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Bradd

8 Sound Proofing Tips

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If you are wanting to build a media or theater room, it’s important to consider how you’ll use the system. Will enjoying the system at louder volumes result in an inconvenience to others in your home or perhaps neighbors if you share walls? Then, you should consider sound proofing.

But before you do, there are a couple of considerations, and we address them below:

1. Sound proofing is a new construction/remodel only option. The methods used will highly modify the walls and floor. If you didn’t plan on a remodel, think again. That said, new construction is the most optimal environment and allows for maximum results per dollar.

2. Sound proof drywall exists, but it is not the best option. There are a couple of different sound proofing drywalls that can be installed in leu of traditional drywall. The reality is that two sheets of drywall is about just as effective and that’s not much to brag about. There are far better ways.

3. High mass vinyl is the single most effective way to sound proof a wall or floor. High mass vinyl is applied below the drywall directly to the studs and offers the best sound proofing properties. Acoustiblok is our preferred material and it is has some additional special properties. It works by actually taking the sound waves and turning them from sound energy to heat energy. It’s cool stuff for sure.

4. Both sides of an interior wall should be covered for max effectiveness. If you are covering an interior wall, it’s ideal to cover both sides of the wall with Acoustiblok. This helps to ensure that any sound that radiates through the first layer is stopped by the second.

5. Insulation in the walls like R13 insulation is a great addition to any sound proofing project. It can be inserted between the Acoustiblok layers and helps to dampen alternate frequencies and adds even more mass for the sound to penetrate. We can also install Acoustiblok insulation that has even more sound proofing properties, but it’s not a big difference over the regular stuff and depending on who’s installing, the R13 insulation can save you some money.

6. If you are sound proofing a second story room, don’t forget about the floor. The floor basically becomes another wall in this environment and should most definitely be sound proofed. Other advantages include reduced sound transfer of walking for those below. Some have put Acoustiblok on second floor floors just for this reason as it can help to ensure that those below aren’t annoyed or awakened by high heals walking above.

7. Low frequencies like those that come from subwoofers are a challenge regardless of the techniques used. The low frequencies can easily penetrate even the most effective sound proofing materials. That said, when it comes to these low frequencies, it’s all about relative sound reduction, which brings us to our last point.

8. Sound proofing is a misleading name. It should be called sound emission reduction. In the end, there is no way to truly “sound proof,” only methods to reduce the total amount of sound that will escape a room. If you blare the speakers, the sound will still escape but compared to a normal room, the volume level outside of the room will be far below an obtrusive level.

If you’re in need of any sound proofing services, trust no one but the pros at Gamma Tech Services. We are Naples’ go to technology pros including installation of sound proofing materials. Give us a call today!

Check Engine Light
Bradd

Pay to Play

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At Gamma Tech Services we always try to be as upfront as possible. There’s no hiding we are here to make a sale, but at the end of the day, we are looking for happy customers—not quick profits. When buying a home technology system, it’s important to understand that with more features and ease of use, often comes more maintenance.

I compare this to buying a new car. You can purchase a basic Honda Civic which has no cruise or navigation, or you can buy a Mercedes with laser guided cruise, lane departure warning, leather seats, and a full navigation system. All of these systems are there to add luxury and to make the car safer to use. What’s important to note however is that all of these systems introduce additional points of failure and most of the time will increase your total maintenance required.

At Gamma Tech Services we are “Mercedes” dealers. Maybe Mercedes isn’t the best analogy, but fill in your favorite luxury brand and we’ll go with that. You may wonder, “Didn’t you just make a case for not buying a Mercedes and now are comparing Gamma Tech with that?” I did, and I am.

The difference is that we do two things to provide all the pros of having a “luxury” system without the cons I just discussed, and after all, let’s not forget why we buy these luxury brands in the first place and the conveniences they afford.

First, we only install systems and designs that are well tested and have a history of excellent quality control. This is important in the technology world. Sometimes the newest, coolest item on the market isn’t necessarily the most reliable. At Gamma Tech we spend quite a bit of time and money developing a perfect balance of features, reliability, and price. None of our competition does this to the same level. At times we have lost jobs due to a competitor willing to supply a feature that simply isn’t ready for prime time. With us, it’s something we will not do.

Secondly and most importantly, is our 1 year guarantee. No one offers anything like it. We will truly stand behind our design and products for an entire year. If we need to come out every day, we will, without sending you a single invoice. It is with this in mind that we design every job. We cannot sell systems that require constant maintenance or training. They will simply cease to be profitable and therefore put us out of business.

So what should you take away from this article?

  1. Buying an audio video system that is installed by a professional will require professional maintenance and repair.
  2. Gamma Tech Services only installs the most reliable and easy to use systems.
  3. Gamma Tech Services stands behind each and every design for an entire year after install. Every other company will bill you hourly and financially benefit from installing more complex, less reliable systems.

As I opened this blog, I said that we are here to be as upfront as possible with our customers. Sometimes that means exposing some industry secrets that no one wants to really address, but in the end we feel it would be a disservice to our customers. Buy from Gamma Tech Services and you can rest assured that you can buy once and cry once.

New Gamma Tech Services Office
Bradd

“Moving on Up”

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“It’s a great space! It’ll take us a while to fill this up.” It was just one and a half years ago that we moved into our current space and said those words and yet here we are being forced to move before our lease is even up.

For those that haven’t been to our current office in the Greentree Professional Center, we have invested quite a bit in a beautiful lobby and state of the art demo area that allows customers to get a hands on experience with the services we offer. But even though we love our current office, it’s time to move on.

The reason is due to rapid growth on both sides of our company. We know that our growth is ultimately a gift from God, but comes as a result of customers who support us and share our name with their friends. We are truly thankful. The growth may be overwhelming at times, but we couldn’t be happier or more thankful for it.

Located on Trade Center Way, the new office is over 3700sqft which makes it 2.5 times larger than our current space and gives us the much needed space to grow a bit more. We will have a new lobby along with a new demo room, sales room, conference room, kitchen, and dedicated offices for our sales and admin staff. It’s much needed and something we are very excited about.

Being on Trade Center also puts us a little more centrally located in Naples and places us in the heart of the construction community, which we feel will be important for continued growth of our audio video department. It will also make us neighbors with many small businesses that will greatly benefit from the services we offer from our IT department including Managed IT Support and VoIP phone services.

This move is one that we are very excited about and represents a great next step forward for our company. We are poised for continued growth and this new office is now one less item holding us back from being SWFL’s #1 technology company.

We hope that if you are a customer of ours you will continue to use us and share our name with others and most of all we look forward to seeing you at our new office and showroom this Fall. Until then, you can find us at our current office or of course, we will always come to you!