2016 Gramophone Sourcebook - Preview

46 | CONTINUING A LEGACY

20 | IT’S ELECTRIC 44 | LIGHTING THE WAY

CONTENTS 4: NOTE FROM THE EDITOR 6: AN INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN HUDKINS 13: DESIGN & BUILD 28: GOING TO D.C.: OUR EXPANSION 33: COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS 40: PROFESSIONAL PARTNERSHIPS 46: CONTINUING A LEGACY 48: HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Over 40 years ago, Brian Hudkins was a 20-something-year-old audiophile with a passion for music and the stereo business, as well as an idea that would change his industry and community forever. Since then, Hudkins’ idea has evolved into two nationally recognized showrooms, one of the top ten largest custom retailers in the United States, and Audio Video International’s Retailer of the Year for over 10 consecutive years. From selling great sound systems to audiophiles in the late 70s to ringing in the 21st century by providing the best home entertainment and automation, Gramophone has been meeting the needs of its clients since day one.

Since then, Hudkins has become well known in the Consumer Electronics Industry for creating a business model that has stood the test of time, as well as become an industry standard.

Gramophone started out in a 3,000 square foot space, housing a warehouse space above the showroom, offices, and an in-house repair and service shop. As of today, Gramophone consists of three showrooms in Timonium, Columbia and Gaithersburg. The Timonium Location houses both the primary warehouse as well as the Design Center, staffed with a full-time interior-designer, lighting designer and technician, CAD technician, systems engineer, full-time installation staff, and programmers.

So how did such a small company stand the test of time and grow to include not just audio technology, but home theaters and television, interior design, general contracting, and smart home automation? The answer lies in the man behind it all, Brian Hudkins.

AN INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN HUDKINS First things first: Why this business, and why that name?

The name’s easy. There’s a magazine in England called Gramophone that I was reading at the time because they reviewed music, and they also reviewed equipment. It wasn’t regularly sold in the U.S. so it was a rather uncommon name but it also, I realized, was the name of the very first music machine that Thomas

Edison invented. The name came primarily from the reading this magazine and going “oh, I like that name, that’s cool.” At one point I was like, “It’s the 1970s, we’ll call it The Electric Gramophone!” Then I realized that sounded a little too faddish. We decided not to be The Electric Gramophone and just be Gramophone.

The idea of getting into a business like this began as I just loved music, and my first interest was getting into selling record albums, and I convinced myself that that was really good to do. But I also really loved the equipment - I was an equipment junkie. The first ever stereo I bought was from Montgomery Ward. I used to have by my bedside a Montgomery Ward record player that you could stack 6 records on, and I’d go to bed at night playing music from the early 1960s and listening to all that.

In 1964 or ‘65, a friend of mine had an Allied Radio catalog, a huge thick book. I picked up the catalog and asked my friend if I could take it - I don’t know why he even had it - but I found these parts about resistors and tubes but they had a part about just stereo equipment and I thought, “This was so cool!” And there were all these specifications that made no sense because they were all these acronyms - even to this day people struggle with them - but I would sit there reading it saying “Let me figure that out,” so I got into it. I was already collecting music but I got into the equipment part reading the catalog and learning about it, and I started saving up my money.

I was cutting lawns in summer time out of school - I was writing off to all the mail order places trying to figure out, “what do I want?” I’d read that catalog, started buying magazines. There was a magazine that was Hifi Stereo Review, then Stereo Review, and now is Sound & Vision Magazine - but I’d read the back and see advertisers saying, “write to us for a quote on your system.”

And so I would send off all these letters, and finally I ordered my system. About a month goes by and it feels like maybe 10 years - I was 14 at the time. The system shows up. I had the speakers, I had the amplifier, I had the turntable - but it wasn’t just the

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turntable, it came in a box and there was a wooden base that you had to mount to the turntable, then there was another box that had the cartridge with the needle in it and the wires, and there were 4 tiny little wires and the cartridge wasn’t mounted (nowadays most come mounted). And I had no clue how to mount the cartridge. It was 1966; a cartridge cost $60, and I was terrified I was going to destroy this thing. But I managed to get some tweezers - it worked, I’m listening to music.

Before all this I started hanging out at the local places that sold stereo equipment. There was a place called Lafayette Radio; they had stores all around the country and they had one right down at the bottom of the street. There was a guy I met there, Herb Johnson, and I’d hang out there and in his spare time he’d introduce me to all this new stuff. He thought it was neat that there was this young kid interested in all of it. At the time, when you wanted to buy turntables, you would buy a turntable and for a penny more you could get a cartridge, or for five dollars more you could get a better model. Herb said, “I used to work at a store in Washington DC where they wouldn’t just charge a penny for a cartridge, they’d charge the price of the cartridge. But they would mount it on a turntable, so you wouldn’t have to mess with those wires, and they’d check it out to make sure that it met its specifications, because a lot would come through and they weren’t doing that - they really provided a high level of service.” So he’s telling me all about this and so I asked what is this place, and he said Meyer & Co. And all I was accustomed to was going to Lafayette Radio where you bought it, took it home and that was it.

The point of some of this, bringing it back to us, is through Herb Johnson I learned about specialty and high service, and not do-ityourself business. And that there was a whole world I was yet to

be introduced to that was not do-it-yourselfers, but was there to do anything and everything you need to advise you on what you needed or help you get it all set up. And that to me was completely fascinating that there was a world there, and I had yet to see it - I had only heard about it.

So you decided to create it?

So fast forward a few years and I’ve gotten more and more into it, I’ve graduated from high school, haven’t figured out what I really wanted to do, didn’t want to go to college right away. So I worked for a couple of years for my dad, who had an engineering business, and I worked as a surveyor and I spent all my money - I’m living at home - either buying record albums or stereo equipment.

In the meantime I discovered a store over in the Catonsville area called House of Sound and I met the manager of the store, Bill Frick. Bill was very helpful to me and I would go in there spending my money that I was earning working for my dad, and he was doing what I had first heard about with Meyer & Co where [they said] “Hey, I can get this set up for you perfectly,” and he realized I was really into it and ultimately he worked with the owner of that store to persuade him to hire me. I guessed they figured “well, if he won’t spend money with us we can take advantage of the fact that he’s a young kid with hair down to his waist.”

This is 1972 now, and in 1972 there were a lot of people who looked like me and they were all buying stereo equipment, and they were buying it for their college dorm rooms. And these were all older guys, and those were all hippies, so they figured I’d be a good person to put out in front of the world, and they hired me.

I started doing deliveries and setting up equipment and helping people and I’d learned enough along the way because this is now

6 years since I started reading the Allied Radio catalog. They start showing me things, I start learning things, and the owner of that store started to appreciate that I brought a young person’s perspective into the business. He started letting me work with the manufacturers’ reps and helping them pick out new product lines and helping them make selections and they started letting me do that very early on. I thought “this is a great business,” and that’s pretty much when I decided I wanted to get into the business for myself. And part of it was just a certain cockiness that I frankly always had - I never envisioned that I would ever be able to work for someone else. My dad had his own business, I sort of assumed that well, that was what you did, you had your own business. So not too long after I started working at the House of Sound I said to the owner, “hey, if you ever decide to sell this let me know, I’ll buy it from you.” I’m 20 years old! But I’ve already decided I’m going to be in this business and that I’m gonna have my own company and maybe buy this guy’s company - hell, I had no idea.

How did Gramophone expand from audio to include audio, video, automation, etc?

So in 1981 we start to become a favored child, if you will, in the area; we start to get really good brands added into the mix, we’ve grown some in terms of the business we’re doing. In 1982, someone came knocking on the door and said “hey, I’d like to talk to you about PVI-” Pioneer Video Incorporated. And I’d been reading about it - Pioneer had, a couple of years before, introduced the first shiny silver disc - a laser video disc. And I was completely fascinated at the time with laser video discs because while VCRs had come out, the quality of picture and the quality of sound in VCRs was terrible, and Gramophone was never involved with that because we always were about quality performance in the audio side of the world. In 1982, PVI was looking to really get involved with specialty dealers like Gramophone so we started selling video equipment because now there was high fidelity video equipment. We had laser video discs, we had televisions that were designed as the first high resolution TVs that looked substantially better than typical TVS did, especially when you were playing the video disc. So, now we’re audio and video in 1982.

Fast forward a couple years one of the brands we were selling was the Danish company Bang & Olufsen, the first company to introduce remote controls for a stereo system. And by itself, the idea of a remote control for a stereo, that’s a new idea in 1985.

They took it one step further: not only was it a remote control, it was a remote control that could be used from room to room. And what this meant was we could put a stereo system in the main family room say of a house and said “would you like speakers in the other rooms, because all you have to do is take your remote control in there and you can press it to turn on the radio, change stations, play a CD, select tracks,” and now we’re installing music systems that spread entertainment throughout the house. So that’s 1985, we’re installing remote controlled music systems in people’s homes.

Then back in ‘86 we were doing marketing by mailing out newsletters, and in one of our newsletters we were talking about putting surround systems in people’s homes hooked up with people’s televisions. We started using a name for that, that the industry was advising us was not a good idea, that it was too confusing -

40 years of

AUDIO 1976: Gramophone opens.

