Entertainment Perfection for a Pretty Penny

"They are not just stamping out a bunch of black boxes where the cost is a primary concern," said Butterworth. "They make a lot fewer of each device, but spare no expense. They are using the finest materials and the best workers to get it made. If you buy this, you have a desire to own the best. You have to be an enthusiast."

Gold Standard for the Rest of Us?

About three years ago, charismatic Goldmund CEO Michel Reverchon recognized that the marketplace for home theaters was infantile, decentralized and relatively small potatoes, and the company has been charging full steam ahead ever since.

"Worldwide, people are spending millions of dollars a year on home theaters," Reverchon said. "That's nothing for the electronics industry, and we wanted to be a part of it before it becomes billions of dollars a year."

Goldmund's engineers created sophisticated modeling software that factors in the size of a room, the height of furniture and the room's materials to create a high-quality home theater. This also conveniently allows Goldmund to control all equipment sales and installation duties; 100 percent of the profits go back to the company.

Asian clients were the first to sign on, and in 2007 Goldmund started installing systems in the United States. All systems are tailored to what the customer wants, with one contact person who will work with your decorator, architect and even the neighborhood kid you'll call to help you figure out how to turn on your high-tech TV.

Goldmund's installation includes preventive maintenance and software that is constantly monitoring the system and alerts technicians to possible issues, hopefully before the owner even notices.

While Reverchon says it's possible for his team to scale down the technology, use less expensive materials, lower the quality threshold and make it more affordable for a more price-conscious customer, he has no plans to do that.

"Our strategy is to find the most expensive rooms, to show what our systems can do and get our name out there," he said. "Our customers are our best advertisers, because your senses need to experience what our systems can do."