Gramophone’s Favorite Things

Got A Second?

We certainly hope so. Our Timonium showroom now features performance packages that are value-engineered to bridge budget and quality. It's our commitment to provide the best products and systems which will exceed your expectations, yet are satisfying to your wallet. Several of our most commonly purchased flat panels are now accompanied by digital signs that show you our price compared to our competitors, and will be regularly updated. Why? We want you to know that you can and should shop at Gramophone for better service, support, and experience all at a reasonable price.

Gramophone is excited to offer a full HD experience complete with 50” 1080p Samsung TV and 5.1 PSB Surround Sound system. A Gramophone system would not be complete without a matching BDI home theater stand, WiFi Blu-Ray Player, Audioquest performance HDMI cables and wiring, along with a Furman Surge Protector.

Use your existing furniture or mount the TV to the wall and the whole system is $2999.  For $3999, use our complete system, including the BDI stand, and this saves you $635 off regular prices. To kick off this promotion, for short period of time, we are including 24 Months No Interest Financing.

What could be better? Professional installation starts at $449 for those who are not up to installing on their own.

Surprised? See It, Live It, Hear It at Gramophone Today!

-Andrew Davis

410-308-1650

Go Outside and Watch Some TV!

There's a move toward the outdoors. It's still springtime and it doesn't get much better than right now. We eat outdoors, we entertain outdoors, we relax outdoors. We've had music outdoors forever. But now we've stepped it up a notch. Now we have outdoor TV! That's right, we no longer have to look in through the window to see how the O's are doing (and not because we already assume they're NOT winning!).

We have TVs - designed for the outdoors that comes in 4 sizes: 23 inch, 32 inch, 46 inch, and 55 inch. They're all weather engineered to protect them from heat, cold, moisture, and insects. They have a heater built in for the cold, so we can leave them up all year round. Extreme temperatures? Not a problem. They'll stand up to temperature ranging from -24 degrees to 122 degrees.

These TVs are all super bright LCD screens and constructed with an anti-glare window so you can easily view them even on the brightest of days.

If you have a deck or a patio or you're thinking about adding one you should consider an outdoor Sunbrite TV. There's no longer any reason to leave one of our favorite sources of entertainment behind when we go outside.

Jeff Hudkins

410-308-1650

It Must Be Magic

I still have to check the price when demonstrating the new Epson Ensemble HD Theater System. We installed this new all-inclusive package in our Timonium showroom less than two weeks ago, and to be honest, I was skeptical of what this system could offer for two reasons:

1. There's tons of ambient light in its new home (just to the left of our front entrance doors).


2. It's unprecedented level of affordability must mean it's lacking something.

With the touch of a single button, the motorized screen drops, the projector turns on, and a DVD starts with simplified audio and a surprisingly bright picture with great color. The system includes:

• an Epson HD projector


• 100" Motorized Screen


• Surround Sound System with powered subwoofer


• Receiver/DVD combo


• Equipment stand


• And, oh, let's not leave out all the needed cables, brackets, and interconnects with a one-touch RF remote.

I figured the system would cost $15,000, but I was wrong. This system is $5999. That's right, I'm not forgetting a 1 in front of the 5,999! Seriously, the only thing I would advise is to add a Blu-ray player with HDMI cable and installation by the Gramophone team (if you're not ready to set it up yourself).

We have sought and found a product that can provide you with a quality solution, which will allow you to enjoy a great home theater system while on a budget. Let it be our little secret. We won't tell your friends and family that you didn't spend three times as much as they will think you did!

Imagine the possibilities...movie nights with family and friends...extreme video game competitions...Rock Band anyone?

Looking for one more reason to make that dream of yours come true? As one of our client advisers how to get 12 months no interest financing on a theater package of your choice.

Andrew Davis

410-308-1650

Going Outside: my new project

This is the year, the year we make the great outdoors even greater.  We love music, and we're excited by the idea of outdoor television and movies.  Our challenge now is making the space fit you and your family.

   


We provide all sorts of solutions and ideas for you to peruse, from our online gallery to our state-of-the-art showrooms.  Let us help you design your great outdoors.

