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To learn more about Good Sounds, see our recent interview with the owner Mitch Goodz:
Q: Mitch, could you tell us about the history of Good Sounds?
A: I came to Orange County, California in 1980 as a founding partner in a startup custom audio installation company. The mission of the startup was to provide professional audio system design and installation services specifically for high-end residential applications.
Audio system installation for custom homes on the West Coast did not exist as an industry or service at that time. There were two companies working out of New York City servicing the affluent areas of New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, but nothing on the West Coast. A few companies in Hollywood with roots in the film industry were installing professional audio systems in custom homes for the well-heeled in Hollywood and Beverly Hills, but these companies were repurposing professional studio products for home use. The equipment being used did not lend itself to custom home designs, and the clients had to be willing to accept industrial-based products in their homes if they wanted a quality sound system.
Our goal was to source products and use methods that would be more adaptable to the purpose of creating an aesthetically pleasing, yet highly functional, audio system for a high-end residence.
We started off with high hopes of breaking into the custom home building market in Orange County with a new concept and services previously unavailable to architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. We soon found, however, that the reality of the market at the time was one of resistance on all fronts to accepting our concepts and ideas as having a part in the custom home building industry.
Architects did not grasp our concepts, designers were absolutely resistant to any form of entertainment electronics being integrated into their interior design plans, and builders, in general, were completely convinced we were dilettantes who were dabbling in an area where we had no place being. General contractors were our biggest stumbling blocks to breaking into the home building industry. They were comfortable with doing things as they always had—having their electrical contractors run telephone and TV wiring along with the high voltage wires through their homes, with no real system design or layout. They saw no value in our added service to a project.
The startup withered away, and I set out on my own path, and that’s when my company, Good Sounds, was born.
Q: What is unique about Good Sounds and how does it stand out from competition?
A: We are a small, family-owned business keeping a low profile in a very crowded field in Orange County. I am personally involved and hands-on with each and every project.
We specialize strictly in high-end residences, taking on projects for a clientele concerned with securing the very best company to provide professional, high-quality workmanship, products, and services.
We offer full system design, engineering, and documentation services for every large-scale project we take on. No system is built off of a napkin sketch. We do not fly by the seat of our pants, but use a professional process for all of our projects.
We also place a huge emphasis on customer service. We listen to our clients and then figure out how to meet their needs and wishes.
Q: Could you tell us something more about the products you use?
A: We source our product line from industry established manufacturers. We do not experiment on our clients’ projects with “flavor-of-the-month” products and technologies. Rather, we make sure that a product is road tested, with a solid track record, before it becomes part of our system designs.
We spare no effort to stay on top of emerging technologies and bring the very latest proven products into our designs.
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Q: Could you tell us something more about your recent projects?
A: We are currently involved in several exciting projects that run the gamut from new custom homes being built from the ground up, to complete remodels on existing custom homes.
Our signature projects are fully automated homes, where we provide homeowners with the ability to control their home’s audio, video, home theater, lighting, climate, security cameras, and pool/spa/water features. Homeowners are able to access control from both their mobile devices and easy-to-use, intuitive, hand-held remote controls.
All of our equipment and hardware is fully integrated into the design of the home. We work hand in hand with the builder and design team to deliver a product that blends seamlessly with the finished product.
Q: What achievements are you most proud of?
A: I am most proud of being able to weather the ups, downs, and changes in the economy over the last 38 years and build a thriving business. We have continued in our original mission of educating both clients and the building industry as a whole, so that homeowners can successfully integrate high-tech products into the design of any type or style of custom residence.
Maintaining relationships with our clients for more than 30 years is also very special to us.