Tweeter opened it’s first store back when I was a child growing up in the Boston area. I remember being a teen and drooling over “high end” audio gear whenever I was in the store. Sadly, the economy takes it’s toll on all companies and people, and Tweeter has officially shut it’s doors. You can read more about it here. Who knows if some enterprising capital company will buy the rights to the name and open it back up (not likely).

I’m happy to say that Sanctuary is still going strong and we plan to be around for a good long time! Despite the poor economic climate, we experienced strong growth this last year and are looking forward to continuing that trend over the coming year.

Ok, I’m sorry for the corny title, but it’s for a good reason. One of the things we spend a lot of our free time doing is evaluating new technologies and devices that we might want to offer as part of a solution. The most exciting area we’re looking at right now is video devices, and by that I mean products that can act like a digital DVD player. They range from hard drive based storage devices that archive your DVDs and Bluray discs to Video On Demand devices that allow you to rent or buy videos over the web.

The one we’re excited about right now is from a company called VuDu and it’s pretty compelling. It’s a cool little black box with a stylish remote and a terabyte of storage that connects to your network and your TV. Using the onscreen interface, you can browse for movies ranging from classics to the latest releases in both Standard Definition (think DVD quality) and High Definition (think Bluray in all it’s glory without the disc). You set up an account at VuDu using a credit card and you can download videos to rent (24 hours) or buy for prices starting at $0.99 (special rentals). On our Comcast hi-speed internet connection, even the HiDef movies start almost immediately. You can rent it and watch it later or buy it and store it permanently on the box. Who needs to go to the video store when you can do it right from your own living room?

We’ll have one on display at the Concord Home Show this weekend if you want to stop by!

Come see us at the Concord Home Show at the Grappone Conference Center / Concord Marriott on Saturday and Sunday 9/27 and 9/28. We’ll be showing off some of the products we talk about here on the sight including Control4, Bay Audio, NAD, JL Audio and NuVision. We’ll also be raffling off a few bottles of our “Sanctuary Cellars 2008 Shiraz”, so stop by and say hello!

More information here or here

I’m a little overdue (ok, a lot) in announcing this, but we’re officially partnering with NAD Electronics as our primary supplier of A/V Receivers. I’m really excited about this as I believe NAD rounds out our lineup of premium components, particularly complementing Bay Audio speakers and JL Audio subwoofers. You can read a little bit more about NAD at www.nadelectronics.com.

As a side note, we ARE continuing to work on the Reference Theater, we’ve just been slowed a bit because of some construction issues. And yes, we’ll be using an NAD T175 Pre-processor and T975 7-channel amplifier in the theater. Very exciting!

Chances are that if you’re reading this post then you have experienced a subwoofer in action while watching a movie or listening to music. Hopefully that was a positive experience, one where you wanted to feel the impact of the stand-up bass in your chest or to have the car crash rattle your pant legs. Unfortunately though, there’s an equally good chance your experience was limited to something less positive, a muddy “boom boom boom” that was loud and vibrated the room but didn’t have the effect it was meant to. Well, I’m here to tell you that it CAN be different. Low frequencies can indeed blend with the rest of the soundtrack but still provide that low-end “oomph” that you want to feel. And you can be listening to the quietest of dialog just before the building falls down and have the transition be fast and accurate.

As the title implies, we’ve started offering JL Audio subwoofers recently for all the reasons listed above and many more. Most notably is the ability to tune the subwoofer so that it has an impact without dominating the room (unless of course that’s the effect we’re going for!). The build quality of the JL Fathom and Gotham products is impressive and has to be seen to be truly appreciated. And of course, the sound is phenomenal. We’ll be putting two of the Fathom 13.5″ subs in our reference theater so later this fall we’ll be able to really show them off. In the mean time, contact us if you’re interested in hearing more!

I thought I’d share an article that I felt sums up the challenge that many of our customers face. You can read it here.

While the article is indeed humorous (especially the tech dedicated to holding down the chair), I liked it because it points out two things:

1. “Just getting a new flat screen” isn’t that simple. With all of the technology surrounding the television that was designed to simplify your life, things have gotten pretty complicated (ironic, isn’t it?).

2. Finding a good installer is tough, and like it or not, your home is unique and probably doesn’t fit the “one size fits all” mentality of many large retail companies who offer services.

So, when you get that flyer that in the Sunday paper and find yourself wanting to get the new television, give us a call first.

I’m excited to announce that we’ve recently added Bay Audio as our partner of choice for speakers. After doing our research, looking at available options, and most importantly listening, Bay Audio was the clear leader for us. They offer an outstanding product line with options from modestly priced to audiophile grade and from in-wall and in-ceiling to cabinet and custom built speakers. Not only that but the people are amazing, and that’s a large part of what we look for in a partner. Give us a shout if you’d like more information or want to take some time to listen to some Bay Audio products.

One of the challenges of being a custom install company with no storefront is the issue of a showroom. In the past we’ve used reference customers to show the quality of work we do, and that’s been okay for the most part. At this point though, we’ve decided it’s time to put together a sort of “Reference Theater” where we highlight the types of solutions we deliver. To that end, we’ve taken on building a theater at our primary location. We took into account the same things our customers are faced with in many cases, such as sound isolation, delivering the “cinema at home” experience, and maximizing usable space.

In the end, we’ll have a 6-8 seat theater with concealed speakers, done in a sort of “Rialto” style with stained woodwork and leather seating. We’ll be showcasing all the top partners we rely on including NAD, Bay Audio, Control4, Continental Seating, PlanetWaves (as well as several others) to bring together what we consider the ultimate cinema experience. I’ll post a few “in process” pictures over the course of the project to give some ideas on what goes into a dedicated theater.

Stay tuned!