Interview with Michael Fremer (Audio Advice Music Matters Guest, Nov. 18th and Nov. 19th)

Michael Fremer (R) at Music Matters 2008 at our Raleigh showroom, talking with a visitor between sessions

Michael Fremer (R) at Music Matters 2008 at Audio Advice Raleigh showroom, talking with a visitor between sessions

Here’s an interesting interview with Michael Fremer, writer of the Analog Corner column for Stereophile magazine. Michael will be visiting both Audio Advice showrooms for our upcoming Music Matters events: in Raleigh on Nov. 19th, and in Pineville (Charlotte) on Nov. 19th. Michael was a big hit at Music Matters in Raleigh in 2008, and we’re happy that he’s able to be with us again in the Triangle, and in our Charlotte store for the first time. Each Music Matters is scheduled for 6pm to 10pm each evening. Mark your calendars now, and watch here and our Facebook page for more details soon!

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Update: Band Together with Audio Advice, Sat. May 22nd

Band Together Update:  Here are some pictures of the Band Together event last weekend. Thanks to Peter Niemchak and Jim Ankeny for putting in a lot of work to help make it a success.

DPI rear projection on a Stewart Starglas screen

DPI rear projection on a Stewart Starglas screen

Outside the VIP tent

Outside the VIP tent

Flatscreen monitor in the VIP tent

Flatscreen monitor in the VIP tent

Another shot inside the VIP tent

Another shot inside the VIP tent

The downtown crowd at Band Together 2010

The downtown crowd at Band Together 2010

If you are looking for something fun to do this Saturday evening, May 22 2010, Audio Advice is helping out with a charity event called Band Together.  The event takes place in front of the Lincoln Theater in Raleigh and runs from 6-11PM.  Step Up Ministry is the charity being helped out this year by the Band Together event.  They help people with job training, transitional housing, and self-sufficiency.

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Five  acts  will perform, including Michael Franti and Spearhead, One Eskimo, The Old Ceremony, Holy House Tent Revival, and Anoop Desai.  Michael Franti has been performing for over 25 years and recently has become quite the You Tube hit with over 4.5 million views of his latest hit song, “Say Hey”.  Anoop Desai is the Triangle’s own contestant from last year’s American Idol.

Audio Advice is helping in the set up of a very cool VIP area.  We want to thank Digital Projection for loaning us a $70,000 commercial projector.  We are setting this up with a large Stewart rear projection screen to broadcast the performance into the VIP booth.  The picture should be most impressive! We’ll also have a couple of smaller flat panel TV’s set up in the VIP area as well.

We invite you to come out for what should be a great event.  You can learn more or donate at  http://bandtogethernc.org/home/

Leon

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Charlotte Audio Advice Welcome Party

Audio Advice had the grand opening of our Charlotte location on Friday, Feb. 26th and Saturday, Feb. 27th. The two-day event was a big success, with a store full of people both days to meet many of our favorite vendors who attended to help us welcome everyone.

Here are some photos of the crowd on Friday night:

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Companies who were represented included:

Audio Research – Dave Gordon
B&W/Rotel/Classé – Jim Scatena
Control4 – Scott Salzman
Crestron – Joe Laurin
Digital Projection – Matt Moscato
Hill Residential Systems– Kevin Grissler, Jason Feus
Integra – Daryl Jenkins
James Loudspeaker – Keith Parke
Kaleidescape – Rick Lozano, Tim Barnes
Lutron – Maria DeVirgilis
Magnepan – Wendell Diller
Martin Logan – Russell Woolfolk
McIntosh – Ben Van DeKreke
Niles / Chief / Sanus – Dave Robinette
Peachtree Audio (Era/Decco) – David Solomon
Salamander / Panamax – Steve Merritt
Sim2 – Chris Hobbs, Jim Armstrong
Stewart – Steve Merritt
Sumiko – Bill Peugh
Transparent Cable– Brad O’Toole
Universal Remote Control – Bobbie Bradley

Rick Dior of Acoustic Barn Productions in Charlotte was also on hand with a presentation: How Audiophile Recordings are Made.

Thanks to everyone for making our hello to Charlotte so great!

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Charlotte Grand Opening Celebration Update! Fri. Feb. 26 and Sat. Feb 27

Audio Advice Charlotte

Updated Event Presentation Information Below!

