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 Pre-Wiring, Retro-fitting
- We Do It All
We made our name
designing, selling and installing the finest free-standing hi-fi and home
theater systems to clientele from coast to coast, so, no matter how far your passion drives you in the
search for performance, we can handle it. From vacuum tube electronics and
phonographs to DVD-Audio and SACD, it’s all home turf to us at Ultra
Fidelis. Nothing’s ruled out in our book.
If You're Building a New Home...
...and you like music or movies, you have an unusual opportunity. You can outfit
the house for entertainment with an efficiency and to an extent that can never
be duplicated in a finished structure.
Just Don’t Wait Too Long!
 The
important thing is to let us get the infrastructure in place. Whether it’s a
straightforward plan to give you the option of introducing speakers in a few
rooms at a later date or a full-blown, custom-designed whole-house entertainment
concept, we can do it with relative ease if you decide now, before it’s too
late!
"Retrofitting” Can Present Unique Challenges
Faced with the task of
adding audio and video entertainment once the walls and ceilings are finished,
many audio/video retailers will simply run away. While we take pride in our
abilities in this rarefied field, there is no denying costs go up and options go
down.
Fortunately, You Can Do Just About Whatever You Want
A pair of speakers in the
kitchen ceiling, the place where all guests inevitably seem to congregate? No
problem. A TV and a single small stereo speaker in the master bath? Done. And,
of course, surround sound in the main living space. In five years, we will
probably view a home without a theater as like a car without a radio. You may
want to have us pre-wire your home, even if you have no plans to put speakers
and equipment in, just to protect its resale value.
Let’s Take a Brief Look...
…at some of the things
we’ve done so you might get an idea or two for your own home. One of the real
advancements in home entertainment equipment has nothing to do with performance
and everything to do with discretely fitting in to your environment.
Stealth Surround
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The
smaller thing is a can light, the larger is a SpeakerCraft AIM in-ceiling
speaker. With its grille in place and painted, the speaker will disappear
compared to the light. This is an example of an AIM used as a rear channel
speaker in a surround system. As its name implies, the speaker can be swiveled,
and the tweeter aimed further, inside the enclosure for optimum sound. All of
this takes place above the ceiling and completely out of sight. Great sound, no
aesthetic intrusion!
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Four channels of AIM
speakers in a complete surround package with grilles in place. Now the lights
are the obvious part. With a center channel placed strategically atop the
television, the four AIMS contribute awesome theater sound, but never divulge
their locations. Brilliant! |
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 Rescuing an NPR Junkie
An example of an
elegant indulgence. Not wanting to miss his morning news just because a shower
was in order, this client was going to have us put a pair of speakers in the
bathroom ceiling and just crank them up to overcome the water noise. A
suggestion? Still two speakers, but one over the whirlpool tub and one in
the shower. Both stereo in one housing which means no information is lost no
matter where or when you hear it. And, of course, all SpeakerCraft speakers are
waterproof. Impossible? They have a lifetime warranty to back it up!
It’s Also Nice...
…when the latest technology not only accommodates your desire for a clean
looking space, but also represents a huge step forward in performance. Plasma
TV’s are an example: unparalleled picture quality and so easy to live with.
Plasma TV: The Way of the Future
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Here is a Plasma TV in its cabinet with
doors closed, as it will look most of its life. Like a nice, innocent piece of
furniture.
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Same piece, same room
with Fujitsu Plasmavision out and angled for viewing. Of course, AIMS
are the left and right main speakers in this
beautiful, but supremely unobtrusive little theater. The subwoofer,
which will go in the lower left opening with a grille in front, will
provide the visceral impact.
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Alternatively, show off the technology as in this over-the-fireplace
approach in a contemporary setting. With the Plasmavision off, the fire
is the focus. Turn it on and cinema takes over. Or have it display a
piece of art and complement the fire. |
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Here is a great
Plasma-based theater in a master bedroom utilizing Vandersteen on-wall speakers
for the front and a pair of SpeakerCraft AIMs in the rear. A few days after this
photo was taken, the speakers were painted the same green as the wall and now
virtually disappear, but their superior sound sure doesn’t! |
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And Of Course Music Can be Anywhere
And everywhere. Why not
have it follow you no matter where you go? Any room you choose to have us
pre-wire is ready for sound at any time. But be forewarned. If you are like us,
you’ll want them all to be making music from day one!
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Party Time!
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Take it Outside!
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When you really
want to draw attention to the sound, move the speakers down from the
ceilings and put them in the walls. This is because you interpret sound
coming from above you as background, but sound coming from in front of
you as a performance stage. For this billiard room, we installed four
SpeakerCraft in-wall speakers to rock the house! We had to remove the
painted grilles for the photos so you would know the speakers were
there. |
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Sound needn’t stay
cooped up indoors, either. Here we gave a wide deck overlooking a spacious back
yard full coverage with six channels of sound in three enclosures. Perfect for
intimate evenings, cocktail parties or weekends outdoors with the whole
family. Of course, we programmed the whole-house controller to turn the outdoor
sound off at 11:00 every night, just in case! |
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A Serenade While You Dine
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Make it Along with Emeril
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What
luxury! A pair of SpeakerCraft 8” CRS speakers provides the music to
enhance your most intimate dining. All you add is candlelight. But you
won’t need to dim the lights to hide the sound source. Even in this
fully lit shot, they’re barely noticeable. |
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A small LCD TV lets
you keep abreast of the news or cook along in real time with your TV kitchen
heroes. It tucks up into its rotating base when you’d rather not. |
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 Falling Asleep to Music
What could be
better? After a long, hard day, there is not a finer tonic on earth than the
sound of music lulling you off. You can have it wake you, too, if you really
must get up. Sundays, you can just lie there and take it in with the paper and
coffee.
And You’re in Control
A wide array of
control schemes is available to allow us to help you maximize performance while
staying within budget. Or go a little wild and have it all as in this Elan duo
which allows you to do anything the system can do from the keypad location or
zap the infra-red eye with your remote.
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