Times Advocate, 1992-05-06, Page 5ONO lossimess mailme trite custom
by Adrian Warne
CRBDITON - A full-blown au-
dalior4video system eanlbe a great as-
llet to any home's ting t►eom. It
Atm -also be a very intimidating
Immo of woes and components.
men choosing what equipment is
user what is best can be difli-
r>Ilhtltd mistakes are costly. As
Kelly Genno dellsibes u, that is
• where his oawriapernatiain.
Maximum tllttttab Aliso, -tor
MAV, has been ep lt4MIltof
t°+ollibn a lamlitystaidisirris
a mimed directly yat-libtstalle” snug
Market of ofsaNemlisilidllallenifor
elsome entertainment systems.'
Oenno, an electronics-tttgineer
who has worked with•larger!ptojects
Ifor major -auto makers, decided he
wanted to work full tune at wha
used to be somethipg of a hobby.
He decided on locating his ne
business venture in Oediton be
cause it offers quicker access to are-
- as west of Toronto, and because his
parents live in the area.
But Genno's expertise extends be-
yond purchasing and installing ster-
eos, CD players, televisions and
VCRs. He believes in going -far be-
yond the mass market by. custom
designing and building the speakers
for the room in which they will be
awed. In five -speaker Dolby Pro
.laggic•surround sound applications,
tat:nan make a real difference, he
.mays.
On one challenging job, he says a
man asked him to design concealed
speakers for a large basement room,
but with few compromises in sound
quality. Ocnno ended up building
:_ithe•speakers around the support col-
tiumns, with a subwoofer for -deep
-bass: hidden in a wall. The -insult
=was an invisible system that filled
-.*he room with sound, no matter
'where you stood.
"1 get a considerable charge from
seeing the Terme ;so .happy," says
Genno.
Mass marketspeakers,.says Gen -
am, are .tailored for .1 average" • xus-
osomers, : eusoorn-designed
:emits, which -he•believes have the
largest effect on final sound quality,
can be aimed atthe'listening prefer-
ences of the customer. the types of
music preferred, the room, and
quahtyrof;sound components driv-
ing them.
i ► stflifOr Ili+ t, !we -4k
sigrtrthe.system,f fau,"•says Gen
no.
The speaker enclosures are .de-
signed using sophisticated.comput-
er programs and are built at a work-
shop near Dashwood by craftsman
Dwayne Overholt.
Another advantage !of :custom
construction Js44 & Genno_,,pan
match the finish of . the units to
whatever decor the .customer pre-
fers, including all kinds of woods
..and even simulated marble. Genno
points out that he has read every .is -
taw of Audio/Video Interiors since
rlhe magazine first began highlight-
ing what wealthy people were do-
ing with home entertainment these
days.
While many castomers may have
:liule. knowledge of audio systems,
but a basic need for something bet-
tcr,.Genno can help. He also deals
with very finicky audiophiles who
havearytiapecific tastes; and huge
budgets. ',/Genno says he can pro-
vide components and accessories
right ;up to connecting cable that
costs $4,000 a metre.
Most customers however, can ex-
wpect, to pay about $9.000 for a com-
vict? system that includes an audio/
,aj receiver, speakers, a CD
---pleetr, a large -screen TV• and a hi=
fi VCR.
Genno says he tailors his systems
around a "project management phi-
losophy by aiming for the maxi-
mum amount of sound quality pos-
sible fM a given budget. That's
bow he named his company, .he
says.
Aside from claiming to have very
sensitive hearing to quality differ-
ences in reproduced sound, Genno
says his interest in audio systems
began in University.
"1 figured it out the other day, I
built my first set of speakers 12
years ago," says Germ.
That project saw him install
speakers in a dance floor at a frater-
Gleno for his talents.
"That's really when I Rot "the
bu '," notes Genno.
4ienno does mere than just living
Wain reesen hwnent systems. Wait
lug moms in doctors offices arc
'-son hung of a challenge too.
"I eam get a er to sound
good really Ioud, but k's one of my
challenges to make it good dally
low," he seriatim.
MAV willAoei+O
boast a
MIIIIJ) FINI)
GfflLI) F411{
is coming
Watch TA
/day so
'Kelly Senna of Maximum Atiello'Vldeo is an electronic engineer who custom designs the loud-
speakers his company makes for installing into elaborate home entertainment systems like
the one in his own home here.
411Mn calls for.
no's spedlrAtillirehrly VINE
Sem $850 a pairo $15,000 a
pair, although hem he will not
build his top model until a custelMer
orders them. A typical five -speaker
surround set will cost about $2;500.
Those prices may seem expensive
to those who typically expect to buy
a whole stereo for about $1,000, but
as Genno has observes, the market
for sophisticated home theatre is ex-
panding.
"It's a known statistic - people are
watching movies at home more
than they're goi',g to the theatre," he
° says.
Sitting down to watch high quali-
ty television is becoming a family
experience, especially in rural areas
where theatres require long drives
to reach.
"All you have to do is get one like
this in the neighbourhood... says
Genno, indicating his own full-
blown system with two VCRs, vid-
eodisc, Targe television and sur-
round sound. He. says word soon
travels of what is possible in living
room entertainment, and soon eve-
ryone wants one.
Genno has other ideas to keep
him and his new company busy for
years to come. He is interested in
developing his custom installation
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Year feud purchases ham denier inventory ono/ Sae dater ko dorm.
mmiltet
MSIIb. fad Iti>l all Knill.. is *Ow is. Ne
hopes •to evenelly put *Wafer a
'big bar molten' *weals* floor.
He is also conikleriag bow to
build a true audiophile speaker sys-
tem that will cost up to -$80,000
alone.
"Yes, I'd lice to baits an $80,000
pair of speakers as a flagship, but
right now I've got to place myself in
the market," he said.
One a more down-to-earth basis,
Genno considers he may market his
speaker designs across Canada.
Canadian companies are already
producing many of the world's
highly -respected stereo speakers
and Genno is interested in joining
the fray.
Beyond that even, Genno is spec-
ulating where the demand for home
automation may take his company
in future years. As homeowners be-
gin to want to unifyall their appli-
ances and devices into simple, often
pre-programmed, systems, engi-
neers like Genno will be there to
test the waters.
But that for now is just a dream
• of the future. Until then, Genno is
convinced there will be a strong de-
mand for stereo and video entertain-
ment that brings the customer clos-
er to the original reality.
"That's where our focus is," he
says.
manta $443.66, cost of to rowxiy 6 $1,495.6$, tui to be repao1
oath amount (named Landed tirr a offer on 1992 and poor mode+
Ontario Fh40A, PO Box 2000, Oakrie. ON L61 514
31.0