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Simplifying Life Through Technology
SoundVision LLC is a lifestyle technology company located in Mooresville, North Carolina. We interview vendors, clients and staff with the purpose of demystifying the capabilties of new technologies for your home or business and sometimes highlighting local content that is important to our community.
Simplifying Life Through Technology
David Nash: High-Tech Network
On this episode of “Simplifying Life Through Technology,” Mark and Andrew sit down with High-Tech Networks Trainer and Sales Associate in North and South Carolina, David Nash.
Join us as we learn about David's journey from being an audio enthusiast in the high-end stereo market to a top-tier sales representative for High-Tech Network. David is our representative for both Sony and Lutron, as well as other leading brands. David shares invaluable insights into the crucial role of a rep and how they serve as the vital link between manufacturers and dealers, ensuring seamless product presentations, sales and technician trainings, and order facilitation.
Explore cutting-edge advancements with insights into Sony's technology innovations and Lutron's window treatments and lighting control systems. Learn how one of Sony's latest products significantly enhances brightness and minimizes blooming issues, while Lutron's automated shades and dual shade systems redefine convenience and privacy in modern homes and businesses. These segments underscore why Sony and Lutron remain leaders in their respective fields, setting the bar high for home technology innovations.
Get ready for an intriguing blend of tech talk and personal anecdotes as David recounts custom projects like crafting custom brass speakers for a client request and his own memories of Lutron's processing of creating their own line of automated window treatments. As we wrap up, Mark and David reflect on their times working together and celebrate the joy of a long-standing friendship and a fruitful partnership.
David's expertise and dedication have been instrumental in SoundVision's growth and success. You'll gain a deeper understanding of the essential role a rep plays in our industry. Get ready for an enlightening conversation that showcases the synergy between reps and integrators and the technology innovations shaping modern living.
To learn more about High-Tech Network:
https://htninc.net/
To learn more about David Nash:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-nash-561b2b14
Check out High-Tech Network on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/high.tech.network/
To learn more about SoundVision:
https://www.svavnc.com/
Check out our Instagram to see our recent projects:
https://www.instagram.com/soundvisionllc/
To listen to more “Simplifying Life Through Technology” podcasts:
https://open.spotify.com/show/7fIkJuLZ7lZ8xbafz62muQ
Contact Us Today: (704) 696-2792 Ext. 1 | Info@svavnc.com | soundvisionlkn.com
So joining us in the podcast room today we have high-tech networks trainer and sales associate in the North Carolina and South Carolina areas, david Nash. Good evening, welcome.
Speaker 2:David Great to be here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's cool. We're happy to have you.
Speaker 3:So David and I have known each other for many, many, many years I'm not exactly sure how many, and that would date us, so we'll just go with five, but clearly you're new to our podcast and our listeners, so tell us a little bit about yourself, your experience in the industry, how that works, your current role, that sort of thing.
Speaker 2:I was a musician from when I was like 10 years old and I loved the gadget aspect of that and so I got into audio too, excuse me. And uh, in 1971 I got a job working for a high-end stereo shop in uh, high point north carolina who was that? It was called the. Uh, I'm sorry, I'm drawing a blank here. It was called uh.
Speaker 1:Oh god, I'm sorry pause yeah, no problem, this is where the editing comes in dick schwartzberg.
Speaker 2:He started it in his dad's pharmacy and then it had to move to its own place. That's all right, I can't believe, I don't remember it. That's all just say. A high-end shop in high, yeah, can do crazy anyhow. So, uh, I started working for this guy. I had no idea I'd never sold anything before, but we sold all of these incredible high-end brands like morant, macintosh, jbl, uh, altec, lansing. We sold bows, which at the time was considered a high-end yeah, that's right bozak, electro, uh, the, uh, kl, electrostatics, things like that.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, and it was just amazing to me that I was able to play with these all the time. Yeah, and I stayed with it on and off for about the next five years and then in 78, I went to work for the last time for a retailer in North Carolina and in 1981, I was asked to join high-tech network, which was high-tech at the time, and became a rep in 1981 and did that till right now.
