Right in the middle of Temecula Valley’s renowned Wine Country lies the residence of this Project of the Day.  I am extra proud of this job as it definitely had its challenges and had, what I like to call, a Big Cool Factor to it.  We were presented with an idea… a vision the customer had of transforming the Living Room in his house into a Theater Room for the whole family to enjoy.  This is the thing movie fanatic’s dream of, a theater built into your home!  How great is that?!  Being that the customer enjoyed crystal clear picture and great sound when watching movies, we had to design a killer system that looked and sounded the part of an actual movie theater. We nailed it right on the head, as well as throwing in a couple extras we surprised our customer with!  Let me take you into this spectacular project now so you can get a feel for what it took to get it done, and how it all turned out upon completion.

Our scope of work: Mount the projector, mount the fixed projector screen on-wall, build audio/video gear furniture piece, install all gear into furniture piece and setup, install (6) in-ceiling speakers for Dolby Atmos setup, setup tower speaker and center channel speaker, program a control system, mount (14) acoustic panels, and finally, and also the surprise, install and setup an Alexa for voice system automation.  Here is the list of all the great products we provided for this Custom Home Theater System:

• Sony 4K Projector
• Dragonfly projector Screen
• Yamaha RX-A2060 audio/video receiver
• Oppo BDP203 Blu-Ray player
• Monitor Audio Silver center channel speaker
• Monitor Audio in-ceiling speakers
• URC Total Control processor
• URC Total Control universal remote w/iPad universal remote
• Wattbox line conditioner
• Salamander Synergy audio/visual furniture
• Paradigm tower speakers
• GoldenEar 12” powered subwoofer

As you can see, we had excellent gear to make this dream project happen.  Projects like this always have their obstacles to overcome though.  The biggest obstacle we had to deal with was how and where we wanted to mount the acoustic panels for the best acoustic results.  You see, the room was pretty live, meaning sound bounced around pretty bad, which is very bad for quality sound.  By carefully designing a layout for the 3’x4’ panels, we were able to improve the acoustics of the room DRASTICALLY.  It was awesome.  The 6 panels that we hung from the ceiling were the most tedious for sure.  I wanted to create a really cool look and feel to the room and still deliver the sound dampening performance that we needed.  So I hung them from the ceiling at a slight angle, using thick piano/mirror wire and hooks.  It turned out looking spectacular.  Once everything was said and done, the customer couldn’t have been more thrilled.  The crystal clear picture of the Sony 4K projector along with the Dolby Atmos Surround Sound setup made this living room turned movie theater look and feel like the real thing!  Yet another successful custom project completed for ATD.

~P.S.~ Do you see the cool looking beam that the projector is mounted to?  At the beginning of the project, none of that was there.  It was just a huge vaulted ceiling.  We worked hand-in-hand to complete the needed home theater design with the customer and the contractor so that the media room would deliver the look and feel the customer was looking for, yet also give us the functionality we needed for the home theater system.  Fun stuff!  

Just seven or so miles inland from the beautiful beaches of Oceanside, CA lies the pleasantly rural city of Vista, CA and the location of this Project of the Day. This project was one that we see on a semi-regular basis. It involves a newly purchased house that is going to go through some remodeling, new appliances and fixtures are going to be purchased, new texture and paint is going to be applied to every wall, new cabinets and flooring and carpet throughout, and most importantly……all new Audio/Video and Smart Home Automation gear to be installed. Once completed, this newly remodeled house transforms into a forever home, one that our customer can enjoy with her kids and her grandchildren for many years to come.

