your architect, your interior designer, and your craftsmen. Each discipline brings its expertise and experience to bear on the common goal: create the best space possible for you and your needs. Together the team members propose ideas, improve them, and incorporate them into an overall design.

In tradeoff situations, we don't advocate; we educate. Once we've informed you of the multi-disciplinary consideration, you can then make your best decisions.

A few words about aesthetics. We want your room to "feel" right. As you enter a room, you immediately see it -- the architecture, the interior design, the construction details, the lighting. Next, you hear it -- the sense of acoustic space, the reverberations, the music playing. You may also smell it -- fresh-baked cookies or new leather chairs. You may perceive its textures -- wall surfaces, fabrics, flooring. Often, the non-visual design considerations are overlooked. We help our clients create a complete environment, one that pleases all the senses.