High-Tech Masterpiece
In 2017 our customers met with Andrew Davis of Gramophone to begin planning their Audio/Visual needs in their to be constructed dream home. They knew if they were going to leave their existing house – this new one must be special and of the highest standards. Over six months of meetings and design work related to the technology alone, Gramophone had committed to delivering a Masterpiece that we promised all would be proud of. Fortunately, the customer and builder recognized the extreme correlation with high voltage electrical and a team that would not only handle the technology, but also would deliver the wiring, lighting, and fixture installation all throughout. Gramophone knew that with a custom Lutron system, Crestron Control & Automation, and miles of tape light and low voltage dimming specified – being responsible for it all would allow us to deliver the best experience to the client.
Our customer knew they wanted cool gadgets, state-of-the-art tech for themselves but more importantly, to welcome their family and grandkids. It was crucial from day one that this home would be simple to operate, look stunning without taking away from esthetics, and promoted the house to the place everyone would want to gather and spend time. After all, having an indoor trampoline “fun room” isn’t all that fun without simple to engage music.
We start our initial conversations based around the “wants and desires” of our customers – but typically quickly circle back to the “foundation products,” says Andrew Davis. While the customer’s wish-list was long, the one thing they didn’t know they needed was a high-quality custom network to support it.
The biggest challenge we face is educating the consumer about “foundation” systems and devices they must consider before the new GIGANTIC TV. While it’s not shiny, and you’d never know it’s there – this home required a custom network in order to be the backbone of this property and we insist on it. Before a single wire was pulled, we were armed with heat maps as we knew the construction quality of this home would not play nicely with our technology package. Gramophone deployed six (6) indoor Ruckus Wireless Access Point and two (2) outdoor units, strategically located, and required five (5) 26 port switches with POE to deliver the total tech experience.
After two years and thousands of hours of collective Gramophone teamwork – our customer is thrilled to show off the Smart Home of their dreams, and one that really allowed our team to put forth all that we do and are passionate about. In the world of tech – we got to deliver an all-inclusive grand slam package. I’m honored that my customer has emailed me, texted me, and called me quite a few times since his system instruction two weeks ago to tell me how intuitive the interface is, and how much fun he’s having playing around. “That’s why we do this, and I must say – it feels amazing to get that feedback,” says Davis. While we delivered on the cool factor, Gramophone’s team provided life safety functionality, lighting, security, and went the extra mile to ensure this home left nothing to be desired.
- Crestron Professional 3 Series Whole Home Automation, with 15 Video Zones of Digital Media, 27 Audio Zones of SWAMP. Touch Panels, Remotes, iPad & iPhone support locally or remotely.
- Crestron Door Locks (4)
- Crestron 2N Door Station Support for intercom to touch panels and cell phone doorbell alerts remotely or onsite
- Security Integration with installed Honeywell System
- Alexa based voice control automated home scenes that provide welcome and away modes, dog optimization, and wake-up settings.
- Custom driveway probe chimes, custom exit to pool chimes for child safety.
- IC Realtime Cameras located indoor & outdoor and 16CH NVR
- Home Theaters & Surround Zones (2).
- Sonance Distributed indoor & outdoor audio, critical Listening zones feature Totem Acoustic, custom Soundbars By Leon Audio.
- Lutron Whole House Lighting System & Keypads
- Lutron -5 Zones of HVAC Control
- Lutron Automated Shades
- 27” Seura Vanishing Mirrors each in adjoining vanities with duplicated or independent video sources and audio
- Seura Outdoor 55” Ultrabright 4K TV
- Why Reboot Custom Network
- Garage Door Integration (4 doors)
- Furman & Panamax Power & Surge Conditioning
- Audioquest Performance Cabling & ICE Rack Wiring
- All electrical, low voltage, generator, tape lighting, etc. provided by Gramophone
- Installed Remote monitoring – Custom PC, Bluebolt, Domotz
- One App Control – Crestron, support apps (IC Realtime, Lutron, 2N).