Gramophone’s Favorite Things

Part I: Who Are The Gramophonians? Meet Laura.

You may have seen them installing a television or sound system in your home, but do you really know who these Gramophonians are? The employee spotlights on our blog will showcase the lives of various employees at Gramophone. Take a closer look each Friday as summer intern Laura Forrester divulges classified information about the antics of her new fellow coworkers.

Beat the heat and throw a pool party your friends will never forget!

As the weather warms up forget cranking up the AC to stay cool. Instead, take your party outside and make your backyard the place to be!

What To Keep In Mind

 

The size of your pool and backyard are the first things to consider when planning your guest list.  Every pool has a maximum capacity, so don’t try to fit the entire Ravens team in your 12’x24’ family pool. You’ll end the night with only half of the water you started out with. Next, keep in mind the size of your backyard. Do you have a deck where most of your guests will be sitting and relaxing? Do you have enough seating spaces for everyone?

It is also important to start planning about a week ahead and regularly treat your pool and skim the surface of the water to keep it free of debris and to eliminate discoloration. These few and easy tasks will keep your pool looking fresh and appealing to your guests to swim in (because that’s the focus of your party, right?!).

 

Bring On The Games

 

If your guests bring their children make sure to provide a variety of toys that will be entertaining to all age groups. Children love simple and inexpensive water toys such as diving rings and foam noodles. These toys will keep kids busy for hours as they invent their countless new games to play. Also consider purchasing an extra set of inflatable rafts or kick boards to keep the kids afloat!

For the adults an across-the-pool volleyball net or a poolside basketball hoop can create a friendly rivalry among friends. To keep drinks cool, purchase a Mega Chill, an inflatable floating cooler that holds up to 24 cans of your favorite beverage and includes six cup holders along the outer ring.

 

 

Keep It High Tech

 

To get the best out of your outdoor space, consider amping up your backyard with weather-proof technologies- all of which are sold at Gramophone!  

James Loudspeaker offers a great set of concealed outdoor speakers that can make any space sound great without the worry of water damage.  The 70 volt Landscape Speaker set can be concealed in a flower planter and can be placed up to a quarter mile from the receiver without experiencing any signal loss.  The sleek and modern Outdoor Satellite speakers are also a great option when trying to blend your desire for fantastic sound quality with a family-friendly space.

If you are looking for an outdoor television, The SunBrite TV series, also sold at Gramophone, is perfect for your backyard paradise. The SunBrite televisions are rain, dust, and insect proof and resist the damaging effects of extreme temperatures. All models come with full HD and the anti-reflective screen reflects glare.

To put your outdoor space together Color Kinetics lighting systems, such as the Intelliwhite (iW) fixture, lets you adjust the range of outdoor lighting in your space from warm, neutral, to cool white LEDs. You can easily alter the mood of your space by controlling your lights on the external wall-mounted device.  

So get out there and enjoy your summer! Your backyard may just be your new go-to vacation paradise!

-Ela

 

 

Dads and Grads...on a budget

Looking to get dad an awesome Father’s Day gift that he can’t put down? Need to get your grad something extra special without breaking the bank? Father’s Day is just around the corner and graduations are recent news so here are a few cool items you can pick up right here at Gramophone that are sure to please even the biggest gadget guru.

Headphones

Beats by Dr. Dre

 

Beats are a must have for any college bound music enthusiast but even dad whose still into the golden oldies will absolutely love these incredible headphones. With noise cancelling features, ultra light design, and clear crisp HD sound, Beats are more than just headphones. They provide a stellar music listening experience every where you go! Beats on-ear start at just $199 in either red, black, silver, or white and come complete with a sturdy traveling case and cable connector to ensure durability.

 

 

Bowers and Wilkins P5

Now dads and grads can enjoy the same luxurious experience they love about Bowers & WIlkins everywhere they go with the  P5 noise-isolating, mobile hi-fi headphones. At an incredible price for the B&W quality, wow your dad and grad for under $300!

Looking for a review? Check out what Wired Magazine says about the B&W P5: “Heavenly Headphone Create Symphony Hall for Your Ears”.

 

iPod Docks & Speakers

Geneva Sound System Model S

Receiving the highest marks in its class, the Geneva Model S is as compact, portable, and high tech as it gets. When the iPod/iPhone is removed, the motorized PowerDock spins closed to protect it. Any dad or grad would be proud to own this powerful little box with easy to use touch light controls and a built digital clock radio.

