It's that time of year again. Everyone looks forward to the holidays, but holidays can bring about stress. Part of the pressure might be from shopping for the perfect gift for that special someone who seems to have everything. 

So, what do you get for the person who has everything? If they are a home audio enthusiast, we’ve got you covered. In previous blogs, we’ve mentioned that this is a golden age for audio, with an incredible array of products in the market to serve any audio need. That means that excellent gift choices abound!

We’ve lined up five great gift ideas for your Sandy Springs audio lover. Some are plug and play, and some might require a home audio installation. Either way, GHT Group is here to help, as we support our products with world-class service. 

Read on for our 2019 holiday gift guide for audio lovers. If they happen to be video lovers too, you'll find our home theater gift guide helpful also!

McIntosh Audio has a long history, celebrating 70 years of innovation in high-end audio. Like Klipsch, this is an American audio brand that has always stayed true to its roots. In McIntosh’s case, they focus on building impeccable products for the most discerning customers. 

Some McIntosh products are more affordable than others, and in the past few years, the company has branched out into headphones and other lifestyle products. But with McIntosh, there’s no “low end.” Every product offered is designed to compete at the highest echelons of audio performance.

While McIntosh is well known for hi-fi two-channel audio, the company has long made stellar home theater components, too. In this blog, we'll tell you about the latest iterations of their AV processor line, the MX170 and MX123. If you're looking for the ultimate in home theater or media room audio and video performance, look no further.

Keep reading to see why!

We know what you're thinking. A holiday gift guide, is it that time already? Yes, it is, but it shouldn't be cause for concern.

If you have a film and home theater buff in your life, then you’re in luck, because we have put together one doozy of a holiday gift guide for you. Any of these gifts would make an impression in any home theater installation in Atlanta.

So how do you choose the right one? We can’t tell you here, but you can visit us at our Marietta showroom to check these out, and we will be happy to help. Of course, if the person is a truly special one, perhaps you'll want to get them all?

Read on for your 2019 holiday gift guide for the media lovers in your life.

High-end audio brands rarely go on sale. Maybe it’s because the best products don’t need price reductions to move off the shelf. People know what high-performance products can do and appreciate the value; when they’re ready to buy, they don’t wait for a sale.

That said, occasionally high-quality brands go on sale. This past year we were proud to bring British speaker brand Monitor Audio to GHT Group. We’ve prominently featured them in our Marietta showroom, including the architectural Controlled Performance Series. And now, we’re running a sale on the most affordable Monitor Audio line, the Bronze Series.

If you’re looking for new speakers for either a two-channel or multichannel surround setup in Marietta that won’t break the bank, you won’t have to travel far. But to take advantage of the special savings – 25% off of MSRP – you need to hustle, because the offer is good only through January 31^st, 2019.

Without further ado, let’s recap why the Monitor Audio Bronze line is such a great entry point into the world of hi-fi audio.

Georgia Home Theater, a leader in custom technology solutions throughout the Metro Atlanta area and beyond, is proud to announce it has rebranded into GHT Group.

The new branding highlights the fact that GHT Group is regarded for far more than just its home theater design and installation capabilities; in fact, GHT is Metro Atlanta’s premier source for all things technology, both in residential and commercial environments.

The holidays are coming around, and we always look forward to that time to refresh, recharge, and celebrate with family and friends. But as we all know, the holidays can be stressful, too. Shopping, traffic, cooking, and rushing to get the house ready for entertaining guests can take a toll.

GHT Group would like to suggest that you let home technology take a bit of the stress out of the holidays. A Crestron control system can automate routine tasks and even add some flair to this holiday season in Dunwoody.

If thinking about the holidays is already elevating your blood pressure, we invite you to take a few minutes and read the rest of this blog. If it sparks a few ideas for a calmer, happier holiday, we’re here to help with the tech side.

We adapt to technology quickly, perhaps more than we realize. In the past 25 years, life has changed markedly with the onslaught of the Internet, which continues to connect not just people but almost every facet of our lives.

Sometimes, people rue the effect of technology on their lives and long for the "good old days" before it came along. They complain about the impact of technology, that all our "interconnectedness" makes too much of a 24/7 world.