Fri., Feb. 26, 6 pm to 9 pm and Sat., Feb. 27, 12 Noon to 6 pm

Music and Home Entertainment Presentation Information

Location: The new Audio Advice showplace

Address: 11409 Carolina Place Parkway, Pineville, NC (former Tweeter building near Carolina Place Mall)

Please RSVP if you plan to attend Friday evening by e-mail to: event@audioadvice.com (or by phone to (704) 821-4510

Friday presentations begin at 6 PM with the last at 8:30 PM. Saturday presentations are in a less structured open house format. Wine and food from Born to Cook will be available Friday evening for you to enjoy between sessions.

Presentations will be every half-hour (unless noted) as shown below. (All presenters may not be present both days, presenters are subject to change.)

Outside Room James Loudspeaker Keith Parke

Station A Peachtree Audio and Era Speakers Jim Spainhour and David Solomon

Station B How Audiophile Recordings Are Made Rick Dior/Acoustic Barn (Friday evening only. Hourly at 6, 7, and 8 PM)

Station C Digital Projection Keith Parke Stewart Filmscreen Steve Merritt Bowers and Wilkins B&W Jim Scatena and Doug Henderson

Station D Magnepan Wendall Diller Sumiko Bill Peugh

Station E Sim2 Chris Hobbs Integra Daryl Jenkins Universal Remote Bobbie Bradley

Station F Control4 Scott Salzman Salamander Steve Merritt

Station G Bowers and Wilkins B&W Jim Scatena and Doug Henderson JL Audio Randy Wagner

Station H Audio Research Dave Gordon Wilson Audio Jerron Marchant Martin Logan Russell Woolfolk Transparent Cable Brad O’Toole

Station I Niles Dave Robinette

Station J Crestron Joe Laurin Lutron Jeff Zemanek, Maria DeVirgilis, Rodgers Hill, Kevin Grissler, Jason Feus

Room K Kaleidescape Rick Lozano Screen Innovations TBD

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Audio Advice Charlotte Grand Opening Celebration, Feb. 26 and Feb. 27

Two days of presentations of the best hi-fi audio, home theater, and home control components and technology. Fri. Feb. 26, 6 pm to 9 pm and Sat. Feb. 27, 12 noon to 6 pm. (See details for each day below.)

The new Charlotte Audio Advice showplace

The new Charlotte Audio Advice showplace

Location: The new Audio Advice showplace
Address: 11409 Carolina Place Parkway, Pineville, NC (the former Tweeter building, near Carolina Place Mall)

Friday, Feb. 26th from 6 pm to 9 pm
A special evening celebrating the pleasures of great music reproduction

The enjoyment of music will be Friday evening’s focus, with representatives from some of the finest high performance audio components and loudspeakers in the world on hand. We will offer presentations of their latest and best offerings every half hour. Born to Cook will provide wine and food for you to enjoy during this special evening.

Please RSVP for Friday evening by e-mail to event@audioadvice.com (or by phone to (704) 821-4510)

Saturday, Feb. 27th, 12 noon to 6 pm
An open house featuring the latest home entertainment technology

The world of home technology is on view Saturday in an open house setting with even more representatives on hand, showing you today’s newest and very best entertainment and automation possibilities for the whole family to enjoy!

Meet audio/video and home technology professionals from :
Audio Research
Bowers and Wilkins B&W
Classé
Control4
Crestron
Digital Projection
Era/Decco
Integra
James Loudspeaker
JL Audio
Kaleidescape
Lutron
Magnepan
Martin Logan
Niles
Panamax
Salamander
Sim2
SpeakerCraft
Stewart Filmscreen
Transparent Cable
Universal Remote
Wilson Audio
(Attendees subject to change)

Register to Win Grand Opening Prize Drawing! (do not need to be present to win)

We look forward to seeing you on Feb. 26th and 27th!

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Home Automation Event Showroom Hours for Nov. 12

IN ORDER TO HOST AN OFFSITE EVENT PRESENTATION, THE AUDIO ADVICE RALEIGH SHOWROOM WILL CLOSE AT 4 PM ON THURSDAY, NOV. 12th. 

We will reopen for our normal showroom hours on Friday, Nov. 13th at 10:00 am.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

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Home for the Holidays / A Special Evening of Home Entertainment

Kitchen Front SmallScott Newnam, Audio Advice President and CEO, will host a special evening at his beautiful Prestonwood home in Morrisville on Thursday, Nov. 12th from 6:30 pm to 9 pm.  We call this evening Home for the Holidays, and we invite you and a guest to join us. Scott uses his home to showcase our latest home entertainment and control innovations, usuallyby appointment only. We’re very excited about some of the new products and system improvementsthat are now available, and we want you to have the chance to experience them in a home setting where all the benefits can be fully appreciated.

