• Lifestyle Control: Touch screen devices for home automation
• Home Networks: A complete guide to home networking
• The Everything  Gadget: How the revolutionary iPad is reshaping home entertainment and control.

Plus much more. It’s all waiting for you in the Fall 2010 issue of HD Living Magazine!

Phase 1: The first order of business was to clear out the old TV, AV gear, and shelving to make way for a more streamlined AV cabinet.

Phase 2: The next step was to place the Polk speakers and subwoofer in the cabinet for a compact, but well balanced system.  The cabinet also provides clean cable management for the speaker wire and cables.

Phase 3:Following the speakers placement, we placed the Wii game console, Denon turntable, Sony Blu-ray player and Comcast HD cable box in the cabinet for an easy connection to the receiver.

Phase 4: After all the cables were fished through the cabinet we wired them up to an Integra surround sound receiver.

Phase 5: The Samsung Plasma HDTV was then installed and the Wii motion sensor was mounted on top of the display.

Phase 6: The final step was to mount the acoustically transparent panel doors onto the cabinet for a clean finish.  The Universal Remote was then reprogrammed for simple operation, then the audio system and TV were calibrated for optimal performance.

Final result is a cleanly designed, robust and reliable, easy to use media system that fits into the room’s décor.

At other companies my day would start by being briefed on the spot about the day’s job.  The boss would always prepare the schedule at the last minute in hopes of just throwing bodies at projects. There was rarely a plan of action and never any scope of work, design meetings, or project checklists given in advance.

Sounds like a tough start.  How did that affect the projects?

Well, once I figured out where I was going for the day I’d go into the warehouse to stage the equipment only to find that we didn’t have half of the parts needed. On a few occasions I remember informing the boss, and he said, “I forgot to order that. Tell the client that it’s backordered.”  So, I would leave the shop with no information on the project, very little parts, and a lie to tell the client!Once I arrived at the site, I’d rummage through my set of inferior tools and prepare to start work. There wasn’t much in the way of documentation which resulted in way too much time on the phone with tech support or my project manager.  That was just to get up to speed on the project and figure out how the system is supposed to work.

How was your experience with the other technicians and support staff?

I found that often times at most other companies my coworkers weren’t CEDIA certified and had little experience.  So, that meant a bit of babysitting onsite. The kicker was that after a long frustrating day onsite I’d finally get back to the shop to find my boss drinking a beer and acting as if everything was great.

Techs ensure their vans are kept well organized.

How is it different here at SoundVision?

SoundVision always stresses process and preplanning.  Our schedules are literally booked weeks in advance.  Each project gets a project binder that we take onsite.   The binders include everything from scope of work, project management checklists, to wiring schematics & floor plans.  At SoundVision we always follow a carefully laid out set of tasks and milestones for each project.  In terms of parts, we have a purchasing manager who orders all our parts and stages them for us each morning.  Our vans are always fully stocked with the right tools for the job.

Can you talk about some of the SoundVision processes while onsite?

Sure.  When I arrive onsite, I do a walk-through and fill out a Project Time Estimator.  This document will tell me if we are going to finish within the time and budget provided.  Photographs are taken at every phase and downloaded to the server for future review and reference.   At the end of each day, emails are sent out to all stakeholders informing them of where we are in the project and any issues encountered. 

SoundVision staff meeting

How does the SoundVision staff differ?

At SoundVision, our techs are all CEDIA certified and keep up to date with the latest technology by attending seminars and workshops.   If I ever have questions while onsite, there are a minimum of three people I can contact prior to calling the tech support line.  SoundVision also has a dedicated support and administrative staff on board so the office is always running smoothly.  We have bi-weekly all-hands staff meetings where we collaborate on ideas and lessons learned while onsite.

Kenny’s Insider Tips

After hearing about some of his war stories on the job, we asked Kenny if he could put together a list of tips for people to consider before choosing their next custom electronics integrator.

