Commercial Audio Systems | What You Need To Know

Opening a bar, restaurant or any commercial venue isn’t easy.  With so many big decisions to be made, it can be easy to overlook the importance of commercial audio systems.  Some business owners will opt for the quick and easy option: setting up an off-the-shelf home audio system rather than spending the extra money for a professional commercial AV system installation.

Perhaps you’ve been in this boat and figure that you just need something simple to be able to play sound in your restaurant.  Don’t make the mistake of assuming a consumer sound system will work well enough for your bar or restaurant audio system needs.  Here’s a few examples of why you should think twice before cutting costs on audio visual systems for restaurants.

Durability and Performance

Consumer audio equipment is usually only intended for a few hours of use each day.  This means it will break down faster and be much less reliable over time. Commercial audio systems on the other hand are built to handle more stress.  More rugged wiring and electrical components make commercial audio systems the way to go if you plan on pumping sound into your restaurant for most of the day.

Keep It Cool

Home audio systems typically don’t encounter issues with overheating. Natural convection is enough to keep things cool over a few hours of use.  However, restaurants are a whole different environment than a typical living room and natural cooling isn’t as effective. The less ventilated environment often requires more sophisticated techniques to keep from overheating.  Make sure you at least get a consultation from a professional before you attempt an audio system installation in Buffalo.

Different Kinds of Audio Systems

The biggest difference between consumer and commercial audio systems is in how they’re wired.  Commercial audio systems use balanced lines (positive, negative and ground) whereas consumer equipment uses unbalanced lines (positive and ground only).  The biggest drawback of an unbalanced system is the potential for interference. In a commercial setting this becomes a serious problem because of the extra signals floating around from WiFi, TVs, radios and other devices.

Where To Put Your Commercial Audio Systems

Bars and restaurants can be pretty noisy which means providing quality audio can be a challenge.  DIY audio installs usually wind up with speakers placed wherever it’s most convenient. It’s common for business owners to put speakers and audio systems up and out of the way rather than finding out the best acoustic location.  A team of experienced engineers is essential to getting the most out of your audio/visual systems for restaurants.

To make sure your commercial AV system installation in Buffalo goes well, look to Park Place Installations.  Our team of experts have been handling AV integration in Buffalo for years. Call us today to get a quote or if you want more information on how we can help setting up your commercial audio systems.

New Bar/Restaurant AV Installation | Things to Consider

Opening or updating a bar or restaurant in Buffalo NY isn’t easy. There’s a lot of competition, and every restaurant has it’s niche or differentiator to draw a crowd. One of the most important, but unnoticed factors in the Buffalo service industry is the ambiance. What is it that’s going to set your bar apart from the most popular? Food and drink are clearly most important, but the right audio accoustics, and placement of televisions and digital signage can truly change a patron’s experience. Here’s a few things to keep in mind for bar and restaurant owners trying to enhance their guest experience.

Enhance the Experience

What’s the vibe that your establishment is trying to reach? Quiet sit down restaurants still need soft accoustic tones to help drown out the kitchen. Loud sports bars still need the appropriate sound systems to help everyone hear what that penalty was on 3rd and Goal. Teaming up with a professional audio/visual installation team in Buffalo NY can really help you achieve the perfect accoustic experience. We can consult with you on how your space is designed, where speaker placement would help, and what the best products are for your needs. We can seamlessly integrate anything and everything, and allow you to control everything from your mobile devices.

More Than You Think…

You can try to set up all of your audio and video equipment yourself. Everybody knows somebody who’s “good with that stuff.” They can be, but when integrating professional audio and video products at a large scale, it comes down to more than just plugging in the aux cord. Consumer products use unbalanced external lines, (positive and ground) and professional grade equipment uses balanced lines- positive, negative and ground. When using unbalanced wiring within confined spaces and multiple devices, lines get crossed. Interference from dueling WiFi, radio, and TV signals can cause your devices to get all mixed up. Turning to a professional team of installers can ensure your systems are set up completely seamless, providing you with ease of mind for both audio, and TV installs.

