Recent DIY Audio Articles

‘Scuse us while we kiss this DIY guy. After all, Don Kellogg deserves the accolades. Even though he spent most of his days working around the globe, Don still managed to sneak in the time to create …

There's a "game room" with four plasma and LCD TVs and a video gaming array that allows for side-by-side play on separate screens. There's a "dance lounge" with fiber optic lights, a professional …

In Eli Manning’s day job as quarterback for the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, control is an elusive thing. Being at home is a much more accommodating experience for the Super Bowl MVP. He and …

We conclude our five part series with "Mitchell" who is married with a teenage son. Mitchell never actually pursued surround sound in his home but enjoys playing the Nintendo Wii and watching movies. …

In “Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith,” Chancellor Palpatine invites Jedi warrior Anakin Skywalker into his impressive office overlooking the capital Galactic City. Home theater owner Steve Simon …

This installation is truly unique. I found a basement in Florida. I know, I know, typically they are referred to as "swimming pools" but this one was actually a basement. And it was under a concrete …

What happens when a musician who is very much into music and live performance decides to finally step up his home to the world of 5.1 surround sound? "Adam" lives in a beautiful historic home and has …

It’s one thing to hire an installer to create the ultimate home theater dream room. It’s an entirely different story (and a fun one) to create that room all by yourself—for less than five grand. …

"Joe" is a single guy who has youth group meetings at his home and watches movies with friends. He used to have a roommate who had a decent TV and speakers but now it's time to replace the system …

"Frank" is a married guy who would love to have surround sound in his home. He makes a modest living so his budget is wisely limited to around $500 - which lands him squarely in the home …

In case you were wondering, CEDIA stands for Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association. With that in mind, we hit the show floor this year looking to see what was new for custom …

Like most home amenities, electronic systems can be as stripped down or beefed up as you want. As the owner of two adjoining brownstones in Dallas, TX, Tony Chiarello had the unique opportunity to …

This is a home theater surround sound installation primer.

There is nothing like the daunting task of buying a new camera. From the number of choices to the fanboy salesman at your local big box retailer it's hard to not only commit to buying that first …

As a Do-it-yourself speaker builder I have found myself wondering many times as I perused the internet’s vast sea of home speaker builder’s selections as to what some of the DIY speaker kits would …

In-wall speakers are becoming more popular these days with aesthetics playing a major role in dictating the theater system components. This article explores some basic fundamentals for choosing …

Ever wonder how, as a custom installer, you could make your business more profitable? More organized? The Custom Install Tech System (C.I.T.S, pronounced "kits") was designed specifically for Custom …

We know you're out there. Yes, you. The guy who bought that 5.1 surround sound system in Christmas of 2006 but still hasn't hooked up the rear speakers. It's too hard, you say! There, there, we feel …

Welcome to the fourth installment of our continuing exploration of signal distribution for the residential installation. In part one, we explored various aspects of multi-room and/or multi-zone …

With the CD as we know it today starting to go into obsolescence, I figured it was high time to build myself a back up media to store and playback all of my music. Most PC's simply aren't up to the …

HVAC noise is usually the #1 problem in home theater rooms. Minimizing the source of the noise is one of many steps in the pursuit of a state of the art theater room. These external noise …

If you want to ensure that your expensive electronic components enjoy a long and full product life cycle, you must make sure to keep them operating at a comfortable, cool temperature. The number one …

In part one of Whole House Wiring Basics we explored various aspects of multi-room and/or multi-zone media design and implementation. Part two expanded our examination to include quality transport …

As a home theater enthusiast, there can be nothing more exciting than planning out your theater room. It’s more than just a place to indulge in sonic and visual bliss. It’s a sanctuary - a place …

I have always had a fascination with computers - I think it started in second grade when we were allowed to design simple ASCII art programs on a Commodore Pet. With the advent of current technology, …

Not that long ago, having a full featured, cinema-quality home Theater in your home was a new concept. This hobby has expanded and become more popular over the last several years.

Powerstrip is indeed "the killer app" of the HTPC world. It is possibly the most important program today in the "convergence" market between computers (PC only unfortunately!) and the high definition …

This is Part 3 of a set of articles summarizing my experience choosing the components and building a a custom-built Home theater PC running Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (or …