Looking for a review? Check out what Wired Magazine says about the Geneva Model S: “iPod Dock Has Killer Looks, Sound to Match”.

Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin Mini

Give your dad or grad the gift of music, elegant, compact, and advanced music with the streamlined Zeppelin mini. Perfect for the office, dorm room, or new apartment, dads and grads alike will love the incredible sound delivered once again by B&W. Same great sound as the Zeppelin or Zeppelin Air with a much smaller price tag, only $299!

 

 

 Television

48-Month Special Financing Available from Sony*

Receive a Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Disc Player powered by Google TV when you buy a qualifying LED Sony BRAVIA HDTV listed below.  Valid to July 9, 2011.  Eligible Models: KDL-46HX729, KDL-55EX720, KDL-55HX729, KDL-55HX820, KDL-55NX720, XBR-55HX929.

*See store for details. Subject to credit approval.

Is your dad or grad more about catching the football game? Gramophone is proud to carry the latest in LCD TVs from Samsung, Sony, and Sharp with crisp, ultra clear displays. Starting in the $200 price range, the 19” LCDs are a perfect fit for any dorm room or office.

 

Sonos Wireless Home Sound System

Is this Father’s Day the time to get dad something extra special that he’s been wanting but, until now, your budget couldn’t fit? Visit Gramophone to check out the latest in wireless full-house music entertainment. Whether you plan to start dad out with a single one-room unit  or upgrade throughout the house, the Sonos Wireless Multi-Room Music System is the perfect solution to affordable zoned music.

 

Ask Julia what she would recommend for your Dad or Grad!

Upgrade your home to a permanent paradise and experience a “staycation” this summer

You go on a vacation to escape the daily grind, enjoy a new environment, and to simply relax. Work can be stressful, and sometimes you just need to get away. Well, what if you could skip all the lines, jet lag, and time spent traveling and enjoy something new at home?  Putting the money and effort that you would spend on a week-long vacation in, let’s say, Florida, into a state-of-the-art home theater system from Gramophone could be just what you’ve been searching for!

 

Understanding your spaces

Before you go out and buy anything new for your soon-to-be paradise, you need to first understand the “flow” of your room; and by flow I mean the feeling, design, and layout of your space.  

Scale and proportion should be the first properties examined.  You want to have the size of your furniture and accessories comparable to the size of your room (scale).  Don’t go out and purchase an extreme Lazy-Boy fold out sectional for a 10’ x 10’ room. It just won’t fit and you may start to feel like a character in Alice in Wonderland and her crazy encounters with the shrinking potion.  

Proportion is also important because it measures the size of one object against another.  For example, if you decide to purchase a B&W CM 9 floorstanding speakers, don’t pair them with a small television.  The proportion of your room will be unbalanced.

Next it’s important to put some thought into where you would like to place your television, that is if, if you decide to  reorganize. Sitting too close to your TV can be nauseating (no one really likes sit in the front row of the movie theater), but sitting too far away may force you to lean forward, putting strain on your back. The ideal distance (oh, the separation anxiety!) should be twice the width of the TV itself. Keeping this simple formula in mind can make for a much more comfortable environment! 


Finally, you should consider the traffic flow of your space.  Are many people coming in and out of the room? Would it be bothersome to you if they crossed your viewing area?  Maybe the fireplace is the central focus of your room.  If so, consider placing your TV above it so to keep the room balanced or integrating your television into a work of personal art, such as those produced by Vision Art, also sold at Gramophone.

 

The gadgets you’ll need

Gramophone can provide you with all of your home theater needs, from the interior design of your room (seating and lighting) to the set up of the speakers and television.  If, however, you are looking for a simple, yet impressive upgrade, consider simply purchasing a decent television and a right and left channel speaker set. The Sharp 70-inch flat panel television is a great LED television for rooms with lots of natural light. The matte screen suppresses reflection and the network jack includes built-in wifi. The Synchrony One Tower speaker set by PSB delivers excellent sound quality for both film and music recordings. Being a pair of freestanding speakers, the Synchrony One’s timeless and sleek design is a perfect start-up set that can easily be added onto.      

Putting it all together

Now that you’ve got your ideal staycation spot in your home, it’s time to take your at-home paradise outdoors! Follow these links to read about how to throw a bangin’ pool party or an amped up movie night, all with products sold at Gramophone!