What are customers saying about AMPED on Angie’s list???

Here are some actual customer reviews. These reviews are 100% unaltered and direct from our clients.

Review Date: October 24, 2014
Description Of Work:
Integrated sound system for the home
Member Comments:
Fantastic job. They had many opportunities to “up sell” us on products by my request, but they were very honest about what we did and did not need.We will definitely use them again in the future

Review Date: September 25, 2014
Member Comments:
I called to get my home audio looked at and possibly upgraded. We moved into a home with full audio throughout but we could not get it to work. Dave came out to take a look at our equipment and give us a quote to fix what ever wasn’t working. He was able to actually get it working. I felt terrible because since it is working we will not need their services. However, they were incredibly professional, respectful of my home and did an awesome job of identifying the problem. When it is time to upgrade or repair our equipment, we will definitely go with them

Review Date: September 25, 2014
Description Of Work:
Scope of work involved relocating speaker wire for a home theater satellite speaker.
Member Comments:
Dave came out to my residence at the scheduled time assessed and conveyed to me what would be involved in relocating the speaker wire for my satellite speaker. Because the options included cutting a fairly large hole in my drywall, I decided I wanted to think about it some more since I had just had the room painted. Dave said no problem and to just keep him in mind if I was going to go forward with the job.
I can’t emphasize enough the level of professionalism that was displayed by Dave and his coworker. They explained to me exactly what would be involved to get the job done as well as the time and the costs. Since no work was performed, Dave didn’t even charge me the $75 drive/estimate fee! I will definitely use Amped if I decide to have the work done

Review Date: September 18, 2014
Description Of Work:
Dave installed an entertainment system for us to include mounting and wiring a 60″ TV and sound bar with subwoofer, and wiring various other components in our family room. He provided most of the equipment that complemented the few pieces we wanted to incorporate. He also prewired our outdoor patio area (opposite side of same wall) for TV.
Member Comments:
I can’t speak highly enough about Dave. From start to finish, he was punctual, knowledgeable, helpful, and a true expert in his field … not to mention just a plain nice guy. After providing him our basic vision, he worked with us to refine a grand plan and estimate through a few iterations, to include a ton of product research and handily answering my numerous questions and concerns. He was always patient, wanting to ensure we were in love with the system …. and we are! He did a terrific job with the install, again, always perfectly punctual and communicative. His prices are terrific and his results are perfect. I’d recommend Dave to anyone who wants a great system with no hassles at a great price/value. Hire him. You will not be sorry.

Review Date: September 16, 2014
Description Of Work:
Complete sound (Sonos) and TV installation throughout the house.
Member Comments:
Dave and Stephen were absolutely terrific! I would highly recommend them for any A/V needs you might have. We had a significant project and from the very onset they were extremely responsive, professional, and very knowledgeable on designing what our system requires. They were fair and honest with the estimate, and you can tell they truly take great pride in their work. They did a wonderful job on our entire house and I would highly recommend them for any A/V needs.

Review Date: September 10, 2014
Description Of Work:
We had them hang a new Samsung 55 inch TV over our fireplace.
Member Comments:
Dave came out to our house on 8/27/14 to take a look at the project. He explained the options for the fireplace install. I was insistent on having a clean seamless look, so I searched them out.
The next day he emailed a professional estimate for the project.
On Sept 4th Dave and Stephen came to our home for an afternoon install. They were very professional and brought every
piece of equipment with them that the could possibly need. They laid furniture pads all around the work area, to keep everything
clean in our home.
This install included a bracket to hang the TV on the wall 3 HDMI cords and also the Apple TV since we have all
apple products it seemed the way to go.
They put clean very professional conduits on the outside of our house to take the cords to the interior.

The job was just as I hoped TV hung and slightly tilted and they hung our sound bar just under the TV also.
It looks great no cords on our fireplace very neat and professional.
Dave took at least another hour to go through all our settings on our TV to be sure everything work as it was suppose to.
He tested everything. Also was so kind to teach us how to operate the proper remote and the Apple Tv.
We could not be happier and highly recommend Amped Sound.
Linda and Tony

Review Date: September 07, 2014
Description Of Work:
Dave and his team came out to do a complicated “Down and Out” mount install. This mount dips the TV lower then our fireplace. They installed a TV, a receiver, center channel, surround speakers in ceiling and an amp for the zone 2 speakers and the rest of my components. They also cleaned up the “Wire Trunk” with zip ties and paintable tape.
Member Comments:
At first I didn’t think I really needed an installer. After seeing Dave and his team in action I can honestly say he did a PRO job and I could not have done near equal work myself. I’m extremely satisfied with the final product, it’s functional, sophisticated and full of “wow” factor. We will be looking to hire Amped sound and cinema again soon

We could go on and on but I think you might get the point.

