AUDIO INNOVATIONS BRINGS THE NATION’S AND THE WORLD’S NEWEST AND LATEST PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGIES TO HOMES IN THE WOOD RIVER VALLEY
Electronic integration manages complex systems for comfort, safety, energy efficiency, and entertainment in a manner that is simple and convenient for the household. Audio Innovations accepts this challenging role. Founded in 1992, it continues to expand its services and product lines to keep up with and ahead of the times.
ELECTRONICS EXPANDS TO HOME INTEGRATION AND SMART HOMES
After Jess Goitiandia completed his university studies in robotics, he came home to the Wood River Valley and saw a need for an electronics store. He founded TJ’s Electronics in 1992. “Then, my business was repairing TVs, stereos, and such. We moved into sales and installation primarily of high-end audio systems for cars and homes. We sold some home theaters and televisions, but I had other grand ideas when I selected the name, Audio Innovations & TJ’s Electric,” Jess recounts.
The field of electronics has been transformed with advances in technology as well as consumer demand. In the past, people came to Jess to equip a home with electronic gear, but now electronically integrated homes start with planning. Jess explains, “A smart home is essentially a carefully designed, electronically integrated home, and proper planning is essential. Our designs are in place before framing. We have pages and pages of detailed schematics for cables, equipment, and wiring for the disparate systems a smart home requires. Smart homes will only work simply if they are well planned, designed, and integrated with the proper electronics.”
Compared to 20 years ago, home electronics include far more than just entertainment. “In addition to what you would expect in the past like flat screen televisions, home audio, home theaters, and telephones, home electronics now include lighting, controls for shades and draperies, network wiring, IT, and security in many forms—alarms, cameras, leak detection, back-up generators, and fire protection. Also, our systems manage a home’s efficiency performance with heating, cooling, snow melt, solar gain, and more,” says Jess.
STAYING CURRENT IN AN EVER-CHANGING FIELD
The world of electronics changes rapidly and constantly, and Audio Innovation’s clients throughout the Wood River Valley count on Jess and his associates to know what’s new and what will benefit them.
“We continually train and participate in electronic shows and conventions like CEDIA, which helps professionals network and stay on top of advances in the field,” Jess explains. “Every year we attend the CEDIA Expo to see the latest. We recently attended and observed advances with wireless speakers, smaller controllers adaptable to apps, and 4K video. There are more WiFi devices, wireless audio systems are more common, and streaming remains the big trend for the future, so managing wireless networking is more important than ever.”
“Streaming is definitely here,” Jess reiterates, indicating the move away from tangible media like CDs and DVDs and away from cable and satellite providers. “Smart TVs, smart devices, and smart apps for TVs are the future for streaming media from the Internet. Emerging companies are even offering home screenings of new movie releases. For streaming, it is important to set up a good platform based on what works best for the client and with forethought for easily upgrading it in the future. An example of anticipating change is that some services in the near future will require fiber optic wiring to take full advantage of their services.”
MORE THAN JUST ELECTRONICS
Demand for inventive products motivated Audio Innovations to become a dealer for The Finest Brands (thefinestbrands.com). Jess describes these new products: “We are always trying to reinvent ourselves and always trying to provide a service. The Finest Brands offers high-end home products exclusively through its dealers. They are super elite home products like high-definition golf simulators, extremely original and distinctive pool tables, home theater seating, and entertainment like foosball, pinball, table tennis, and air hockey. There is nothing like The Finest Brands in the Valley, and our clients are asking for these products.”
Audio Innovations has its service arm to assist with installations. For golf simulators, as new golf courses become available, they can also download software. “We are really pleased to be able to provide all the recreation equipment for a game room, and I believe people will prefer to stay in the Wood River Valley for shopping and product support.”
In addition to The Finest Brands, Audio Innovations’ Hailey showroom in Alturas Plaza carries premier electronic products and hard-to-find connectors and cables. Some of these products are exclusive in the Valley.
FOCUSING ON EASE OF OPERATION AND FUNCTION
“The ease of operation is critical. What value does technology offer if it isn’t easy and functional? Technology should enhance one’s life and not be a source of frustration. We anticipate that most users prefer a tablet or smart phone for the control device, and we have other options, as well,” states Jess.
Providing products and services at one stop has been a consistent theme for guiding the growth of Audio Innovations. “We are a firm that works with anything electrical where craftsmanship, pride, and installation matters. We design and engineer systems, install them, do the wiring ourselves, program, and integrate the operations with a single controller that’s easy to use, functional, and reliable. Audio Innovations backs up our products, warranties, makes service calls, and when a homeowner is ready to add another great piece of the latest equipment, Audio Innovations will be there to smoothly incorporate it into the system.
Over the course of the last two decades, home automation has grown, expanded, and extended its reach, and Audio Innovations has been there to meet the changes and to provide the services that people want. It is a local business committed to the community and its people.