Speaker 3:That's crazy, that's awesome. That is crazy. So, uh, uh, so one of the a couple of products. You're actually a very integral part, uh, of our company, but I don't know that our listeners necessarily understand what a rep is. I'm sure some do, but some might not. Why don't you elaborate on what exactly that is?
Speaker 2:We're the guys that take the products out when they first are released to the world and show them to potential dealers. Go through and do some demos, just explain it, and then, if you're already a dealer, we're the ones that facilitate doing training for the dealers, for the salespeople, for the technicians. We do the presentation of new products, we help with problems that they may have and we actually we. We actually used to physically write orders, although that's usually done over a computer, now through a portal, which means we don't have to worry about that.
Speaker 3:So I don't know that everybody understands. Like, for example, you. You are our Sony rep and I'm sure everybody knows Sony. So all the Sony televisions that we get, we don't buy directly from david, we we buy through through a distributor that that sony has. But sony doesn't have sales people, right? Sony uh, employs representatives throughout the country, of which high tech is our rep, so that when, when new sony products everything david just said when new sony products comes out, david's the one that comes by and shows us how to use them and what's new about it. That's cool, uh, and so, um, in that, in that vein, the reps are our way to the manufacturers that's true there are some of the smaller.
Speaker 2:Actually, there are a few manufacturers that do have dedicated salespeople. That's not right. Not a lot of them, but there are a few that do that. Some of them have salespeople that work with the reps, but for most of our companies we are who the dealer sees on a day-to-day basis. We are who the dealer calls to place orders, to get questions answered, to help solve problems. So we're kind of a go-between that works between the manufacturer and the dealer.
Speaker 3:And what's the benefit on the vendor side is, if it was just Sony, it may not necessarily make sense, but two of our largest products, sony and Lutron. David represents both, and then he also has a whole line card of other manufacturers that they support. So the manufacturers get to share in the expense, if you will.
Speaker 3:They don't have to hire their own staff. They get to hire somebody who not only is an expert in their product but is also an expert in their market, like they have the relationships with us. Like I just said, david and I have known each other a very long time, so it's much easier for him to call in and say, hey, I want to show you something, or hey, I've got something new. Uh, to to get in the door. So it's really a win-win on both respects.
Speaker 2:Well, you were a rep at one time.
Speaker 3:That's true. Yeah, he was.
Speaker 2:that's how I'm that's how we met he was the Kenwood rep. That's correct.
Speaker 1:You were the Kenwood, so how did you?
Speaker 2:guys meet Just because our companies were friendly with each other. We were friendly competitors. We never any animosity or anything. No, I knew these guys.
Speaker 3:The two owners at the time, bill Morton and Jim Teal, were very close. That's right. And actually you know they both had distribution company. There was a whole lot of tentacles that interconnected them and so our teams, although we were truly competitors we did sell products that competed against each other, but in reality, like on any day, we were just guys out there trying to make a living yeah, exactly you're guys doing the same thing.
Speaker 1:You know common interest so what?
Speaker 3:the Kenwood guy was here yesterday. Guys out there trying to make a living?
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly You're guys doing the same thing, you know, and we go to the same shows and we run into each other Common interest.
Speaker 1:So what?
Speaker 2:the Kenwood guy was here yesterday. Really, you're not going to start selling Kenwood? Oh my gosh, because I was the Yamaha rep.
Speaker 3:No, you know, the one I remember best was Panamax and Monster Cable.
Speaker 2:Oh yes.
Speaker 3:Panamax and Monster Cable were at the time were huge Monster, got into the surge protection business and Panamax at the time ruled the surge protection business. They were the monopoly, no competition. And Monster saw that and said we're going to get into this. And I was the Panamax guy so I don't know the meetings, but I'm pretty sure that there was a lot of pressure put on the monster reps to get some market share. And I'm pretty sure of that because I know it was said.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh yeah.
Speaker 3:It was so funny. It was so funny.
Speaker 1:Anyways, we digress. Yeah, so, david, our clients are always excited about hearing the latest in video technology. Oh, my gosh and you work with one of the biggest. The biggest the biggest world technology, Sony. What are some products or features out right now or recently introduced to the market that you think our viewers would be interested in?
