Gramophone’s Favorite Things

Pimp My Garage

My first love will always be washing and waxing my car and truck. I find it relaxing, and really is there anything better than watching raindrops dance on new wax job? My second great love is watching TV. Yes, I'm a child of the great TV generation. And, if it were up to me, Ed Sullivan and Dean Martin would still be on the tube (oops, make that flat panel). So, I figure, why not combine the 2 things that make me happy? 

A few years ago, I decided to put a TV in my garage. It’s been great. Watching Hugh Laurie (a.k.a “Dr. House”) solve great medical mysteries while I detail the rides in my garage on a summer evening is living the good life. It’s my own little slice of heaven, complete with Cable TV, BluRay player (to watch my Dean Martin DVD collection), and an iPod & CD player which are all hooked up to an audio system and a few outdoor speakers. 

This isn't just a summertime escape for me though. When the cars get covered with the inevitable winter salt, I head out to the garage, put on the Ravens game and wash the car, while keeping up with every play in glorious HD! 

Now, let’s be honest. Raise your hand if your garage isn’t just a home for your cars, but also serves as the back burner for those “Honey-Do” projects you keep putting off. With the great sound and video streaming right there, I bet you’ll feel more inspired to head out to the workbench to complete some of those projects you’ve been putting off. 

So, go get your Ravens jersey, a bucket of soapy water, and find your newest happy place. Come see the experts at Gramophone, so we can help Pimp Your Garage.

-Bruce Spivey

Music Still Matters

Big Bill Broonzy, the great blues guitarist and composer, when asked by a journalist if what he sang was “folk” music, took some offense to the question:  “I guess all songs is folk songs; I never heard no horse sing them.”  Big Bill’s answer, simplistic only on the surface, spoke a universal truth.  From the mountains of Tibet to the most remote islands of the Pacific, wherever there is human habitation, there is music.  In many ways, we are identified as much by our music as we are by our dress or our language.  In America, the melting pot has created uniquely American music styles, such as Blues and Jazz—the not-so-distant parents of Rock-and-Roll.  All of these have been re-exported to the rest of the world.

Baltimore has always had a lively music scene and has been home of some great original Blues and Jazz musicians—Cab Calloway and Billie Holiday, among many others.  The Baltimore Blues Society, founded in 1985, has been the model for those of many other cities.

Showing our commitment to this musical tradition, Gramophone is proud to sponsor the Hot August Blues Festival at Oregon Ridge Park, a festival now in its 16^th year.  The Grammy-nominated Derek Trucks, a longtime member of the Allman Brothers Band will be featured.  Also playing: Joe Bonamassa, who started playing with our own late, great Danny Gatton when he was only 11 years old!  Also—Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.  Jason grew up learning to play the blues in a little town in Alabama, just outside the legendary Muscle Shoals.  Chopteeth will add a trip to the musical roots in another continent, playing their West African Highlife music.  I dare you to sit still!  Old Man Brown, a quartet based out of Baltimore, has played with such notables as Canned Heat and Levon Helm.  For the kids, Choo Choo Charlie will have his annual free harmonica workshop.

Most of us here got into what was called the “hi-fi” business because of our love of music.  That has never diminished or changed.  Music still matters, and always will.  Gramophone is proud to represent products that make it sound better.  

If you'd like to join us at Hot August Blues, give me a call. We have a limited number of tickets for friends of Gramophone. I hope to see you there at the Gramophone tent.

-Len Bradford

Hot August Blues at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, MD.  Saturday, August 15th. 1-887-321-FEST or www.hotaugustblues.com

The 5 Most Needed Items You Won't Find In Your New TV's Box

It is commonly confused that after purchasing your new state-of-the-art flat panel TV that you’re done, and everything's included. Think again.  These days you’re lucky to get a remote, batteries, and a power cord.  When shopping for your new system, understand you shouldn't max out your budget just based upon the TV's cost; because, if you do, you won't be happy. Don't anticipate getting that beautiful picture you saw in the store, or that sleek installation without adding the following.

1. Bracket/ Installation Materials: How you will install your new system is essential to determining the right bracket, furniture, and methods of installation. Throwing a bracket on the wall isn’t rocket science.  Making it look wireless and like the system was built along with your house is where choosing the right installer is important.

2. Proper Cables: Your new TV doesn't want to be connected with a coax cable. Those days are over. Not all cables are created equal, and getting the best picture depends on your choice of connectivity. The best analogy I can give clients is that your new HDTV is like buying a sports car that wants premium gas to work right; if you put low octane in it, chances are it will perform poorly. This is the same with your new TV, budget about $150 per component that you want to connect with proper cabling.

3. Power Conditioning and Surge Protection: Understandably confusing, "surge protection" can be bought anywhere but is it enough to honestly protect your system? Chances are that if you purchased an outlet extender that allows you to plug in more than 2 devices and it cost less than $50, you don't have adequate protection. High-Current Devices like surround sound receivers and TV's, along with your new Blu-Ray DVD player should not only be properly protected from surge and fluctuations in power but they should be isolated from each other to prevent interference.  At the end of the day, this provides a better picture, better sound, and continued years of enjoyment.

