Let's face it, having speakers in your living room the size of your fridge isn't necessary anymore, and you don't want your new plasma TV to be the primary focus of your room either. The key to combining audiovisuals with modern interior style is a mixture between design, functionality and comfort.

By this I mean that your audiovisual selection should serve you in a way you feel comfortable, with its advanced features, and it should ultimately complement your personal style of décor.

When you are ready to invest in an audiovisual setup for your home or office, the most important avenue to invest your money in is an audiovisual professional. By seeking for professional assistance you get absolute maximum out of your audiovisual investment and it makes your whole experience much more pleasurable.

Whether you prefer a chic modern interior or a French provincial finish, there are tailored audiovisual solutions for everyone's needs.

Here are a couple of guidelines to follow when investing in an audiovisual setup:

What you really need...

What you think you need and what you really need in terms of audiovisuals can be quite different. The best solution: consult a professional! Whether you think you need a plasma TV or an LCD TV or even a projector can be determined by careful consideration of your environment. Also determine what you want out of your screen — how big should it be and ask yourself questions like is it going to be for standard TV use or mainly for DVD's etc.

What's a home theatre?

If you don't want your lounge to look like a movie theatre, it doesn't have to. Home theatre sound is a surrounding sound affect generated by a minimum of six speakers (left and right front speakers, a centre speaker, left and right rear speakers and then your subwoofer). If you love the idea of movie-quality sound, then go for it! You don't need to be concerned about speaker visibility — modern technology allows us to blend them in with your décor, so nobody will notice.

What is a subwoofer?

A subwoofer speaker is an individual boxed speaker that projects low frequency sound. This is generally located in the front or the back of your room. The subwoofer speaker delivers that extra 'oomph' we all crave when indulging in a movie — whether it's a musical or an action packed thriller.

Everything connected to my amplifier?

Your amplifier can be seen as the heart of your system, synchronising with the different equipment in your system and enables you to control all your equipment effortlessly. Invest in a good amplifier as your amplifier can ultimately take your listening experience to the next level. The amplifier communicates with your speakers, making sure you get the best quality sound. Different amplifiers can be combined with different speaker options. This is yet another reason why you should consult a professional.

New house, now what?

If you would like audiovisuals installed in your new house, where construction has not yet started, ask your AV professional to assist you or your architect with the electrical and conduit layout of your new house. This is vital if you would like all the cabling to be hidden and also to eliminate future technical problems.

Tips before you embark on your AV venture

  • Keep ideas in mind of what you would like out of your audio and video system.

  • Give your ideas over to the audiovisual professional and let him/her guide you through the different options and solutions.

  • Invest in something nice, treat yourself. No really, investing in a good sound system will bring you an endless supply of fun and relaxation, and less hassles. You don't necessarily need the flagship model, but get something decent.

  • If you are in the building phase (meaning you are building a new home or office), get things organised from the start. Put your ideas together and talk to your AV professional to assist you with the necessary technical aspects from the start. This will ensure that everything (in terms of the audio and video) will run smoothly and work in harmony together. This involves things like the conduit layout of your home, the electrical layout of your AV equipment, the correct positioning of your products and a few more technical aspects.

We live in an ever changing world where technology isn't the only field of change. I believe we must embrace these changes for these changes will take us to new heights. Change is good. Change the way you buy, you might be delightfully surprised!

For world-class service and distinctive AV solutions contact carl@softillusion.co.za