Speaker 2:Well, whatever I tell you could be wrong, and I'm going to give you two examples of failures Not really failures, but things that we didn't bet on and, mark, you know exactly what I'm talking about 3D television was huge, not too long ago.
Speaker 2:Right, that's right. Seven, eight years ago, oh, 3d television, everybody wanted the glasses. Nobody cares about that anymore. The other one is 8K television. You know, you got high def. High def was fantastic. 4k 4K is pretty fantastic too, yeah. But then they tried to do 8K about three or four years ago, and it's great, except there's no content, there's no source material, you can't buy an 8K Blu-ray, so that's another one that's kind of been tossed on the scrap heap of history for audio and video Now that's kind of been tossed on the scrap heap of history for audio and video.
Speaker 2:Now, having said that, we've come along with things like high definition was huge and it's been fantastically successful. 4k you could have made the point seven or eight years ago that, well, it's kind of a gimmick, but you know what it's not and it's beautiful. Then 4K HDR, which looks even more lifelike. It's just an enhancement to 4K in the contrast, color and brightness and it looks more lifelike.
Speaker 3:What does Sony bring to the table today that separates them from competition? That pretty much anybody would know. I don't need a name.
Speaker 2:Well, the biggest thing we have right now, that we just started fairly recently in the past few years, is mini LED which are thousands of LEDs behind the screen. It's very different from OLED, but the biggest advantage is it's extremely bright. So it has that advantage over OLED and, by the way, I'm not knocking OLED at all.
Speaker 3:all it's fantastic organic light emitting diode that's right, it's its own light source, that's right.
Speaker 2:But uh, with mini led, we're still. It's still conventional in the sense that there's a panel of liquid crystal pixels on the front of the screen and it's lit from behind. Well, now we've gone from very large lighting zones, if you want to call them that, to very tiny lighting zones with these leds directly behind the screen.
Speaker 2:It's incredible it's bright, it's fantastic looking as far as resolution it really really is. It doesn't have a term called blooming, where you have maybe a very dark background but, for instance, a moon. Well, you want that moon, you want the brightness to stop at the edge of the moon, yeah, but if a TV is a less expensive TV and I'm talking, you know, entry level type stuff you'll get kind of a halo around that moon.
Speaker 2:It's very common. That's right, yeah, so mini led gets rid of a lot of those problems but still maintains the brightness and the color, and we think that's going to be the future, for a while at least. And something else will come along in five years, who knows? But it's pretty exciting.
Speaker 3:And we've got a lot of this stuff on display in our showroom. But we are huge Sony proponents have been for many years. They're an excellent partner. They make an incredible product. They're constantly on the cusp of whatever the latest innovation is. It's just an excellent product in general. One of the other products that you represent for us is incredibly common in the industry. I'm not 100% sure outside of the industry how well the Lutron name is known. I mean, I've known it forever, so I just kind of assume everybody does. But Lutron is a dominant player in two different markets Lighting control now lighting fixtures too, but have been with lighting control forever and automated shades, which we were just talking about offline, is an enormous part of our business and has just exploded. Tell us a little bit about Lutron and what they bring to the table.
Speaker 2:Started in 1962 by a guy named Joel Spira and his first product was a dimmer and everybody wanted this dimmer because it worked, it didn't break down and then he turned that into a whole industry of you know, doing it in an industrial setting, but then it went to a residential and it's not uncommon at all to have lighting control throughout your house. I mean, most people I know have some sort of app on their phone where they can control lighting in their home. But then we saw that controlling lighting isn't just turning lights on or off or dimming them, it's also controlling natural light.
Speaker 1:How much light do you want to get from the windows?
Speaker 2:It's a great point. Yeah, I mean, especially if you've got a room like a theater, you want to be able to keep light out of your theater so that you'll have better picture quality on your TV. But there are a lot of other reasons for doing it. And in the 80s I'll say because I don't know the exact date they actually bought a company that was making electric powered shades, and they worked with that for a long time before they released their own version of it, and so now we have all different types of shades that are you can have multiple shades in a room that are you can have, you know, multiple shades in a room that are synchronized. They will go up and down completely in sync.
