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Systems Simplify Technology

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      Imagine working with a company that cares about how the products look and blend in with your home decor and at the same time keeping the system simple to use, followed up with excellent customer service. Ensuring that happens for his clients is the promise of Ty Coleman, president of Charlotte’s own Audio Video Architechs.”

      “The systems that we install might look very complex when you look in your equipment cabinet, but at the same time, we want our clients to be able to walk into a room and use the remote easily,” he explains. “Whether your technology system is $4,000 or $40,000, if it’s so complicated to use that it’s not worth having.” That’s a refreshing relief for homeowners whose family rooms are cluttered with myriad remotes to operate audio and video devices they may not even own anymore, while the one that does work is hopelessly lost.

      Coleman and his staff at Audio Video Architechs are able to accomplish that goal because before they talk about products, they take the time to focus on clients. “We listen to what their needs are and then educate them about the products that fit those needs,” he explains. In a field where some bombard buyers with technical specifications and jargon that don’t make much sense to the average consumer, AV Architechs takes a step back to look at the bigger picture. “We provide technology solutions for our clients’ homes, rather than just selling a particular device. All of the products we do sell are quality brand pieces, and we pick and choose them very carefully so we have options that are focused on aesthetics and ease of use and followed up with excellent customer service.”

      That’s comforting because there are so many choices out there. “Most people recognize names like BOSE and Sony, but there are lots of other products that can be blended in different ways to create systems that may work much better for their needs. For example, we have invisible speakers that blend right into the sheetrock, so you can’t see them. There are lighting control systems that reduce the wall clutter of multiple switches and replace it all with a single, simple control. At the same time, people don’t have to automate their entire house to get those benefits. We can give them just enough lighting control to give them a sense of security, by perhaps lighting a path from the driveway into the house, so they never come home to a dark house. We educate people about what the products can do and about what it makes sense to do in their home,” Coleman says.

      While the company offers complete design, sales, and installation, “we don’t just deal with big jobs,” Coleman emphasizes. “If a client needs a pair of speakers for their patio or just wants to upfit existing equipment, we welcome the opportunity to help.”

      Coleman’s philosophy probably has its roots in his own passion for the field: when offered a choice between a new TV or a stereo at age 13, he opted for the stereo, and a love of stateof- the-art audio was born. “As soon as I had my own car and could drive at 16, I had my own company and went around installing stereo systems,” he recalls. He founded Clubtrax, Inc. in 1988, a firm devoted to designing and installing professional audio video systems in nightclubs. Then in 1995, he also started working for a local specialty electronics retailer that opened his eyes to the residential side. A few residential jobs blossomed into a demand that spurred him to spin off AV Architechs in 2004 to exclusively handle the needs of discerning residential clients. “I’m very passionate about what I do, and my employees are that way, too. They truly enjoy interacting with clients in the field and enjoy the products. I believe that leaves a lasting impression,” he says. And that impression reverberates each time his clients pick up a remote that actually works as it was intended to – at the touch of a button.