Defend Your Devices and Your Home:
Sage AV’s Power and Surge Protection Solutions

A typical U.S. home endures about five hours of power outages each year, often due to the aging, strained power grid or severe weather events. While five hours without electricity may seem tolerable, the true impact of these interruptions often goes unnoticed. Beyond the immediate inconvenience, each power interruption often triggers voltage irregularities—surges, sags, and spikes—that, over time, can inflict serious damage on home’s electronic components. From audio video equipment and kitchen appliances to lighting and smart home systems, these disturbances can actually shorten the lifespan of vital technology and affect the comfort and convenience of modern living. Our team sat down and put together some of our knowledge and experience on these topics from working on home projects every day.

Protecting Your Investments Beyond Surge Protectors

In today’s technology-driven world, reliable power isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. While high-quality surge protectors can divert surges away from electronics, they’re not a complete solution for protecting the range of great devices found in most homes. Standard surge protectors primarily defend against large, external voltage spikes caused by lightning or grid issues, but they can’t tackle other common disturbances within the home itself.

One such issue is electromagnetic interference (EMI), or “dirty electricity.” Unlike external surges, dirty electricity is generated by the operation of household appliances and devices, creating irregularities that travel through a home’s wiring. Left unfiltered, these disturbances can cause electronics to malfunction or wear out prematurely.

Top-grade power conditioners are essential for managing these internal fluctuations. They stabilize and “clean” the power running through a home’s circuits, ensuring every device receives consistent voltage. This not only improves device longevity but also enhances performance, making power conditioners a valuable addition to any home.

A Holistic Approach to Achieving Complete Power Protection

Given the diverse types of power-related issues impacting today’s homes, a layered approach to protection is a good idea. Complete power resiliency combines surge protectors, power conditioners and battery backups to safeguard homes against both external and internal power disturbances. Together, these form a comprehensive defense against a wide range of electrical issues that are becoming increasingly common.

If you are a homeowner, you really have two main options for implementing these technologies: piecemeal installation or a thoughtfully, integrated solution. Installing each device separately can be complex and challenging to manage, especially as the number of electronic devices grows. For a more streamlined, all-encompassing solution known as a power management hub—such as the RoseWater Energy HUB—combines all these components into a single, integrated unit, simplifying protection across the entire home.

A power management hub addresses all forms of power disruption, providing surge protection, power conditioning and backup power within a unified system. Once installed and connected to the home’s electrical panel, the HUB ensures all devices, basic appliances to advanced AV systems, operate with clean, stable power even during outages. It provides homeowners with the total peace of mind that their technology investment, home and life, is protected.

Music to Your Ears: Getting the Most Out of Your Home Audio System

Your home has multiple rooms, and you spend your days moving through them—indoors and out. Why shouldn’t the music you love move right along with you?

Your household also may have multiple family members, who likely have different tastes. Why should everyone have to listen to the same thing when there’s something available for everyone with a single command or touch?

More than ever, families want an easy, reliable and versatile way to manage and distribute music throughout their homes. Tastes, preferences, and home sizes and designs vary, and a whole-house music system should reflect that. At Sage AV, we take pride in tailoring the ideal multi-room audio system to fit your unique lifestyle and musical interests. Here are some of the things we’ll explore with you as we develop your personalized music distribution plan.

Where Do You Want the Music?

Primary living spaces like the kitchen and family room are perfect for enjoying music, but don’t forget about more personal areas like bedrooms, dens, bathrooms or even audiophile-quality listening rooms. Imagine waking up or working with your favorite songs playing softly in the background. These spaces are also ideal for catching up on podcasts or staying informed with the news, all without interruptions. And let’s not overlook the outdoors—music transforms backyard barbecues and enhances the experience of yard games or lounging in the sun.

Which Speakers Are Right for You?

Speaker options are wide-ranging. For outdoor areas, consider robust, weather-resistant speakers that double as landscape lighting. We can even install invisible speakers that project music directly from rock or walls. For indoors, you can choose small, design-friendly models that resemble recessed lighting or sleek, European-inspired square speakers for a modern touch. Mixing and matching styles allows you to meet the unique sound projection needs of different spaces in your home, whether you prefer speakers that blend in or those that make a statement.