Speaker 3:It's called hem bar. Alignment is a fancy term, but that means that if you have five shades in one room, they all go up at the exact same pace and the bottom of the shades are completely aligned. It's super cool.
Speaker 2:It is super cool. It looks beautiful. It really is a piece of art working in your room. Yeah, but you can have different levels of shading. If you want to have a light blocking completely, we do have shades available to make it completely dark, but most people would like to see through. We have double shades If you want to have sort of a what's the word? Kind of a screen where you can still see through, but then later that night you want to have another shade come down over it. There are a lot of anything you can think of virtually is available.
Speaker 3:And I actually have one of those in our home, a dual shade, and it's incredible. So during the day the shade will come down and that shade is see-through. You know it's a, it's got a certain translucency to it, so let's light in, but it offers some privacy. So you're walking around, people can't really see you, um, and then at night, literally like a room darkening shade comes down. That is solid, yes, so it blocks well. At night there's no light coming around it, so it literally blocks all the light at night.
Speaker 3:Great for sleeping oh yeah yeah, and it's incredible, uh, and this is the kind of thing and, by the way, I think it's sold undersold a little bit what lutron did when they bought this company in 1980 is not quite the same level Of what Bill Gates did when he bought the operating system from IBM, and let's not get crazy, but it's kind of a similar thing. There was this company that had this technology that today is enormous, and Lutron basically took it and then and then worked on it, perfected it. Sure, I don't like you know windows, uh, and so now automated shading is incredible. It offers so many benefits, yeah, and Lutron is the best at it. They do have tons of options for styles and colors and blackouts. Yeah, the fabrics, fabrics.
Speaker 2:We have books and books here. Sometimes we get impatient, waiting for them to do something. But that is really, I mean, the way I look at it. That's part of the beauty of Lutron. They will not release it until they have thoroughly tested everything. They want to make sure that when this goes out to a customer's home, they're not going to have a recall or have a lot of angry customers because it's not working properly. It will work when we ship it, or when they ship it.
Speaker 3:I should say, and I want to at least touch just briefly on the lighting, uh, the lighting control, and we could talk forever and we we catch it. They make a an incredible lighting product from a fixture and light standpoint, but from control, because we talk about it a lot on this podcast having a keypad that has scenes, as opposed to a bank of switches, which we affectionately call wall acne. I so love that, uh, and lutron takes that to another level. They have the keypads and the functionality is the same, but the offerings glass, uh, you can have half width key pads that go in bathrooms, so they're not the whole width of a light switch. You can have, you know, multi-button combinations. All the buttons are backlit, everything is engraved so you can see the words at night and I mean they dim and then they bright. It's incredible the options they have.
Speaker 2:And they go really well with. You know your decorator will love it because it's not just well. Can I get beige and white? You're kidding me? No, you get whatever kind of finish you want Basically. There are so many to choose from. Yeah, I'm sure once in a while we'll have a color that's not available, but it'll make your designer very happy because he or she will be able to match it to whatever your decor is going to be, whatever decor is, and you can also do things like we now do.
Speaker 2:Another example of us working with another company we have drapes available. We don't sell the cloth, we sell the runner or the mechanism for your drapery. But you buy the cloth from whomever you want to. We just get it made for you the right way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that way people can get what they want in the shade, and ladies, we have that drapery track here in the showroom.
Speaker 3:You can see that, yeah, so it's crazy cool.
Speaker 2:We also have skylight shades, which is a lot of people. Well, there's not a whole lot of skylights in my experience in North Carolina, but you know, you go to Florida, you go to anywhere on the coast.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you do see a lot of them but what it does offer is is the ability to do odd ball window shapes. That's right. So skylight is an example of an oddball window shape or style, and that's one thing that Lutron has. That's unique as well is they have the ability to do crescents and stuff that you might go. Man, it'd be cool if I could control the light in this, but I don't want a shade that just comes down.
