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The Cables that We Think Really Make a Difference

Audio cables are one of those things that enthusiasts love to argue about—either one is better than the other, or that no cable makes any audible difference at all. As a hi-fi retailer and technology integrator, we're here to tell you that cables do matter. We're also here to tell you that you don't always need the best cable for every speaker or interconnect, but if you've invested serious money in your audio gear, it makes no sense to hobble it with cheap cables. You wouldn't outfit your C8 Z06 Corvette with SUV tires, would you? We didn't think so. Here are our favorite home audio cable brands and why we like them.

From Simple Streaming to Audiophile Networks

Remember when enjoying music meant choosing between your CD collection, radio, or maybe one streaming service? A home music server changes all that by bringing everything together—your streaming subscriptions, digital music library, vinyl records, and any other audio sources—into one unified system you control from a single app.

Here on this installment of a series on Show and Tell's favorite brands, we're covering four home music server approaches that consistently deliver for our South Salt Lake, UT, clients. Sonos makes ecosystem integration simple and reliable. Eversolo brings audiophile-grade streaming with serious convenience features. Silent Angel specializes in network audio purity for the most demanding setups. Control4 also embeds music that serves directly into smart home automation. Each tackles the challenge differently, but they all solve the same problem: making all your music accessible from anywhere in your home.

From Home Theater to Two-Channel, Hidden Speakers Deliver Superior Audio Performance

Hidden speakers have crossed a new threshold, and frankly, it's about time. In the past, architectural speakers could skate by not sounding as good as their freestanding counterparts because at least they stayed out of sight. But we have always felt that South Salt Lake homeowners deserve audio that performs as brilliantly as it disappears. No longer does choosing in-wall mean accepting mediocre sound quality for the sake of clean aesthetics. Modern architectural speakers from top brands deliver performance that challenges the assumption that great audio requires visible hardware dominating your living space. We've selected four manufacturers who've mastered the art of making exceptional sound appear from thin air, each solving different challenges through decades of specialized expertise.

The Heart of a Great Home Cinema Experience

The home theater preamp/processor is like the central nervous system of every serious cinema, orchestrating complex surround sound decoding, video switching, and room acoustic management. While most processors look like identical black boxes with blinking lights, they couldn't be more different under the hood. Some obsess over channel count, others perfect room correction algorithms, and a few go completely overboard with features that make your head spin. At Show and Tell, we've spent years separating the genuinely brilliant from the merely impressive, and four brands consistently rise above the noise: Trinnov, StormAudio, McIntosh, and Marantz. Each brings a distinctive approach to home cinema and serves different priorities and installation requirements. 

Don’t Settle for Mediocre TV Audio or Speaker Clutter

The soundbar and subwoofer combination has become a convenient solution for South Salt Lake homeowners who refuse to choose between great sound and clean aesthetics. While we’ll always recommend separate speakers for ultimate stereo or surround sound performance, today's premium soundbars and subwoofers offer a sleek alternative to traditional multi-speaker setups in rooms where visual simplicity is paramount. 

However, not all soundbars are created equal, and pairing them with the right subwoofer can transform your viewing experience from tolerable to extraordinary. Show and Tell has curated six brands that prove you don't have to settle for the mediocre audio that plagues most TV and media setups.