1979:

Cassettes hit the big time with the decline of 8-track players and the introduction of the Sony Walkman in 1979.

1981:

Sony & Philips demonstrate the Compact Disc (CD).A year later Sony releases the first CD player, the Model CDP-101.

1983:

A fiber-optic cable is used for long-distance digital audio transmission, linking New York and Washington, D.C.

1988: CDs outsell vinyl records.

1990:

Dolby proposes a 5-channel surround-sound scheme for home theater systems.

1993:

The first actual internet radio station, a nonprofit organization called The Internet Multi-Casting Company of Washington, is formulated and produced by Carl Malamud.

1996: DVD-Audio envisaged bringing high fidelity audio

content to the DVD format, but a combination of competition from Super Audio CDs and the trend towards download and streaming culture has rendered the medium obsolete.

1997:

DVD videodiscs and players are introduced. An audio version with 6-channel surround sound is expected to eventually supplant the CD as the chosen playback medium in the home.

1998:

The Winter Olympics open with a performance of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” played and sung by synchronizing live audio feeds from five continents with an orchestra and conductor at the Olympic stadium in Nagano, Japan, using satellite and ISDN technology.

2000: The first “Stick EP” (now known as a USB drive) is released by the German Band WIZO.

2001: The Apple iPod is introduced.

2008: Pandora music streaming is launched.

2009:

The “Internet of Things,” a development of the Internet in which everyday objects have network connectivity, allowing them to send and receive data, is realized.

we called it “Home Theater” in our newsletter. And we were told “no, don’t call it home theater, don’t call it home theater” well obviously, as we know, the industry decided to call it home theater. I’m not here representing that Gramophone invented the term, but just as we were early users of speakers mounted in walls, we were very early people calling these connected systems home theaters.

What challenges have you encountered?

First we were the new kid on the block and companies said “we’ll wait and see.” Then, when we earned our stripes with those companies, they came on board. The second was the arrival of Circuit City at the same time that we opened a second location in Columbia and had a momentary economic downturn in 1987 the first economic downturn we went through was 1981 but that proved to be beneficial to us because we were survivors of that.

The one in 1987, I think, more clearly defined for us that our best opportunity was focusing on delivering a high level of customer service to people who wanted quality performance and quality service all rolled into one. The do-it-yourself market was not where we could provide the best benefit to a customer, but rather the do-it-for-me customer, that clarified it for us. Then in 2008 when the economy truly went through, as the world now refers to it, the Great Recession, there were a lot of companies that didn’t make it through - it certainly wasn’t the easiest of times. I don’t know if there’s anything we can say besides that we were survivors of that time.

Did you ever think you’d be where you are today?

No. I didn’t. And a lot of what I’m going to say sort of goes back to my dad, who started as a surveyor and ultimately ended up having his own engineering company. And he said “I love being a surveyor, I loved being out there doing that, I could’ve done that for years. I certainly didn’t expect to make any money doing this but I never felt like I worked a day in my life because work is something maybe you don’t want to do.” So I’ve always been able to do what I wanted to do. This is what I set out to do - it was never set out to be “I want to become rich and famous” or anything like that, I just love this stuff. At some level I do remember now that there was this game plan that I said to myself, “I’ll

“I think I found the right place for myself, but in my mind I don’t remember thinking strongly, ‘this is so I can become incredibly successful.’ It was because I liked the stuff.” make some money doing the stereo thing, then I’ll go back and be this English teacher that I started off to be.” That never was really meant to be. I probably would’ve been a terrible English teacher and I think I was pretty good at this business then. I think I found the right place for myself, but it was never, in my mind I don’t remember thinking strongly, “this is so I can become incredibly successful.” I was because I liked the stuff. Here I am

having finished my cycle of building a business and I still sit here today and go “I love this stuff.” And I still enjoy finding out about the technology and to some extent bringing it to people. One of the joys I’m finding today is being able to share that, and try to remind people that you know, what this is, what we provide is something that people are going to enjoy for years and years and years. And it’s a reward for their hard work, and we get to provide it which is pretty awesome in itself, and I get to now share it and hope that the ideas that started this, that if you take really good care of customers one at a time, that that will be what you need to push things forward as much as anything. We want to be the company that constantly gets referred and I constantly want to remind ourselves that of course you take care of the customer, because they’re the ones who take care of us, ultimately.

Would you have done anything differently?

I don’t have any regrets. It would be incredibly cocky to say that there weren’t mistakes made along the way, but the one thing that I always thought to myself about my experience working for someone else, was that I didn’t necessarily learn what to repeat - I learned what not to do. So I think that mistakes are a much more valuable learning tool than getting it right.

One of my favorite books is a Malcolm Gladwell book, The Tipping Point, and it makes the point that success is in fact a combination of things. If you don’t think that luck plays a role in success then you really are too cocky, and yet if you think you can just be lucky and that’ll get you by for forty years, that’s not gonna work either. But when luck and hard work get put together… I’m very appreciative of the opportunity, I can tell you that. I hope that over the years that I did put in enough of the hard work to earn the good fortune.

Read the full interview at gramophone.com/blog/brianhudkins.

DESIGN & BUILD

The DESIGN & BUILD TEAM at Gramophone is the first of its kind to offer a professional design focus on custom home projects.

THE WARMING

GLOW OF MCINTOSH Our York, PA client came to Gramophone with the intent of having a relaxed bar and theater space. Priorities were great looking picture, amazing sound, and a rack full of McIntosh components to show off to family and guests. Our client wanted his passion and love for the McIntosh brand to influence the style and colors of his new space.

As a result Gramophone created a sleek look that incorporated the notable blue glow of McIntosh products, reflected not only in the technological elements but also the millwork and cabinets of the bar.

Left behind was a chalkboard tray and gifts from the Gramophone team!

SPECIAL FEATURES...

• • •

Rack highlighted with custom casing that included stainless steel elements drawn from the McIntosh component faces Totem Metal Speakers combined with McIntosh components create deep, powerful movie theater sound Sony 4K Projector supports movies in CinemaScope (2.35:1) without an external anamorphic lens, and widescreen formats with minimal or no black bars

MARQUEES &

MARTIAL ARTS

Our client had an existing theater that was outdated, in a basement space that originally felt very small and awkwardly laid out. The family wanted the best look, feel, and performance they could get out of the space, while updating the theater equipment to meet current technical specifications. Using color selection, cabinetry and lighting techniques, Gramophone’s Design & Build team was able to make the space feel larger and more functional.

To top it all off we created a custom movie poster for the family of black belts using portraits and an advertisement of one of their favorite films.

SPECIAL FEATURES...

• • •

Savant and Lutron Automation make lighting and electronic functions easy to access and manage Dolby Atmos Surround Sound, a Sony 4K Projector, and quality Totem in-wall speakers ensure a state-of-the-art viewing experience A Kaleidescape CinemaOne gives the family access to thousands of movies and shows

DESIGN & BUILD

CREATED SCRATCH FROM

Last year we won numerous awards from Electronic House and the Lutron Excellence Awards for a project that exemplifies each and every one of our abilities at Gramophone, from AV distribution, to home theaters, to smart home automation, and especially to lighting technology.

Delve into our process and systems, described by Jeff Nale, Gramophone’s Lighting Programmer and Designer.

T

his project was composed from a basement design and remodel from an existing 8,000 square foot waterfront residence in Edgewater, Maryland. This basement retreat incorporates 1,650 square feet of the residence. All lighting design, building, and interior design was provided and implemented by Gramophone Ltd. in Maryland.

The Lutron Homeworks QS system acts as a conductor controlling a symphony of LED Cove Lighting, state of the art LED recessed fixtures, drapery, HVAC, and finely tuned decorative fixtures. The Lutron QS system integrates seamlessly with a Savant control system to enhance overall enjoyment and usability of the space.

By incorporating the use of QS third party control and multiple Digi-One Interfaces, the Lutron QS system directly controls nine NuLED SpectraDrive RGB LED tape light controllers to provide color-changing LED cove light in the billiard room and bar / entertaining area. The billiard room has three separately controlled RGB LED coves, each of which are over twenty feet in length. The entertaining area boasts six five foot square clouds, whose colors are also individually controlled by the Lutron QS system. The client has the ability to select separate colors for

“ The

theater experience begins with the press of a button. The lights dim, the privacy curtain closes, and the stars come out to play,notonlyonthescreen but also on the ceiling.

”

each room or cove, or supply an overall uniform color throughout the space for any occasion.

Utilizing Grafik Eye QS, the Lutron QS system controls a myriad of new LED and low voltage lighting. The system seamlessly dims new LED product from Juno allowing for a fixture that provides the same lighting output of a 4” MR-16 in a 2” platform. Additional recessed lighting includes Juno’s 2” adjustable gimbal and Seagull’s Ambiance Mini-Recessed art accent.

In order to supply additional privacy, lighting, and sound control, a Lutron Drapery Track was incorporated at the rear of the theater. This D145 drive powers a heavy lined 23-foot ceiling-mounted drapery track that recesses into the ceiling so it does not intrude on sight lines.