Speaker 2:I don't want to. I don't want to make this an advertisement for lutron, but I think we have, maybe I do but the other thing is uh, what if you just wanted some nice basic wooden shades?
Speaker 2:the you know, or blinds, that's what I meant to say yeah, you want wooden blinds in your room? Fine, we have them and we have them where they will tie into the uh, to your computer, to the system. And those shades can be rotated vertically depending on the time of day and the amount of sun coming through. So you could have the shades automatically open on the east side of your house or automatically close on the west side of your house, depending on what the sun's doing. So it helps regulate temperature in the house.
Speaker 3:It's really that's. That's a big thing. Yeah, it's a big thing, depending on the way your house is facing and we do have a customer that has those where those veins, those, those panels, will open, like, say, at dawn and close at dusk, and they do it automatically. You don't have to know anything.
Speaker 1:That's right. Just programming is incredible. Yes, what you can do is nearly endless.
Speaker 3:It's catered to you and your lifestyle, your schedule and we haven't even talked about, because the the level of homes that we're in in some cases whether it's flooring, whether it's furniture, whether it's some piece of art you know that the this is another. This is a layer of protection too. That's right. It will keep the sun from fading or discoloring or whatever over time. So, yeah, these aren't cheap, but in some instances they are compared to what they're protecting exactly so you're getting what you pay for essentially what you pay absolutely, and they could even save you money if you look at it that way.
Speaker 2:for Essentially, Absolutely and they could even save you money If you look at it that way. For instance, you spend a lot of money having your furniture covered with a certain fabric. Yeah Well, if the sun fades that, how much is it going to cost to have that redone? And just if it even exists?
Speaker 1:anymore. That's right. That's a great point, yeah.
Speaker 3:So all so, all right. So we're, we're, we're kind of going on and on about this which is cool.
Speaker 1:No, it's, I'm doing it too.
Speaker 3:I'm curious. You obviously work with a lot of companies like us and this can be a story about us, or it can be a story about somebody on name. That's fine, but what are some cool uh, I don't know stories experiences, something that's happened with an integrator. What is it like working with companies like us?
Speaker 2:What's interesting is some of the companies that will and I hate to use this cliche term, but they think outside the box and they'll call and honestly, I don't know of one that I could name the dealer that did this. But they will come to us with some special request. We're like, well, no, you can't do that. Well, wait a minute, maybe you can do that. And we go to the vendor and the vendors. I will give you an example. It's not lutron. May I speak of another company oh absolutely, yeah, we have.
Speaker 2:Sony is working with a company called leon. Oh yeah, that's right uh they're making a, a frame to go with the with two of the sony uh flat panel televisions and it's really an attractive frame to most people.
Speaker 2:Well, I had a dealer just two weeks ago in Charleston who says, well, yeah, the wood's okay, you know, what would really be nice, though, david, is if we could have something that looks kind of like wrought iron, or maybe even very I forgot the term he used but something that's hammered out on an anvil. And I said, yeah, we could do that. And I called the company. They said sure, does he want to pay for it?
Speaker 2:Well, yeah he'll pay for it. In other words, it's not going to be the $700 frame, it's going to be a lot more expensive, but he's going to get exactly what he wants. It's custom. It's exactly right, it's custom and it's going to be a beautiful metal frame going around his TV, which is exactly what his client wants.
Speaker 3:So that's the kind of thing that's pretty cool, yeah, and that is that's something that separates the quality integrators out there that's true From from the non. There's there's the thinking outside the box aspect, but really, really trying to deliver what the customer wants, even if it's not that garden variety thing, yeah, and and again, this is where reps really help out, because you go, well, gosh, how do I? Yeah, I'd like a metal frame, how the heck do I do that? I can't do it myself. How do I do that? And so, being able to call somebody that's got the experience that you have, go, oh, yeah, let's put our heads together and you know what you came up with it.
Speaker 2:So it's really cool. It's working with a company like that that, uh, you know, they've got people that are really handy and woodworking and woodcraft and metal craft and they know how to get it done. So you're just asking is this reasonable? Well, sure it is. We can do that if you want us to take the time to do it. And that's the bottom line on it, really.
