Brands
Audio Video & Smart Home Brands We Install in the Portland Metro
Savant, Lutron, Sonos, Episode, Sony, Samsung and the rest of the gear we trust. Every brand on this page is one we've put into real homes and businesses, and you'll find most of them in our case studies.
21 brands6 kinds of gear20 years installing in Oregon
How we choose gear
We recommend what fits, whatever the brand
Our focus is on the customer, not on moving boxes. So the gear we suggest comes down to three questions.
Have we installed it ourselves?
Every brand here has gone into real Portland-area homes and businesses. The directory below links each one to the work.
Will it work with the rest of the system?
Speakers, amps, screens and controls have to play together. A Savant panel can run Lutron lights; Sonos can stream through an Episode amp.
Does it fit the room and the budget?
A 145-inch theater and a Frame TV with two in-wall speakers need different gear. We give you options at a few price points.
Brands in real installs
What actually went into our projects
Scroll through six jobs and watch the gear behind each one light up, from the network to the speakers.
Episode Signature 7 Series speakers in a 5.2.4 Atmos layout, a Marantz Cinema 50, a Sony 4K laser projector and a 145-inch Dragonfly screen.
Read the case studySavant control for eight audio zones, a 7.2 theater with a Sony 4K projector and Marantz power, and Araknis networking with an Episode amp in the rack.
Read the case studySonos streams through an Episode 4-zone 70V amp to Episode pendant, in-ceiling and patio speakers, all run from an iPad on an iPort wall station.
Read the case studyOne brand, one very big screen: a 250-pound, 115-inch TCL display we sold and installed above the checkout counter.
Read the case studyA 55-inch Samsung The Frame, two Episode Signature 8-inch in-wall speakers on a Sonos Amp, and a Sonos Sub 4.
See more from the fieldFloor-to-ceiling Primacoustic slat panels over rock wool and particle board, to quiet a wall shared with a taphouse.
Read the case studyNetwork
Control
Amps & streaming
Speakers & subs
Picture
Room & security
4 brands in this project
The directory
Every brand we install, and where you'll see it
Crimson tags link to the case studies where the brand was used. Gray tags go to the matching service.
Control & automation
The brains of the system: what you actually touch to run the lights, music, TV and shades.
SavantSmart home installation
Whole-home control on touch panels, a remote and an app: music, theater, lighting, climate and locks from one place.
URCUniversal remotes
Programmable remotes and control for single rooms and simpler systems, set up so one remote runs the TV, sound and streaming.
LutronLighting control & shades
Lighting scenes, schedules and keypads, plus motorized shades with motors rated at 25 dB and a 3 to 5 year battery option.
Speakers & audio
In-wall, in-ceiling, outdoor and theater speakers, the subs under them, and the electronics that drive them.
EpisodeCustom-install speakers & amps
From Signature in-walls and theater speakers to commercial pendants and 70V amps. The speaker line you'll see most in our case studies.
SonosSonos installer
Wireless streaming audio. We use Sonos Amps to drive in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, and Sonos soundbars and subs around the TV.
MarantzAV receivers
The receivers and amplification behind our theaters, like the Cinema 50 powering the 5.2.4 Dream Theater.
KEFSpeakers
British speakers with a reputation for hi-fi sound, including in-wall and in-ceiling models for rooms where you want the music and not the boxes.
Origin AcousticsArchitectural speakers
In-wall, in-ceiling and outdoor speakers designed to disappear into the room or the landscape.
SVSSubwoofers
Subwoofers for theaters and media rooms, for the low end you feel as much as hear.
RELSubwoofers
British subwoofers that blend into a music or movie system.
TVs, projectors & screens
From a 43-inch Frame TV to a 145-inch projection screen, mounted and set up right.
SonyTVs & projectors
4K TVs and projectors, including the 4K laser projector in the Dream Theater and the 4K projector in the Savant media room.
SamsungTVs
The Frame for rooms where the TV should look like art, and the S95F OLED with its anti-glare screen for bright rooms.
TCLLarge-format TVs
Big screens at sensible prices, up to the 250-pound, 115-inch display we installed at PDX.
LGTVs
OLED TVs with deep blacks for living rooms and media rooms.
EpsonProjectors
Projectors for media rooms and theaters where a TV just isn't big enough.
DragonflyProjection screens
Projection screens, like the 145-inch screen under the star ceiling in the Dream Theater.
Network & security
Every streaming speaker, TV and touch panel depends on the network. Cameras and doorbells ride on it too.
Araknis NetworksRouters, switches & access points
Networking built for AV systems, mounted in the rack, like the Araknis gear at the top of the Savant home's rack.
eeroMesh Wi-Fi
Mesh Wi-Fi that's simple to run, a good fit for homes that don't need a full rack.
RingDoorbells & cameras
Video doorbells and cameras you can check from your phone.
Luma SurveillanceSecurity cameras
Surveillance cameras and recorders for homes and businesses that want more than a doorbell.
Acoustics
Sometimes the fix is in the room, not the gear.
PrimacousticAcoustic panels
Acoustic panels, like the floor-to-ceiling slat wall we built to quiet a clinic lobby next to a taphouse.
Also in our installs
iPort wall stations for iPad control, Flexson mounts for Sonos Amps, Roku for simple streaming, and HDMI ARC extenders to carry TV sound back to the rack.
Looking for something else?
We've also sold Denon, Klipsch, Sanus and Binary over the years. If you have a brand in mind, ask. We'll tell you honestly whether it fits the job.
What smart home system brands do you install?
Savant for whole-home control, URC for remotes and simpler systems, and Lutron for lighting control and motorized shades.
Which speaker brands do you install?
Episode, KEF and Origin Acoustics speakers, SVS and REL subwoofers, and Sonos for streaming. Which one fits depends on the room, how it will be used and the budget. See multi-room audio.
Which TV and projector brands do you install?
TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony and TCL, projectors from Sony and Epson, and Dragonfly projection screens. See custom home theater.
Can brands from different companies work together?
Yes, and most of our systems mix them. The 808 Grinds restaurant runs Sonos through an Episode commercial amp, and the Dream Theater pairs Episode speakers with a Marantz receiver, a Sony projector and a Dragonfly screen.
Do you sell the equipment too?
Yes. We supply and install the gear, like the 115-inch TCL display we sold and installed at Portland Gear in PDX. Quotes are free.
Services
Where this gear goes to work
Custom Home Theater
Dedicated theaters, media rooms and Dolby Atmos.
View service 02Multi-Room Audio
Different music in every room, each at its own volume.
View service 03Universal Remote
One remote that runs the whole system.
View service 04Outdoor Audio/Video
Speakers and screens for the patio, pool and backyard.
View service 05Home Wiring
Structured wiring, all run back to one panel.
View service 06Control Keypads
Wall keypads and touchscreens for every room.
View service 07Network & Wi-Fi
Whole-home Wi-Fi with no dead zones.
View service 08Lutron Automated Lighting
Scenes, schedules, and lights that follow the sun.
View service 09Lutron Automated Shades
Quiet 25 dB motors that open and close with the sun.
View service
Free quote
Not sure which gear is right?
Tell us about the room and what you want it to do. We'll recommend the gear that fits, at a few price points, with no sales pressure.
Serving Hillsboro, Beaverton, Portland and the greater Portland metro.