New designs for living: creating an audio/video haven

Ebony, July, 2004

ENTERTAINMENT professionals and executives have long favored home theaters and elaborate media rooms. With the recent upsurge in plasma and LCD television flat-screens, more homeowners in general are getting their residences wired for surround sound and the latest in video technology, and outfitted with sophisticated home theaters.

Thanks to the abundance of high-tech products to fit all income levels, now is a great time to update your home's media technology. Before homeowners make a decision about what audio-video products they want, they should consider the emotional attachment they have to music and visuals, advises Kevin McCann, who with his wife, Renetta McCann, owns Glenn Poor Chicago, an electronics salon located just off North Michigan Avenue. "Your heart and your ears as well as your eyes are key emotional sensory organs, and that's what Glenn Poor appeals to," says McCann. "You should seek products with a performance level that will endure for many years, and you should be assured of getting great service as well. We make house calls."

The three-story home of a professional Chicago couple is a showpiece for the high-end, state-of-the-art merchandise and services provided by Glenn Poor Chicago. McCann says the couple contacted Glenn Poor to install 10 in-wall flat-panel televisions and a home theater in the mansion while it was being rehabbed. The up-to-the-minute electronics equipment blends perfectly into the elegant residence with its hardwood floors, high ornate ceilings, detailed woodwork, contemporary furnishings and exquisite, expansive collection of Black art.

The centerpiece of the home theater is the 122-inch diagonal screen (16.9 format) that is draped in red velvet similar to that in classy theaters. Tucked away in a small room behind eight plush red leather reclining chairs are the controls, including two multi-channel (200 watts per channel) Parasound amplifiers, a Krell DVD Standard for CDs and DVDs, and a C1 Parasound controller that powers three Linn Espek speakers in front and four additional Linn Sekrit in-wall speakers. A Vidikron model 40 high-definition projector is mounted in the ceiling.

There are several other audio-video systems installed around the house, including those connected to the 60-inch flat-panel, in-wall plasma televisions in the kitchen/great room and in one of the two offices, and the 42-inch plasma screen in the master bedroom suite. There are also in-wall, flat-panel television screens in each of the four guest rooms, in a second office, in the playroom and in the exercise room.

Although more than $150,000 in equipment was installed in this particular home, McCann emphasizes that you can set up a good home audio-video system for as little as $10,000. Or you may simply want to upgrade your sound system or televisions. You just need to do your research, define your needs and seek the help of knowledgeable professionals to make sure you are getting the best sound and visuals possible. "A great home entertainment system should sound good and provide good visuals, but it also should be easy to use," adds McCann.