Speaker 3:We actually I'll do this and I know we, we gotta, we gotta go. But uh, I'll tell you one quick story. We, we had a vendor, we had a customer one time that wanted these brass speakers, these little cubes made out of solid brass, wanted for this particular, the decor of the room.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they had a vision and we, we called a manufacturer that we were working with at the time and we said you know, can you, can you do this? And they, they said, uh, I think so. And so they built two pairs. Now these were, these were almost like the, almost like bows, ams type cubes. That's how small these were. They were little and they were five grand for the pair and they came in a wool, wrapped like they were wrapped in wool, and they came with the white gloves inside to touch them.
Speaker 3:The manufacturer was in a crate that was then in a box Wow, official. And they built two pairs of them. They built one for us and they built one to, to, to take pictures of and put on for them. But yeah, so I guess the point is, is, if you've got a really discerning client, uh, you know, that's got an outside of the box idea, like we're not. We're not object to that, sure, and we have some vendors that are interested in doing that. That's how a lot of the stuff that we talk about metal, metal keypads from lutron that's where they came from, right so glass, like who wants a glass keypad?
Speaker 3:well, somebody did, somebody did and now a bunch of people do and they look fantastic they look fantastic anyways andrew, david.
Speaker 1:at this point of the podcast, andrew always does this Every time. I can't help it. It's like my voice goes the same way. So at this point of the podcast we like to get a little more lighthearted. We get into what we call our fun questions, and every question we ask our guest is who is your favorite band or artist? This will be a good answer maybe it will.
Speaker 2:My favorite band or artist would probably be a group called king crimson oh wow, yes, I remember king crimson, they were sure started in 1969 in britain and they've gone through many, many iterations and uh their last one I saw them. I finally got to see them in uh raleigh and in atlanta in 2018 and 2019.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, they're still together well, yeah, all their music changes and the thing is it's so odd about it is I actually had seen them a couple times before, before, but their their leader, the one guy, this fellow named Robert Fripp, who was the original, he was the founder, he would not play the old music.
Speaker 2:He said nope, that's what we did 30 years ago. That's what we did 50 years ago, whatever. Well, when I saw them in 2018 and 19,. They did everything from their first album all the way through to what they had released two or three years before Very, very different music and just amazing. And now two ex-members of the band are touring with the name Beat, which was the name of their 1982 album. Oh cool, B-E-A-T, yeah. And they got a couple other.
Speaker 2:Steve vi is going to be one of the guitar players oh wow, yeah, and danny carey from tools, playing drums for nice and yes, I already have my tickets, so that's my favorite band right now that's really any music, any new music.
Speaker 3:You're listening to anything? I mean no it's okay.
Speaker 2:No, I'm just trying to think if there's something new. I mean, I listen to new music all the time because I'm on. I listen on Sirius XM a lot and they've got that Sirius XM U, which is like a university or college radio type station. Oh okay, I love new music. I mean, I have friends that say well, music's no good after 1975. And I'm like really, really, are you kidding me?
Speaker 1:What are we supposed to deal with that's?
Speaker 3:right. Thank you, poor Andrew, it's all good, there's crappy music.
Speaker 2:There has been as long as we've been alive.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's good and there's bad, there's always going to be yes, and if it's good.
Speaker 2:I mean, I know people that hated talking heads. I know people that hated led zeppelin. I know people that hated uh, any, you know nxs, for instance. Yeah, it's an opinion, that's exactly all it is so you all have our own, whatever mine is worth. That's what it was king crimson.
Speaker 3:That's our first one there okay, we're going there. I like it, so it's been really cool. We we appreciate you coming in. We know that you drove a long way just to help us out tonight and we really appreciate it. Your friendship and your partnership has been really appreciated over the years. Hopefully we got many more to go, yes, but thank you very much for everything.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Well, I drove here because I wanted to hear my voice on the radio.
Speaker 3:It sounds unbelievable. I can't wait.
Speaker 1:Well, we're so happy to have you in here. Thank you again for coming.
Speaker 2:Oh no I appreciate it. I hope I gave you what you wanted to hear you did fantastic, thanks, thank you.
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