Contractor Consulting

We all can’t be experts at everything. The AV industry is fairly broad and AV systems contractors are not the only companies installing AV equipment or that require AV system design work. Electrical and general contractors often install intercom, paging and background music systems. Architects and engineers that specialize in designing or renovating modern houses of worship and public use facilities must incorporate AV and integrated systems into their designs. Large urban architectural firms have AV design staff or subcontract a large, national AV design firm. If you are a small to medium sized general or electrical contractor, or architectural design firm we can provide complete AV sales and design services.

For General and Electrical Contractors. We can supply box sales of AV system components at contractor discount pricing when you sign up for our contractor program. We can assist with your design and technical questions and provide subcontract labor and service. You can’t just put in any old ceiling speaker these days. Put one in that sounds good. Set yourself apart from the competition. Install quality, professional components.

For Architects. We have worked with a number of architects over the years. Their job is to design buildings and ours is to design AV systems for those buildings. In the contracting and construction world audio and video systems have long fallen under the “Electrical” portion of the design and contract. AV Technology development happened so fast that the construction industry was slow to adapt to it. But that is changing. AV systems in houses of worship and other construction projects are often “broken out” as separate contracts from the electrical these days. We can provide “turnkey” AV system design for your project including professional specifications and documentation. Professional designs for professional results. Acoustics matter.

Acoustics Matter! Another true story. Twenty years ago or so when I was just a newbie in the AV business my then boss had me meet (on my own) with a local architect to discuss a sound system for a project he was working on. Here is exactly how the meeting started. He looked across the table at me and said “I have no use for acoustical consultants.” I smiled and laughed it off, wondering what the heck I was doing there. At that stage of my career I was not yet an acoustical consultant. Now I am one and would vigorously defend myself in the same situation. However I do recall leaving that meeting thinking to myself “Someday this guy is going to design something that has acoustic problems.” You guessed it. Several years later I became aware of a building that he had designed that did indeed have acoustics issues. A public meeting space with lots of glass, marble, steel and highly reflective surfaces. A difficult environment in which to hear and reinforce the spoken word which is generally what they do at public meetings. I would think and hope that today’s architects are much more in tune with acoustics and the sonic environments they are creating. Walls, ceilings, angles, surface treatments and many other things influence everything about what the acoustics in a given space will be. Yes, there is a use for acoustical consultants and professional AV systems designers. Based on the architectural design we can tell you before it is built what the acoustics will be in the space.

Specialty Contractor Products. We also have products that are designed for specialty contract markets. These include outdoor, weather resistant and weatherproof products for landscaping such as “mushroom” and “rock” speakers and outdoor music systems. We don’t do automotive products but we do have products designed for maritime use. We also offer assistance to do-it-yourself AV project people and have worked on some interesting designs. One of the more unusual ones was for a customer that was an avid bird watcher and wanted to place a microphone outside in proximity to some bird feeders. He wanted to be able to hear, enjoy and record the bird calls. So even if your project is for the birds we can help.

Products and Services.

Here are some of the many contractor and architectural solutions we offer.

• Full Service AV Systems Design and Installation
• Contractor Discount Program for Box Sales
• Paging, Intercom, Noise Masking, Low-Voltage Equipment
• Specialty Electronics Products
• Electrical Power Sequencing Panels and Equipment
• Architectural Stage Lighting and Control

Please go to our Design, Installation and Service Pages for more information.