The theater experience begins with the press of a button.

The lights dim, the privacy curtain closes, and the stars come out to play, not only on the screen but also on the ceiling. The theater space incorporates six five foot square panels in a tray ceiling. These Numinus star fields are back lit using a warm white LED tape light that can be dimmed with Lutron Hi-Lume A-Series Drivers. To add to the theater experience, a popcorn machine conveniently slides out of custom cabinetry, ready to serve.

By use of the Lutron Home Control + App, the client can adjust the temperature which is managed by a Lutron HVAC Controller. The Home Control + App not only allows for temperature control, but also allows the user to adjust any lighting scene at their fingertips, including whole house lighting. The remaining 6000+ square feet of the home is controlled by an existing Lutron Homeworks Illumination System that was designed and installed by Howard Zigenfous of Hill Residential. Currently, the homeowner does not want to upgrade the original platform; however, via third party control and phantom keypads we were able to integrate the two systems, providing lower level control from the main level of the residence. An existing ELAN system on the main floor is also integrated with the Lutron Systems.

Though small in size, this power packed project provides a plethora of product control, proving that whether “old” or “new,” Lutron Homeworks systems can become an orchestral masterpiece of form and function.

DESIGN & BUILD

IT’S ELECTRIC We are pleased and extremely excited to announce the launch of

GRAMOPHONE ELECTRICAL SERVICES.

F

rom this point forward, we can help you with purely electrical projects! If you need anything from small modifications to whole house wiring, Gramophone has the resources to help you, regardless of whether or not you’re setting up an AV or lighting system as well.

There are few things that are worse than an electrical outage, or more frustrating than dead switches or misrouted wiring. Whether you’re in an older home with outdated hookups, or need wiring for a completely new space, or just need a small modification from a dimmer switch installation to an outlet repair, we have the resources to help you.

If you have a project needing electrical work, big or small, we will do it in house, regardless of whether or not you’re also installing audio/video, lighting or automation, or have even stepped foot in our store for other services.

MASTER ELECTRICIANS

Our employees and installers are certified to help you with your electrical needs. Not only is our team professionally trained and experienced, but we offer white-glove service and the best customer support. We won’t quit on you before the job is done, and are available for continued support and maintenance even after our electricians have finished your project.

AMPLE EXPERIENCE

We’ve been in business since 1976, installing and wiring everything from basic speakers to whole-home automation systems. We understand the work, finesse and care that goes into wiring premiere systems and premium quality products. We’ll apply this same attention to detail and commitment to your project as well.

THE BEST TECHNOLOGY

As we keep up with the technology of the AV industry, our knowledge of electrical systems grows with it. Count on us to use only premium quality products-- cables, outlets, controllers, you name it-- for your project. Technology can be a moving target, but we guarantee we use the best of the best and update our techniques as well as our products accordingly.

WHY A

GENERATOR

IS A

MUST-HAVE

FOR ANY HOME OR BUSINESS

by Victor Hill

E

lectrical generators are commonly found in homes and businesses all over the world. But why are they so popular?

Backup generators allow people to keep their lights on and their businesses running during blackouts, and allow you to bring power with you wherever you need it - for camping, tailgating, or any other outdoor event - you have the power to do what you want to do, where you want to do it.

We took it upon ourselves break down all you need to know about the different types of generators and when to use them. We have separated the information into categories that consolidate and simplify everything everything you need to help you decide if a generator is right for your home or business.

them. A generator will allow you to experience nature in the way that only camping can while keeping you comfortable along the way.

INDUSTRIAL & BUSINESS USES •

•

POWER OUTAGES

Power outages can occur at any time, especially if you are in an area with a lot of trees. Extreme weather can greatly increase the likeliness of an outage and oftentimes comes with little to no warning. With a source of backup power, you can ensure that your lights stay on and your appliances keep running. Having a generator can give you the peace of mind that you and your family will remain comfortable and safe during a blackout.

Businesses can be significantly affected by blackouts. For many businesses, losing even a couple of hours can cause huge disruptions in productivity as well as possible loss of revenue. A generator can keep your systems running so that your operations aren’t interrupted and you can minimize any revenue loss.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Many recreational activities take place in areas without immediate access to electricity. Having a source of power can greatly enhance your experience by allowing you to run all sorts of devices.

Whether you want a TV for your tailgate or a charger for your camera, a generator can get you there.

•

•

Powering Recreational Appliances: Electric generators can be used to power up all of your equipment - from sound systems to lights - making camping and other outdoor activities safer and more convenient. If your family loves adventure, investing in a portable generator is a must.

Bringing the Convenience of Home with You: Many people love disconnecting from the world when they go camping, but if you aren’t the type who likes going without basic amenities, camping may not sound very appealing.

With a small generator, you can completely transform your camping experience. You can use an electric stove for cooking or even bring along a small refrigerator, and use your phone and camera without worrying about how to charge

•

•

Solar Panel Installation: Backup generators come in handy during design and other preliminary solar panel installation services. Several tests must be done before the system can power itself, and this is where an electric generator comes in. It is a convenient source of power for projects that are usually located on roofs or tops of other structures that can be difficult to reach.

Rental Properties: Landlords can hugely benefit from installing backup generators on their properties. The assurance of electricity even in the event of power failures is very appealing to many potential renters. This will give the landlord a competitive edge and can justify charging higher rental rates.

Farm/Agricultural: A lot of farm machinery depends on electricity to run. These machines range from irrigation systems to milking and hatching machines as well as other important systems. If any of these processes are interrupted, the farmer could suffer huge financial losses. A backup generator will allow these machines to run during blackouts and can eliminate many of the risks that the farmer would otherwise face.

Construction Sites: Generators have become widely used in industrial settings, especially in construction. Contractors often have to build or weld things on site and heavy-duty machines are needed to get the job done. A generator is often the best way to provide the electricity that is needed.

We’ve only mentioned a few of the many uses of electric generators; benefits to your home or business are endless. The situation and intended use for either standby or portable generators will determine which will best fit your needs. Find out which generator is right for you with help from Gramophone Electrical Services. What are you waiting for?

DESIGN & BUILD

GOING TO

D.C.

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COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS Gramophone Commercial Solutions applies our honed and established skills in home entertainment, automation, engineering, and installation to the commercial market. Given our vast experience and range of projects created over our lifetime, we can guarantee that we will provide your company with state-of-the-art technology and white-glove customer service and installation by highly skilled technicians, as well as the most innovative and functional interior design that our industry has to offer. Imagine easily connected and controllable teleconferencing, eco-friendly and reactive lighting, exquisitely programmed Audio/Video facilities for your meetings, or security-conscious sound masking and control for your critical environments.

Gramophone will bring all this to you and your project - we are a one-stop-shop for all of your commercial needs, and are here for you until you exhaust your imagination.

HOW WE STARTED Gramophone Commercial Solutions applies our honed and established skills in home entertainment, automation, engineering, and installation to the commercial market. Given our vast experience and range of projects created over our lifetime, we can guarantee that we will provide your company with state-of-the-art technology and white-glove customer service and installation by highly skilled technicians, as well as the most innovative and functional interior design that our industry has to offer.

capabilities We know how busy you are, so it is our goal to provide the most stress-free installation experience possible. We take it upon ourselves to make sure your involvement and interactions with us are easy, focused, and few. Leave the hard work to our experienced Engineering Design Teams - by the time we’ve completed your project, you’ll be satisfied and worry-free.

If it’s a teleconferencing system for your office, a small “Huddle Room,” or the Primary Executive Board Room for a Forbes 500 Corporation, Gramophone Commercial Solutions will deliver impressive, eye-popping results. Our capabilities include...

Conference Rooms

AV Systems

Interior Design

Networking

Digital Signage

Security

Automation

Custom Building

clients No matter what you do or where you set up shop, we’re able to deliver the perfect solution for you and your business, whether it be automation for a five star restaurant, audio systems for a private recording studio, or even better lighting fixtures for an art gallery.

We provide services to...

Corporate Offices

Private Offices

Galleries

Restaurants

Houses of Worship

Retail

Medical Offices

Studios

ABOUT DAVE HEGMANN Dave Hegmann, retired Army Sergeant Major, former Producer and Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of the technical support section of the US Army Field Band, and commercial audio / video expert with over thirty years of experience, is the director of Gramophone’s Commercial Solutions division.

“Coming into a company with an established reputation for quality and customer service is probably the best thing to do,” Dave says with a cheery smile, commenting on his excitement in joining Gramophone. “You come in and create a new division inside a company that’s already superlative at what it does.”

Dave is no stranger to the company, having been a part-time salesman in its early years for Gramophone’s founder Brian Hudkins.

“I would drive up there a couple of nights a week and sell product, and I knew [Brian] was establishing a different kind of benchmark for audio/video products in the Baltimore market and I just wanted to be a part of it,” Dave says.

“And here it is, almost 40 years later and I’m back again.”