 Wine, light food and refreshments will be served, and everything will be shown in a relaxed, low-key atmosphere. We’ll show you the latest upgrades we’ve made to our Signature Series Control System, the most advanced, reliable, and easy to use Crestron home control system now available. 

Experts from Ayre Acoustics, B&W, Classé, James Loudspeakers, McIntosh Labs, Peachtree Audio, Transparent Cable, and Wilson Audio will also be at Scott’s. They’ll talk with you about the new things you’re seeing and hearing throughout the home, and answer your questions.

Because of the evening’s unique home setting, the number of people we can host for the evening is limited, so we ask that you RSVP if you plan to attend as soon as you can, so we can reserve your place. Please RSVP by e-mail to event@audioadvice.com or by phone to (919) 881-2005.  After we receive your RSVP, we will send you directions to Scott’s home.  (As this is an evening at a private residence, we will not be posting directions here on our website. RSVPs by phone should leave either an e-mail address or a mailing address in order to receive directions.)

This evening will be unlike anything Audio Advice has done before, and should be a lot of fun.

We hope you can make plans to be with us at Scott’s home for what promises to be a memorable evening. We look forward to seeing you there.

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Audio Advice in 2009 Raleigh Area Parade of Homes

The Rosemont

Visit The Rosemont, the Bost Custom Homes home at 40 Perfect Moment Drive in Durham, in this year’s Raleigh/Wake County Parade of Homes to see the Audio Advice custom theater installation.

FEATURES

  • Green Built Energy STAR
  • His & hers garage with separate office entry
  • Unique pool with entry overlooking gardens
  • 3-stop view thru elevator
  • 3rd floor club level/Audio Advice custom theatre
  • 1st floor guest suite/cabana bath
  • Sustainable and permanent concrete tile roof
  • Expansive open kitchen, living area
  • Private master covered veranda
  • Natural water treatment gardens & FreeRain

Directions from Raleigh: Take I-540 West until you reach exit 66B for N Carolina 55 W toward Durham. Take exit 66B, turn right at N Carolina 55W. Take the first left onto Green Level to Durham Rd/State Road 1625. Slight left to stay on Green level to Durham Rd/State Road 1625. Slight right at Okelly Chapel Rd/State Road 1628. Continue to follow Okelly Chapel Rd. Turn right at Royal Sunset Drive. Take the 1st left onto Perfect Moment Drive.  Home is at 40 Perfect Moment Drive.

Gipson Parade 09

Reflections 2009 is this year’s Parade of Homes entry from Thomas Gipson Homes, and features an Audio Advice home theater installation. It is located at 6072 Delshire Court in Raleigh.

FEATURES

  • 2 Master Suites
  • 2-story Family Room
  • Home theater
  • Screened porch with Fireplace
  • Stone and Cedar Shake Exterior
  • Triangle Builders Guild Member

Directions: From the intersection of Glenwood Avenue and Creedmoor Road (at Crabtree Valley Mall), go north on Creedmoor approximately 7 miles. Turn right on Norwood Road. Take a left on Charleycote from Norwood, turn right on Stone Kirk from Charleycote, and right on Delshire Court from Stone Kirk. Home address is 6072 Delshire Court.

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Digital Home 2009 – Wednesday, July 1st

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On Wednesday July 1st, Audio Advice got the Fourth of July holiday weekend started early with Digital Home 2009, our 3rd annual event featuring digital components and media. Over 200 people filled the Glenwood Avenue showroom in Raleigh to experience presentations about some of the latest innovations in digital technology, enjoy wine and food from Bella Monica, and to enter a drawing for some great prizes.

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For the first time, the event featured a home control system: Control4. Sharing duties in Control4s two demo areas were Control4 Area Sales Manager Scott Salzman, Southeast Region Sales Manager Kevin Garretson, Vice President of Support Services Paul Williams and Control4 co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Eric Smith. Control4 also provided two HC-200 Home Controllers (won by Cody Allred and Jon Bell) as prizes for our drawing.

No Audio Advice event is complete without great music presentations, and Digital Home 2009 was fortunate to have a pair of outstanding demos dedicated to musical reproduction.

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From Ayre Acoustics, Steve Silverman presented the QB-9 DAC, a component that’s been getting rave reviews in industry publications. In addition to demoing the QB-9, Steve shared tips on how to get the best computer audio reproduction from your system. (We’ve put the info and links given on the handout Steve provided under the heading labeled Ayre Computer Audio Reference here on the blog.)

