Audio Advice, with locations in Raleigh and Charlotte, is the premier home entertainment provider and systems integrator in North Carolina and was named Best Specialty A/V Retailer in the United States by TWICE Magazine. We’ve won the Metro Bravo award for best place to buy a home media system every time since the creation of this prestigious Triangle area award. Since 1978 we have served our clients as both a retailer and custom systems installer. Over the years, we have continually expanded product offerings and services as the home entertainment industry has changed. Audio Advice has grown from stereo retailing to providing home theater, home contol, high performance audio, shading, and lighting control. Home security and computer networking are also part of our wide range of installation and integration services. The level of performance we provide for our retail, homeowner, and builder partners has earned us a reputation second to none.
We are committed to good corporate citizenship, with an emphasis on energy conservation and environmental responsibility in our work. We have won more local and national awards than any other provider in the Carolinas. Our mission is to deliver unparalleled experiences and solutions to our customer every single day.
If you are interested in how Audio Advice products and services can enhance your home and your life, please check here about how to work with us.
A view inside our Raleigh store
Our History
Audio Advice turned 34 years old in 2012. Here is a brief overview of some of our changes and a look at where we are now for our long time friends and first time visitors.
A Service Emphasis
For 34 years Audio Advice has served our clients as both a retailer and custom systems installer. Leon Shaw founded Audio Advice in 1978, and grew the company to be renowned in the Carolinas for high performance audio. His passion for great sound and video has fueled our growth as the leading provider of home entertainment systems in the Carolinas and gained access to the finest products and brands worldwide. From the beginning, Leon’s focus on customer service has set Audio Advice apart. Today as Chairman of the Board, Leon continues to place a top priority on great customer service, and has learned techniques from a variety of sources. He attended the Walt Disney School of Customer Service twice, each time bringing back ideas to help improve customer relations. “It can be as simple as bringing a lunch to a client at their home],” he says. Or it can be something more complex, and even more remarkable to the customer. “We had a client whose system went down during a lightning storm with guests at his house,” recalls Leon. “We were able to dial into his system while we were on the phone with him and correct the problem instantly.”
A Systems Approach
Adding additional expertise is Leon’s partner, Scott Newnam, company President and CEO. Prior to joining Audio Advice, Scott was CEO of a multi-million dollar software company that sold interactive technology to television networks and cable and satellite companies. His company won an Emmy Award for their technology work on DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket. With a Harvard Business School background and experience leading his own software company, Scott brought Audio Advice unmatched experience in system building and delivery. A passionate consumer himself of home entertainment and home automation systems, Scott has led the Audio Advice initiative in designing and delivering music distribution and home automation systems. Our most notable development is our flagship Signature Series home automation system. It’s designed to be the best of its kind and has been featured in numerous publications.
Scott started focus groups to learn exactly what people wanted in a home control system. Every single new version of our Signature Series goes through hundreds of hours of beta testing by Scott in his own home to make sure its perfect before we release it. You can read more about our Signature system in our blog: Audio Advice Signature System
Scott also provides systems orientation to Audio Advice service principles. This approach is demonstrated in the Audio Advice facilities including a mini-home area integrated with our products, three system design conference rooms, and a high tech staging area for testing systems before they leave the facility. Before joining Audio Advice, Scott surveyed retail and installation businesses, concluding: “Customers want you in and out of their homes quickly,” noting that this is something companies often overlook. “Integrating and testing the product before it leaves your facility allows you to get in and out of a customer’s home more quickly with less opportunity for error. Ultimately this provides a better product and better experience for the customer.”
“Leon and the team at Audio Advice have built one of the greatest companies in the Triangle, and the country for that matter” says Scott. “As home systems become more complex, the research, design, skills, and processes to build and deliver them become more complex as well. We think our expertise provides our clients with the best systems and experience in the market. We use our scale and resources to deliver unmatched solutions providing better sound, video and reliability.”
Scott Newnam, President and CEO, Leon Shaw, Founder and Chairman
Full Range of Technology
With the 2007 acquisition of Premier Security, Audio Advice now incorporates the complete range of home technology needs with our award winning audio and video solutions. In addition to security systems, these services include providing structured cabling and networking, intercom systems, phone systems, and central vacuum systems.
“Premier Security was the leader in its field, which is why we sought them out. We feel our combined expertise can provide our clients better systems than anyone in the market,” says Leon. “All aspects of home audio, video, networking and security are becoming more and more integrated. We always believed if we could design these systems from the ground up, our clients would receive greater value.”
Staying Ahead of Trends
Audio Advice has always paid close attention to the ever changing consumer electronics industry. Audio Advice was one of the very first companies in the south to offer home automation and lighting control. When computer audio emerged, Audio Advice was one of the first dealers in the entire country to begin educating customers and offering equipment in this area. Our founder and chairman, Leon Shaw spends hundreds of hours a year researching and testing out potential new products in his own home. You’ll find reviews of many of his tests in the blog section of our website.
Audio Advice is also a certified electrical contractor, something many audio and video dealers are not. From a service standpoint this means we can pull electrical wiring for your new flat screen without you having to coordinate a separate electrician, and it allows us to instantly troubleshoot electrical based issues interfering with sound or video quality. Employee training in all areas is key, and Leon notes training is continual, with 40 hours per year the goal for each person.
Commitment to Service
The real key to Audio Advice success, however, is dedication to customer service. The commitment to serving clients’ needs begins at the top. In 2007 Leon stepped up to the position of Chairman so he could spend more time doing what he loves to do best: helping our customers.
Just like at our beginning in 1978, everything at Audio Advice remains aimed at providing great customer experiences, and getting clients to love the world of home entertainment as much as Leon does. “While growing has been a lot of fun, over the years it put me in the office too much with operations. I now have more time to do my two favorite things; play with the toys I love and write blogs about them!,” he says. “Our goal as a company is to make home entertainment systems easy enough for your grandmother to use. I’m more excited now about our future than I have been in the last 30 years!”
