John Sciacca

There are lots of cool aspects to my job as a custom installer, but my favorite is installing home theater systems. And when designing a surround system with a customer, one of the first discussions is whether they should go with a direct-view, flat-panel display or with a two-piece projection system. Sometimes this choice is obvious; either due to room size, budget, aesthetic demands, or some construction issue that dictates one over another. Other times it becomes a gray area.

Last month’s blog detailed the first part of the process of installing new speakers. Since planning before cutting is a massive part of retrofitting new speakers, I focused on making sure you could actually install speakers where you want. This involved determining the best wiring route to the new speakers and ensuring the route was clear of any obstacles like wall purlins.

One of the great things about the Eureka Park section of CES is that you can stumble across the cool new ideas that have yet to make it to market. Such is the case with LifeDoor, designed by a former firefighter to protect his family.

What you are looking at here is Marantz’s new flagship pre-amp/processor, the AV8805. It also happens to be the next pre-amp I’m planning on buying for my personal AV rig! Read on to find out what this beast has under its hood….