However, technology can also enhance our lives in ways far better than the “good old days.” One of the latest features of LED lighting and lighting control is color-tuned lighting, and it promises to make your home’s lighting more natural and attuned to your daily rhythms.

It’s called human-centric lighting, and it’s brought to your Roswell home by Lutron, a pioneer in lighting control since the good old days. Read on to see how Lutron lighting control can enhance your wellness at home.

It’s a funny thing about remote controls. They’ve been around for decades, yet many of them still are needlessly complicated – especially AV remotes. For many of our clients, they are a source of frustration.

As a home technology company in the business for 30 years, you might surmise that we've seen our share of remotes. You’re right: We’ve lost count! Some are better than others. Of course, as a professional integrator, we strive for ease of use in all our installations by specifying and customizing control solutions that fit what our clients want. And we're always looking for a better, faster, more straightforward control solution for our customers.

Some might not get too excited over a new remote, but we are thrilled to announce a new one from our smart home control brand partner Control4. It’s called the Neeo, and it’s much more than an AV remote - it fuses together the best part of touchscreens and button remotes with the power of Control4’s new OS 3 smart home system.

We're so excited about it, in fact, that we're planning an event on November 21st from 4-8 PM at our Marietta showroom to introduce it. Not only will you get to experience the Control4 Neeo, but we will also have representatives on hand from top brand partners Sony, Monitor Audio, and Lutron lighting for demos, free giveaways, and special offers. 

Is this the dream remote you’ve been wanting for your Control4 system in Dunwoody? Read on to get the early scoop - and don’t forget to come to the event!

When Georgia Home Theater talks about outdoor speaker systems for your Smyrna home, we are usually describing something more elaborate than a single wireless speaker. We humbly submit that if you want to make your patio or backyard rock like an outdoor concert at Piedmont Park, we can make that happen, even at the risk of drawing the ire of your neighborhood.

However, sometimes all you need is clear, punchy and dynamic sound wherever you are, plus the ability to listen to whatever music strikes the mood. All the better if that sound can move with you seamlessly from the backyard to the garage and to the tailgate party.

That’s where the brand-new Sonos Move comes in. Sonos is known for wireless speakers, but this one has a couple of new twists. First, this is Sonos' first Bluetooth speaker, so you can connect any Bluetooth device as a music source - no Wi-Fi required. Second, the speaker is battery-powered, so it can go anywhere - no power plug required.

What else makes it special? It’s made by Sonos, and that adds features that Sonos does uniquely well. Keep reading for more details and why it may be your perfect starter or extension to your outdoor speaker system.

Unfortunately for the Atlanta area, our humid southern climate is a breeding ground for those pesky biting insects dubbed no-see-ums. Also called Biting Midges they are the ones that bite, but you can't see them to avoid it.

What does this have to do with home audio? Stick with us for the analogy here. We have many customers that love great music and top-notch sound quality. For them, we carry an excellent array of speakers like Bowers & Wilkins, the Klipsch Heritage line, and more. Many of these customers love the look of speakers and make them an integral part of their room’s décor. Indeed, some of these speakers are quite large and are meant to be prominently displayed.

Other customers love great audio but don't want speakers – no matter how exquisitely finished – as part of the room furnishings. Of course, architectural speakers have been around for many years with in-ceiling and in-wall models that offer great sound with no intrusions on floor space. Typically, those speakers have paintable grills to match a wall or ceiling finish to be very unobtrusive.

And then there are customers whose interior design demands even more stealth from a home audio installation, because even painted grills are too much. These customers prefer the speaker to virtually disappear. We’ll call these speakers no-see-ums, because you may not see them, but you will definitely hear the sound quality.

Read on for more about two no-see-um speaker lines for your home audio installation in Dunwoody.

If you happen to be old enough, you might remember a different time in electronic products. In the 1950s and 1960s, when they began exploding in popularity, many TVs and audio products looked like pieces of furniture instead of technology. You may remember the all-in-one turntable, AM-FM radio, and speakers that were all housed in an elegant wood credenza back in the day. Even separate components were encased in wood housing, and far more speakers had natural wood finishes that were not just black.

Today, technology looks like…technology. It is a rare product that incorporates unique design flair. Don't get us wrong; it does exist – in beautifully finished audio gear from McIntosh and Klipsch, to name but two examples. But many otherwise superb products don't always jive with the interior design visions of many of our customers.

