"If You Think A Professional Is Expensive, Try Hiring An Amateur"I chuckled because it was so true. One of the things I find myself doing so often at Optimum Sound & Vision is fixing other people's work and installations.
I would like to share some audio/video installation and vendor blunders I discovered while working for clients. My intent here is not to disparage other A/V installers and companies, but I am so appalled at some of the things I have seen that I feel it is my civic duty to share.
And I'm not making these up, folks. Please refrain from giggling. This is serious business.
- I have seen some newly-constructed homes that were incorrectly pre-wired for home theater. Specifically, speaker wiring was installed for the powered subwoofer instead of coaxial audio cable. Although using speaker wire for a powered sub is not the end of the world, it practically defeats the purpose of having the Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel, the ".1" in a 5.1 or 7.1 system. Furthermore, it can severely complicate the set up for proper bass management. Clearly, the contractors didn't have basic knowledge of current home theater technology.
- At a dentist's office, I found a group of speakers that were improperly wired. Of the four pairs of speakers, only one pair was working. Another pair in a zone was wired with Category 5 Ethernet cable--a small gauge multi-conductor wire cable used for computer networking. Because higher amounts of electrical current have to be transmitted, larger two-conductor wire, typically 16- to 12-AWG, is used for loudspeaker systems (the smaller the American Wire Gauge number, the thicker the wire).
- Another customer complained he couldn't hear any bass in his home theater installed by another company. I discovered the cable for the powered subwoofer was plugged into the wrong jack on the A/V receiver. Doing a simple test tone check would have identified the cause of the problem. Apparently the installer just hooked up the cables and left without making sure everything was operational. This appears to be a very common vendor issue: Hook up the equipment and then just leave.
- An audio problem was found to be attributed to a loose connection that was caused by using the wrong tool for a wall jack. Instead of using the proper crimping tool, this individual, who turned out to be a relative trying to help, looked like he used a pair of pliers.
- Another installation used this fancy slide out rack for the equipment, which may look impressive to the client, but the rack had one major design flaw: It did not expose all of the equipment when it was fully pulled out. It was almost impossible to access the back of the equipment for cabling and servicing, adding to the time and therefore costs to the client.
- One customer had this plasma display mounted above their fireplace. The rest of the equipment was located about 20 feet away. Did the original installer use the best video connections, like component video or RGB? Nope. They used an S-video cable, probably because it was thinner and easier to run.
- In another house, an HD cable box was connected to an HDTV via an RF coaxial cable. This means the client was watching HD channels in Standard Definition, not High Definition. Nowadays, High Definition Multimedia Interface, or HDMI, is becoming the norm for connecting HD sources.
- Heat is any electronics' worst enemy. This is why thermal management is vital to any system employing electronics. One system I worked on placed the preamp/processor in a closed cabinet without observing proper ventilation recommendations by the manufacturer, or employing a cooling system. This component caused intermittent problems in the system that was finally attributed to the heat. The unreliable system frustrated many users, and resulted in hours of troubleshooting. The entire unit had to be replaced, adding to the overall costs for the system upgrade.
- In another home theater system, the original installer did not adjust the bass management (crossover) settings properly, and the woofer in one of the front channel speakers was discovered to be blown and permanently damaged.
Surprisingly, the most common complaint I've heard from my customers is that when they try to get technical support from their original vendor, their calls did not get returned.
My philosophy is that the quality of your work is a direct reflection of you.
Do want quality service and support, or do you want things to be done as cheaply as possible? If you want things to be done right, you want someone who specializes in the field; is thorough and professional; and really cares about what he or she does.
That sounds like common sense, but all too often I see expensive mistakes (like those mentioned above) and the client must then bear the burden of someone else's incompetence and indifference.
In short, be wary of "handyman" services or places that try to be a one-stop shops. And for God's sake, don't always go for the lowest bidder!
This is not to say you cannot find someone who is competent and offers high value services. But when a vendor tries to please too many people by offering so many services under one company, the consequences may not benefit you in the long run.
I would ask any vendor what kind of support and service you can expect after the job is done. Get a second opinion from Optimum Sound & Vision if you like.
Would you hire an accountant to service your car? Would you have an electrician do your taxes? Would you want an engineer to perform surgery on you?
I think you get the point.
If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, I gladly offer free, no-obligation evaluations for your home theater system. Why do I do this for free? Call me old-fashioned, but I just like helping people.
Most importantly, it has been my personal crusade to have everybody get the maximum enjoyment out of their audio/video investments. And believe me, it seems I always find something wrong, regardless of whether the audio/video system was professionally installed or not.
To schedule a appointment or if you have any questions about company's services, please call Optimum Sound & Vision at (510) 943-5042, or (866) 485-4641, or send an E-mail to info@optimumsav.com.
Ted
