Audio and video installation in Manhattan.
Terrace and roof deck sound, TVs on concrete and plaster walls, whole-home audio and meeting rooms, for Manhattan apartments, co-ops and offices. Every cable hidden, the building paperwork handled first. Our office is at 244 Fifth Avenue.
- RoomsSetback terrace, roof deck, penthouse
- DisplaysOutdoor-rated TV, under cover where it can be
- SpeakersWeather-rated speakers, aimed in at the seats
- ControlPhone app and a keypad by the door
- RoomsLiving room, bedroom, home office
- DisplaysTV on concrete, plaster or brick, center near seated eye level
- SpeakersIn-wall or in-ceiling where there is a cavity; soundbar where not
- ControlOne remote or app, gear in a closet
- RoomsConference, huddle and reception
- DisplaysCommercial displays sized by the 4-6-8 rule of thumb
- SpeakersCeiling speakers and ceiling microphones
- ControlA table touch panel and one-touch join
Highlights show where each kind of space is common, not the only places we work. We cover all of Manhattan; the full neighborhood list is further down the page.
Terraces, hard walls and building rules.
Outdoor sound high above the street, TVs on brick and concrete, boards that approve every opening. We plan for all of it before anything is mounted.
Outdoor-rated, or it fails
Terrace and roof deck equipment has to be rated for weather and temperature. Speakers and TVs go under cover where they can, and outdoor power is a GFCI-protected weatherproof outlet, coordinated with the electrician.
Brick, plaster or concrete
Pre-war walls are often plaster on brick or block; post-war towers are concrete. We find out what is behind the wall before choosing anchors, and a TV mount always goes into solid structure, never into plaster alone.
Insurance and alteration rules
Co-ops and condos usually want a certificate of insurance naming the building, and some want an alteration agreement before any opening. We provide the certificate, including additional insured wording.
Sound that stays on your terrace
Terraces sit a few feet from other windows. More small speakers aimed in at the seats, at a lower level, carry less than two loud ones, and many buildings set quiet hours for outdoor sound.
Meeting rooms that just start
A display sized by the 4-6-8 rule of thumb, a camera at the screen, ceiling microphones with echo cancellation and a table panel that joins the scheduled meeting in one touch.
Visible from the street
Speakers or a TV on a terrace that faces the street can count as exterior work. In a landmarked building or historic district, exterior work may still need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval.
Inside to outside: the hardest foot of cable.
On a Manhattan terrace the difficult part is rarely the speakers. It is getting the signal through the wall. Pick a route.
The door crushes it at the sill every time it closes, rain follows the jacket inside, and the run up the facade is stapled where everyone can see it. It is a shortcut that ends up being redone.
Speaker cable runs from the AV closet through the ceiling, crosses the wall once through a sleeve that is sealed against water, drops in a drip loop and continues as outdoor-rated cable to the speakers. In a co-op or condo, the board or managing agent approves the opening first.
When the building will not allow an opening, outdoor speakers with their own amplifiers take the music over Wi-Fi and their power from an outdoor GFCI outlet, which is coordinated with the electrician. The tradeoff: it needs a strong signal through the glass and masonry, and a weatherproof outlet outside.
Manhattan's tiered towers come from zoning: the City Planning Zoning Handbook notes that the 1916 rules fostered tiered "wedding cake" buildings, and their setbacks are where many terraces are. In a landmarked building or historic district, exterior work may still need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval.
Sources: NYC Department of City Planning, Zoning Handbook. NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, Historic District Maps: Manhattan. Seneca Security business listing (office address). ZIP code areas: US Census ZCTA boundaries.
What goes into a Manhattan audio and video job.
From a single TV to a terrace and a meeting floor, these are the parts. The rooms change; the standard does not.
Outdoor speakers and TVs
Weather-ratedOutdoor-rated speakers, subwoofers and displays for terraces and roof decks, placed under cover where possible and aimed at the seating.
TV mounting
VESA · into structureMounts matched to the TV's VESA pattern and rated above its weight, anchored into studs, blocking, brick or concrete, with the screen center near seated eye level.
Hidden power and cable
In-wall kit · CL2/CL3A TV power cord never runs inside the wall: a listed in-wall power kit or a new outlet does the job. HDMI, speaker and network cable inside walls carry an in-wall rating.
