Since 1946 Klipsch has made some of the most innovative and unique speakers. The founder, Paul W. Klipsch wanted to reproduce the sound of a live orchestra in his living room. The result was the Klipschhorn and a speaker design philosophy that has contimued to this day. In addtion to being found in homes all over the world, Klipsch speakers can be found in your local movie theater, music studios, and production and editing rooms of major studios.

Happy Anniversary Klipsch!

This retrofit installation was rather unique.  The room was large, open, and awkward making the TV placement difficult.  After a couple of designs involving a large custom cabinet to the right of the fireplace to house the TV, it was finally decided that the best place for the TV was over the mantle above the fireplace.   The cabinet idea was kept but redesigned to become bookshelves with cabinets underneath to hold the AV gear.  The builder removed stones creating a pathway for power and AV cabling.  Once the cabling was in place the custom bookshelfcabinet was installed.  The TV was mounted with a tilt mount bracket to provide a better viewing angle.  A receiver, Blu-ray player, DSS receiver and Klipsch subwoofer were installed inside the cabinet.

The client wanted better sound than the TV provided so along with the subwoofer a pair of KEF 6000 ACE speakers were mounted to either side of a 55″ LED TV.  This provided big sound to match a big picture.  An RTI universal remote controls this system and the house wide audio system.  No matter how difficult the installation there is always a solution.

Just how do those incredible installers magically run wire from one end of the house to the other?

I’ll never tell!

With summer now in full force, we have been getting a lot of requests for work in the area of outdoor audio and video.  More and more people are realizing the benefit of bringing technology to their outdoor living spaces.  Manufacturers are catching on to this trend, so they have been releasing some cool products that really take outdoor entertainment to a new level.

Waterproof  Remote

One such product is the RTI U2 universal waterproof remote (Picture on Left).  If you have an outdoor sound system, you can use this remote in conjunction with one of their wireless RF base stations to control your whole sound system. You can literally use this remote in your pool.  I remember the first time I installed one of these remotes I was so excited that it floated that after programming it I put it in the pool to see if it was true.  I came back to test my experiment and saw the remote floating in the center of the pool, far from arms reach.  After locating the net and fishing my remote out…It worked great and controlled the outdoor sound like a champ.

Outdoor Speakers

There are two main types of outdoor speakers, hanging or rock.  Hanging speakers are mostly used on the side of your house or under eaves of your porch.  These speakers are surprisingly robust and have great sound.  Rock speakers are mostly used around pools and landscaped outdoor living areas.  They look cool and sound good too.  People are attracted to these speakers because they blend into their landscape and disappear.  Both of these speaker types are usually installed with an all weather volume control that will let you control the volume of your sound without going inside to your equipment location.

Outdoor Video

Putting a flat panel TV outdoors can get a bit tricky.  The biggest hurdle is trying to prolong the life of a sensitive piece of equipment in the harsh environment of the Texas outdoors.  Often we will install a TV in  a loggia, patio or pool house that provides some shelter for the weather.  Even if the TV is protected from direct rain fall, it is still in an uncontrolled environment and that can significantly shorten its life.  Here are a couple of options to protect and increase the life of your TV.  The first is to get an all weather TV that is designed to be used outdoors.  Pantel and Sunbright have LCD TVs that are great for any outdoor situation, covered or exposed.  Their specially designed TVs are temperature controlled and ventilated.  They are also protected from dust, insects and spider webs, which are very damaging to electronics.

If your are looking for a less expensive option then try pairing an inexpensive flat panel TV with a protective cover.  The covers are designed to provide some protection from dust, insects and moisture when the TV is not in use.  Sound Ideas offer these covers in a variety of colors and sizes to fit any TV.

Hopefully this post helps stir your mind about the options that are available for outdoor entertainment.  There are a ton of things out there to choose from, and I just wanted to get you thinking and give you some basic things that we have done in the recent past.  No matter what you choose to do, the important thing is to get out there with friends and family and enjoy the outdoors!

In November 2003 I saw Master and Commander: Far Side of the World.  It was a really good movie.  The cinematography was stunning but what really drew me in was the sound.  The sound mix was so incredible that at times I lost all sense of the theater and found myself inside the movie.  Richard King won numerous awards including an Oscar for his sound editing.   I remember thinking this movie would be great for showing off Home Theater Systems.  I was right.   The DVD quickly became one of my reference demos.

The first 15 minutes of the movie is the best sequence.  It has an incredibly wide range of audio: the soft sounds of the ocean; the creaks, cracks, and pops of a wooden ship; soft and loud conversations; and an explosive cannon battle.  This movie will give your system a workout and really show off  the dynamic range of your speakers.  Here are some of the highlights:

Chapter 2 at 2:35 – This is one of the best scenes for surround sound.   We board the HMS Surprise just before dawn, and as we travel through the belly of the ship, we hear creaking, groaning and popping all around.  We move past the sailors snoring in their hammocks, and above us we hear the men moving on the deck in preparation for the changing of the watch.  The sounds of early morning on the ship are all around us, and it feels as if we are really on board the Surprise.   

Chapter 3 at 6:20 – The officer of watch sounds the alarm and the crew beats to quarters.  This is a major transition from a soft scene with no action to the controlled chaos of the crew preparing for battle.  As the action moves left to right and behind the sounds swirl around us.

Chapter 4 at 8:54 - Captain Jack Aubrey sees flashes of light within the fog bank and yells for his crew to get down.  A fraction of a second later we hear the muffled thump of cannons being fired and then the cannon balls crash across the deck of the Surprise sending schrapnel and splinters flying.   This is another sudden transition from a calm scene filled with dialogue to loud explosions and shouting.  We are taken all over the ship from the deck to the where the cannons are being prepped down to the ship’s surgeon’s quarters.  The audio places us right in the heart of the battle. 