The Norm at Amped + Tips for Free Faster internet? Check it out!

In this photo you will notice many things that sets Amped apart from the rest. We pulled this clients network panel cover off and were not surprised at the rats nest we found left behind from the previous contractor.
So often due cable, phone, and satellite contractors leave this mess inside your network panel making service a hassle. Other contractors feel that if it is out or site or behind the scenes they do not need to keep in nice and clean.
There job is to get a Signal to your cable box, satellite, phone block and or Modem the rest means nothing to them.
Often times  ore clients will Schedule us on top of the cable company to ensure this doe’s not happen and to hold the utility contractors hand.
This is bad for servicing as well as the wires tend to separate from their connectors, being forced into the panel with out having any tension relief.
Along with looking terrible, hard to service and a compromise to the connections, it shows lack of workmanship and quality.

AMPED can clean up your panel to look like the one above, our work is often complimented as space shuttle like or stream-line.
We route everything where it is supposed to be, there is tension reliefs on all of the cables relieving tension from any connections points.
Everything is mounted in place, and most important you don’t have to force the panel cover back on.
This is the standard or “the norm” at AMPED. We do things as if they were our own homes.
We can also help with upgrading your modem.
We often get clients complaining of “drop off’s” in their internet connection.
You may not realize but that 10 year old modem you are renting from your cable company is out of date! The cable company is not going to reach out to you to let you know it is time for an upgrade.
You can increase your internet speeds and reliability at no additional monthly costs from the cable company by simply updating your equipment.
We can use software to map the network range of your wireless router signal or WiFi to ensure no drop off points are present.  We can add access points and move wireless locations to ensure you have a strong reliable signal throughout your home.

IMPORTANT
If your Modem looks similar to this one, or is older than a few years. It more then likely needs to be updated.

The current technology is a Docsis 3.0. Updating to a Docsis 3.0 modem is often referred to as going from a backed up Single lane highway to a High Speed Multiple Lane Interstate, where you can pass the slow people, (such as your neighbors tying up your bandwidth).

Tribute to the MX-890 universal remote by URC

We thought we would do a little feedback on the new MX-890 universal remote by URC that came out late last year.

(Customers Reviews at end of post)

Since it’s release it has quickly become our go to remote.  With the hand unit alone  having a price tag of $499, it is not an inexpensive, however there are MUCH more expensive remote out there that dont do as much.   What we like is the value.  This 100% custom remote is easily programmed via the CCP program(of course only by a trained, authorized dealer)

Here is what we like most.

Has a built in tilt switch.  It senses movement, so when you pick it up, it lights up.

Rechargeable lithium ion battery and charging dock. Great battery life

RF and IR  will control components directly via IR or remotely Via RF allowing customers to located equipment behind closed doors or in a closet

Perfect combination of hard buttons and customizable buttons in the screen, what we call “soft keys”  We have used plenty of touch screen remotes and ipod/ipad/tablets to control systems.  We have found our customers do not like to use these devices to control their system.  With the MX890 you can use the remote with ease by feel where as with a touch screen you have to look down and is almost impossible to do by feel.

Great feel in your hand.  URC really nailed it on this one.  It has a great feel and the button layout is perfect.

We just had a customer hit us with this questions after seeing our estimate for his home theater system.

“OK, I have to ask… what am I getting with the Univ Remote for $500?  If it’s complicated to operate, wife won’t use it. Don’t give me the usual explanation.  I want the real story as to why you are recommending a PC programmable remote.
Have other customers’ wives used this and are they happy?”

We though this would be best answered by our customers actually using this remote. So we asked a few the exact question above and here is what we got.

“Love the questions because I tell so many people about this Remote on a regular basis LOL it truly is amazing.