Whole-home audio
Zones · app controlIn-ceiling and in-wall speakers by room, each zone on its own amplifier channel, controlled from a phone or a keypad.
Meeting rooms
Display · camera · micsDisplays, cameras, ceiling microphones and touch panels that work with the meeting platform you already use.
Setup and handoff
Tested · shownEvery source, zone and remote tested, the app on your phone, and a walkthrough before we leave.
From walkthrough to a system you can run.
The building signs off before we drill. You learn the system before we leave.
Walkthrough
We see the rooms, the terrace, the walls and the closet, and find what is behind the wall before choosing mounts and routes.
Plan and paperwork
A written scope with the equipment and cable routes, the certificate of insurance with any additional insured the building needs, and the power the electrician will add.
Install
Mounts into structure, cable hidden in walls and ceilings, one sealed route to the terrace, on the building schedule.
Handoff
Every source and zone tested, the app on your phone, and a walkthrough of the remotes, panels and outdoor gear.
Audio and video in Manhattan, answered.
Do you install outdoor audio on Manhattan terraces and roof decks?
Yes. We install weather-rated speakers and subwoofers on terraces, setbacks and roof decks, aimed at the seating and away from the neighbors, with the amplifier in a closet inside and one sealed cable route through the wall. In a co-op or condo, the board or managing agent approves any opening first.
Can you mount a TV on a concrete wall in a Manhattan apartment and provide a COI?
Yes. We find out what the wall is before drilling, use anchors made for concrete or masonry, and keep the screen center near seated eye level. We provide a certificate of insurance naming the building and its managing agent, with additional insured wording when the building asks for it.
Can a TV go outside on a terrace?
Yes, if it is an outdoor-rated display, ideally under a canopy or overhang, on a weatherproof GFCI outlet that is coordinated with the electrician. A regular indoor TV left outside fails.
Do you install whole-home and multi-room audio in Manhattan apartments?
Yes. Each room or area becomes a zone with its own volume, fed from an amplifier in a closet, with in-ceiling speakers where there is a ceiling cavity and in-wall or on-wall speakers where there is not. You control it from your phone or a keypad.
Can you install surround sound in a Manhattan apartment?
Yes. We install 5.1 and 7.1 layouts, and add ceiling height speakers where the ceiling has room for them. In concrete buildings with no ceiling cavity, we use in-wall or on-wall speakers and keep the wiring hidden.
Do you install video conferencing in Manhattan offices?
Yes. We set up meeting rooms with a display sized for the room, a camera at the screen, ceiling or table microphones with echo cancellation and a touch panel for one-touch join, working with the meeting platform your company already uses.
Do you handle audio and video for Manhattan offices and stores?
Yes: meeting rooms, reception displays, background music by zone and digital signage. Music played in a business is a public performance and needs licensing; many commercial music services include it. This is general information, not legal advice.
What does the building need from us before the work starts?
Usually a certificate of insurance, a short scope of work and the hours we will be there. Some buildings want an alteration agreement for any opening in a wall, and exterior terrace work goes to the board or managing agent first. We prepare what the building asks for.
What decides the price?
The rooms and the equipment, the walls we mount on, how far the cable has to go, whether a terrace needs an outdoor outlet or a route through the wall, and the building rules. We walk the space first and give you a written quote.
Audio and video across NYC and North Jersey.
- Battery Park City
- Carnegie Hill
- Chelsea
- Chinatown
- East Harlem
- East Village
- Financial District
- Flatiron
- Gramercy Park
- Greenwich Village
- Hamilton Heights
- Harlem
- Hell's Kitchen
- Hudson Square
- Hudson Yards
- Inwood
- Kips Bay
- Lenox Hill
- Lincoln Square
- Lower East Side
- Midtown
- Midtown East
- Morningside Heights
- Murray Hill
- NoHo
- NoMad
- Nolita
- Roosevelt Island
- SoHo
- Stuyvesant Town
- Sutton Place
- Tribeca
- Two Bridges
- Upper East Side
- Upper West Side
- Washington Heights
- West Village
- Yorkville
Ready to plan your Manhattan system?
Tell us the rooms, the terrace or the meeting space. We reply with a clear next step, the same day when we can.