Let me take you into this project now. Our part in it started with collaboration with the contractor hired to get the house completed. A custom wall was being built which was to be the home for a new 82” Samsung TV along with custom shelving and lighting for decorations, and cabinets for all the surround sound gear and audio/video devices. Everything had to be precise as the customer wanted this front wall in the Family Room to look excellent and really stand out. As you will see below, that mission was accomplished. Once the construction was finished it was time for our team to make the magic happen and pump audio/video/smart automation life into the home! Here was my scope of work: Install (5) in-ceiling speakers and (1) subwoofer for surround sound capabilities, mount 82” TV on-wall perfectly centered in allocated TV niche, install/setup all audio/video gear in new cabinets, program universal remotes to control systems throughout the house, install/setup a Smart Lighting System, install surveillance cameras and setup the customers phone/iPad for camera viewing, install on-wall iPad docking/charging station centrally in the home for security camera viewing and smart lighting control, install multiple other TVs throughout rooms in home, and install/setup music steaming devices in multiple rooms for seamless crystal clear music throughout. Sound like a lot? Like I said earlier, we handle projects like this pretty regularly and they always turn out great. Here is the gear we provided for this fantastic project:

• Samsung TV UN82MU8000            
• Yamaha RX-A770
• Episode Signature in-ceiling speakers
• Sunfire HRS8 Subwoofer
• RTI RP-4 processors 
• RTI T1-B+ Universal Remotes
• Lutron RA2 Select Lighting
• iPad Launchports
• Samsung TV UN65MU8000
• Samsung TV UN55NU8000
• Ring Cameras w/ Solar
• Ring Doorbell Camera
• SONOS Playbar                             
• SONOS Play5                                   
• SONOS Play3

I would say the most important element of this project that I want to highlight is the level of precision carried out by our highly qualified home theater installation team. It was extremely important to our customer that everything look very clean and precise. She didn’t want one single wire showing or for anything to look like it was out of place. Basically, she wanted everything to look as if it custom-built into the house and not an add-on that was thrown together after the house was completed. After a few long days of measuring twice-cutting once, so to speak...we finished. The result was perfect, at least those are the words that our customer used. Using the RTI Universal remotes, she is able to easily control the TV and surround sound system with a single button press, she can look at all her Ring Security Cams from her phone or the iPad we installed on the hallway wall, she can turn on/off her Lutron lights from her phone/iPad so she doesn’t have to wander around in the dark trying to find the light switch in the middle of the night, pre-selected lights turn on automatically when she pulls into her driveway if it happens to be after sunset, she can stream crystal clear music from all her music streaming accounts (Pandora, Amazon, Apple Music, etc) in multiple areas of her home. I was very happy we could deliver exactly what our customer had envisioned. One more thrilled customer and one more awesome project completed by Aire Theater Designs.

Vista, CA home theater installation is here! Aire Theater Designs proudly serves all of San Diego County, CA including Del Cerro, Allied Gardens, Talmadge, Kensington, Hillcrest, Mission Valley, Fashion Valley, La Mesa, El Cajon, Blossom Valley, Lake Murray, North Park, Balboa Park, Clairemont, Kearny Mesa, Mission Bay, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Point Loma and Downtown San Diego. We also gladly serve those in North San Diego County which includes Carlsbad, San Marcos, Vista, CA, Elfin Forest, Oceanside, Escondido, Encinitas, Cardiff CA, Torrey Pines, Carmel Mountain, Coronado, Solana Beach, Alta Del Mar, Del Mar, Olivenhain, Fairbanks Ranch, Rancho Santa Fe, 4S Ranch, Santaluz, La Jolla, Poway, and Rancho Bernardo. Blossom Valley, Alpine, La Mesa and El Cajon...we're here too.

San Diego Smart Home - Smart lighting, smart thermostat, smart audio, video and smart TV all in one picture!

The new catchphrase regarding today’s technology is equipment that turns your house into a “Smart Home”. Walk into most big-box stores today and advertisements for this gear bellow ”Smart Home Smart Home Smart Home” everywhere you look. If you’re wondering what a “smart home” can do, see our earlier article here:

https://www.airetheaterdesigns.com/blog/item/215-san-diego-smart-home-installation-smart-home-information

However, there are some key points to consider when adding this smart home technology to your home that isn’t being discussed. Here are some elements that need to be considered when outfitting your home with today’s technology.

