THE CONNECTED LIFE

October/November 2024 is the final print issue of Sound & Vision, which, sadly, also means this will be the end of this column. For 21 years I’ve had the privilege of sharing some advice and anecdotes in this space, and for this last column, I thought I’d take a look back on some of the highlights over the years and get a bit personal. And the best place to start is at the beginning…

It is with no hyperbole that I say that home theater changed my life.

I was working as a golf professional at a private club in Northern California when I first experienced a surround sound system in a home. One friend’s dad bought a JBL audio system called Music + Movies which included a basic 5.1-channel audio system, and another friend brought over his dad’s Pioneer laserdisc player with the movie Speed.

From the opening seconds where the creaks, rattles, and groans of elevator cables could be heard around the room, I was blown away. I had no idea it was possible to have such a cinematic experience in your home, and I was hooked. I started reading every magazine I could about home theater, namely Home Theater, Stereo Review, Video, and Audio Video Interiors. I visited all the high-end audio stores in the San Francisco Bay Area where my eyes were opened to what was possible in high-end home theater.

After a ton of research, I purchased a Yamaha receiver (RX-V2090) and Dolby Digital demodulator (DDP-1), which was a far cheaper combination compared to the Lexicon and Meridian gear I had been looking at, and modified an old Carver laserdisc player to output the digital RF signal and I watched every Dolby Digital laserdisc available, and it quickly became clear to me that Dolby Digital – or AC-3 as it was known then – was going to be the next big thing, but no one was talking about it. So, I wrote up a review of the movie Heat, highlighting all the best Dolby Digital audio moments, and I faxed it to Home Theater’s editor, Rob Sabin, to see if he would be interested in publishing.

He wasn’t. But, a few months later, Rob reached out to me and had me write some feature posts for him, and my nascent audio/video writing career was born!

In doing all this research, I came to another conclusion. It was time to move on from the golf business and start a new career as a custom installer. I knew that CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design Installation Association) was at the forefront of this industry, so I found several CEDIA companies in areas where my wife and I would want to live, and in 1998 we moved cross-country and I took a job at Custom Theater and Audio in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, where I still work.

However, I had no idea about actually being a custom installer – and had never even been on a construction site before! But owner, Allen Ryals, liked my passion for the business, and I was quick to learn. Pulling wire through attics and crawl spaces, connecting racks of electronics, cutting out and installing speakers, programming keypads and remotes, and getting to play with components I couldn’t afford myself. I loved it.

In 1999 Stereo Review and Video magazines merged into Sound & Vision, and the founding editor, Bob Ankosko, felt there was something to this whole custom installation thing that he should be covering. When he brought Rob Sabin on as an editor, Rob remembered that I had some writing skills and happened to be working as a custom installer, and he asked if I would be interested in doing a monthly column on the subject.

I felt like I won the lottery.

In 2003, my first The Custom Installer column ran titled, “5.1 Things You Should Know Before Going with a Custom Installer.” And I’ve written a column for every issue of Sound & Vision since. I sincerely thank the entire line of Sound & Vision editors-in-chief – Bob Ankosko, Mike Mettler, Rob Sabin, Al Griffin, Mark Henninger – for continuing to see some value in my contribution and letting me continue with columns, features, and reviews over the years.

There is something pretty amazing about going into a store and seeing a magazine on the shelf with your article in it. Or, even better, seeing someone taking the time to read something you’ve written.

Over the past 21 years, we’ve covered so many changes in this amazing industry. We’ve seen the emergence of flat panel displays, the transition from DVD (480p), to HD (720p/1080i), to Blu-ray (1080p), to UltraHD (4K HDR), the introduction of the iPod and how digital music changed home audio distribution, the rapid rise (and fall!) of 3D, the introduction of smartphones and control apps and how they changed home automation systems, the advancement from 5.1-channel Dolby Digital systems to 16-plus-channel Dolby Atmos systems, the transition from physical media to streaming, the importance of a robust home network, the proliferation of quality soundbar solutions, and so much more.

Early on, we decided the “voice” of my column should be friendly and approachable, as if I were your knowledgeable industry insider who shared the tips you really needed to know. To that end, I’ve written many “how to” posts on subjects like mounting a TV and projector, retrofitting wiring in walls, shopping for your next display, setting-up multi-room audio/video systems and A/V receivers, selecting a custom installer for your project, putting together a tool kit, and caring for your system. Once, I did an online “Tip of the Week” blog with 52 different tips doled out over the course of a year! I even dispelled some famous “Urban Legends,” such as that the gas leaks out of a Plasma display, you are missing part of the picture in a letterboxed movie, and that all TVs are set for their best picture out of the box.

Every good system starts by getting the fundamentals correct, meaning proper wiring and correct speaker and display placement. I wrote many columns discussing room and system design. In those, I have covered the processes I go through when designing systems with clients, how to decide between a projector and flat panel, the top design mistakes I see people making over and over, and other bits of advice I’ve gathered from the hundreds of installation projects I’ve been involved with.

A few of my biggest tips: Prewire for everything (a wire you aren’t using today might be a lifesaver tomorrow!), leave a conduit if possible, use more speakers in larger areas, buy the best sub(s) you can, plan for system serviceability, get the bigger screen size, and don’t be budget blind.

My column often echoed what I was seeing and experiencing in my daily work at my CI job. Over the years, the focus has become less about audio/video and more about automation and control. While whole-house audio distribution is still one of our biggest requests, our company’s fastest growth areas are lighting and shading control, and designing robust Wi-Fi networks.

Beyond this column, writing for Sound & Vision has opened many incredible opportunities, such as getting to visit manufacturer facilities, and attend CEDIA, CES, and other trade shows multiple times over the years. I’ve also been able to meet some amazing industry icons like “Father of Home Theater” Theo Kalomirakis, and company founders like Sandy Gross, Noel Lee, Sam Runco, Joel Spira, and many more.

John with Sam Runco

I was also fortunate enough to work with features editor, Mike Gaughn, for many years which resulted in some amazing experiences. I’ve been able to attend ISF (Imagine Science Foundation) and THX certification classes, I’ve visited Dolby Laboratories, THX, George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch three times. I was able to spend a weekend with a $300,000 Aston Martin DBS (under the guise of “reviewing” the Bang & Olufsen sound system!). But the most amazing experience was getting to spend an overnight aboard the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier – including an arrested landing and catapult launch off the flight deck! – to write about the on-board systems used to entertain troops while on deployment. (We wanted to do something similar about the White House and/or Air Force One systems, but were never able to make it happen…)

Every time I run into Rob Sabin, who I lovingly refer to as “The Robfather,” and who now serves as editor-in-chief at ProjectorCentral.com, at a tradeshow or event, I thank him for giving me a chance and opportunity all those years ago. Without Rob opening that door, I might still be working in the golf business. (Shudder….)

But, ultimately, I would like to say a sincere “Thank you!” to everyone that has read and followed this column over the past 21 years! If not for you, the reader and subscriber, this would not have been possible. I hope that you were able to gather something useful and maybe even have a few laughs over the years. And if you ever find yourself near my showroom or see me at an event, please say hello!

As my wife said when I told her the column was coming to an end, “You’ve had a great ride.” I sure have!