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Domestic A/V and Home Automation Consultancy

There’s very little I don’t know about hi-fi, cinema and home automation and in an age when convenience seems to be a priority over quality, guess what; I buck the trend!

There was a time for example, when the chase was to find a system, a combination of components, that delivered the best possible sound quality. Now-a-days, despite the huge increase in quality that digital electronics can offer, many people I’m sorry to say, aren’t even aware of what a really good sound is. The same can be said for imaging and a big screen seems often more important than a well-balanced, high-quality picture. It’s all kind of gone wrong somewhere.

So, as far as I’m concerned, quality is paramount. Fortunately, it’s not too difficult to squeeze in a good degree of convenience into a home cinema system or hi-fi but that’s always a secondary factor for me and as it turns out, I’m very proud to have designed and built many home entertainment systems which deliver both quality and convenience to their owners.

HiFi, home cinema and home automation consultant

Pictured above is my own system which was built into a chimney breast. When my wife and I bought the house, I was quite gob-smacked when Julie suggested that we do away with the fireplace and replace it with an audio / video system! SERIOUSLY?!?!!? Julie, I love you!

You'll notice I took full advantage of the space and built a sub bass speaker system into the bottom of the alcove. A non-ported design with four smaller drivers delivers an abundance (if you want it) of incredibly tight, phase-coherent bottom end. The centre speaker for the 5.1 system is also built-in.

All components are rack-mounted which looks smart and provides a little additional security. Like most of us, I hate cables, so you'll also notice that the full-range speakers plug straight into wall sockets. The rear speakers (which are out of view)  are the same.

On such dramatic installations requiring some considerable building work, I always use my good friend Steve who consistently delivers exactly what is required.

I've been working with home automation for over twenty years, way before it became a thing and definitely decades before the likes of Alexa and Google arrived in our homes. Having said that, we live in exciting times and one cannot deny the wealth of convenience that smart technology can bring us.

Ok Google switch on my computer
Custom Google Assistant / Alexa compatible momentary switch

There are some things which can't be switched on by a simple smart socket or smart switch however, so pictured above is a custom switch which I offer to enable things like computers to be switched on via voice command through Alexa or Google Assistant. There are other applications which can make use of this little box, such as garage door control, etc.

My Smart Momentary Switch (SMS) is available to buy. Please check out my store page.

OK Google switch on my computer

So, if you'd like a piece of the latest  technology but don't know where to start, if gadgets, gear and protocols are just confusing for you, if you're fussy and don't want your space taken over with cables and gear, or if you'd just like some guidance on quality audio / video and home automation, then please don't hesitate to contact me.