Dave’s enthusiasm for the company has remained steadfast over time. “Things just happen overnight, that’s a wonderful sign for me: people being creative, and quick, and deliberate, but still doing things wonderfully well,” Dave continues. “That’s a great thing.”

SOUND MASKING: WHEN QUIET CAN BE

A REAL PROBLEM Keeping conversations confidential is a difficult matter at any time, what with drifts of phrases, echoes of conversations, or the occasional elevated sentence wafting in the office breeze. These audible fragments can, in the worst case scenario, be assembled into the comprehension of a personal situation that is suddenly no longer private.

Quiet spaces add to the productivity of an office, but privacy becomes more critical: when ambient office noise decreases, intelligibility increases. Additionally, open floor plans designed to increase collaboration can reduce productivity with disruptive phone calls and conversations. Even without an open floor plan, medical offices, law offices or other firms that handle sensitive information can be subject to a lack of confidentiality due to the unrestricted flow of sound.

The problem is real, and the ways to overcome it are set in acoustic stone. Mass loaded walls, isolated foundations, floating rooms: they all address the situation, but come with the commensurate price tag and construction mayhem.

However, the use of variable, digitally controlled Sound Masking Systems can help reduce the problem. The principle is simple -- using

an unobtrusive speaker to introduce low-level broadband random noise, similar to white noise, to the common and open areas of an office will bring a reduction in the clarity of quiet conversations.

Gramophone Commercial Solutions is working with Cambridge Sound Management to bring you the best and most unobtrusive sound masking solutions on the market today.

We will work with you and your specific situation to design a system that will give you the security you and your company need.

Call us today and see how Gramophone Commercial Solutions can help.

COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS

THE STANFORD GRILL

Gramophone created a ten-zone, high-quality audio system for the third branch we’ve worked on for Stanford Grill in Rockville, MD. The goal of this project was to maintain high-quality audio while ensuring smooth usability with the addition of feeding live sound.

O

ur client wanted a comprehensive system that could be used for both streaming music and live sound input, that was also easily manageable by employees and musicians. The system also had to be tuned so that when switching between live sound and other music sources that the volume levels in all ten zones of the restaurant would be similar.

Our team constantly stayed on track finding creative solutions for wiring, installation, and speaker locations to accord to building standards and our client’s needs. The speakers Gramophone installed can maintain high quality, full sound at either low or very high volumes. A separate area for private dining includes an audio zone as well as a TV we installed and a PC floor input. Each zone of audio can be directed independently by large touchpanels installed in both the office and private dining area.

FEATURES •

3 Outdoor Zones with Discrete Outdoor Speakers.

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Outdoor dining area with custom speakers mount into existing railing.

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All speakers are completely hidden to meet landlord specifications.

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Cabling for outdoors was run long distances through parking garage and included a combination of 70 volt amps and speakers in some areas.

•

Sonance speakers, custom railing speakers, Crestron control and audio distribution, Furman power line conditioning and a Pakedge network all complete this project’s fluidity and ease of use.

How to Create a

PICTURE-PERFECT

FUNCTIONAL HOME OFFICE

by Chloe Taylor

W

orking from home is a dream comes true for many people, something that provides unparalleled comfort and flexibility. You have a freedom to design and decorate according to your vision, and create an office with a distinctive visual identity.

Alas, pulling all the elements of the great home office together is a daunting task. The work environment has a profound effect on our psyche, mood and productivity, so it is wise to tread carefully, step-by-step. Define the visual style first, encompass your vision and set the appropriate stage for tech capacities, furniture and decoration.

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN Designing and building a home office is a serious endeavor, which may require hiring general contractors and interior designers. Aficionados from the Gramophone can help you assemble your space around the striking interior picture you stumbled upon on the internet, or a favorite color (just mind the color psychology). State-of-the-art offices must achieve a fine balance between spacey, functional environment and the one that spellbinds with a swell style.

Whether you want a modern feel or a rustic approach, the most important thing is to separate the office from the rest of the household with physical boundaries. Home workers must be able to move around freely and prevent the distracting clutter from emerging. Those who want to design with the planet in mind should utilize eco-friendly solutions in the league of recycled glass countertops and wood surfaces, as well as locally-sourced materials.

THE LIGHTING Lighting is the element that determines the success of work routines and the practicality of the whole office. Strive to maximize natural lighting with large windows, but do not neglect the electrical installations. Superb office space usually features a combination of task and general lighting, and durable, long-lasting, eco-friendly LED bulbs. Avoid the glare, ensure the maximum productivity with fullest quality of color and prevent nuisances such as electrical outages.

Nobody wants to work fingers to the bone in too bright or dim light. Fortunately, dimmer switches enable you to control the intensity and the tone of light, while the incredible automation options go the extra mile. In any regard, older homes with outdated installations are exposed to heightened risk and demand more electrical work and maintenance.

FURNITURE AND STORAGE Furnishing and decorating are among the major tasks in the home office project. First of all, pay attention to adequate storage components. It is

advisable to add streamlined storage space, open wall shelves or floorto-ceiling ones that maximize the vertical space. Everything should have its proper place and be easily accessible. Considering the amount of time people spend in their work hubs, the prime comfort, health and safety are top priorities, as well.

Gramophone offers modern office furniture by BDI in-store and online.

The biomechanics of seating these days are put to good use when it comes to manufacturing products like task chairs. As for the desk, it must be able to support the computer and work-related items such as paperwork. Finally, ergonomic and adjustable pieces are always a preferable choice, especially if they come in multiple visual styles.

A HIGH-TECH OFFICE Fast and efficient equipment is the centerpiece of business operations.

It pays off to invest in the wireless hubs, a Wi-Fi printer, quality charging stations and surge-protected extension leads. Furthermore, note that a smart and connected office allows you to control your key systems from one place with a single application interface. Savant control systems, for example, are outstanding all-in-one packages for manipulating security, entertainment, HVAC and lighting features.

At last, muse on additional features that can be augmented with numerous devices, software and gadgets. Audio visual integration can turn the office into a stunning, contemporary retreat and, depending on the business needs, some people may entail connected teleconferencing, digital signage, video surveillance and alarm systems or sound masking.

In general, a bulk of the workers asks for custom amenities and expects contractors to deliver.

MAKE A GOOD WORK OF THE OFFICE Home offices are a desirable asset in modern homes. It all starts with framing the space, infusing it with prime functionality and adding resources that make your time more convenient and stimulating. Do not hesitate to experiment, but never neglect the high-quality lighting, good seating support and lightning-fast equipment. Make technology and comfort your best accomplices, try to keep things clean and minimal and bear in mind that maintaining an organized space is a long-term commitment.

Chloe is an art historian, recreational ballet dancer and a contributor at smoothdecorator.com. She is passionate about photography, dancing and music. She also enjoys learning and writing about home design, since she is crazy about aesthetics. You can find Chloe on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

THE BEST-KEPT SECRET

Don’t worry about audio, video, or other integrated systems marring your the beauty of your projects. We are specifically trained to install everything from wiring to lighting to multizone sound systems so they hide behind and within your design. We keep it clean and undetectable with the help of white-glove installation and expertly trained professionals, from master electricians and network technicians to AV installers and security experts.

FOR ARCHITECTS & BUILDERS

AN EASIER WAY TO

MANAGE THE DETAILS

F

ew trade professionals take greater pride in their work than architects and interior designers. Years of experience, skill and achievement go into every plan and detail of each finished home and completed room.

Their jobs, however, are becoming increasingly complex as more clients request the integration of sophisticated home technologies. Custom electronics installers such as us here at Gramophone take the complexity out of that equation by choosing the right home entertainment, network, control, security, lighting, automation and lifestyle solutions; creating an easy-to-follow specification list of all components; and performing several site surveys that guarantees years of customer satisfaction.

this consultation phase, the integrator and homeowner will work together to determine what components and services are needed to meet both their needs and budget.

Once the actual components are selected the integrator will work with the architect or designer to provide the exact specifications of the components being installed in the client’s home or office.

A competent electronic integrator will use an initial customer questionnaire to determine the client’s goals and expectations of their home technology. During

REPORTING FROM THE FIELD Quality A/V contractors will perform and document several site surveys to ensure proper placement and finish

Today’s home entertainment, control and security solutions are intuitive and easy to use but the components that comprise them are complex. Site surveys help to ensure each element of the job is completed to the highest level of satisfaction.

FOR ARCHITECTS & BUILDERS

LIGHTING THE WAY

One evening a customer walked in to our showroom to purchase vinyl. Learn how a turntable sale evolved into a multiroom project and remodel of a client’s Baltimore home.

A

t around 6:30 one night, just before closing, one of our salesmen met our client as he was picking out vinyl from our showroom. Initially interested in a turntable, our client quickly became curious about not only our AV services but also our Design & Build capabilities.

What originally was a turntable sale transformed into a multiroom project for audio, video, lighting, and even outdoor lighting and fountain fixtures with the help of Gramophone and its system designers. Partnering with MiY Homes of Baltimore for interior design, furniture and decor, we were able to help our client create the home of his dreams.

About MiY Seth & Michael of MiY Home chose to partner with us after they were selected by our client for interior design and furniture services.

