Case Studies

Gilmore’s Sound Advice and Stewart Filmscreen Create Customers for Life

Gilmore’s hides the technology while giving a Tribeca loft an AV transformation

By KMB Communications

Given the opportunity, most audio-video enthusiasts would love a dedicated home theater to enjoy movies and sporting events. But in New York, where space is at a premium and real estate is expensive, many people opt to incorporate state-of-the-art AV into their main living area.

“Most New York City residents are looking to have a room that’s functional for daily living but that can also evolve into a theater when needed,” says Ed Gilmore of Gilmore’s Sound Advice, an HTA-certified New York City custom integration firm founded in 1991.

A Room for a New York Family

The client, a real estate investor who Gilmore says had been a "serial renovator," fixing homes and then selling them after a few years, decided to settle down in their Tribeca loft. Before working on the great room project, Gilmore’s Sound Advice had installed a Samsung LED and Wisdom Audio system in the client's den. The den is the family's primary viewing area for TV, movies, and sports, as well as the client's listening room. "He can close the door to the den and crank the sound system," Gilmore says.

But the client wanted to update the great room with flexible media systems and the visually exciting experience of big-screen viewing capabilities. The great room serves as the focal point of family life while also hosting the client’s friends for sporting events and parties during the weekend.

“You get married, you have kids, and your habits change,” Gilmore reflects. “The great room is the only room large enough where the client can entertain. It’s also the main gathering space for the family. The kids do homework. The family dines there. And when the wife and kids go off to spend the weekend to their house in the Hamptons, the client can stay home and play pool and watch sports with his friends.”

Of the decision to install a projection system instead of another LED, Gilmore says, “the flexibility in projection is just too great to replicate with an LED. The screen technologies that are out right now make it a no-brainer to choose projection. It’s a whole different visual experience for the client.”

Hiding the Technology

A large screen with incredible image fidelity was a must for the client. But his wife didn’t want to see the projector or the screen when it was not in use. “She didn’t want to see anything,” Gilmore recalls. “Initially, we approached the project thinking we would just mount a projector to the ceiling structure and allow it to hang down a bit. But that was a nonstarter with her.”

The team considered using a projector enclosure, but then Gilmore had an idea that could make the projection system even less intrusive: a lift. He worked with the contractor to find a ceiling joist that would support the projector and lift, all encased in a lipless enclosure, in the perfect spot in the room. "It's an old building, and the joists are completely uneven. It just so happened we found that joist, and it enabled us to think outside the box and create a lift system," he says. Gilmore’s Sound Advice used a Display Devices LCD lift due to its compact size.

Like the projector, the display screen had to vanish from sight when not in use. A sizeable brick wall dominates the great room. The client didn’t want to cover this contemporary architectural feature, nor distract from the modern art displays in the room.

Stewart Filmscreen recommended a 120-inch motorized Visionary ElectriScreen with a ceiling-recessed all-aluminum, self-finishing housing. The screen, which is Stewart’s FireHawk front-projection material, is paired with a Sony VPL-VW365ES 4K HDR ES projector. It’s also 16K+ ready, so it pairs immaculately with the 4K projector for an amazing onscreen image and is ready for future projection technology.

“The Stewart Filmscreen materials are best-in-class,” Gilmore says. “There’s no question about that. And we’ve been super-happy with the response and support we’ve gotten from the company. There was no looking back.”

Mounting the screen proved to be a greater challenge than expected because the ceiling joists—an unexpected convenience that made it easy to mount the projector— were running in the opposite direction to attach the screen housing. The Gilmore’s Sound Advice team worked with the contractor to extend the soffit and install the screen housing so it blended with the soffits.  The Stewart screen includes a custom blackdrop of 43.25 inches to bring the screen to the right height in this tall room. The system is fed by a Kaleidescape Strata 12TB server.

"The technology is really discreet," Gilmore says. "Not only does the client love the projection system, but they love to show it off to their friends. No one has a clue it's in the room until he presses the movie button, and then it all comes to life."

Superior Audio with No Acoustical Treatments

In addition to the issues with the irregular ceiling joists, Gilmore’s Sound Advice faced challenges with the building's wiring and HVAC infrastructure. "Whenever a client spends a tremendous amount of money on their living space, and then you have to tell them you are going to rip it apart, you face some challenges," Gilmore says. "Fortunately, on this project, we had a great contractor the client uses for many of his real estate ventures, and we had a sympathetic owner."

He continues, “Our final challenge was to upgrade the sound system to ensure the client could rock out on a Friday night and not bother his neighbors.”

Rather than opting for acoustical treatments that would detract from the room’s aesthetics, Gilmore’s Sound Advice installed extra insulation in the ceiling to dampen the sound from the speakers and specified a Steinway Lyngdorf surround sound system using seven IW16 speakers, two LS212 custom subwoofers, and a P100 processor.

Gilmore’s Sound Advice used Steinway Lyngdorf’s RoomPerfect intelligent calibration system to control the sound in the room. "It's not a good room. It's very live, and the client didn't have a lot of options for room treatments," Gilmore says. 

He notes that the calibration took about two hours, but once it was dialed in, the room sounded incredible without any acoustical treatments.

The Steinway Lyngdorf system also eliminated the need for an acoustically transparent screen or speakers hung behind the screen. “I respect the opinions of the purists in our industry who believe speakers should be located behind the screen. But when we’re dealing with brick walls, we have to be pragmatic,” Gilmore says.

Creating a Customer for Life

Gilmore notes that his company's approach to technology over the past 27 years has become about selling an experience. While he has always worked closely with designers, architects, and contractors to ensure the technology blends with the surroundings, this philosophy has now become an expectation of clients.

“We don’t care as much anymore about pushing a particular product, because it’s the overall experience we are selling. A lot of the solution is based on concealing the technology,” he says.

By hiding the technology successfully within the Tribeca loft, Gilmore’s Sound Advice gained a customer for life. “It’s good to have that confidence from a client. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Even after 27 years in operation, Gilmore is still open to lessons that will help his company grow, and sees the Tribeca loft as a turning point in his business philosophy.

“This particular project opened my eyes to the fact that it’s okay if somebody doesn’t have the budget to invest in the system they want right away. We spent less money in this room at first, but because we gave the client a good experience, he’s been constantly upgrading. That’s an important thing to remember at the start of a project. Where you land through the initial scope of work may not be as important as what a project can grow into.”

As far as upgrades in the loft, Gilmore says a higher-end projector is in the plans. The Stewart ElectriScreen system is likely to stay, but Gilmore is considering an upgrade to Phantom HALR high-ambient light rejecting material, making it even easier for the client to enjoy the projection system even with other activities going on in the room.