We have solutions to that issue. If you don't like to see flat panel screens when they're not in use, you don't have to. On our blog, we've discussed many architectural speakers that deliver incredible sound without taking up any real estate in your room – including subwoofers.

This month, we want to tell you about a company that makes exceptional solutions to hide the technology bits you don't wish to be visible until they're called upon. Future Automation is an engineering company highly skilled at making equipment that looks custom-built for your home. So if you want a media room design that features more design than media equipment in your Buckhead home, there' likely a Future Automation solution.

Read on to learn more about innovative Future Automation products to hide your technology.

Most everyone wants an immersive big-screen experience in their media room or home theater. The only issue? Not everyone has the space for a full-fledged theater installation. In some areas, mounting a projector in the ceiling or a back wall is not a practical solution.

You might ask - why not go with a large flat-screen display? Many people do, and there are many that Georgia Home Theater can recommend from brand partners like Sony. But, some people want that projected large screen experience without giving up space, and the truly large, over 100-inch flat panels can get very expensive.

There is a solution, and it’s called the ultra-short-throw projector. It’s a projector than can sit mere inches from your wall and project an image up to ten feet across diagonally. The best part is that it only requires a slim wall-mounted screen, and it sits on your typical media credenza or cabinet.

What’s more, the latest models feature the newest 4K and HDR technology for an eye-popping picture, and sometimes also include full smart TV functionality for an all-in-one solution with the convenience of a TV and the cinematic impact of a projector.

One of Georgia Home Theater’s favorite models in this category is the Epson LS500, and it may just be the answer for the media space in your Smyrna home. Read on to see if this is the easy big-screen home theater installation solution you’ve been waiting for.

CEDIA is the largest trade authority in the home technology integration business. Not only do integrators like Georgia Home Theater attend for the latest in-home technology trends and continuing education, but the accompanying CEDIA Expo also covers thousands of square feet with the latest and greatest in home theaters, audio, smart home automation and more.

The CEDIA Expo always features exciting new products that point to the future. This year, there were many exciting introductions, but in the home theater space, a couple stood out for us: the incredible sound from Klipsch’s new Pro Cinema Home surround sound system and the extraordinary picture quality of Sony’s 8K displays.

Read on to learn more about these two exciting innovations from CEDIA 2019 and see if they're the next big thing for your media room or home theater in Dunwoody, GA.

This blog has now been updated; you can view this updated post here.

Last month, we introduced the McIntosh MA352 integrated amplifier. If you’re an analog purist, there’s much to love about the MA352, which combines the warmth of a tube powered preamp with the raw power of a solid-state amplifier.

With the new C2700, McIntosh Labs brings more options on the table. The MA352 is an all-analog design, with no digital circuitry—anything digital, like a CD player or a streaming audio player—is external. The C2700 mixes it up a little, making for an extremely versatile preamp that you can use for all your two-channel sources, including TVs. While it still uses a tube preamp for that smooth, warm sound purists love, it comes out-of-the-box ready to connect to all your digital sources.

Is this the McIntosh audio preamp any audio enthusiast, analog purist, or digital music maven could love for their two-channel Marietta rig? There are two ways to find out—visit our 20,000 square-foot showroom in Marietta or continue reading below for the pertinent details. Either way, you win.

In these days of virtually endless streaming options, you might be thinking: What’s a movie jukebox, and why should I care? After all, I’m not popping discs into a player anymore! Well. you may not, but you may be missing out on extracting the full potential of your home theater. 

Streaming services are superb for the sheer convenience of pressing a button or two and seeing a movie come to life, but there is a bit of a price to pay. Services like Netflix and Amazon Prime do offer 4K video and Dolby surround sound, but they tend to optimize the stream for the data rate of the network connection. In other words, there is some compression of the stream, resulting in the loss of video and audio fidelity. 

After you’ve spent a good sum on a state-of-the-art home theater installation, we think you deserve a higher-quality option in your Atlanta or Florida cinema. That’s where the Kaleidescape comes in, offering a new level of audiovisual performance with all the convenience of a veritable movie jukebox at your fingertips. Keep reading below to learn more about this exciting way to get the best possible film experience at home.