4. Sound System: So the new TV you bought has the slimmest bezel design and is thinner than you could’ve ever imagined, so where's the magic? How did they fit an awesome sound system into such a small space.  There is no magic here.  The manufactures have honestly skipped sound. While there are speakers on majority of TV's, they are not what you’re expecting.  Turn up the speakers on that TV, then go listen to a demonstration of what adding a couple of speakers or full surround sound does to HDTV.  Prepare to be blown away.

5. Control: Not one customer I have met says they like the fact that they are going to have 3-6 remotes in a basic configuration to try to operate.  While these remotes claim to be universal... good luck. I suggest looking at a remote from Universal Remote Control.  This device will make operation of your new system seamless.

For more information, design and consultation please stop by, call or email us. We look forward to talking with you.

Andrew Davis

The missing piece

HDTV has been very good for everyone . . . except for one thing. While the picture quality is dramatically better than anything we had all experienced before HDTV came along, many people didn't get HD sound systems to go along with their TV's and ended up with a disappointing experience.

The truth is that the speakers that are included with flat-screen HDTV's are almost universally terrible but, with what were once high prices for TV's, the sound system was often overlooked. That was understandable when TV's often cost over $10,000, but with today's TV prices it makes no sense to not get an HD sound system to go along with a new HDTV. Combining both elements along with a smart remote control means that you can have a an easy to use system that delivers a breathtaking experience at the touch of a button, while being affordable and fitting easily into your family room. We can help you with a broad array of solutions for every room size and budget. Stop in and we'll show you all of the possibilities.

A few points to consider:

1) Don't expect to get a good sound system with the same brand name as your TV. The manufacturers of TV's almost never make good sound systems.

2) Well known brand names don't guarantee great sound. Buying a sound system can be a little like buying a bottle of wine - rarely does the biggest name make the best products.

3) Packaged systems, sometimes called HTiB (home theater in a box) are poor investments. While the purchaisng decision is simple, they generally are more difficult to use, have limited performance, and are designed to be "disposable" should they require any maintenance.

4) The most important part of any good sound system is choosing good speakers. It's virtually impossible to tell the difference between one speaker and another in the supermarket style stores, which is why you should look for a showroom where you can see and hear products in an area that feels more like your own home.

Take control

About two years ago we remodeled our home. We decided to incorporate the latest technology to simplify our life and we love it. With energy costs as high as they are, our favorite feature is quickly becoming the automated lighting and HVAC systems. Thanks to simple occupancy sensors, lights turn off when no one is using an area  and the HVAC doesn't run when no one's home. And, we never have to enter a dark house, because we can control the lights from the garage door opener in the car. Press one button as we come home and the lights come on.

It used to be that to add these features to your home, you had to build a new house. But now, thanks to developments in wireless control systems, we can upgrade your existing home to include automated lighting and HVAC control without having to rewire your home.

Why spend money on wasted energy when you could be enjoying the convenience, comfort and security of a home control system. Stop by one of our showrooms to get more information or we can come to your home.

Do you really want "wireless" speakers?

Check this out. Every day we're asked for wireless speakers and we turn people away. Check out this article from Wired magazine for a great explanation why to stay away from wireless speakers. We'll keep our eyes open for a wireless solution that really works and let you know if we find one.

Widescreen sound for your widescreen

Everyone loves flat screen TV's. They're easy on the eyes and deliver a great picture. There's just one "small" problem. The small sound that comes out of the small speakers. Some people live with it, not knowing that it could be much better easily. Lots of companies have "soundbars", single cabinet speakers that are designed to improve the sound, but no one has made a soundbar that can compete with the new Panorama from B&W.

Now the Panorama isn't the least expensive way to get better sound from your flatscreen TV, but it's the best looking, best sounding solution we've ever seen or heard. $2,200 will make your new TV sound as good as it looks. Panorama is on display at Gramophone now. Hope to see you soon.

Get great sound in the great outdoors!

For over 30 years Gramophone has been filling homes all over with great sound. Our biggest challenge has always been to get full rich sound in the biggest room of all - outside. Over the last few years, many of the best companies have put a lot of effort into providing good solutions for outside. The most respected speaker manufacturer in the world is B&W and the offer a range of models that are perfect for mounting under the eaves to cover your deck with sound (see the white speaker in the photo the right). We also have solutions from other companies like Speakercraft with their "rock" series of speakers, Madison-Fielding with their planter style speakers and our newest addition, but for the best outdoor sound available anywhere,  you have to hear the landscape system from James Loudspeakers. James is based in Arizona where outdoor living has always been important and they custom manufacture an integrated system that includes 8 satellites speakers that look like landscape light fixtures, an in-ground subwoofer and an amplifier perfectly matched to the system.

Stop by a Gramophone showroom and check out the options available to bring you outdoors alive with music. See you soon.