Audio Midwest
Turning Technology into Entertainment
The robe-clad wizard with furrowed brow and flowing beard guarantees to work his magic on your own living room with the reassuring slogan, “Audio Midwest turns technology into entertainment.” A familiar sight on the business’s many service vehicles, the cerulean icon represents the company’s owners, Rob Clason and Matt Hall, the real wizards behind simplifying technology for the rest of us. Business partners at other Audio Midwest locations throughout Oklahoma, the pair recently decided to install a new branch at 324 W. 33rd in Edmond.
Audio Midwest began in 1979, but was purchased by Clason, a long-time employee, and Hall, a finance graduate who specialized in computer products for a decade prior to meeting up in 2002. Theirs is an original premise, somewhere between high-end computer super stores and your local retail discounter: innovative equipment you wouldn’t find on a typical trip to the mall, like movie screens and surround speakers, with a feel of modern calm. There are no shopping carts, no uniformed employees, and no loudspeakers calling your attention to the bargain of the week. Rather than racks filled with boxed merchandise, the Edmond store has a homey showroom more akin to perusing luxury options that are surprisingly affordable. A year-around alternative to fleeting summer vacations and neglected backyard pools, home theaters are becoming a regular facet of local homes that may prove especially convenient this season.
The chill of those imminent winter months forces families into the living room on chilly evenings, and a wall-mounted projection screen could couple with discreet speakers to keep everyone happy with the home theater effect. You may never actually go to the movies again, between the exceptional quality of the system and a DVD home delivery service like Netflix.com. Snow days, holiday and sports parties would literally take on a new backdrop, and tiresome outings in bad weather with rising gas prices may be just the last incentive to enjoy staying in. Forget cinema show times and sticky floors; the control is literally in your hand whenever you want to watch a movie.
Clason and Hall currently work with builders in the metro, Stillwater, Midwest City, and Edmond area to do pre-wires during construction that ensure electronic compatibility and eye appeal. Their employees are Lucent and Microsoft certified, unlike many less specialized retailers, and they work with electricians to install multimedia units including stereo systems, theater packages, and surround sound speakers. Contrary to the popular myth that surround sound means littering your den with pillar-like monstrosities for which no coverlets have yet been invented, most are tucked out of sight, or into walls, floors, or ceilings to preserve your décor. Pre-existing rooms that have been labeled “problematic,” with poor acoustics and wood floors, can be transformed with a single speaker, and replacing your television with a theater screen doesn’t imply a major interruption to daily life. Costs range from $10,000 to $30,000 depending on your preferences.
In keeping with the owners’ goal to make technology less complicated, your living room will still feel like home afterwards, not the gadget-laden control room of a submarine. One remote will replace the handful you probably own, including television, cable box, stereo, DVD, and VCR controls. Clearly labeled with large print and distinctive colors, every member of the family can use the system without frustration.
Clason and Hall are proud that their best source of advertising is via referrals, and they see repeat business among their client pool with whom they build relationships throughout the installation process as the product is tailored to the customer’s needs. “We are excited about being in Edmond with our great success in Stillwater and Midwest City. We look forward to providing a technical resource for the people here and creating lasting relationships with them that they can benefit from,” said entrepreneur Clason. Same salesperson integrity and personalization mark the difference between their independent corporation and competing chain outlets.
Audio Midwest can work with your dreams and your budget to create an ideal setting for extraordinary entertainment on an always-showing basis.
