A complete Control4-controlled system by ListenUp wins “Retrofit of the Year” from the Consumer Technology Association.
Ed and Sallie’s new home near Castle Rock, Colorado, sits with a breathtaking view overlooking Buffalo Mountain and Devil’s Head lookout. It’s the couple’s fifth home, over a span of nearly thirty years, for which ListenUp senior sales consultant Kevin Russell has designed an electronics system.
“Ed and Sallie are always great to work with,” says Kevin. “On this job we ran into some integration issues, as sometimes happens, but because of our past relationship they knew we would quickly resolve things.” Kevin owes much of the project’s success to project manager Justyn Born and the lead technicians, Matt Andreasen and Nate Meyer.
the system
The retrofit is a complete Control4 controlled project with whole-home Control4 lighting, Hunter Douglas shades, Control4 touch panels and door station, Bowers and Wilkins flush-mount loudspeakers (painted to match the ceiling), and Control4 and Arcam amplification. REL Habitat subwoofers in white are hung on the wall behind the furniture for great bass. Alexa voice control is also used throughout the home. There are two home theater areas with full surround sound; one downstairs and one in Ed’s office.
“One of my favorite parts of the system,” Ed says, “is that they mounted a 70-inch TV in my office along with in-ceiling speakers. Rather than just having a little monitor on my desk with the Mac Mini and keyboard, I use the big screen TV as my computer monitor!”
The couple chose Samsung “The Frame” TVs for the main design areas, family room, master bedroom and the “mother-in-law” suite. Each “Frame” is a fully functioning 4K TV when turned on, and a piece of customizable artwork when turned off.
All the heavy equipment lives in a main level closet in a rack that it is easily serviceable, yet out of view. Kevin and the team recommended PakEdge Routers with “Bakpak” to monitor the network with offline alerts and access to manage the Access Network Ruckus wireless access points. This configuration allows ListenUp to remotely fix most network issues without an in-home service call.
GALLERY
everything’s under control
Control of the system is two-fold. A 10-inch touch panel in the kitchen displays icons for audio/video, lighting, HVAC, Hunter Douglas shades and security. There’s also Alexa voice control. Everyday control is done by thinking of an action, like “Watch TV,” or “Listen to Pandora,” again either using the physical Control4 remote, touch panels or voice. This same user-friendly control is consistent in all rooms of the home.
going the extra mile
“The guys at ListenUp are experts in the technology and what’s going on,” says Ed, “and they come with technical solutions I never would have thought of. For example, we only have two Apple TVs, but they’re now serving all five different TVs with the video network. Justyn and Matt have become like part of the family. I have Justyn’s cell number, and I’ll text him on a Saturday thinking I’ll get a response on Monday, but he gets back to me the same day. At one point one of the tablet controllers failed, and I called to ask if it was still under warranty. They said Yes, came by and picked up the old unit, took it down to the store, and brought the new unit back. ListenUp knows how to treat repeat customer.”
About the Dealer:
ListenUp
Locations in Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs and Albuquerque
877-744-1179
ListenUp.com
About the Manufacturer:
Control4
Control4.com