Be Different.

We can install a TV or two. We can put in some better speakers. We can integrate multiple cable boxes so Susan the head server won’t complain when she needs to change the game. But why stop there? Have you seen our huge TV screen at Riverworks in downtown Buffalo? We can install enormous digital signage that can give you a screen bigger than anything on the market. Coupled with the best sound on the market, if showing games or fights on the big screen, or even live entertainment, we can make your place the place to be in Buffalo.

These are only a few examples of how Park Place Installations can help enhance your bar, restaurant, or music venue. Turning to a professional team is something that isn’t always easy. Will they overcharge? What’s the warranty? How are the prices on products? You won’t find an AV installation team in Buffalo or WNY with as much experience as Park Place. We started out helping installing TV’s over fireplaces, and designing home theaters, and today we are the proudest tech installation team in WNY. We work to stay ahead of the tech curve, and we know the best of the best. Just look at some of our work if you have any doubts!

Give us a call, or just set up a free appointment right here on our website!

 

3 Of the Best 5.1 Home Theater Systems You Can Buy

Our valuable team members at Park Place Installations all have a passion for what we do. We provide a service that doesn’t necessarily save lives, but it certainly helps people, and makes their lives’ easier. One part of the equation of being the top home theater installer in Western New York, is paying attention to product trends and knowing who’s who in the home theater industry. If you’re considering creating a home theater in your home, or upgrading your surround sound system, you’re going to want to know what’s the best. The best products, and the best pricing.

5.1 is a term used to describe the type of home theater system. 5 speakers, 1 subwoofer. This differs from 7.1 systems, which, you guessed it, have 7 speakers and 1 subwoofer. We understand that everyone’s price point is different, and you might not be able to afford the top of the line products. We’ve broken it down into 3 tiers, Big Money, Affordable, and Minimal Expense. Without further adieu, here are 3 of the best 5.1 home theater systems you can buy.

Big Money
1. Denon AVR-X7200WA 9.2 paired with the Klipsch 5.1 RP-250 ($2999/$1935)

Probably the best system on the market in 2017. This system truly packs a punch. For the price, it’s hard to beat this combination. In terms of features, connectivity, power, and control, the Denon AVR-X7200WA features modern technology. It can connect to iOS devices with Apple AirPlay, PCs or Macs wirelessly. Klipsch is known as being one of the favorite surround sound systems on the market, and combining their system with the Denon AVR-X7200WA will give you the best sound in the neighborhood. The speaker package comes with a wireless speaker kit as well.

Affordable
2. Denon AVR-S510BT 5.1 A/V Receiver paired with the Cambridge Audio Minx S215 v3 ($279/$799)

Understanding that not everyone is in the market to buy a $5k surround sound system, this Denon/Cambridge combination can give you big money sound on an affordable budget. This offers the ultimate bargain. You can connect to bluetooth, HDMI that supports 4K Ultra HD, and a USB port on the front for streaming music from your device or charging. Denon also offers a remote app for controlling
features. 5 Minx speakers may look small, but they pack a punch. This combination offers more than enough power for a medium-sized room.

Minimal Expense
Samsung HT-J4100 5.1 ($208)

For people who want to install a home surround sound system at a minimum budget, the Samsung HT-J4100 can provide you with great sound. Be mindful, there are a lot of different brands and models available at this price point, that won’t perform at the level you want. This model offers 1000 Watts of power, but misses out on some of the more modern connectivity features like wireless bluetooth. It does feature Dolby TrueHD capability, and can convert DVDs to a near-HD visual quality. This unit will offer you a home theater experience, just with a little less room-shaking cinema quality.

We will continue to talk about some of the top products on the market here on our blog, and remember there are hundreds of brands out there! If you’re looking to start a conversation on where to get started on your home theater, or just need to ask a question, ask us! As we stated earlier, this is a passion of ours, both the technology AND helping people with their home entertainment. Stay tuned for more updates on top products in home theater, surveillance, and home automation!