Chapter 4 at 11:45 – As Aubrey is rushing back onto the deck a cannon ball explodes nearby momentarily stunning him.  The audio becomes muffled as if we are hearing through his ears.  When he recovers himself and surges back to to his feet, the audio snaps back into crisp focus, and we are back in the action with Captain Jack.

Chapter 5 at 13:13 – With the ship rudderless and the sails in tatters, Aubrey decides to make a run for the fog bank.  The long boats are lowered and the crew struggles to pull the Surprise toward the fog.  The sounds of the battle recede, and the musical score swells creating a real test for all of your speakers. 

Chapter 5 at 14:46 – They make it into the fog bank, and the sounds from the pursuing ship fade away.  The fog envelopes the ship, and the audio becomes muted.  The music dies down; conversation and sounds become  muffled.  It is as if the fog shrouds not only our eyes but also our ears.

If you really want to show off your system or just see what it can do, I highly recommend the first 15 minutes of this movie.

Not many things can be as frustrating as sitting down to movie night with the family or watching the big game with friends only to discover your system is not working. Over the years of helping clients with their systems, I see the same problems come up again and again. Here are the top five most common problems encountered and some tips to fix them.

1. Problem: “I can see a picture but do not hear anything” or “I can hear the game but can’t see it.”

Solution: Your TV or Surround Receiver is on the wrong input. Check the source input on your TV and your surround receiver. The inputs need to be on the same source. If you have sound and no picture then slowly cycle through the inputs on your TV until the picture appears. If you have a picture but no audio, do the same with your surround receiver.

2. Problem: “My satellite receiver is stuck on one channel.”

Solution: Your satellite receiver is frozen and needs to be reset.
Some Sat boxes have a reset button on the front. If yours does not, unplug it from the wall outlet for about a minute then plug it back in. This can be applied to any device even your DVD player or surround receiver. If a source is not working properly, always unplug it first and reset it.

3. Problem: “My surround speakers are not working.”

Solution: You are watching a program that does not have surround sound or your receiver is not in the proper surround format. Not everything you watch will have a surround sound mix. DVDs heavy on dialogue and low on action will not have a lot of sound coming out of the rear speakers. The same is true of analog TV channels. HDTV broadcasts will usually tell you if the audio is in Dolby Digital 5.1.

If you still think there is a problem, listen to an action DVD that you know has a lot of surround effects or play a CD in 5 channel stereo. The best way to check all your speakers is to use the Test Tone feature built into your receiver, but only do this if you are comfortable with using the receiver’s menu system. Also listen for crackling, a hum, or any kind of distortion as this could indicate interference or a damaged speaker.

4. Problem: “My universal remote won’t work my system.”

Solution: The batteries are dead or the IR emitters have fallen off the front of the components. Always check the batteries first. If you have a rechargeable remote, check the charge. Remember even rechargeable batteries can go bad. If you have an IR or RF system, check the IR emitters attached to the front of your components. If they have fallen off, your remote cannot talk to the component.

5. Problem: “I think the projection lamp in my TV is out.”

Solution: Check the indicator light on the front of the TV or the top of the projector. Most rear projection TVs like Mitsubishi and front projectors have a lamp indicator LED that will flash when the lamp is burned out. Even if your TV or projector is working you should check the hours on the lamp. If the lamp is at or over 1000 hours then it is time to get a new one. Most projection lamps are estimated to last 1000 – 2000 hours, but only have a warranty of 6 months. The actual life of a lamp can vary depending on its environment, how often it is used, the pictures it displays, and the brightness settings of the projector. I strongly recommend that if your lamp is at 1000 hours or over 6 months old, you should get a new lamp and use the old one as an emergency back up.

You can buy just about anything on the internet these days; books, music, DVDs, brides, clothes and even cars are a few things you find while shopping on the web.  But does it make sense to buy electronics online?  Not always.  Here are a few things you need to know when shopping for Audio Video equipment on the internet.   

First, many manufacturers do not have authorized internet retailers.  If you search for an item online you can usually find a dozen websites purportedly selling that product. But that does not mean they can legally sell it or that they even have that particular product.  Always go to the manufacturer’s website and check.  They will have a list of their authorized retailers both local and online. 

Second, the biggest problem with buying something from an un-authorized dealer is that you do not get a warranty.  The one from the manufacturer is not valid because the item was not purchased from a legitimate dealer and extended warranty companies won’t warranty a product that does not have one from the manufacturer.

Third, if you do order a product from one of these non-authorized sites, there is no telling what you will get.  The product could be refurbished, “B” stock or even gray market product.  A lot of these companies “sell” new products but send you a re-boxed or slightly damaged product.  They may not even have the product in stock, and then try to sell you something else.

Fourth, shopping online does not always save you money.  An authorized online dealer sells electronic equipment at the same price that your local dealer does.  More often than not your local retailer can offer discounts that the online seller cannot.  What about sales tax, you might ask.  By the time you figure in shipping and set up costs, you end up spending more than you saved on the sales tax.

Finally, an online retailer simply cannot give you the support that a local retailer can.  Local retailers have well-trained sales people that know the product and know how it will work in your particular environment.  We can also provide certified installation and authorized service for all our customers.

Sure, you can always find a lower price on the internet, but is it worth the risk just to save a few extra bucks?  What is more important to you, no warranty, no guarantee of new stock, no installation or service support, and maybe a few extra dollars in your pocket or establishing a relationship with a local dealer who will provide you with a warranted product, installation and service to back it up, and the time of a knowledgeable and caring salesperson?