Howard and Kathy

For Howard and Kathy, it was a match made in heaven. "When we were building our home we wanted built-in speakers throughout the house, so we contacted Bose directly to inquire about their product. We were directed to a local installer. We went to the showroom, saw a demonstration, and fell in love," explains Howard.

So they worked with an audio consultant to customize a system. "We went over the floor plans and the installer suggested speaker locations and components that would make sense. When the house was framed, a team of installers came over to pre-wire. After all of the plaster was up, they came back to install the components and to show us how to work the system."

Out of sight
One of the big advantages of their system is that it's so unobtrusive. "Part of the system is installed into the floorboards. We have built-in cabinets, where some of the components are hidden. We can close the doors and tuck everything away. We don't even have to open the door to use the remote.

We don't have wires all over the house. And we don't have to look at huge components. Our old system took up a lot of space; it was clunky, messy, collected a lot of dust, and the sound wasn't nearly as good.

Remote convenience
But for Howard and Kathy "the best thing about the system is the remote control. We spend a lot of time outside — having barbecues, playing with our daughter in the yard, relaxing on the swings — and we can change the music without going inside. Friends of ours have other installed systems, and they always have to adjust the sound depending on what they're listening to. They complain about all of the buttons they have to push."

And at the end of the day, they explain, it's a worthwhile investment. "If we were to sell the house, the sound system would stay in the house. It's part of the house so it's good for the resale value."

Custom home audio from Bose is available in the US and Canada.