“We love furniture and bedding and lounging in the sun with a drink. We opened MiY Home because we saw a large need for well built furniture and mattresses that are both gorgeous and well priced. We are very excited to be doing this in a city we love, Baltimore. Our store is not only in Fell’s Point, but our actual home is above the store which plays a big part in our name and philosophy: MiY (Mine is Yours). We believe in everything we carry in the store, from our mattresses, to our sofas, and even to the sheets and candles we sell because they are things that we surround ourselves with in our very own home.”

“Gramophone did a fantastic job doing a complete remodel of my Fells Point rowhome (buildout along with whole-home integration with light, AV, sound, etc.)

We went very modern in the design, and they were able to take on the task with incredible execution. Will be using them to do some outdoor additions very soon!”

We partnered with MiY Home of Baltimore to create our client’s dream home. All interior design, decor, and furniture was provided by MiY Home (www.MiYHome.com).

CONTINUING A LEGACY Discover the path of Gramophone’s future, as told by Andrew Davis, the company’s newest officer.

Gramophone recently expanded to Gaithersburg. What events do you think facilitated this?

We knew that there was a large client draw in the Northern Virginia and D.C. market. We were spending a lot of time behind the steering wheel, and our technicians were spending a lot of time commuting from our Timonium location south. We

started to look at the void in the area, and we knew that clients were seeking a higher level of service, and a quality integrator with a brick and mortar showroom. I sought to deliver a comfortable shopping experience for our clients and partners to experience amazing sound and technology that they would otherwise have no way of finding. Our mission was to show how technology and design can live under the same roof. This was just not present since the exit of several other companies over the past 10 years. We knew that clients wanted exactly what we had to offer so we saw a phenomenal opportunity.

The new design center is more than just an expansion for us; it’s more than just offering exactly what we did at our other two locations. I think it was most meaningful because we fully built the store and design center on our own. From the electrical, to the design, to the actual buildout and construction; that space is so near and dear and important to us because we can look at the quality of the finished result and point clients and industry partners and say, “look at what we have to offer, look at how awesome this is.”

What made Gramophone’s transition from solely AV products to automation, Design & Build, and new divisions possible?

Our clients who we did work in their homes for, they would say “You did such an amazing job, I love your team and love the way you deployed the system in my house, I’ve got this conference room or need at my office and I’m just not very comfortable with the integrators that are out there, would you take a look at doing this for us?”

We knew that the residential audio / video and commercial audio / video world were slightly different, and if you approached them in the exact same way you may not have a good result. So we sought to grow the new commercial division; we looked for professionals that had lived in that sector for a long period and convinced them to come help us build this for Gramophone.

We felt that if we brought in the right resources on the system design side, and found the right directors for sales, it would be a logical expansion for us.

The same holds true for our new Electrical division and Design & Build. Clients for years would come to us and they would

work with and encourage the use of local professionals, other designers, and architects where appropriate; and we can either be the whole team for a client or part of the team, so it’s important to realize that our existing relationships with local business owners, other professionals, builders etc. are still very important to us. And when we have the right project we will still lean on

Gramophone’s really changing the definition of our industry. The ecosystem we’re offering to our clients and industry partners, and the level of execution that we have, I don’t see anybody closely matching or mirroring. them for their expertise. Otherwise if the client doesn’t have any ties or doesn’t know where to start, and the project is within our scope, we’ll handle it all within house.

Are there more divisions / expansions we can look forward to in the near future?

say “I don’t have a designer, I don’t have an architect, I don’t really know where to start but I do know I want one of your amazing systems in my house; how do I get there, and what are the steps I need to take?” And for years we would do all of the design work and pull the ultimate end result, but we’d say you need to go find someone to do the construction, somebody to go do the electrical to make our vision a reality. And we saw that clients really just didn’t know where to start: we were forcing them to be project managers, forcing them to find people as reliable as us and it just really wasn’t turnkey. So we decided you know what, let’s make this super simple for our clients, let’s bring our resources in house so that this can be a turnkey process. Clients now sign one contract, and deal with one individual that manages their project and sees to it that their final outcome is exactly the way we designed and proposed out of the gate.

Our clients love this: we’re getting a lot of repeat business and referrals and just a level of appreciation [that it’s] this easy to take on pretty large scale projects with such a fast turnaround time from start to finish with a high level of execution. Of course we

Really what we’re going to work on now is refining processes to provide the best customer service and the best support of our systems. We think the logical expansion into Design & Build, electrical, and commercial audio and video really rounds out what Gramophone has to offer. One of our goals in the future might be to construct a “Gramohome,” which is a ground-up house completely built by Gramophone, designed

by Gramophone, wired by Gramophone with an elaborate Gramophone audio video system in it. That’s not a next year plan; but it is a goal that could be close.

What do you think have been your biggest achievements so far?

So my goal in leading Gramophone, and my drive to pick up upon what Brian Hudkins started in this wonderful company, was to basically carry this amazing team forward for the next forty years.

This year marks our 40th year of doing business, it’s very special to us. Years ago when I started working closely with Brian as he prepped me for a position to take control of the company, my goals were basically to continue providing the coolest AV systems, incredible sound systems and to continue deploying the best equipment out on the market. I take a simple stance that just seems to be lacking from others these days: Take the best possible care at all times

of your employees and your clients, provide a level of customer service that’s second to none, cut no corners, and conduct every installation with professionalism. It was also important to me to provide our employees a home that they knew they could dedicate themselves to and retire from when it is their turn 40 years from now.

How do you see Gramophone and its place in the industry looking twenty years from now?

I think Gramophone’s on the forefront of really changing the definition of our industry. As I tour the country and talk with other integrators and other professionals around the U.S., there’s really nobody doing effectively what we are doing as a whole.

The ecosystem we’re offering to our clients and industry partners, and the level of execution that we have, I don’t see anybody closely matching or mirroring; I think we’re on the forefront of just an awesome awesome thing that I’m really excited about.

Twenty years from now it’s hard to say where anyone will be, but the cool thing is we’re a small enough company that we can clearly turn the ship and navigate anything we see coming at us; we can refine processes and we’re deeply rooted in audio video, sound systems. That’s our core, and brick and mortar, we’ll always be true to that.

These other areas are really important to us, but the neat thing is that if there’s any growth opportunity or unforeseen downturn, we’ve cross trained our employees to handle all aspects of what we do. Yes, the guy hanging drywall knows how to setup a router. Pretty neat!

Anything else you want us to know?

The last three years that I took over as the leader of Gramophone have just been very humbling. It’s a really cool experience getting to bring fresh ideas, concepts, and energy to the table. I can’t explain what it’s like to lead a small business and I encourage everyone to come check us out, see what we’re all about, take a tour of our showrooms, have us out at their homes and really just get a taste of what our teams have to offer. We are so unique in our offerings and I don’t think people understand what they can have, and that they don’t have to pay a significant premium for us to change their lives.

Shop local. Shop Small. And deal with a company that truly cares. Our average length of employment is 20 plus years, and I’m going to make sure that number continues to grow!

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

From home theaters, to listening rooms, to multipurpose entertainment spaces, Gramophone’s got you covered. Rely on us for the best advice and recommendations of state-of-the-art products, as well as white-glove delivery and installation.

53 | SPEAKERS

HOME AUDIO

Music soothes and stimulates - it can provide the background for instrospective relaxation, or set the tone for an evening of rollicking entertainment. It is unquestionably an integral part of your home environment. When you’re in a high per-

formance audio room created by Gramophone, you can close your eyes and truly be a part of the music. select from some of the finest audio components in the world, so you can lose yourself in the music that touches your soul.

54 | SURROUND SOUND

61 | COMPUTER AUDIO

58 | TURNTABLES

55 | MULTIROOM AUDIO

62 | HEADPHONES

Opposite: Totem Sttaf Floor-Standing Speakers in Cherry; Top Left: GoldenEar Triton Cinema 2 Surround Speaker System; Top Right: Bluesound Vault 2 Network Media Server; Center Left: Meridian Explorer2 Digital to Analog Converter; Center Right: Bowers & Wilkins P3 On-Ear Headphones in Blue; Bottom: Thorens TD209 Turntable in Red

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

FULL SURROUND SPEAKERS OR SOUNDBAR?

HOW TO CHOOSE

The introduction of flat panel televisions around the turn of the century has opened up all kinds of spaces for our televisions. But one side effect of thinner but bigger screens is far less room for speakers than ever before, and it’s just about impossible to understand what people are saying on a current TV due to the lack of space for speakers bigger than a quarter.

As they say, where there is a problem, some see an opportunity, and we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of soundbars on the market.

So, what is a soundbar? It’s a long horizontal speaker that contains the critical center channel dialog speaker, as well as the necessary left and right speakers, in one package. Soundbars are typically about the width of a TV and thin enough to hang on a wall. Some are totally self contained with amplifiers for all of the speakers, while some require an audio/video receiver to drive them, and most professionals recommend the addition of a separate subwoofer.