Are these some questions you have?

• Do I want to include a Sunbrite weatherproof TV?
  
• What type of speakers do I want?  Do I want them to fit right in with the surroundings?  Madison Fielding Planters could be one option, but then there are the Speakercraft Rock Speakers. 
  
• Of course, there's always the question of sound quality: James Landscape Series or B&W weatherproof speakers?
• What about if I want to have a party and want to play my music outside the patio?  Should I look into the quality, portable, wireless speakers by Soundcast to use during those times?
• Do I want to go back inside to control the outdoor system?  There are several systems that I could use outside (that are also weatherproof) so I wouldn't end up running in and out of the house: Crestron and Control4 are two of them.
  
• What about when a party goes into the later hours and it gets dark outside?  Should I go with lighting control?  Color Kinetics looks like a great idea, but I'm still not sure.

Let's work together to make this year, the year of the great outdoors!  Give us a call or stop by to speak with sales representatives, designers, engineers & programmers to see what they think is best for you!

Timonium 410-308-1650

Columbia  410-381-2100

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

Electronic House Picks Top TVs of 2008

Gramophone is proud to be the Maryland-area retailer of several of the top TVs of 2008 as picked by the experts at Electronic House. Included in the list of favorites were: 

• Hitachi’s Ultra-Thin Director’s Series UT model 
• Pioneer’s 2009 line of super-dark KURO plasmas 
• Runco’s massive 70-inch LCD 
• Sharp’s special edition Aquos LCD

Pioneer’s New Kuro TVs Prove That Black is Everything

Kuro Plasma TVs from Pioneer Elite set the bar for flat panel displays with extraordinary  color reproduction, clarity and brilliance. No surprise Home Theater Magazine called them “the greatest flat panel ever.” The new line of Elite Kuro TV sets come in both 50” and 60” sizes. For even more advanced performance, the new Elite Signature Series monitors are available to integrate with your high performance home theater system, with simply the best and deepest blacks you’ll find in any TV. We’ll be debuting the new line in Maryland during the Pioneer KURO Tour stopping at both Gramophone showrooms on September 26th and 27th. More details on the tour coming soon.

A Flat TV Stand for Small Spaces

So long, armoires. Flat TV stands are the new must-have furniture piece in any home. But what if your home doesn’t have the space to support a huge TV cabinet? Gramophone furniture supplier,  BDI, has a solution for flat TVs in small spaces. BDI’s new REVO line is an unusual-looking stand with a very small footprint so it can easily fit in any smaller space. It holds a flat TV up to 37”, and has the remarkable ability to spin on its base so you can make viewing easy from any corner of your room.

REVO doesn’t leave any detail overlooked: it has sturdy storage space for four or more components; a removable back panel for easy access to wiring; a built-in cable management system and flow-through ventilation to keep equipment cool.

Fortune Mag Calls Runco Television a $9,000 Bargain

In the warehouse club world where a so-so flat TV can be had for $500 or less, there’s luckily  still a few manufacturers out there more focused on quality and performance than simply building a bigger screen with the cheapest possible parts. Runco is one of them. We’ve been selling Runco TVs for years and there’s no denying they come packed with superior technology, brilliant screens and unbelievable processing power. They also come with hefty price tags, but for a TV connoisseur, it’s all about value. With Runco, you get a great value for your investment. That’s why I was delighted to see an article in Fortune Small Business reviewing the 50” XP-50DHD and declaring the set a $9,000 bargain. You can read the full article here.

Hitachi 1.5 Arrives

I saw a preview of the new Hitachi 1.5 LCD television line at the 2008 CES show in  Las Vegas earlier this year, and now they’ve started arriving in-store. Each model boasts an ultra thin cabinet that’s just 1.5 inches deep. Ultra-thin models are available in four screen sizes of 32, 37, 42 and 47 inches. Hitachi’s designers left no inch of the TVs untouched: inspired by areas as diverse as automotive design, each set boasts clean lines and distinctive aesthetics even on the back of the set.