The Audio Guy :: Dallas Home Theater and Surround Sound

Audio Guys asked to be Technical Expert.

admin — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:04:00 GMT

Audio Guy founder and CEO Clay Hankins has been asked to be on a panel of technical experts for a major electronics website that is undergoing a complete redesign. Clay is honored to be asked to contribute and looks forward to writing for the site. He said ”it's great to contribute to the electronics field in any way possible, and I look forward to writing blogs for the site.“ The site relaunch is currently planned for January but details have not yet been released. Look for more info to come...(read more)

A Time for Giving Thanks.

admin — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:00:00 GMT

By Clay Hankins Last week, during the usual pre-holiday scramble we go through to meet deadlines to finish work so families can gather and enjoy their new media room equipment; I sat down late one evening after a long day, put on the new bluray dvd of the latest concert of my favorite band, Rush, and enjoyed a fine glass of wine and incredible sound and video and thought, “man, it don’t get no better than this!” So, that got me thinking of Thanksgiving and all that I have to be thankful for. So,...(read more)

The business of Goose Bumps

admin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT

In my last blog, If you must go digital , I quoted Snell Vice President Bob Graffy saying, “We’re not in the audio business; we’re in the goose bump business.” Assuming he didn’t mean that his job is to turn down the air-conditioning, he was referring to taking the act of listening to audio and transcending it to an experience. Before I started The Audio Guy, I remember the first time I heard an “audiophile” system. I was auditioning speakers at a Hi-Fi store in San Antonio and their top line speakers...(read more)

If you must go digital.

admin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT

There is no question that the digital world has completely changed the face of music. Us old school guys can still remember “back in the day” when setting up our stereos meant plugging the turntable wires into the receiver, hooking up two speakers, putting the album (that’s a large round black disc with grooves, kids) on the turntable and then sitting down with the album cover and liner notes and listening, really listening to the entire album while reading the liner notes as well. There was an entire...(read more)

Dallas Home Theater Projects.

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:01:00 GMT

By Clay Hankins Occasionally, I enjoy writing about some of the projects we’ve done in the Dallas home theater market. In this blog, I’d like to write about a project that included one of my favorite new toys, the Sooloos music system. I got a call from a general contractor that I work with often about doing a home remodel for an executive of a national chain store headquartered here in the Dallas area. Most of the client’s home was being stripped to the studs and we were called in to run some wiring...(read more)

The next wave of HDTV

admin — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:00:00 GMT

By Clay Hankins So we’ve all heard the question plasma or lcd, right? That ‘s so yesterday. What about OLED, laser, LED DLP????? Well, we certainly know that electronics age in dog years, times 700 or so. And that makes your 3 year old TV, oh, about 150. The good news is, that manufacturers are still pushing to get better and better. I remember one of the first 50” plasma televisions I installed. It had a contrast ratio of 750:1. The new LED driven LCD screen have contrast ratios of over 1,000,000...(read more)

The Bail Out Home Theater Package

admin — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:00:00 GMT

By Clay Hankins Bail out, stock plummet, economic woes….what does that have to do with home theater? Lower prices, that’s what. The Audio Guy has decided try to help the Dallas area economy by lowering prices on some of our home theater packages. We’re starting by lowering the price on our entry level 1080p projection theater package from $5499 to $4999. Click here to learn more. We’re matching up with manufactures that are offering end user rebates for even greater savings. Check our site often...(read more)

Home theater universal language, or not so much.

admin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:00:00 GMT

by Clay Hankins The lights are low, the volume is turned up and you’re right at the end of one of the most exciting games or season finales you’ve seen. Your adrenaline is flowing and you want to turn up the volume just a tad more so you pick up one of thirteen remotes on the coffee table, press a button, and …… the picture is gone! You fervishly start pressing buttons and now the sound and picture are gone. You throw the remote down, storm out of the room to another TV to see the end and, oh, no...(read more)

If I want to hire a custom home theater expert, what should my expectations be? - (Part 2)

admin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:01:00 GMT

By Clay Hankins In part 1, I addressed what your expectations should be when you hire your custom home theater expert . Here, I will address what your expectations should be once you’ve hired your expert. First, your home theater expert should be able to listen to you. Imagine going to your doctor and telling them your ankle hurts only to get a full on examination of your elbow. Even if you live in a multi-million dollar home and you’ve told your home theater expert you want your theater to be a...(read more)

If I want to hire a custom home theater expert, what should my expectations be? - (Part 1)

admin — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:00:00 GMT

By Clay Hankins You’ve decided to take the plunge and call your local custom home theater expert because it’s time to change that spare room into your new media room. Today I’m going to write about the process that should take place, and what you should expect through the bidding process. Here is basically how the process should work. During the initial phone conversation, your home theater guru should try to get a general idea of what it is you’re looking for. Are you calling because you want to...(read more)

How custom audio video retailers pick the manufacturers they represent.

admin — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:00:00 GMT

By Clay Hankins We often get asked if we have a preference on the products we recommend. Well, the short answer to that is no. If we represent a product, we already like it. However, unlike traditional retail stores that can only carry so many brands, custom home theater stores can offer a larger variety of products to choose from. Generally, we try to recommend the right equipment for a specific budget or need. Some speakers are better suited for the home theater experience while others are better...(read more)

How to pick an Audio Video Company

admin — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:00:00 GMT

By Clay Hankins So you’ve decided to take the plunge and either upgrade your existing system, or maybe the entire electronics world is new to you and now you have to decide whom to hire to do the work. The first question you should ask is "what do I want the most out of my experience? Is it the lowest price? Value? Professionalism? Expertise? Of course all of those are important, but determining the most important elements can mean the difference in what kind of experience you have. For example...(read more)

Who is the Audio Guy?

admin — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:20:00 GMT

Welcome to my first blog. So the question is, "what do I write about?" Good question. What indeed? Well, I guess I should probably start with a little bio about me, a subject I am an expert on. First, my name is Clay. I am in my late 30's, 46 to be exact, but who's counting? Certainly not me. That's probably enough personal stuff so what about me as The Audio Guy. I started the business in 1999 and next year we'll celebrate our 10th anniversary. Gosh, it seems like just...(read more)