So when is a soundbar a good choice? If you are limited on space and/ or cost is part of the equation, a soundbar can be a great choice for your setup, especially for areas where the TV viewing is more about catching the news or sports (most soundbars do a pretty good job of making the dialogue track clear and easy to understand). They can hang on the wall if you’re running out of entertainment center space, and a self contained soundbar has a small footprint. Add a subwoofer and you’ll have powerful bass to make action movies more fun.

However, just like the flat panel TVs, soundbars are constrained compared to a full surround system. This does put a limitation of the size of the speakers, which ultimately has an impact on the quality of sound reproduction. If you plan to use your system mainly to enjoy movies, we highly recommend a good, separate speaker system. Here’s why: Ask any movie producer what the goal of a movie is and they will tell you its the “suspension of disbelief ”. This happens when, while enjoying the movie, you are totally enveloped in the film, which can only occur with the combination of gorgeous big picture and phenomenal sound. Yes, a soundbar’s dialogue trumps that of a TV speaker, but they are just not large enough to have speakers that so perfectly express emotion and this “suspension of disbelief ” as a full surround system would. There is also the issue of dynamic impact: when an explosion hits with a good speaker system, you can feel it through all the channels. Dynamic content on soundbars pales in comparison.

HEARD BUT NOT SEEN

Y

ou want the big-screen sound, but not the mess of wires that comes with it. Be glad to know you can have your cake and eat it too. With in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, acoustic panels, and our white-glove installation, we can install full surround sound in your dedicated home theater, or seamlessly clean and invisible multiroom audio throughout your entire home.

So, which option is better for you? It really depends on your home and how you plan to use your systems. You may have one TV location with little space. If that is the case, a great soundbar will extraordinarily enhance your experience. If you have room for better and bigger speakers, consider a separate speaker system (and if you’re worried about the size and aesthetic impact, consider in-wall and in-ceiling speakers for a minimal design with big sound). Soundbars are also extremely popular for bedroom TVs. Whatever your choice and needs, we have lots of options available for you and the expertise to help you decide which option is best.

MULTIROOM AUDIO With systems like Sonos, Bluesound and more, you can’t go wrong with Gramophone for your multiroom audio needs. Don’t miss a beat when you walk from the kitchen to the living room, bedroom, or even your patio. Stream music across your home and multiple audio zones with easy to use technology. Place unobtrusive, sleek speakers in different areas, and control music and volume with the touch of a button on your mobile device and simple apps.

COMFORT & CONTROL One touch is all it takes to pause, play, or change your music. Swipe and adjust volume of your speakers, either separately or jointly depending on your preference. With their rapidly developing technology, apps are constantly evolving and updating to provide you with the smoothest and easiest multiroom audio control systems available.

Wireless speakers are more myth than reality. There are battery-operated speakers that work for short periods, but generally speaking, speakers still have wires; namely, the power cord. In the surround sound world when you hear the term ‘wireless-rears’, there is a power pack that is plugged in, and speaker wire connects from that pack to the speakers themselves.

Less wires, yes. Truly wireless, no.

WHAT IS WIRELESS AUDIO?

Today, when referring to wireless audio, most are referring to the ability to wirelessly deliver a song or music source from say, your iPhone, to the speaker. Known as streaming music, this technology is a game changer and is now capable through numerous popular wireless formats such as WiFi, Bluetooth, Airplay, mesh-networks, and more.

Ever dream of coming home after a long day and playing your favorite tunes in

the kitchen while you prepared dinner?

Or maybe you want to rock out while you work in the yard. Before, this idea of portable wireless audio may not have been possible due to long wire runs, an unavailability of outlets, or other logistics. Today, you can pop a powered speaker (with wireless audio abilities) in any location, and after syncing it to your computer or phone, you’ll have music streaming through it in no time.

Multiroom audio has notoriously always been sold as four or six room systems minimally. These systems required added planning while a house is being constructed, and entail a large upfront investment.

Today’s wireless audio systems, from companies like Bluesound and Sonos, allow you to combine speakers wired back to a central location (such as in-ceiling or inwall speakers) with additional standalone wireless powered speakers to create

an entire home audio system.

The best part is, not only can these systems that are located in different parts of your home play separate things, they can also “talk” and play the same thing throughout each room without audio delays. With systems like these and their easy control via smartphone or tablet, entertaining becomes a breeze, and creating the mood for enjoying your home becomes a cinch.

So if you’re craving an affordable audio system that will allow you to install a speaker anywhere and play more music than you ever thought possible, check out the new wireless audio systems of today.

Visit Gramophone for the best way to fit these systems into your home and your lifestyle.

Top Left: Yamaha WX030 MusicCast Wireless Speaker in White; Bottom Left: Bluesound Pulse 2 Wireless Speaker with WiFi and Bluetooth in White. Top Right: Photo

by Bluesound; Bottom Right: Sonos Play:5 Wireless Speaker.

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Thorens TD309 Turntable in Red

TURNTABLES & VINYL

Listening to LPs is a different and relaxing experience. Put the record on the turntable, sit down in a comfortable chair, browse the great album art while listening to 15 - 25 minutes of uninterrupted music with a warm sound that you just can’t get from digital. Once you escape the idea of hitting the “skip track” button on your remote, you will be transported into the music. At Gramophone, we’re so excited about the return of vinyl that we now sell not just all of the hardware to play the records, but we have an astounding selection of new, high quality LPs as well.

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

THE LITTLE THINGS

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or the minimalist it’s easy to rely on computers, headphones and MP3s for one’s audio needs. It’s just as easy for these to reach audiophile-worthy heights with the help of premium computer speakers, converters, and high-res players and headphones. Rely on the best in the audio industry to help you enjoy the little things on a whole new level.

DESKTOP DELIVERY Work or play to your favorite music amplified by a premiere selection of desktop speakers. Easy to install and compact for small work spaces, desktop speakers are a great addition to any home office or gaming station.

DACs & MORE Digital-to-analog converters (DACs) ensure premium quality from your computer audio. Bypass the limitations of your computer or mobile device systems with a DAC for cleaner and clearer audio, whether you’re listening through speakers or your favorite headphones. Polish off your listening experience with a device like AudioQuest’s Jitterbug (pictured top left) to minimize noise pollution and other unwanted resonances tarnishing your audio.

Top: AudioQuest Jitterbug; Center: Audioengine A2+ Desktop Speakers; Bottom: AudioQuest Beetle DAC; Opposite: PSB M4U2 Noise-Cancelling Headphones

ALL ABOUT HEADPHONES A multitude of different shapes, sizes, and capabilities of headphones are available on the market today. From features including noise-cancelling properties and microphones, to builds that range from in-ear to over-ear that guarantee different listening experiences, you’re sure to find a pair that perfectly suits your needs.

When choosing a set of headphones, there are multiple builds to consider. For the

minimalist or active lifestyle, in-ear monitors or buds are a solid choice that can still provide audiophile-approved sound.

On-ear headphones provide a bit more security and just as much entertainment value; while over-ear headphones, such as the PSB M4U2 Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones (pictured below) can have both passive and active noise-cancelling properties.

The qualities of headphones are not restricted to just their build, but also range from portability to convenience. Some headphones are foldable and come with cases for easy traveling and protection.

Others are equipped with bluetooth and wireless technology, or microphones for accepting phone calls and in-line remotes for easy volume and play control. Sweatproof in-ear monitors as well as headphones encased in headbands for running and sleeping also exist, proving that the possibilities within the future of headphones are endless.

Regardless of which type of headphone you’re looking for, and what lifestyle they need to cater to, high quality audio is only a step away.

64 | TELEVISIONS 66 | PROJECTORS 69 | CASE STUDY 70 | COMPONENTS

THE TV ROOM

From your favorite action-packed movies and orchestrated dramas, to your Sunday sports games and children’s shows, a Gramophone-styled TV room can provide you and your family the best visual entertainment experience there is to offer. We’ll set you up with gorgeous interior design, clean system setups (no wires!) and the best TVs and projectors on the market to make sure you never want to get off the couch again.

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Mike Fasulo, President & COO, Sony Electronics USA and Kazuo Kii, Director & Deputy President, Sony Visual Products, stand with the new Z series.

F ROM A TO Z I n July 2016, Sony announced its Z Series, a revolution in television technology. A premium lineup of 4K Ultra HD TVs, Sony’s Z Series guarantees vibrant colors and contrast as well as brighter lights and deeper blacks that let the vision of creators in film and broadcast ring true.

“The Z series is a generational advance in TV technology, which brings the 4K HDR viewing experience to a whole new level. Our best and brightest HDR Ultra HD television is proof of Sony’s continuing commitment to deliver the ultimate home entertainment experiences to our customers,” said Mike Fasulo, President and COO of Sony Electronics, per a July 2016 press release by PR Newswire detailing the launch. “With expertise in both the creative and the technical aspects of 4K HDR shooting, editing, recording, transmission and display, Sony understands 4K HDR like no other company. The Z series is a direct result of that unique partnership between our engineering and creative teams.”

