Come Join The Team at Intuitive AV

  • Hidden Sound Solutions vs. The Full Sound Experience: Which is Best for You?

    Did you know that there are multiple ways to customize your home audio? You can have completely hidden sound solutions so the sound happens like magic or have designated listening areas that show off what your speakers can do. But how can you choose?

    Maybe you don’t even have to choose! Let’s go over the benefits of each and how you can improve your sound!

    The Hidden Sound Experience

    Aperture speakers hidden behind stylish bezels

    If you dream of having music appear in your home like magic, you’ll undoubtedly be a fan of the hidden sound experience. With hidden sound, speakers are integrated into the wall or ceiling (even behind the drywall!) and blended with your home’s aesthetic.

    You can use other techniques like custom art speaker grilles, small aperture speakers you can hide behind artwork, or create an entire visual feature that camouflages your speakers. There’s no limit to how you want to disguise your speakers!

    Benefits of Hidden Sound Solutions

    So, what are the benefits of hidden sound solutions? The most significant one is how they blend with your home aesthetic — there won’t be any obvious signs of tech anywhere, but everything works like magic! To that effect, our team of custom integrators can help create bespoke covers, bevels, and custom power lifts to hide your equipment.

    The second benefit is having smooth background audio for any activity, whether at home relaxing or entertaining your friends for get-togethers. However, the one drawback is that the sound won’t be as dynamic as in a fully treated room tailored to your listening experience.

    The Full Sound Experience

    Comparison of a two-channel system vs a home theater

    The second way to customize your sound is with the full sound experience, meaning you have a fully treated room with speakers facing toward you. And there are two ways to achieve this: 2-channel audio or an 11.2 home theater surround sound!

    2-Channel Audio

    With 2-channel audio, you will see all the audio equipment, including speakers, receivers, amplifiers, and music sources. But the room will focus on human binocular hearing, which tailors the sound to your ears for a full room audio sound or a designated listening sweet spot.

    11.2 Home Theater Sound

     2-channel audio is typically for a listening room, but an 11.2 home theater sound is precisely that — for your home theater! These systems involve multiple speakers (up to 11) and a subwoofer angled toward your seating. So, whether the speakers are in front, above, to the sides, or behind you, there isn’t a single spot your audio misses!

    Benefits of the Full Sound Experience

    The idea behind the whole sound experience is receiving the clearest, crispest audio tailored to your hearing, which audiophiles love. But even if you’re not a designated musicophile, you too can benefit from a fully treated audio room — you get to hear content as close to how it was recorded in the studio!

    This brings out the emotion of everything you listen to, so you can feel every bit of it in your chest! You get a mini concert just for you! The only drawbacks are that you’ll see more of your audio equipment, and your listening experience will be limited to the treated room.

    Can You Do Both?

    A blend of hidden home audio and virtually seen speakers

    Absolutely! You can have both hidden sound solutions and a full sound experience together! And it’s up to you how you want that to look— our custom integrators will do the rest!

    So, if you want the benefits of hidden audio in your living areas, bathrooms, studies, home office, and a dedicated listening room, there’s no stopping you. And the best part is that tons of new speakers are works of art themselves with colorful glazes, so they’ll even enhance your home’s aesthetic.

    Pro Tip: If you want multi-room audio you can control and schedule, let us know! We can customize your listening experience even further!

    What’s Your Sound?

    Now that you know more about the difference between hidden sound solutions vs. the full sound experience, are you ready to get started? If so, our team at [store name] is ready and waiting for your call! We’ll set you up with a consultation appointment where we’ll review the scope of your audio needs and work up ideas on how to meet your audio needs!

    All you have to do is point at what you want, and we’ll do the rest!

    Did you know there’s more than one way to customize your home audio? 🤯

    Yup! There’s custom hidden audio solutions and the fully treated sound experience — which one will you choose?

  • Automated Shades for Privacy and Energy Control

    If you are adding smart home technology to your home, you might be thinking about purchasing automated shades. Automated shades provide you with more privacy and more control of your energy use. Although purchasing automated shades requires an initial investment, the value they add in beauty, functionality, and energy savings make up for it.According to Consumer Reports, energy efficiency and smart technology are 2 of the best ways to add value to your home. As more millennials are buying homes, they are looking for homes that they can control from their fingertips. Adding smart technology like automated shades adds both energy efficiency and smart technology to your home.

    Woman controlling HVAC With Tablet

    There are so many reasons to switch to an automated shading system. Not only do they add beauty and energy efficiency to your home, but they also offer so many more benefits. Adding smart, energy-saving automated shades provides your home with extra privacy and security. You can program your shades to open or close even when you’re not home, giving the appearance that your home is occupied. Auto-darkening shades help boost your energy efficiency and protect your furnishing from sun damage. A little added bonus, having shades that open slowly, quietly, and automatically in the morning, can help you sleep better and wake up more easily.

    BENEFITS OF AUTOMATED SHADES

    • Increases your home value
    • Provides privacy
    • Adds security when you’re not home
    • Boosts your energy efficiency
    • Protects your furniture from sun damage
    • Reduces glare
    • Provides you with better quality sleep

    Sheer window blinds

    Trying to decide which automated shades to purchase? Lutron is a leader in lighting control systems and automated shades. They have created innovative technology that allows you to control the lighting and ambiance of your room with the touch of a finger. Lutron offers a variety of wired and wireless automated shades that can be operated by remote control or through an app on your smartphone.

    They have an extensive line of automated shading solutions including roller shades, drapery tracks, Venetian blinds, honeycomb shades, and more. You can order their shades in a variety of colors, fabrics, and materials such as wood, aluminum, or leather. All of their shading system can be operated with a touch of a button, and operate with a quiet electronic drive.

    LUTRON SERENA

    Lutron Serena smart shades offer you elegant, luxurious blinds at an affordable price. They are battery-powered and operate without wires or cords. These super quiet shades operate wirelessly either through a remote or through your smartphone. They work with Google Home and Alexa. These shades are available in insulating honeycomb and roller styles and can be purchased in a variety of fabric colors and textures.

    LUTRON SIVOIA QS TRIATHLON

    The Lutron Sivoia QS Triathlon adds style and fashion to your home. This battery-operated automated shading system requires little maintenance. The battery has a 3-5 year life span. Because it’s battery-operated, you can control it from anywhere. It comes in roller, insulating honeycomb, wood, and in a selection of fabrics and colors. You can adjust your shades using the Lutron App or they can be controlled by Google Home or Alexa.

    These shades are available in roller, insulating honeycomb, and wood style. They also come in a variety of attractive fabric colors and textures. They are both functional and stylish. They can be used as a standalone shading system or integrated with other smart home technology.

    Luxury window blinds

    LUTRON SIVOIA WIRELESS

    Lutron Sivoia QS Wireless automated shading system is ideal for creating a beautiful, energy-efficient, smart home. This automated shading system provides you with an innovative wireless solution for shading your home. It can be used with the entire line of Lutron window treatments including roller shades, Venetian blinds, traditional drapery, horizontal sheer blinds, wood blinds, and a variety of fabrics and colors.

    This shading system is perfect for retrofitting and new renovations because it doesn’t require wiring and operates completely wirelessly. You can control the Sivoia QS wireless from a remote control, the Lutron app, or with Google Home or Alexa. It integrates with your smart home technology seamlessly adding value, energy efficiency, elegance, and beauty to your home.

    There are a lot of options when it comes to automated shading systems. Deciding which one is right for you can be confusing. Intuitive AV can help you decide which shading system is best for your home, and help you turn your home into a beautiful, functional smart home.