Start talking about amplifier power and projector resolution and speaker performance, and women will often check out. I can say that from having worked directly with hundreds (probably more like thousands) of couples over the past 24 years designing, selling, and installing systems. I’ve also been married for 27 years, and have tried to engage and excite my wife about the benefits of improving a processor, upgrading a projector, or adding additional speakers or subwoofers to our theater system.

The usual response is, “Where is that going to go?”

But you know what women are very interested in? Design, lifestyle, and experience. When the discussion turns to how a system will look, function, or interact with users or the home, then they’re keenly interested and often have very strong opinions.

The equipment I review for various AV publications comes and goes from our home all the time, usually without comment from my wife, but when she walked into our living room one day and saw a pair of Meridian DSP5200SE tower speakers in Cerulean Blue finish, she noticed. And was impressed. “Wow! Do we get to keep those?”  And when it came time for me to review automated shades for our bedroom, she couldn’t have cared less about their automation capabilities or how they would be powered but she wanted to pour through the fabric sample books to find a color and style that looked best in our room.

And when there’s an issue with a system, it’s nearly always the woman who calls for service. While she might not be interested in the technology, she’s most frequently the one using the system day in and out, and typically the first to notice when there’s a problem.

I’ve had two customer encounters lately that speak well to this point.

In the first case, a couple came into my showroom looking to buy a simple flat wall-mount for their new TV. After discussing different options with them and going over how they planned to use and watch the TV, I showed them a fully automated and motorized mount. At the press of the TV’s power button, the set magically lowers off the wall and then swivels to turn to the primary viewing position.

“That’s what we need,” the wife said.

At first the husband balked since the mount was about 3,000% more expensive after installation than the fixed mount, but the wife understood the lifestyle and experience improvement. She knew she would be the one using the TV throughout the day, and the fact that she could power on the set and it would automatically lower from the wall, clear the fireplace mantel, and get to the perfect viewing height and position without her doing anything made the step up a simple decision. And once she decided that was the right solution, there was little room for further discussion. Plus, the mount allowed the husband to step up to a larger-screen display, so it was a “win” for him as well.

In the second case, I walked through a new build with the husband prior to doing a pretty massive prewire. We discussed options for audio and TVs throughout, and looked at shading for four of the bedroom windows. The next day, the wife came to walk the house and we spent some time together. When I told her we could use ultra-quiet automated shades from Lutron that have one sheer shade that allows privacy during the day while still letting in light and giving them a view, and then a second blackout shade for night that gives total privacy, she got it.

“And these shades can all automatically go up and down with sunrise or sunset, or I can just push a button to adjust them all? From anywhere in the home?”

Yes! (And actually, from anywhere in the world . . .)

After a brief discussion and walk-thru, the wife totally embraced the lifestyle improvements of automated shading and ended up adding shades for 30 windows throughout the home. The next day, the husband told me how excited his wife was over the decisions she’d made, and couldn’t wait to have the system installed.

So, women might not care about this stuff but they care about being able to watch their programming, listen to their music, and have the house look and function the way they want. At Cineluxe, we’re trying to embrace the lifestyle and experience benefits of technology throughout the home in a way that’s attractive, exciting, and appealing to all readers.