How Will You Control It?

Most whole-house music systems come with a companion mobile app, allowing you to stream music from services like Spotify, Apple Music or even a CD collection to one or all rooms. Your experience can go beyond the basics and be customized based on activities. For instance, you can pre-program a workout playlist for your home gym, easily accessible by pressing the “GYM” button on your remote control or smart phone. You can also choreograph “audio scenes” for holiday gatherings, morning routines, or relaxing evenings—ready at the touch of a familiar button.

The Final Touch!

At Sage AV, we understand that great audio can elevate your home’s atmosphere. But why stop at just music? We recommend integrating your audio system with other technologies, such as lighting, for a fully synchronized experience. With a single control, you can cue up your favorite playlist and set the perfect lighting scene as your guests arrive for the party. It’s a seamless way to make your home environment both effortless and enjoyable.

With Sage AV’s ideas and design expertise, your home audio system can become an integral part of your lifestyle—moving and adjusting seamlessly to suit your mood throughout the day.

Contact Us for Your Consultation

Photo Credits: Crestron, Leon, Meridian, Savant and Sonance, our partners. All rights reserved.

What Makes a Home Theater Ultra Special? 

How to Elevate the Experience with These Ingenious Extras. 

Many people now recognize that a perfectly sized, well-calibrated and ideally positioned display is essential for a realistic home theater experience. Equally important is a professionally installed surround-sound system that envelops you in the on-screen action. Together, these audio-visual components create the foundation for an exceptional home theater environment.  

But did you know there are other key elements that can take a home theater to a whole new level? These additional features not only enhance video and sound quality and add personality to the space, but when combined, they create entirely new ways to be immersed and engage with movies, shows, and music.  

Our team set out to compile five top extras worth considering, whether you’re building a home theater from scratch or upgrading an existing space. Let’s have a look… 

LED Video Walls 

LED video wall technology offers an exciting alternative to the traditional projector-screen setup. Video walls are ideal for a dynamic home theater environment—one minute you’re watching YouTube videos, the next admiring a stunning piece of artwork, and then enjoying the scenery of a hilly Tuscan bike trail as you hop onto your connected stationary bike. 

Or perhaps you’d prefer to do two things at once: enjoy the landscape while catching up on evening news. With a video wall, it’s possible—the display can be scaled to any size or shape and divided into as multiple individual windows. Imagine videoconferencing with your family or colleagues from your theater! And no need to worry about room lighting or sunlight washing out the picture. LED video walls maintain brightness and clarity in any environment. 

Where Form Meets Function – Decorative Acoustical Treatments 

Lifelike, three-dimensional audio in home theater environments has advanced significantly, thanks to technologies like Dolby Atmos. While the processor and speakers create the effect, audio quality can be further optimized with acoustical paneling and other treatments. To preserve the room’s design, acoustical treatments can be concealed in specially constructed wall cavities covered with acoustically transparent fabric or integrated as decorative elements. Additionally, strategically placed bass traps can enhance low-frequency response, ensuring a balanced and immersive audio experience. 

Large-Scale Lounge Seating 

Coinciding with the multipurpose entertainment movement is the growing popularity of lounge-style seating. And there’s more choice than ever before. Families are spending more time at home entertaining with video games, show series and movies, so comfort for hours is crucial.  

Individual seats that flip down evoke the look and feel of a commercial cinema, but today, it’s more fashionable to complement these traditional home theater seats with large, plush couches, ottomans, and sectionals similar to those found in a lounge. This blend of traditional and modern seating styles offers the perfect combination of form and function. Whatever your preference, the experts at Sage AV can help you find the ideal entertainment seating. 

How to Create Your Own Original Entertainment Space 

By incorporating some or all of these extras, you can truly transform your home theater into a space that not only delivers stunning A/V performance but also offers a luxurious, personalized and most engaging entertainment experience. Our team at Sage AV loves to envision, design and help create these exciting rooms and will ensure every detail is tailored to your exact preferences—whether you’re watching the latest blockbuster, gaming or streaming a favorite series. We bring decades of entertainment technology knowledge and craftsmanship to deliver a state-of-the-art cinema that reflects your style and enhances every moment your family and friends spend together. 

