A plain-language guide for executives, owners & general contractors
NETWORK·POWER·RACK·SOUND MASKING·CONTROL
Sparky Explains
What Exactly Is AV?
🔊
HEAR IT
Microphones, speakers, and DSP — every voice heard clearly, front to back
Audio
📺
SEE IT
Displays, cameras, and video walls — every piece of content visible from every seat
Video
☝️
CONTROL IT
One touchscreen runs the whole room — no remotes, no IT calls
Control
"AV is the nervous system of your workspace. When it works, nobody notices. When it doesn't — everyone does."
Network Needs
AV Runs on Your Network
"Plan the data infrastructure before the walls close — retrofit is 3× the cost."
🔌
CAT6A Data Drops
1–2 dedicated runs per AV device — camera, display, DSP, scheduler, and wireless AP
⚡
PoE Switch (Power over Ethernet)
Many AV devices power up over the network cable — no extra outlet needed at the device
🌐
Managed Switch + Dedicated VLAN
AV traffic lives on its own network segment — isolated from general office traffic for rock-solid reliability
Power Requirements
Every AV Rack Needs Clean Power
⚡
Dedicated 20A Circuit
Each AV rack needs its own breaker — never shared with HVAC, coffee equipment, or office loads
🔋
UPS — Battery Backup
Keeps systems alive through power blips and protects every device from surges and spikes
🔌
Rack PDU + Isolated Ground
Clean power distribution eliminates audio hum and video noise caused by ground loops
"Share a circuit with the coffee maker and you'll regret it every single Monday morning!"
Equipment Rack
The Rack: Where the Brain Lives
TYPICAL AV RACK — FRONT VIEW
GC Checklist
✓ Ventilated closet or dedicated equipment room
✓ Dedicated 20A circuit at rack location
✓ Conduit pathway to displays, speakers, cameras
✓ Data runs from rack to all AV outlet locations
"Needs ventilation, a clean circuit, and a clear conduit path out to every device."
Sound Masking
The Invisible Acoustic Layer
A soft, engineered background tone that makes speech unintelligible beyond a few feet. Not soundproofing — speech privacy.
🏢
WHO NEEDS IT
Open offices · Exec suites · HR rooms · Legal & finance · Medical · Any space with speech-privacy requirements
🔧
HOW IT WORKS
Small emitters above the ceiling tile broadcast a tuned tone — installed before ceiling close for clean routing
🔇
THE RESULT
Conversations stay private, distractions fade away, and the office just feels quieter — without any visible hardware
Signal Processing
The DSP: Your Audio Brain
Every professional system runs through a Digital Signal Processor — it cleans, shapes, and routes every sound in the room.
🎤 Ceiling Mic Array
🎙️ Wireless Mic
💻 Laptop Audio
☁️ Remote Call
→
🧠
DSP
Echo Cancel EQ & Room Tuning Volume Zones Auto Gain Control Signal Routing
→
🔊 Ceiling Speakers
📶 UC Soundbar
☁️ Send to Remote
🎬 Record / Stream
The DSP is why a room sounds professional instead of like a speakerphone. Biamp · QSC · Shure · Symetrix
Control Systems
One Touch. The Room Is Ready.
"One press: displays on, shades down, camera live, audio set — meeting starts instantly!"
Crestron · AMX · Extron · Q-SYS · Atlona · Lutron
The Complete System
Everything Working Together
🔌
Network
CAT6A to every device, PoE switch, dedicated AV VLAN
⚡
Power
20A dedicated circuit, PDU, UPS, isolated ground
🗄️
Equipment Rack
Ventilated closet with every processor and amplifier
🔇
Sound Masking
Ceiling emitters for speech privacy in sensitive zones
🧠
DSP
Echo cancel, EQ, gain, and full audio routing
📱
Control
One touchscreen automates the entire room
GC Deliverable: Conduit, backing, power runs, and ceiling access. AV handles the rest.
✦ EchoWerks LLC ✦
Engineered AV. Intelligent Communication.
5
Step Configurator
24+
Product Categories
∞
Room Configurations
Ready to scope your project? The EchoWerks Configurator builds a full estimate, rack elevation & signal flow appendix in minutes.