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Spring 2016, Sony introduced a prototype, coined the Backlight Master Drive, adopted by the Z series now as a reliable technology. The Backlight Master Drive negates the idea of manually lighting televisions from behind the screen, whether by string lights, cords, stick-ons or other solutions, for visual performance instead of for purely aesthetic purposes. Instead it organically enhances the brightness and contrast of the Z series screen regardless of the light in its physical environment. The Backlight Master Drive features an intense LED structure equipped with a lighting algorithm, lighting control, and a unique optical design with a cali-

brated beam LED for higher contrast and reduced light diffusion.

The Z series also features a new 4K image processor, named

by Sony as the 4K HDR Processor X1 Extreme. The combination of both this processor and Backlight Master Drive technology ensures that the Z series excels in visual performance and clarity with extraordinary contrast and accurate color expression.

(Pair it with 4K HDR content and you’ve got one of the best

"BETWEEN ITS DESIGN, TECHNOLOGIES, AND COMPATIBILITIES, THE Z SERIES IS A PREMIUM OPTION FOR LOVERS OF HIGH QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT."

viewing experiences possible.) The HDR Processor was designed to remaster and reproduce scenes with detailed texture and appearance of real life on an object-based level, upscales HD content to near 4K HDR quality, and even remove unwanted noise.

Beyond the technology lies the Z series aesthetic properties, encapsulated in a sophisticated slate-like design. The back of the television keeps all of its cables concealed to guarantee the picture of elegance from any angle. Between its design, technologies, and compatibilities with Android TV, Google Play and Google Cast, the Z series is a premium option for lovers of high quality entertainment.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE Create an inviting space for family to gather with our help. A sleek TV and sound system make room for your decor and plush furnishings for ultimate comfort. We can provide and install wall-mounted TVs, soundbars, bookshelf speakers, and even gorgeous consoles and furniture.

WIRELESS WATCHING We pride ourselves on white-glove, clean installation of everything from TVs to sound systems for your living space. Enjoy clean lines as well as wireless soundbar and subwoofer systems. Hide speakers within consoles or lay them flat underneath, or even in the walls and ceilings. Let your new TV steal the show, unmarred by wires and other obstructions.

ACTION & AUTOMATION Control your TV, sound, lighting and more with the touch of a button from your smartphone, wall-mounted keypad, or mobile device. Make optimal settings for your movie night easily accessible with predesigned audio, lighting and shading schemes. Watching the game or your favorite flicks has never been so easy.

TV TERMINOLOGY

When buying a modern television there are a lot of options to consider. No matter the size of your TV room or home theater, we’ve got a solution not just for interior design and furniture, but for optimal screens and televisions based on your space.

1080P: Also known as “Full HD” (high definition). Refers to a set of high-definition video modes with 1080 horizontal lines of vertical resolution. Usually assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9.

4K Resolution: A high resolution that refers to a display device having a resolution of 4000 pixels and vertical resolution of 2000 pixels. 4K Ultra HD is a popular choice for ultra high resolution viewing, characterized by a 16:9 aspect ratio with twice the horizontal and vertical resolution of 1080P. Curved Screen: These televisions are curved to better encompass the viewer and immerse them more effectively in the content being viewed. Curved screens, whether for televisions or projector screens, better imitate the cone-shaped sight lines of the human eye, so viewers can better take in details to the far left and far right of the screen.

TV Mirrors: A line of mirrors offered by Seura with screens that can either fully or partially act as television screens. Vanishing Entertainment TV Mirrors, when turned off, act as mirrors to disguise the television when not in use as high-impact decor. Vanishing Vanity TV Mirrorss have just a portion allocated to the television screen, so one could look at their reflection in one part of the screen and watch TV in the corner, and are great for bathroom or vanity spaces. Over 100 artful frame options can be selected for either screen.

OLED: An OLED (organic light-emitting diode) is a light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound which emits light in response to an electric current. An OLED display works without a backlight; thus, it can display deep black levels and higher contrast, and can be thinner and lighter than a liquid crystal display (LCD).

Weatherproof / Waterproof TVs: A line of televisions offered by Seura that includes weatherproof TVs for the outdoors and waterproof TVs for bathrooms or kitchens. This line includes several options for each TV depending on the preferred television location, such as shaded patios or brightly-lit spaces.

72 | CASE STUDY: A FRONT RUNNER SPACE 74 | THE BENEFITS & BEAUTY OF LIGHTING CONTROLS 76 | MOTORIZED SHADES: WORTH THE INVESTMENT?

Lighting & Shading You’ve spent so much time and effort decorating your home. Now create the perfect mood with quality lighting.

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

The Benefits & Beauty

of

LIGHTING CONTROLS

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here are many lighting control solutions to choose from that can easily be customized to fit your needs, lifestyle and budget. Thanks to today’s technology, lighting control can start with basic dimming and switching and even be integrated into a full home automation solution to work in conjunction with automated shades, security, and a home entertainment system.

A PAINLESS FACELIFT Most walls in your home probably have more than one lightswitch.

With today’s lighting controls, such as a line from a leading company like Lutron, you can replace all of them with one keypad. Today’s keypads and dimmers come in a variety of options – including size, color and styles, such as those provided by Trufig – that are designed to complement the décor of any room.

CONVENIENT CONTROL For the ultimate in convenience and security, many of today’s lighting systems can be controlled from your smartphone or tablet via a clean and intuitive interface. Control outdoor and landscape lighting from the comfort and safety of your home, and even utilize remote lighting controls for second homes. Whatever house you’re going to, arrive to one that has the right lighting at the right time.

SOLUTIONS

BY TRUFIG TRUFIG’s revolutionary flush-mounting solutions are designed for aesthetic-conscious architects, designers, and property owners in the residential and commercial markets.

The uncompromising refinement TRUFIG provides has made TRUFIG a favorite in the professional Architecture, Design, and Construction communities.

TRUFIG’s philosophy relies on the principles of material authenticity, perfection in the smallest detail, and a systematic approach to design.

From the selection of the materials, to the precise craftsmanship of each individual element, to the consistency of color and texture, everything we do revolves around an understanding of architecture, detail, and precision.

CONSERVE ENERGY

SET THE MOOD

While standard lights only save energy when they are turned off, controlled lights and dimmers save money 24/7. That applies not only to incandescent lights, but to all lighting sources, including LED bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), and halogen bulbs.

On average, dimming any type of light source can reduce energy bills by roughly 20 percent.

Whether it’s a romantic dinner for two, a cocktail party for a group of friends, timed lighting scenarios for added home security, or light optimized for the most productive work environment, controlled lighting lets you set the mood and create the ultimate ambiance for any occasion and in any room or outdoor space. Better yet, all can be done from one elegant control panel or with an intuitive app on your smartphone or tablet. In all, smart lighting systems bring an added sense of security, as well as new levels of comfort, beauty and cost savings, to your home.

SAVE MONEY As aforementioned, using dimmers for one year can save up to 20 percent on energy bills; using occupancy sensors saves up to 50 percent; and the combined use of dimmer and sensors can save up to 60 percent, according to recent energy reports. On top of that, when you dim lights to 75 percent of their full power, you perpetually save money and conserve energy without sacrificing comfort.

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Motorized Shades...

Worth the Investment?

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otorized shades are an intriguing addition to any home. However, it can be difficult for homeowners to see the benefits to them, at first. Motorized shades definitely have that “cool” factor, but they’ve far more to them than just upping the aesthetic and uniqueness of a home.

SECURITY The most basic function of motorized shades is to preserve your privacy. Believe it or not, a surprising number of thefts start when the criminal happens to look in your windows and see nobody is home. They choose, right then and there, to break in and rob the house. Motorized shades both prevent people from looking in, and prevent your home from being inventoried from the outside. And if you forget to pull them? Don’t worry about it: time them to close when you usually leave for work, or control them remotely from your smartphone on hand.

TIME SAVINGS Have you ever, right before a vacation, had to dash around the house and pull all the shades? Or, when you first get home from work, is the first thing you do go through the house and open up all the blinds to let in the sunlight? Motorized blinds take care of that task for you with a simple push of a button, and can even be configured so that they only open towards the sunlight or only specific windows open at specific times of day. Again, do it remotely, through a smartphone app or a dedicated control. That way, you can stop worrying about your house and start enjoying it.

CLIMATE CONTROL Open shades can put an enormous strain on your climate control system without you ever realizing it. Sunlight streaming in can look pretty, but if you’re not home, all it’s really doing is raising the temperature and forcing your HVAC system into potential overdrive for no reward. If you want to keep your home cool with less effort (and more savings), motorized shades can be closed from anywhere, and give your air conditioner a break. Higher-end systems will even interface with your smart climate system, so that the shades will know to come down automatically once the temperature gets too high, saving you money.

PROTECTING YOUR FURNISHINGS It’s not a secret that UV light isn’t exactly great on furniture, whether it’s fading upholstery, cracking leather, or otherwise secretly damaging almost everything in your house. If you’ve got valuable furniture, or just want your new sofa to last longer, motorized shades let you close windows selectively and ensure that everything in your house only gets sunlight when you want it to.