I’ve had basic universal remotes in the past, and never had any success.  Always a programming issue, never connected well with components, overall pain in the butt to use.  I was actually pretty skeptical about this universal remote if you remember correctly, I wanted ease-of-use and I didn’t want to have a lot of hardware connection issues. This thing is amazing, every component works in sync perfectly with the remote, the one touch operation is perfect and probably my most favorite feature. I come home from work at night press one button and my TV, receiver, and DirecTV are all switched on and sound is at a perfect level. Obviously I know this Remote wouldn’t be worth $.10 if it wasn’t properly programmed by you, clearly the programming is where it’s at.  I’ve had this remote for about six months now and it’s been flawless, no hiccups whatsoever and works great with the automatic screen drop and projector function.  Thanks again for the great workday hope this answers any questions and concerns your customers may have.”
-Rob

“I love the MX-890 remote control you recently installed in my home. The unit is well built. It’s solid and feels good in my hand. I haven’t dropped it, but it seems like it could take a fall. I particularly like the fact that though it has a screen on it all the keys are “hard keys” and they cover all the essential functions. No searching though pages of menus to rewind, fast forward, pause, play your recorded show, see the guide, see complete show info, and especially, the EXIT key that gets you out of any place you were and again fills the screen with the show you’re watching. Of course you can point it in any direction and it works fine. It seems to go for days on end without needing a recharge. In short, it’s all that the remote control I used to have wasn’t. If you want a solid unit that’s really easy to use this is it.”

-Greg

“We are in love with the MX-890…much better than the Harmony remote we used for the past 5 years!

My wife approves of the remote, more specifically, the simplicity of choosing between Sonos, Directv, Apple TV, Xbox, etc.. 2-3 second delay when switching between these components, and one button assigned to each. Programmed by Dave of course 🙂

The remote also lights up in the dark, every button, with any movement of the remote.

Stays charged for a couple of weeks, and not bulky.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars….definitely worth the investment, and will last for many years.

Most importantly…happy wife, happy life!”

-R.P., MD

So we just wanted to outline that, if programmed correctly, the URC MX-890 is a great remote for the price.

 

 

Paradise Valley, AZ Clean Up

This customer has seen all ends of the A/V world, everything from ultra high end Crestron, RTI, Savant, and Control4, with iPad control, keypads, and touch screen remotes.  Such systems are great if installed correctly and most importantly, fit the customers lifestyle.  These customers wanted simple basic control that works every time.  The previous audio video companies could not provide this for them.  They explained to us that they never had the features they wanted and their system never worked and always needed to reboot.

We were contracted to take over the install.  Most of the system was already in place but poorly installed. We added URC MX-890 remote system with RF base station, Marantz receiver with 7.1 surround, appleTV, BluRay, and SONOS for the house audio.

UPON ARRIVAL

AFTER WE FINISHED

Home Audio/Video Easy as 1 2 3

In this older Mountain side home we were tasked to add a Modern 7.1 surround sound, Multi-Zone audio throughout, and a remotely located media closet with rack. This older home had NO existing wiring to fit the bill, all had to be done from scratch.

For the main surround sound and TV location the room is a muli-purpose room that needs to serve as a theater as well as a formal living room to entertain guests.  For this we decided to use polk in-wall and in-ceiling speakers pushed by a Marantz receiver and components located in a closet rack 50 feet away. For the TV a 80″ sharp mounted to the wall fit nicely on the large wall and performs well due to the seating distance being about 16 feet out.

For the patio we choose two outward firing speakers and two inward firing rock speakers.  This was the most important listening area for the customer so he had some challenging requirements.  He wanted to be able to really crank it up without bothering the neighbors, this is why we choose the fire all the speakers toward the center of the yard, containing most of the sound where it needs to be.  We also have separate volume for the rocks and patio speaker allowing low levels patio conversations to take place while the rock speakers are pumping high volume to overpower the water features.  This is one great sounding back yard.

The other audio locations throughout the house a standard Niles in-ceiling speakers powered by the Sonos Connect AMPs.  We even put a single stereo speaker in the shower!

