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Products |
| Why do you offer the particular products you offer? | Global warming. Sorry - that seems like a no contest answer to so many questions these days, try looking at our Products Section. |
| Why don't you just have one of each product then? | See our Products Section. |
| You do Vantage for integrated lighting control, why did you pick them? | The most desirable Vantage features are flexibility and options. For example, the system can be operated by simply touching a single button to open a garage door, to light a pathway through the mud-room, the central hall and kitchen, for those late night arrivals. Another button could be programmed to do all this, plus fire up the spa and fireplace, while creating ambient mood lighting in other rooms to suit your taste. Similar pathway sequences could be set up on daughter's switch plate to light the way to the washroom at 10% brightness. Vantage can be integrated to operate with the security system by flashing all lights inside or outside the house, or turning all lights on full, if an alarm situation occurs. Vantage also has a built in sun nevus, meaning it knows if it is dark or light outside, and a built in "smart away" mode that randomly turns on lights while you are away, without the lights being on at 6PM in August, or 5AM in December. The options are limitless, and easy to change because any single button on any single switch can operate any amount of lighting or switched devices. The switches themselves are elegant, and available in a wide variety of styles, with custom engraving of their specific function right on the backlit button. |
| Do you carry new home rough-in kits for in ceiling speakers? | Yes we do. We have the Speakercraft line. |
| I am looking for a Philips-Pronto style Home Theatre Remote and I was wondering if you had one. | We do not generally stock the Philips pronto. We do have the Theatre Master MX3000, which is a cooler product. We also have the Theatre Master MX 950 another programmable learning remote that has for some, advantages over a primarily touch screen based interface. We also have the more powerful Niles IntelliControl and the full complement of Crestron touch screens. |
| Do you guys carry any of these products or do I have to go through the Manufacturer? So long and thanks for all the fish. | What products? If you mean the products we list in our yellow pages ad here in Calgary yes we carry them all. Have a good fish! |
| I am looking for a short (1 foot) interconnect cable, that connects my Walkman to the computer; they both have the same socket, so the cable should have the same plug at both ends. I cannot find this cable at the local store. Please can you advise me if y | We carry the largest and most complete line of cables in the City. We also custom manufacture anything we don't stock. The answer is yes! |
| Hi everybody, my question has to do with DVD players, which I'm looking into at this time. I'm looking for a simple and relatively inexpensive machine and I'm wondering about the qualities of the various makes out there. Is there is broad difference? What | A Panasonic would be our first choice. Check out their Web site for specifics, but just so you know, there is always a reason to go up, but even their entry-level units are very good. The main differences these days will be in respect to the progressive scan and multi-disc options. If your TV is progressive scan, you need a progressive scan player to exploit your TV's advantages in picture performance. If not, and you don't see making a change in sets soon, ignore this option. If the ability to use one player for all of your disc playback needs excites you then a multi-disc player is the best option. |
Hello. Automation scares me. I love the idea of having my home welcome me home with lights coming on before I enter the space. I understand the financial benefits of having my home’s HVAC systems turned on and off at the right time too. But it all seems so sdfasdf asdf
| Let’s see if we can help with a simple explanation.
If this doesn’t clear it all up for you, just give us a call! |
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Store |
| What's the deal with the Monty Python skits when I'm on hold at the store? | Because we think it's funny. Music is wonderful, but bad radio ads, elevator music or slick ads for the store you just called leaves most of us longing for voice mail! Sure some Python is a bit rude, or even off color, but if you can't laugh at an embarrassing noise or Olympic being eaten by a crocodile once in a while, is life really worth living? |
| I've also noticed veiled references to Python skits on your web site, in your ads and in your store's literature. It seems like for your entire history there has been a running gag surrounding the Python "experience". | You are paying attention aren't you! |
| Why do you offer the particular products you offer? | See our Products Section. |
| What’s with the 5 large hands on the outside of your building? | You mean
DREAM
By
DEREK MICHAEL BESANT
Derek Michael Besant was born in Fort Macleod, Alberta. He received his education at the University of Calgary and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Besant is one of Canada's prolific and well-known international artists who has been an innovative force in the fields of printmaking, video, sculpture, and painting. In addition to his career as an artist, he was also an instructor at the Alberta College of Art. Being an international artist, Besant resides both in Calgary, Alberta and Central Mexico.
With Besant's award-winning career, a number of high-profile commissions have resulted in some well-known and recognized works. Works such as the landmark Flatiron Building mural in downtown Toronto and large scale installations in New York. In 1987, Besant was quoted as saying that he works toward, "an impression built out of experience that is put together in a way by very pedestrian, recognizable images
In 2003, our shop was selected, to be a canvas for his latest work. Derek, chose our site in part, because it was so challenging. He spent some time immersing himself in our vibrant area, aware of his surroundings in a way only artists seem to be. He was caught up in the energetic positive bustle and noise of a warm evening on our street when he noticed a couple pass by, jubilantly signing to each other, caught up in silent conversation. His inspiration was born at that moment.