A multitude of reasons past those above make motorized shades a worthy investment, and most would agree that the protection of your home and energy savings makes shades incredibly desirable. Contact us today and we’ll get you started with your lighting and shading solutions.

THE SMARTHOME Y

ou’ve heard the terms “Smart Home” and “Home Automation,” but do you really know what they mean? Does it mean just having a video feed of your home? Have you ever experienced all the aspects and features that can make a home “smart”? Our showrooms offer you that experience. Simplify life with one touch control of lighting, HVAC, home audio, access control, and more with help from Gramophone and the best brands on the market, including Lutron, Savant, Crestron, and URC.

79 | SHOULD YOU REPLACE YOUR UNIVERSAL REMOTE WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE? # | CONTENT 81 | HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST HOME AUTOMATION SYSTEM

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

SHOULD YOU REPLACE YOUR UNIVERSAL REMOTE WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE? Let’s face it, we all love our smartphones. In a compact design, they allow us to do all kinds of things related to work, social, and play. Not to mention, there is an app for virtually everything.

It’s no wonder why some think smartphones may be a good alternative to universal remotes as a mean to control home theater or media room systems.

These days, almost every media system component has a free app designed to let you control it from your smartphone. Additionally, there are a few apps that attempt to replicate a universal remote. The primary advantage these have over a good universal remote is cost – you can download one for little to no cost.

If you go the route of individual apps, you are actually worse off than a tabletop full of remote controls. Switching between apps is just a shade faster than picking up different remotes, but there is another aspect you should consider. Many components controlled by an app use IP control and in most cases, when these components are in their “sleep” mode, the IP control will not work, meaning you’ll have to get up and go turn them on.

The biggest reason though is what we call the “head bobble”. If we look at our use of home theater and remote controls, 90% of what we do involves either up/down/left/right/enter, or fast forward and play. These commands are used by every manufacturer to navigate our choices or skip commercials on recorded content. The great thing about a regular remote with buttons is that you can navigate by touch; with a smartphone, this is not possible, so we go into this “head bobble” of look up, look down, look up, look down… well you get the picture.

Additionally, most universal remotes have an RF (radio frequency) module which allows you to hide all of your gear completely out of sight without affecting the communication of the remote, as well as control a second zone. Most home theater receivers have what is called a Zone 2 output, which is great for something like a pair of patio speakers that live far from the home theater. Take your RF remote outside and you have the same easy operation.

As you are aware a smartphone can be great at many things. But all in all, a dedicated universal remote remains better at being a remote.

Imagine an automated system programmed to monitor each room and execute unique lighting, climate, and shade settings.

The possibilities are endless.

CONVENIENCE & COMFORT Personalize a lighting control system to recall favorite settings and effortlessly transform the light that surrounds you.

Control lighting from a master keypad, remote, or smart device to easily change your environment at the touch of a button.

Install timers, fan controls, and occupancy sensors for added convenience, to automatically control your lights and fans.

GO GREEN Utilizing daylight reduces our need for electric light, and saves energy. Take advantage of sunlight warming a southern façade, or lower shades and block solar heat gain to reduce cooling costs.

Set temperatures to change at specific times of day, or make quick adjustments easily from your smartphone.

Maintain consistent temperature and humidity regardless of the time of year.

SLEEP SOUND Know that you and your family are safe with automated security solutions, from smart locks that track home access to scheduled outdoor lighting, to smartphone-accessible security cameras and feeds.

well with security systems from a variety of manufacturers to tightly integrate automation features with systems you might already own.

which work together or even communicate with each other. High-end systems include everything you need in one package and can easily expand with your needs.

CONTROL COMMUNICATION Homeowners install automation systems for a variety of reasons, but most of them are based on convenience and cost savings.

Homeowners can save money by adjusting the temperature of their homes, remotely control lights, activate home security, and other uses. It pays to install a high-end system. Those on the low end tend to cut corners by leaving out the more granular control needed to optimize the most important elements of home automation.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE VARIETY BEST HOME AUTOMATION SYSTEM

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ome automation is the next frontier for many homeowners. A few years ago, most of the systems on the market were difficult to use, expensive and designed mainly for very large homes. But today’s systems are much easier to operate, cost effective and can be designed to control a home entertainment system or the electronic components of an entire home.

Through a smartphone, you can remotely control your home from anywhere and decrease home energy costs while doing so.

FLEXIBILITY The main feature you’ll want in a home automation system is flexibility. Higher-end systems are designed to work seamlessly with most of the major electronics you own - home theater, surveillance cameras, security, climate control systems, appliances and more – and are constantly updated to work with new components.

Robust automation systems, from companies such as Savant, produce apps with elegant interfaces that can be accessed over a smartphone or tablet. Home automation solutions from Lutron, for example, work

Low-end systems are designed to handle the very basic controls. But most homeowners aren’t just looking for a light switch on their keychain. They want to be able to control motorized blinds, air conditioning and heating, and home security, not just in their primary homes but also in secondary homes, all with the same system. High-end systems are designed for comprehensiveness and longevity, while low-end systems are more for basic, short-term needs.

CONTROL MADE EASY Low-end systems just can’t do everything you want. Homeowners often find themselves cobbling together a system with a smart thermostat from one company, in-

“Low-end systems cut corners on technology and software, so your ‘smart’ home is a bit dumber than it should be.” telligent lighting from another, home monitoring from a third. They wind up with a mess of sensors, apps, and tools, none of

Low-end systems cut corners on technology and software, so your “smart” home is a bit dumber than it should be. A system from Savant, for example, will intuitively understand that you want your home a certain temperature and communicate that command to all related components, such as the thermostat and blinds, saving you money and lessening the strain on your climate control system.

Home automation is about tying in all of your electronic components, ensuring that the right ones communicate with each other at the right time. With a high-end home automation system, you’ll know that you’re getting the smart home that has graduated to the next class in convenience and cost savings. Contact us today to get started.

HOME ENTERTAINMENT BDI Corridor 8175 Corner Media Cabinet in Chocolate Walnut. Available at SKYbyGramophone.com.

FURNISHINGS So you’ve got the 84 inch screen, the bluetooth speakers, the customized remote, the friends and the family. Now all you need is sleek design to encompass the whole package, and nestle your theater or listening room in classic comfort. Decorate your family room with cozy, textured seating, or install streamlined cabinets and surfaces to adorn your high-tech office. No matter the feel, the fabric, the furniture: Gramophone’s here to help.

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ere at Gramophone we pride ourselves in being dealers of the best products, including the best furnishings. What is a home theater, TV room or multipurpose basement without interior design, gorgeous media cabinets, sophisticated leather furniture and custom artwork?

From media cabinets and office furniture from BDI and Salamander Designs, to comfortable seating from Classic Leather and IMG, we offer an incredibly wide range of furnishings you can customize to complement your style. Pick your seating layouts, fabrics and finishes for your traditional home theater or midcentury modern living room. Count on us too for perfectly paired artwork and lighting fixtures from designer brands like Murray Feiss, Tommy Bahama and more.

We can design gorgeous rooms from top to bottom, with everything from detailed, handcrafted millwork and moulding to customized textiles and furniture. With the perfect furnishings, as well as the right lighting and shading, your living areas will be welcoming spaces to relax after a long day of work, or entertain guests throughout the night.

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1 | Light up your room with fixtures with aesthetics that range from rustic and traditional to avant garde. Pictured: Murray Feiss Locke Collection in Textured Weathered Oak.

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2 | Add classic elegance to your home

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with premium leather and custom comfort. Pictured: Classic Leather Hemingway Chair.

3 | Keep things balanced without

sacrificing beauty. Invest in decorative shelving to add peace and organize your home. Pictured: BDI Eileen Shelf in Natural Walnut.

4 | Don’t sacrifice seating for storage.

Get two functions done with one with ottomans perfect for any space. Pictured: Salamander Designs Cache End-Table.

5 | Sit and relax in Norwegian style. Remain cool and collected in multipurpose seating that’s both casual and comfortable. Pictured: IMG Space 58.58 Recliner in Charcoal.

All furnishings available at Gramophone.

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HOME ENTERTAINMENT

For a look at all of our case studies and interior design ideas, visit Gramophone.com/Inspiration.

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ven with all of the technology, TVs, music, and automation, a home isn’t complete without a touch of grandeur or coziness. Rely on our Design & Build team to design every inch of your space, from curtain finials to pillows to vinyl flooring. No matter your style, we’re sure we can provide design solutions for you to pull all the elements of your space together.

As members of ASID and NBIA, we’re certified to help you with needs ranging from General Contracting to Interior Design. With our own in-house Design & Build Team, Gramophone is a one-stopshop for our clients and partners alike. If you need a resource that is knowledgable, highly skilled, and efficient, for home theaters, audio / video systems, lighting, interior finishes, and more, you’ve come to the right place.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT We know there’s an opportunity to bring the best of lighting to the outdoors. Control your lighting from your PC, cellphone or car, so that driveways and pathways are perfectly lit upon your arrival for the safest welcome to your home.

Light up outdoor features from waterfalls to sculptures with accent lighting timed to shine at sunset, and keep parties warm and inviting with remote controlled lighting scenes.