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. 

We have written before on these pages about many smart home technology topics. We’ve also written about how it pays to work with a professional company for your smart home and AV installations, as you need a reliable, trained team that stands behind their work.

What you might not know is how to go about choosing a smart home company to install the technology in your Alpharetta home. In this blog, we’d like to share with you four areas that can indicate the seriousness of a professional home technology integration company.

Ready to learn more? Keep reading below.

Some audio enthusiasts revel in the look of their equipment. Speakers in elegant wood finishes, tube amplifiers, hefty turntables that look like industrial art can all add to the hi-fi audio experience. Even the cables are often exquisitely finished, and quite expensive.

On the other hand, not every audio aficionado wants a massive array of equipment to be visible. Call them minimalist; they want the sound without having to figure out where to place all that equipment. They may very well also have a wife, husband, or significant other that simply doesn't want to incorporate audio equipment into the décor. Or they may have small children that could wreak havoc with expensive equipment left unattended.

Those enthusiasts needn’t suffer with subpar sound. Yes, Alpharetta and Atlanta music lovers, you can have your cake (great audio) and eat it too (hide it). Georgia Home Theater has an extraordinary array of practically invisible home audio installation solutions for great sound in a listening room or throughout your whole house.

Just when you thought it was safe to replace all your TVs with 4K models, along comes the next level in resolution – 8K. The truth is, the consumer electronics industry is always moving forward. Digital technology has hastened the pace of change in electronics, with ever more bits of information elevating the quality of audio and video entertainment.

Wherever there is innovation in consumer electronics, you will find Sony. The company has pioneered too many technologies to mention, and the fact that they own major content companies in music and movies underscores their deep understanding of audio and video content, from creation to what you hear and see on your equipment.

One of Sony’s latest innovations is in 8K televisions. You might ask, what can I do with that today? 8K content may be scarce at the moment, but Sony’s technological magic with video processing makes any content look better on their 8K TVs. We just installed one in our brand-new Crestron Experience center, and it’s a revelation.

Is a Sony 8K TV right for your favorite watching room in Smyrna? Read on to see why Georgia Home Theater thinks it’s a smart investment in your visual entertainment.

We hear it all the time. Our customers want the latest and greatest in sight and sound for their media rooms - whether it’s a home theater, a master bedroom, a game room - they want it. But they don’t always want to see it when it’s not in use.

After all, bedrooms are for relaxing and sleeping. Living and family rooms are for gathering and conversation. Game rooms are for… games. We get it. Screens have invaded our work, our cars, our pockets and purses, and every part of our lives. We understand that you don’t always want screens to demand your attention, especially when they’re turned off.

If your media room pulls double duty in your Alpharetta home – as many do – you may get just as excited as we are about the latest screen design from Screen Innovations. We love technology at Georgia Home Theater, and we love hiding it as much as some of you do, as we do with architectural surround sound speakers in many installations.

Read on to learn more about the Screen Innovations Zero-G - the floating screen that you see only when you need it

Often people start thinking about multiroom audio systems when they’re remodeling a home or building a new one. Any centralized or house-wide system is easier to install when the house is in its early stages. Wiring for architectural speakers and wall-mounted controls is a snap before drywall is up or when refinishing.

With all the wireless options available for multiroom speaker systems, you might ask if you need wires at all. Well, even wireless speakers need some wires or cables – even if it’s just the one for power! Since wireless systems like Sonos are very popular, we’re going to discuss some of the top differences between wired and wireless multiroom speakers in this blog. 

Keep reading below to learn the basics of wired vs. wireless multiroom audio and how to decide what you might prefer for your Atlanta, GA home.

If you’ve been following our blogs, you may know that Georgia Home Theater is a roll when it comes to audio. We have recently added some of the best brands in audio like Martin Logan and Klipsch Heritage to our repertoire. More recently, we announced adding esteemed British speaker brand Monitor Audio to the fold.

Georgia Home Theater is excited to continue bringing the best audio brands under one roof in the Atlanta area. In the age of online commerce, it's rare for a dealer to make the investment in the physical showroom, training, service and support so customers can see, touch, and hear high-performance audio products.

In case you need an excuse to visit our Marietta showroom and experience the magic of real hi-fi sound, we've got one for you! On October 12^th at 5 p.m. you’re invited to join us for an evening of live music and Monitor Audio speaker demonstrations. With light food and beverages and the unique psychedelic folk musical stylings of Seafoam Green this is an evening you shouldn’t miss if you love music.

To whet your appetite a little – for the speakers, not the food – read on to learn more about the Monitor Audio lines you will get to hear. Did we mention this is a free event? Just hit that RSVP button now as you continue reading.

Fish or steak? Form or function? Vacuum tube or solid-state? Vinyl or CD? Why are we always faced with so many decisions?

With the MA352 hybrid integrated amplifier, McIntosh Labs has tried to solve some of those decisions. Fish or steak will remain a problematic dinner choice, but the MA352 beautifully balances form and function while giving you the best of both audio worlds—it deftly blends the smoothness of vacuum tube technology with the power of solid-state amplification, while being an audio showpiece you can proudly display at the center of your listening room.

Audio enthusiasts have long argued the merits of traditional audio technologies like vacuum tubes vs. solid-state componentry. Like the vinyl vs. analog or CD vs. digital music debates, it can create heated discussion regarding what constitutes better sound. With the original MA252 integrated amplifier and now with the new MA352, McIntosh uses its seven decades of audio know-how to use each technology for its highest and best use.

The McIntosh MA252 was an instant success at Georgia Home Theater when it came out in early 2018. The MA352 promises to be just as popular. If you are planning a two-channel upgrade or new audio system in your favorite Smyrna listening space, you will want to pre-order one now. Read on to see why this is such an exceptional high-fidelity audio product.

For a long time, Crestron has been the choice for sophisticated home automation in the largest and most complex properties. As a pioneer in both residential and commercial automation, Crestron has built a powerful and advanced software platform that allows you to automate things in the home that other systems couldn't. It accomplished that with ultimate customizability.

But technology moves forward, and other competitors caught up with many of Crestron’s innovations, creating sophisticated systems that didn't require as much programming to achieve the same goals – even if they weren't quite as customizable. In the past few years, Crestron has embarked on an effort to make their systems far easier to configure and offers users a simpler, sleeker, more intuitive automation experience, while still retaining the customizability and flexibility that are hallmarks of the system.

Georgia Home Theater is a long-time Crestron integrator, and we are excited about the new Crestron Home system powered by their latest OS 3 software. OS 3 lets us configure a sophisticated Crestron automation system in your Dunwoody home faster than ever before, and at lower cost as the configuration is much more simplified. We’re so excited about it that we are setting up a new Crestron Experience in our Marietta showroom, where you can see it in action.

Ready to learn more? Read on to see more about what Crestron Home is all about.