Your Network: Most of today’s smart doorbells, cameras, Smart TVs, whole-house music systems, etc. all run off of your wired or WiFi network. Got a good network? You may be OK. Are you using the cable company-supplied router? You may run into issues with slow speed, limited functionality or both. Adding a better WiFi network will help to ensure that these smart technologies will work reliably in your home. See post below for some details.

https://www.airetheaterdesigns.com/blog/item/213-better-wifi-san-diego

Off-Site Visibility: Are you a technology genius? If so, congratulations. If not, you’re probably like most of our clients. You don’t necessarily know or want to know how this stuff works…you just want to use it and to enjoy what the electronics provide. There are a couple of things that we do to guarantee your optimal experience. Initially, we install equipment in tandem with smart home products to ensure that we can “see” if your WiFi network is operational. This allows us to troubleshoot your system, even if we’re on vacation in Costa Rica! We also have pieces that will allow us to power-cycle your equipment remotely so you don’t have to figure out how to unplug your AppleTV, cable box or TV to watch Netflix. NOTE: We consider this off-site visibility to be the most IMPORTANT element to supply when we are putting a smart home system together. There is no way we or other home automation companies can adequately support you without this crucial element.

Future Support: This industry is vastly different than it was 20 years ago. Back then, we would sell you a turntable, a CD player and a home stereo and we’d see you in 10 years. These days, you will be married to the company that you choose to provide your smart home services. We would recommend going with a home automation business that has been around for a long time (like us) and someone that specializes in home automation and smart homes (and not security, an electrician or your contractor). Go with a business that has a showroom or store vs. the trunk of their car. Opting for a smart home professional will ensure that these electronic toys bring the enjoyment and convenience to your life that they are supposed to. We have performed MANY “take-over” jobs from people that started with one of these trades and got frustrated quickly when the technologies didn’t work, they couldn’t reach the business again or both.

San Diego Smart Home Installation

Sounds complicated? Fortunately, it isn’t because this is what we do and you now know about us. If you’re interested in some of these smart home technologies for your house, give us a call and let San Diego’s audio, video and Smart Home Installation experts show you what’s possible today.

UPDATE: See some of the latest smart home products and ideas at the link below.

https://www.airetheaterdesigns.com/services/smart-home-installation

San Diego Pro-ject turntable dealer - 1 Xpression Carbon Classic with olive plinth

Remember those things that we used to have in our stereo systems? You would place a big, round black disc on it and the disc would go round-and-round in a circle? This “antiquated” technology is still alive-and-kicking and we are proudly bringing it back! We’re announcing that we are now a San Diego Pro-ject turntable dealer! Why is this a good thing?

!) Vinyl sounds great: When you listen to a GOOD turntable, you will hear a natural sound that CDs and streaming don’t provide. In our opinion, vinyl and records sound 3-dimensional with amazing realism in replicating vocals. On our demo system featuring Parasound Halo, Martin Logan ESL tower speakers and a Pro-ject 1Xpression Carbon Classic, it literally sounds like the artists on the records are performing right in our office! If you really enjoy music, you owe it to your stereo system and your ears to add a turntable.

2) Pro-ject economy of scale: Pro-ject is HUGE is the turntable world. In addition to making all sorts of different turntables from the budget option at $199 to a reference turntable at $12,000, they also OEM for many other manufacturers. What does this mean? This means that you are getting cheaper assembly and a higher level of research-and-development in their turntables. If I tried to make you a turntable, it would probably cost $100,000 by the time I was finished. Pro-ject could make it for $199 and it would probably sound better the the Frankenstein I would create.