To learn more or start a consultation, connect with us today!  

Photo Credits: Sage AV. Also Samsung, Sony and other partners. All rights reserved by their individual companies. 

How Big Screen TVs Provide Entertainment Far Beyond Movies and Shows

One of the top activities people think of when investing in a new big-screen TV is how much better it will be to watch movies or favorite shows at home. A large, high-resolution display has a way of pulling you into the plot and immersing you in all the action—almost like being on the filming set. Screen size makes the experience more engaging, but so does the technology that’s built into the TV. Features like high dynamic range (HDR), wide color range and high refresh rates create stunning, lifelike visuals that make the experience even more exciting than ever.

But let’s expand the view. TVs are now capable of much more than traditional viewing. Functioning as a home’s multimedia hub, they can display streaming content for family interactive video games, family or work videoconferencing sessions and even beautiful digital art when the TV is not in use.

By exploring the many other features of today’s TVs, you can optimize the daily value of your new display. And the entertainment technology experts at Sage AV are here to present some of the best ways to unlock the full potential of your big screen.

Displaying Digital Art

When your TV is off, you’re left with a big, black rectangular box on the wall. To some, this can be an eyesore taking away from your décor. However, there’s a fairly easy way around this aesthetic conundrum; your TV can display digital art when it’s not busy entertaining the family with more traditional content.

 The switch can happen automatically, with breathtaking digital art streaming to the TV from a variety of easily accessible platforms. Unlike the permanence of standard artwork, digital art can be altered on a whim to reflect your mood, celebrate a special occasion or complement a change of décor. From landscapes and portraits to abstracts and photography—your TV can rotate through chosen artwork, transforming into a personalized, dynamic canvas. Plus, at Sage AV, we often combine this for Clients with music to elevate the experience.

Conduct Conference Calls With Ease

School, family or work video calls? Why squint or put your entire family in front of one small computer screen to facetime with Grandma or participate in a work conference? Now you can do it comfortably and naturally on a big screen TV. This same philosophy applies to school-related video calls. It’s much easier to see shared presentations and collaborate with instructors on a large 65-inch (or bigger) display.

With the right technology and smart design by a team like ours at Sage AV, a smart TV can function as a visual tool that can split the screen into multiple, adjustable windows and get everyone feeling a part of the picture. When combined with a Sage AV microphone-enabled soundbar, a TV can transform any room into a productive, hybrid work and learning space.

What are the younger generations doing? Well, beyond shared video calls with family, teens today are “slinging” and sharing social media fun on large TVs in living and media rooms. TikTok is no longer confined to smartphones and other small personal devices. Bite-sized content—from YouTube TV, DIY tutorials to comedic sketches—can be sent straight to your TV screen for everyone to laugh a little together.

With Sage AV’s expertise, your big screen can become more than just a viewing device—it can be a versatile multimedia center that enhances every aspect of your home life, interaction and connections!

Contact Us for Your Consultation

Photo Credits: Samsung and CATalyzing, our partners. All rights reserved.

Upgrade Your Space with Lutron’s Palladiom Keypads 

We are excited to offer the finest in smart home and lighting technology, and Lutron’s Palladiom Keypads are a prime example. Combining great features with beautiful, custom aesthetics, these keypads seamlessly integrate into any environment, enhancing your daily life by providing instant access to your lighting and shades from anywhere.

The Palladiom Keypads feature clean, precision-crafted lines, adding style to any decor. Designed with simplicity in mind, these keypads make controlling your home systems intuitive. Custom-engraved buttons, finished and engravings are available to match your personal style and needs.

Integration with other smart home systems is seamless, enabling you to control lighting, shading, and more from a single interface. As a Lutron dealer, SAGE AV ensures flawless compatibility and installation, providing personalized consultations to tailor your setup to your preferences.

Transform your living space with the elegance and functionality of Lutron’s Palladiom Keypads. Contact SAGE AV today to learn more and experience the perfect blend of luxury, design, and smart technology.