The plain living room is now a  multi-purpose home theater/living room with theater quality sound.  These customers have since told us they “do not watch TV anymore, they experience it”

For the rough In:
In this portion of our work we strategically pull all our wires from the  Media-Rack to the needed locations.
Our work is surgical, only cutting holes where absolutely necessary eliminating additional costs to you. In these rough in pictures you will notice multiple holes all of which we already there we use can lights to fish wires saving the need to cut any additional holes.  For this entire project, 6 audio zones, 7.1 surround, media closet, and a kitchen tv location we cut only 4 holes!!! Not bad for a house with a flat roof and no attic access.
During this process we clean clean clean making sure the only reason you would notice we were there is the amazing system you are left with

.
We use Tape to mark the locations of speakers and all other needed locations, then we do a customer walk and get a final location approval, then we begin to pull in our wiring.  We have been told the tape really help our customers through the decision making process.
You will notice we worked closes with the home owners other contractors so that they can have everything done right the first time.

 

(Lower) Gas pipe and speaker were later painted to match house

The finished product is an Amazing! Whole home entertainment system, no hassle one touch automation control for a complex sound sound, and an intuitive app for the control of the house audio system that gives access to all the media they could ever need. The client loves every bit of this install. We did not run into any problems with this project and finished according to schedule as planned.
The best part of our Job is seeing a big project like this one come together perfectly and the client being 100% satisfied.

NICE RACK!

 

This rack rolls all the way out for easy service

 

Kitchen TV

Retrofit of customers equipment

This client had all his own equipment with the exception of 2 Ceiling mounted rear speakers,
He just needed Amped to put the pieces together.
He gave us his vision of how he would like the set up, we made our recommendations and we advised him of the benefits of mounting locations and together created something with quality, aesthetics, and performance.

We start by taping out the positions and locations of the equipment, this sets us a good non-permanent template, and gives the customer an idea of aesthetics before making a final decision.

After the client is satisfied with locations we start mounting. In this house we were able to utilize existing holes and a very tight attic to run wires so we did not have to cut a single piece of drywall.

 

Rears went in with ease and using a special hole saw with a cup that surround the blade that catches the dust.  This really helps with keeping the dust down.

Temporarily all of the equipment is in this media rack while a custom media cabinet is built.
Also the TV is temporarily off center to accommodate the Media rack with out blocking sound.

This client also Had us do some upgrades to his Network at which point we ran dedicated internet to his media equipment, We installed a flawless universal remote with one touch automation.
This project only took a day and a half. We expected to have to cut drywall for this install, we took the extra time and were able to fish all the wires without cutting a single hole. This was a savings for the client that now does not have to have a drywall patched.

We will be returning to install everything into the new media cabinet as soon as it is finished.

The client was extremely happy with the install. It always pays to have it done right the first time.

North Scottsdale Dr’s Office. Got Sonos?

Overview,
This Dr’s Office in north Scottsdale, AZ needed a way to make presentations and suggestions to patients.
What better way then with a beautiful Samsung LED TV and a Sonos Sound bar for a pure quality sound.
Apple TV was also Integrated so they could use AppleAir-Play which lets you stream wireless from your mobile devices directly to your TV.
This client also uses it to mirror a white board APP from his IPAD directly to the TV.
Wireless Sonos systems were also placed throughout the Waiting Area and Front Desk so they could wirelessly stream music around the office to set the ambient mood.
This Job went According to plan and the customer was satisfied with the quality, ease and functionality as usual.
,  
Another home run from AMPED Sound and Cinema.

Quality Assurance at its finest.

Showing the client that at AMPED we only use Quality Mounts and
that we always  properly secure it to a Stud to reassure you’re TV and you are safe and sound.

5.1 Surround, Marantz, Polk, Martin Logan, Oppo Bluray, Harmony Remote

This was the first time using the harmony touch.  We were not all that impressed however it would have its place for less complex systems.  We set this system up planning to upgrade the TV when the customer has the budget. Also we are planning to add a power amp for the towers which happen to be power hungry speakers.  We planned this system so we can phase things out and get them installed when the budget allows.  This system will be amazing when all is said and done.

Retro Fit Surround Sound on a Budget from scratch

When meeting with the customer for the first time the customer only wanted his TV mounted on the wall with a 65″ Panasonic TV and Mount he had already owned.  He had made it clear that he only had a small budget($4000) to work with for the AV install.  I had told him we are good at making most budgets work.  We had priced out a system that would be a ton of bang for his buck.  We were able to do a full remotely located(in a near by closet) 5.1 surround sound, RF universal remote system, all components, and install for under 4K.  The final product is an extremely easy to use audio video system with great video and sound on a budget that the customer had no idea he could afford.