Accucom puts whole-house technology in the palm of your hand.
BY ANN THRASH | PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOLGER OBENAUS
Whole-house audio, streaming music, integrated universal remotes, distributed audio, data networks, structured cabling: That’s the language of modern home technology, and Accucom puts whole-house technology in the palm of your hand, Now That’s Smart! Owner Chris Holsomback, who established the company in 2003, says Accucom is the area’s number one dealer for Sonos,
an audio distribution system that synchronizes and organizes all of your music and allows you to play any song, in any room, all by using your smartphone or ablet.“Sonos has really changed the face of whole-house audio,” he says.“There are still wired speakers, but everything else is wireless.” Sonos integrates iTunes and other streaming music sources, such as Rhapsody, Pandora, Sirius/XM and Spotify, making it possible to stream a personal music library, favorite music service or any of the 100,000-plus free Internet radio stations and shows in every room of your house or business—and it’s all controlled from your smartphone or tablet.
Smart-home technology might seem incompatible with many of the centuries-old buildings that serve as homes and business offices in Charleston. But Accucom has developed a reputation as the go-to expert for integrating technology into historic sites.“We know the ins and outs of working with architects, designers and the Board of Architectural Review,” Holsomback says. “We’ve been doing this for years, and we’ve learned over time how to go about things. We already have an idea of what’s behind the walls before we start a project.” In fact, controlling a home with a smartphone or tablet is ideal for a historic property because it makes it possible to avoid keypads and other visible controls on walls.“We have the ability to be as discreet or as unapologetic as the client wants,” he says. For example, if a customer wants to be discreet about a TV, Accucom can provide a mirror TV that offers unparalleled HD picture quality in a stunning customizable frame. “Our LED Mirror TV isn’t imply a television; it is an elegant piece of functional art that complements the design of your room and is of ten times the perfect compromise,” says Holsomback. and crafted using the finest frame styles and highest quality mirrors available, the framed TVs are ultra slim, with a depth of only two inches, and come in a wide variety of finishes to blend seamlessly with any décor. Accucom employs a distinctive “rack” to house all of a system’s equipment in a central location.“Normally, your components are under the TV, beside the TV, in a cabinet near the TV,” Holsomback says.“But we can wire everything to one location.” That means, for example, that if you want to make room setup changes later, it’s much easier.
Before founding Accucom, Holsomback worked in the security systems industry, and that’s still an important part of what the company does.“The integration we provide makes it possible to access your alarm system from anywhere in the world, using a device you’ve pretty much always got in your pocket—your smartphone,” he says. The company’s ultimate focus is on giving customers the best buy for their bucks.“We spend a lot of time and do a lot of research. So that if this system is $7,000 and that system is $10,000—and we can’t tell the difference—we’re dumping the $10,000 product,” Holsomback says.“We can work within any budget, from high-end projects with six-figure budgets and all the bells and whistles to much smaller-scale projects. That’s how we keep our client list very broad, and it’s why we’re still here.