He decided on a work, which would spell out the word “Dream” in sign language. Most outdoor city sculptures encourage viewers to place themselves outside the actual physical space. i.e. stress, business, noise, pollution. So often, public art exists in contradiction to this state. That is, dreams versus reality. The scale is large, and meant to convey a positive message to all. The hands mimic the gestures of all people who walk and talk during their activities on our street. This piece is made even more meaningful by it’s placement on our building, an electronics shop with the aim of creating a suspended reality or dream like state. Very nice use of Sign language and auditory meaning.
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| Do you have a division in Edmonton? | No, sorry just in Calgary. We do make the trip to install and service electronics we have sold on a regular basis though. |
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Troubleshooting |
| I'm not getting any sound from my stereo. |
Is everything plugged into power?
Is everything turned on?
On the Receiver (usually the biggest box in the bunch), is the source you want to listen to selected? i.e. if you want to listen to a CD, is CD selected as the source?
On some models of Receiver, there are buttons to turn on the speakers. Usually it says something like "Speaker A", "Speaker B", with a button or two next to the labelling. Are the speakers you want to listen to turned on? You may have turned them on once when you first bought your gear, but sometimes the button gets moved or bumped inadvertently.
Some receivers have a button called "Tape Monitor", or "Tape 2". This button is used when recording on a tape or other device. It allows you to listen to what is being recorded. However, if you are NOT recording and this button is active, you may not hear anything at all!
Are the speakers connected to the Receiver? Don't assume, look and make sure, the cat may have been back there!
Is the volume turned up?
Okay, still no sound? Time to call us. |
| I put a CD into my DVD player and I can't get any sound. | Did you select CD as a source on the Receiver? If you did, try selecting DVD as a source. N.B. The source selector indicates the device being used, not the type of disc. |
| I bought a new DVD player, and connected it myself. I get sound, but my system tells me I am not getting Dolby Digital, it just plays Pro-logic. What's wrong? | Most DVD players come with minimal cabling, usually a red, yellow, and white RCA cable. This setup will give analog audio only and not a very good analog audio since the cables are usually inexpensive. Wondering what the other jacks on the back of your DVD are for? We advise that it is best to hook up a DVD player to a receiver using good quality cables, and you will need at least two of them. One cable is needed for video, and one for digital audio. The digital audio cable may be either a fibre optic cable, or an RCA cable depending on the equipment (yes, we too wish the industry would standardize so every piece of gear would use the same stuff!!! Grrrr...). Check the back of the DVD and the Receiver to see which type you need. Your Receiver or TV may also be capable of taking a component or S-video connection, which would also improve the video quality. Some DVD players require you to select the digital audio output in the setup menu, while others, usually older ones, require that you select the digital audio in their menu (Old copies of "The Fifth Element" for instance). |
| I have a digital cable box and a VCR. I programmed my VCR to record "CSI" last night, and it didn't record or recorded the wrong channel. What happened? | If the Cable TV signal is hooked to the cable box only, the VCR will be unable to tune the channel. To record, turn on the VCR and the TV and the cable box, making sure that you can see the channel that you wish to record after selecting the VCR input on your TV. Now program the VCR to record at the appropriate time using its current setting. Turn off the TV, BUT leave the cable box turned ON, and be sure not to change the channel on the cable box. |
| I read your Bi-Wiring tip and am still a bit fuzzy on exactly how a pair of cables can be changed at the speaker to yield anything different in sound. I do not understand how the signal from the "single" source, such as the LEFT FRONT, + (red) output from | Let me try to do a little better job of describing what happens in Bi-Wiring. In bi-wiring 4 speaker cables are used, a pair for upper or high frequencies and a pair for low frequencies. They are common terminated at the amplifier. In other words the two positive leads are combined at the amp output as are the two negative leads.
The one signal from the source amplifier arrives at the speaker terminal, in any speaker combination. You know this; your question pertains to what happens next.
If the signal arrives at a non bi-wire able speaker, the signal is processed through a crossover which splits the frequencies within the signal and routes them to the respective driver in the speaker that the signal will be best reproduced by (according to the designers wishes). That is why a crossover is some times referred to as a dividing network.
So, we know that the signal is actually divided up between the individual drivers or speakers within each speaker cabinet by the crossover, regardless of type of speaker (assuming a non-monopole speaker like a full range electrostatic or big mono driver Tannoy etc.).
In removing or installing the jumpers which are located between the common poles (the two plus are together and the two minus are also together) the path through the speakers¹ crossover is changed. With the jumpers out, and 4 bi-wire cables attached the path is shorter, and via fewer sound altering and robbing components (slightly different from manufacturer to manufacturer) thus yielding a sonic improvement. |
| I have a simple question. I have a 50" big screen television (7 years old). I did not purchase the screen protector (the vinyl clear cover). I just noticed that it has fingerprints on the front of it and I cannot get them off. So far I have been diligent | You could use a mild detergent, but it will leave some residue. I would recommend an actual lens cleaning product. Monster Cable makes Screen Clean, which produces stellar results, and you can then take care of that screen you are look at right now as well… |
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