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Jim Spainhour, co-founder of Signal Path International, presented the Nova, the new integrated amplifier with USB input for computer from Peachtree Audio. This versatile, compact piece produces sound that’s amazing for its size and cost. (The Nova is featured on the cover of the August 2009 issue of Stereophile magazine-the current newsstand edition now available at Audio Advice.) Peachtree generously donated a Nova for our prize drawing, with Kim Fulcher being the lucky winner.

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Jim Scatena from B&W Bowers and Wilkins presented the area debut of the new Panorama soundbar in our unique B&W Group demo room, featuring B&W, Classé, and Rotel speakers and components.

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Finally, Apple was represented at our digital event for the 3rd year and their presentation continued to be very popular with attendees as Shane Page and Josh Spiker from Raleigh’s Apple store shared power-user tips for iTunes.

Thanks again to all of the company reps for such great presentations and to all of you who attended that made Digital Home 2009 such a great success! We look forward to seeing even more of you when we have our annual fall event. Check the blog here for news as soon as we have it.

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Come to Digital Home 2009 – Wed., July 1st (6 pm to 9 pm)

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YOU’RE INVITED to DIGITAL HOME 2009 – JULY 1st

 

On Wednesday, July 1st at our Raleigh, NC showroom,

Audio Advice hosts Digital Home 2009.

Join us from 6 PM to 9 PM and see first hand the ways today’s latest technology improves your life at home.

 

We’ll have special giveaways from vendor participants (see below) and

Bella Monica will provide food and wine to help start the 4th of July weekend early!

 

 

control4-rgb1This year’s event features ease and affordability.  For the first time our annual digital event features a complete home control system: Control4a full-featured, practical, reliable home-automation system at affordable pricing. You can start with a basic system and upgrade over time to fit your lifestyle and your budget. Control4 products install easily in new and existing homes – you don’t have to tear open walls or completely remodel. Control4 home-control solutions can be installed and programmed in a matter of hours or days for you to enjoy right away. You can easily manage lighting, security, music and entertainment in your home without dozens of remotes, a degree in programming or a library of manuals. Control4 brings the interactive future to the present.

 

Two lucky event attendees will each win an HC-200 Home Controller provided by Control4.

 

crestron_logo-210You can also talk with Audio Advice consultants about our Crestron Signature Series home automation system that can take you to another level of control and interactivity. The Crestron Signature Series makes you the beneficiary of hundreds of hours of Audio Advice programming that makes the Signature Series unique among control systems and positions it as the ultimate in home automation solutions.

 

In addition to Control4 and Crestron, Digital Home 2009 will feature several other great presentations for you to enjoy.

 

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B&W will have Jim Scatena in attendance for the premiere of the stylish B&W Panorama soundbar.

The Panorama combines great performance with great design in a single sleek, compact speaker housing. Check out Leon’s blog post for his thoughts on the Panorama.

 

 

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Apple will have representatives sharing iTunes insider tips for having the most fun with your music collection.

 

 

 

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Ayre Acoustics will demonstrate the outstanding new solid-state QB-9 USB DAC with Steve Silberman.

The QB-9 got rave reviews at this year’s CES, and Steve will provide additional insights into digital media.

 

 

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Peachtree Audio will have Jim Spainhour débuting their Nova integrated amplifier – a great compact unit with USB input for your computer. The Nova has digital inputs for sources like Squeezebox, Apple TV, Airport, and XM or Sirius tuners and analog inputs for docking stations, CD players, tape decks or phono preamps. If you want to add a subwoofer or outboard amplifier, the Nova lets you do that as well.

 

Thanks to Peachtree Audio, we have a Nova to give away at evening’s end to a lucky Digital Home attendee!

 

Again, food and wine will be provided by Bella Monica. We hope you’ll attend (and bring guests) to our Raleigh showroom at 8621 Glenwood Ave. (about 1.5 miles east of I-540 and the Angus Barn) on Wednesday July 1st  from 6 PM to 9 PM.  To help us plan, RSVP by e-mail by clicking this link for event@audioadvice.com or call us at (919) 881-2005 and let us know the number of people in your party.  For up-to-date details, check www.audioadvice.com

 

We hope you’ll keep Digital Home 2009 in the front of your mind, and hope to see you on July 1st.

(Even If you forget to RSVP, you’re still invited to join us!)

 

Sincerely,

 

Your friends at Audio Advice

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