All Articles Tagged Demo

Robert Archer | 05/25 08:10 AM, 0 Comments

I recently toured the world-renowned National Research Council (NRC) of Canada. At one point during the tour, I was sitting with a group of audio journalists discussing system demos. I said that the emotional connection with the music is more important than sound quality and that all of the typical things that audiophiles look for in music don’t equate with the mass market. I than began to bemoan the stereotypical Diana Krall demo snoozefests the audio industry typically rolls out that make no connection with most people. Using the Dynamic… View this story

Robert Archer | 04/23 07:58 AM, 0 Comments

It seems the transition from analog and physical media to digital music has happened overnight. For the first time in 2011, music sales tipped in favor of digital media. Nielsen’s 2011 point-of-purchase (POP) figures indicate digital record sales grew almost 20 percent over 2010 numbers, while CD sales slipped just about 6 percent. It’s imperative dealers who aren’t audio enthusiasts understand the world of digital audio and to have the ability to educate clients about music’s new delivery methods. Educate & Stimulate Most of the guidelines dealers use to sell… View this story

Arlen Schweiger | 04/20 07:17 AM, 11 Comments

Since we’ve been focusing a lot lately on audio quality, audiophiles and dynamic range, here’s a reminder that this Saturday (April 21) is Record Store Day. I know, it seemed like just yesterday we were celebrating Dynamic Range Day (actually it was a month ago). Record Store Day, which celebrates independent record stores, is now in its fifth year and has become so popular that it even added a second day last fall to coincide with Black Friday. CE pros can use the relative popularity of Record Store Day to… View this story

Jason Knott | 04/17 09:00 AM, 1 Comment

The trend is clear: Physical media for audio is dying a slow death as more consumers embrace digital music, from downloads to storage to Cloud-based solutions. For Mokena, Ill.-based The Little Guys, a CE Pro 100 company, that trend has become a reality. That’s why David Wexler has become the first to install a new pre-packaged education and demo area from The Lenbrook Group. It’s called the Digital Music Experience Center (DMEC), and Wexler carved out a 475-square-foot area in his specialty retail showroom for the DMEC to educate and… View this story

Jason Knott | 04/09 07:42 AM, 0 Comments

At 28, Bryan Gorog of BCG Concepts in Los Angeles is already a 10-year veteran of the electronics industry. The combination of having so much experience under his belt while still a young man is serving him well not only in creating, selling and installing integrated A/V and control packages that are attractive and affordable for GenY clients, but also in running his business efficiently. Gorog’s playbook is not unlike many small veteran integrators: He runs a lean-and-mean operation in which he does all the sales and system design himself.… View this story

Tom LeBlanc | 02/03 09:24 AM, 10 Comments

Crestron grabbed some eyeballs at Integrated Systems Europe 2012 in Amsterdam by demonstrating how its control systems can read Microsoft Kinect gestures. Crestron says it has been testing a new technology by Microsoft that allows Kinect technology to be supported on any Windows-based system, and not just Xbox as in the past. From Crestron: Crestron engineers created, and are testing, gestures that integrate Kinect with Crestron control. Crestron control systems will read Kinect gestures so, for example, presenters can sweep their hands left or right to advance/reverse a PowerPoint Presentation… View this story

Jason Knott | 01/23 10:08 AM, 2 Comments

Not many integrators are building new showrooms these days, but if you are and your territory happens to be located in one of the most affluent zip codes in the nation, you’d better make it a lavish one. That’s what Chris Brody, president of Crescendo Designs Ltd., did. The company is located in the prestigious Hamptons area of Long Island, N.Y., where being “elite” doesn’t even cut it … you have to among the “super elite” to make it here. Crescendo has leveraged all of its top-of-the-line manufacturers to create… View this story

Robert Archer | 01/20 09:18 AM, 0 Comments

There’s a growing sentiment that the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is rapidly turning into a gadget show driven by computer peripherals and Apple accessories. But anyone who has spent time at the Venetian would dispute that assertion. The Venetian plays host to some of the best manufacturers and best product demonstrations. This year’s crop of demos included everything from digital-to-analog converters (DACs) for computer-based systems and streaming media players to more traditional components such as amplifiers, speakers, turntables and home theater processors. We can’t see all of the demos… View this story

Jason Knott | 12/19 10:50 AM, 0 Comments

Sweeping the front porch, picking up the dirty laundry, washing the dishes, and not walking around in boxers all day (I suppose part of the day is OK, but not all day) are pretty much universally accepted commandments inside any home. But those rules and many more are rigid laws for integrators who choose to use their own homes as showrooms to showcase their custom electronics installation prowess. Already, 47 percent of CE pros, according to the CE Pro Annual Readership Survey, have home offices. So it seems logical for… View this story

Robert Archer | 11/09 07:19 AM, 0 Comments

Those new to the custom electronics industry may not realize that the roots of the market are deep in two-channel audio. As the popularity of home theater and fringe technologies like home control and automation grew in sophistication, the visibility of two-channel audio diminished. But a funny thing has happened in today’s age of gaming and digital media: the cyclical nature of pop culture has swung back in favor of two-channel audio. No where is this in greater evidence than the sometimes overzealous audiophile market. The audiophile crowd’s signature event… View this story