3) Turntable options and choices: Do you really want a great 2-channel stereo listening experience? Pro-ject has an option for you. Like a turntable in red to match your red piano (this goes out to one of our clients who is a musician and has a red piano)? Pro-ject has your record player. Just getting into vinyl and want to see what the hubbub is all about without breaking the bank? We’ve got a Pro-ject turntable at $199.00. Whether it is your 1^st time listening to vinyl, you want to listen to Mom’s records or you want the experience of having your favorite music artists in your listening room, we’ve got a turntable solution for you.

UPDATE: Here's a recent system we just installed with a Pro-ject turntable and with some vinyl info:

https://www.airetheaterdesigns.com/blog/itemlist/tag/Project%20of%20the%20Day

Want to experience this for yourself? Call us for an appointment and listen to the vinyl vs. CD comparison.

We are now San Diego Project turntable dealers and we can’t wait to show you why that is a good thing. Aire Theater Designs…Better audio, video and home automation.

San Diego Pro-ject turntables OR Project turntables...however you want to spell it, we'll help! Aire Theater Designs proudly serves Pro-ject turntables to all of San Diego County, CA including Del Cerro, Allied Gardens, Talmadge, Kensington, Hillcrest, Mission Valley, Fashion Valley, La Mesa, El Cajon, Blossom Valley, Lake Murray, Friars, North Park, Balboa Park, Clairemont, Kearny Mesa, Mission Bay, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Imperial Beach, Pt Loma and Downtown San Diego. We also gladly serve those in North San Diego County which includes Carlsbad, San Marcos, Vista, Elfin Forest, Oceanside, Escondido, Encinitas, Cardiff by the Sea, Solana Beach, Alta Del Mar, Del Mar, Olivenhain, Rancho Santa Fe, 4S Ranch, Santaluz, La Jolla, Poway, and Rancho Bernardo. Blossom Valley, Alpine, La Mesa and El Cajon...we;re here too.

Sometimes we have lots going on and just want to let you know about all of the good stuff happening at Aire Theater Designs. Here's a remote headstrap for your time. In no specific order:

Sony 85" 4K TVs are on clearance at $3999.99 until they are gone! This is the best price ever on Sony's XBR85X850D monster big screen 4K TV!

We are now San Diego Pro-Ject turntable dealers! Want to hear why vinyl is coming back in vogue? It sounds fantastic and is cool...that's why!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgkCVqEFPFp/

http://project-audio.com/main.php?info=turntables&cat=turntables&lang=en

Big sales going on with Definitive Technology subwoofers. Save up to 25%! Did we mention that we are your favorite Definitive Technology dealer?

https://www.definitivetechnology.com/collections/home-audio/supercube-series

Save 10% on select Martin Logan tower speakers. Get the Motion20, Motion40 and Motion60 speakers at 10% off while the dealio is on!

https://www.airetheaterdesigns.com/blog/item/226-martin-logan-speakers-on-sale

Lutron lighting control is cool.

Did you know that basically every electronic troubleshooting call we receive is tied to "unplug the device...plug it back in again"? Check this audio/video troubleshooting tip out.

https://www.airetheaterdesigns.com/blog/item/190-computer-help-san-diego

You need better WiFi...here's how to get it. Hint: Don't go to your local big-box store...call us first.

https://www.airetheaterdesigns.com/blog/item/225-eero-wifi-san-diego

https://www.airetheaterdesigns.com/blog/item/213-better-wifi-san-diego

Thanks for reading...we feel much better now. Looking for great audio/video equipment or smart home technology in San Diego? Give us a call!

Martin Logan speaker sale is on now! Martin Logan ESL-X and Dynamo700 pictured

It's that time of year again to enjoy GREAT sound and to save some money while doing it. Until 4/7/2018:

Save 10% on Martin Logan Motion20 tower speakers!

Save 10% on Martin Logan Motion40 tower speakers!

Save 10% on Martin Logan Motion60XT tower speakers!

Life's too short for bad audio. Call us for an appointment and let us show you how GOOD your favorite music can sound on a pair of Martin Logan speakers. We are San Diego's leaders in audio, video, home automation AND Martin Logan!