• Look around their office.  Is it organized or messy?  If it’s messy, odds are that they treat their clients/projects in the same manner… If they can’t keep their own office neat and clean, what makes you believe they’ll keep your home/project organized?
• Observe their employees (if they’re there).  Do they display a professional appearance: clean shaven/groomed, clean clothes, etc.  This will help you decide if you are comfortable with letting them into your home, before the project has started.
• Check to see if they have received industry related awards.  Typically, you will notice these once you walk into the door.  If you don’t see any awards or recognition of any kind, odds are they don’t do quality work and don’t deserve them.
• Do your homework.  See what other people have said about the company. Dig around on the internet for reviews or testimonials. View their website; does it appear to be sales based, or information based? If possible, take a look at one of their ongoing projects.

1. Tower (floor standing) speakers
2. Bookshelf speakers
3. Wall-mounted speakers
4. In-wall speakers
5. In-ceiling speakers
6. Invisible speakers (behind or part of the sheetrock application in walls or ceilings)

All of these speakers will offer a much improved sound experience when they are paired with a subwoofer to handle deep bass and low frequency sounds. This is an entirely separate speaker that is placed in an another area, away from the main speakers.Tower/floor-standing speakersTower speakers usually have an array of at least three speakers, or drivers: a tweeter for high frequencies, a mid for middle frequencies, and a woofer for low frequencies. These three drivers are matched and configured to work together to produce consistent performance across the audible frequency range.In a perfect world, these speakers would be located a minimum of 30 inches from walls, aimed at the listening area and spread out around 30 degrees from the listening area.Advantages

• Speaker drivers are placed at proper heights relative to the listening position
• Speakers can be placed at the correct location to eliminate boundary effects, which are changes in tone caused by sound reflecting off nearby surfaces (walls, ceiling, etc.)
• Delivers full spectrum sound due to fully engineered and matched drivers with crossovers set up to maintain consistent tone and output qualities across the audible frequency range

Disadvantages

• Tower and floor-standing speakers tend to be large and difficult to fit into a typical living space’s style and decor.

Bookshelf speakersBookshelf speakers usually have an array of at least two drivers: a tweeter for reproducing high frequency sound, and a combined mid/woofer for middle and lower frequencies. While many bookshelf speakers produce great sound, it is a compromise from their larger, floor-standing brethren because it combines the mid and woofer drivers into one, compromising clarity. It is also more susceptible to boundary effects due to its typical placement on shelving or in cabinets. (This problem can be rectified by placing it on a stand, away from walls.) For best performance, these speakers are placed as close to ear height as possible and aimed at the listening area. These speakers also benefit greatly with the addition of a subwoofer to provide fuller sound at lower frequencies.Advantages

• Speaker drivers can be placed at the proper height relative to listening position
• Speakers can be placed at the proper location to minimize boundary effects
• Can be integrated into some living spaces without a major impact on the room’s existing decor

Disadvantages

• Performance is inferior to tower speakers due to placement, boundary effects and lack of a full-spectrum driver array
• Occasionally difficult to properly integrate into room’s existing interior design

On-wall speakersThe on-wall speaker is essentially a bookshelf speaker with a form factor modified for an on-wall mounting application. On-wall speakers also usually have the same two-driver array where the tweeter takes care of high frequency sounds and a combination mid/woofer handles the lower frequencies. However, since it’s placed on the wall, these speakers are subject to boundary effects,  but many models integrate compensation circuitry to compensate and minimize this.Advantages

• Speakers mounted on walls provide proper speaker placement relative to wall-mounted TVs
• Blends in with the style of wall-mounted TVs, creating a uniform look
• Can be integrated into many living spaces without a negative impact on decor

Disadvantages

• Performance is inferior to tower and bookshelf speakers due to placement, boundary effects and lack of full driver array

Stay tuned… I’ll review the last three speaker types (in-wall, in-ceiling and invisible) in part two, coming on Monday!