has Rayva cracked the code to selling dedicated home cinema?
BY DOUGLAS WEINSTEIN
My wife and I have incredibly busy schedules. I’m sure most of our readers are equally busy and enjoy those quiet times when you can regroup, disconnect from the world (i.e., mobile devices!) and simply enjoy one another’s company in the sanctuary we all call home.
We entertain in our kitchen and great room, what we call the nerve center of the house. That’s where friends and family come together to talk and text and cook and watch sports on the Samsung 82″ QLED TV. But in reality, we really don’t disconnect from the world when we’re entertaining in the great room. For those times when we put down our cell phones and focus on ‘us’ time, we head to our special place.
And that special place is our dedicated home cinema we use as a family or with friends who just want to catch up and talk about what’s going on in our lives. Whether we’re streaming Netflix or watching a Blu-ray movie, playing video games, taking a live yoga class, or just listening to music, it’s time we get to spend together without the rest of world invading our space. It is comfortable, intimate and always enjoyable.
Now they are offering a simplified, easily configurable home cinema package that anyone – homeowner, builder, architect, designer – can order and have installed in a matter of days.
The cool thing is, having a dedicated space for home cinema doesn’t require an elaborate re-model. In our case, we had a spare bedroom we weren’t using and decided to convert it into a comfortable, intimate theater. With a ‘no mobile device’ policy to boot!
I bring up our cinema room because I want to introduce you to a company called Rayva. The people behind Rayva represent the state-of-the-art in custom home cinema. And now they are offering a simplified, easily configurable home cinema package that anyone – homeowner, builder, architect, designer – can specify and have installed in a matter of days. Elegant, refined, and sonically and visually stunning. State-of-the-art made simple!
introducing Rayva and Theo Kalomirakis
Theo is often referred to as the father of home cinema. He designed his first theater more than 25 years ago. Since then he has designed almost 1,000 custom high-end home cinemas. During all those years doing custom work, he often reflected upon how many more people would appreciate home cinema if the process was not so difficult and complicated. He envisioned a time where he could provide a turnkey, simple, easy-to-deploy solution that could reach a much broader audience. That day has arrived, and with it, the formation of Rayva.
At the core of Rayva’s design-build process is a simple utility called the Configurator. You open the app and walk through the options depending on your room size, preferences and budget.
GALLERY
configuring a Rayva home cinema
What is it you’re actually going to configure when you open the Configurator? The folks at Rayva decided to break down the cinema configuring process into three parts. The three parts consist of the seats or seating arrangement, the electronics package, and the décor and acoustic performance of the room.
Historically, I think a lot of AV integrators put a greater emphasis on the electronics than the look and feel of the room. You could spend tons of money on the gear and then not have much left over for how the room looks and behaves acoustically.
What’s nice about the Rayva philosophy is that you can opt for a modest electronics package and maybe steer more of the budget to the décor and seating. Maybe you want open seating instead of individual seats. No worries, There are multiple options. At a recent industry event, when I took the Configurator for a test drive, I found it to be intuitive and easy to navigate. If you have virtual AR glasses, you can even do a virtual walk-through once you’ve designed your system.
The real beauty of Rayva is that regardless of what level of perfor- mance you opt for, you are assured of an incredible performance. Rayva has engineered each configurable room layout to perform – acoustically and stylistically – to a sophisticated level. The demonstration I sat through of a modestly budgeted cinema room was spectacular. And that’s why I’m championing the brand.
yes, i want one!
So let’s say the homeowner or builder says, “Yes, we want a theater. We want to configure our cinema to our taste, all the while staying within budget.” What happens next?
For those homeowners who already have an AV integrator, the product is shipped with step-by-step instructions. For those who do not have an AV integrator, Rayva will interview and recruit a qualified installer for your project, which is incredibly convenient.
They’ve worked very intelligently at Rayva to pre-engineer the installation process. This reduces the number of labor hours and gets your home cinema room up and running as soon as possible. The entire installation process is outlined step-by-step in their Build Book.
The Build Book is a 40-page document that outlines all of the different layers and exactly where everything is supposed to go and how it fits together. The installer just follows the steps and executes. Rayva theaters are designed to be installed in only two to three days, where historically a custom home theater would take two to three weeks.
And Rayva’s engineering and architect personnel are on hand to assist remotely if you have any problems or wish to further customize the project.
the experience
I was given an in-depth demonstration of a Bronze-level theater and came away quite impressed. For me, the first thing I noticed was just the general vibe of entering the home cinema space. Elegant lighting, warm and inviting décor, a sense of luxury as I took my seat. These are the hallmarks of a Theo Kalomirakis theater design.
Image and sound performance was nothing short of spectacular. Better than you can imagine and something I simply cannot express on the written page.
final thoughts
Home cinema is an art form. It’s not the same as watching movies on your phone or tablet or on the 82” Samsung in the great room. For many families, converting an under-utilized room or space into a home cinema not only delivers years of family enjoyment, but it adds value to the home from an investment perspective.
So, check Rayva out. I think you’ll be impressed at how well they’ve thought about the entire design and installation process. And how they are offering builders and designers an opportunity to add another product to their portfolio.
Rayva in action
Rayva worked with the owners of a 100-year old house being remodeled in Briar Cliff, New York to quickly and seamlessly integrate a home theater into a spare bedroom while maintaining the home’s historical character. The Origami design chosen for the Briar Cliff Manor Theater has since won the prestigious TechHome Mark of Excellence Award for Best Video Product during the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show.
