SERVICE AREA · CYPRESS · TEXAS
Cypress AV repair, system takeovers and installation.
Most Cypress homes went up after 1990 in planned communities along US 290. Obsidian AV finishes, repairs and takes over the theaters, audio, lighting control and networks inside them, whoever installed them first.
Built quickly, mostly since the 1990s
Cypress is unincorporated and sits entirely within Houston’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, about 24 miles northwest of downtown. It stayed largely rural until the early 1990s, when developers began building master-planned communities, and it is now one of the largest suburban areas around Houston. The land changes across US 290: wooded to the northeast, open prairie to the southwest. Several subdivisions are built around man-made lakes, and Bridgeland, an 11,500-acre community crossed by the Grand Parkway, is still adding homes.
Because so much of Cypress came from production and semi-custom builders, the AV starting point is usually a builder package: speaker wire stubbed into a few ceilings, coax and network cable home-run to a closet, and an internet provider’s router sitting in that closet. Some of it was finished. Some was never connected.
Finishing what the builder started
A sensible first step is a wiring survey: which ceiling wires have speakers, which are capped in the attic, where each cable lands in the media closet and whether the network jacks were ever terminated. Two-story plans with an upstairs game room or media room often have wire for surround speakers but no planned spot for the equipment. Knowing what exists keeps a new theater or audio zone from turning into a drywall project.
From there, Obsidian AV can add whole-home audio zones, set up a media room, add Lutron lighting or shade control, and replace the closet router with wired access points so Wi-Fi reaches the back patio and the lake-facing yard.
When the system belongs to someone else
Cypress homes resell often enough that many owners inherit a Control4 or Savant system, or Crestron in a larger custom build. Obsidian AV services all three. Control4 work starts with a dealer account transfer so the Composer Pro project on the controller can be updated. Savant needs the owner account and licensing moved, and the host’s Blueprint configuration backed up before changes. Crestron work depends on whether the source files behind the compiled program can be obtained from the original programmer.
Platform service in this area: Control4 service and Savant service. Planning a new room instead? See home theater installation.
Services available in Cypress
Storms, flooding and the media closet
Cypress lies in the Cypress Creek and Little Cypress Creek watershed, and storms such as Ike in 2008 and Harvey in 2017 brought outages and flooding to the area. A ground-floor media closet with the modem, router and control equipment near the floor is exposed both to water and to the surge when power returns.
Raising equipment off the floor, adding battery backup for the network and controller, and labeling the closet so it can be shut down cleanly before a storm are practical steps to take before the next storm season.
Communities served in Cypress
Service requests come from across Cypress, including Coles Crossing, Bridgeland, Towne Lake and Fairfield. These are service areas, not separate offices.
See all service areas
Also serving communities around Cypress.
Cypress AV service questions
Can you use the speaker wire that came with the house?
Usually. Builder speaker wire is normally fine for in-ceiling speakers once it is tested for continuity and shorts and traced to where it lands. The common problems are wires that were drywalled over, never labeled or run to a spot where no amplifier was planned.
What is the panel in our closet with all the cables?
It is usually a structured wiring enclosure, where the builder’s coax and network cables meet. It often holds the internet provider’s modem and router. It can remain the hub for a better network, but it runs hot and crowded, so equipment may be better on a ventilated shelf or small rack.
Can a projector go in an upstairs game room?
Often, if the room can be darkened and there is a path for power and video to the ceiling. Windows, the stair opening and attic access are the deciding factors. In a bright game room, a large TV is sometimes the better choice.
Our builder used a different AV company. Will you work on that system?
Yes. Systems installed by another company are a normal part of Obsidian AV’s work. The first visit documents the equipment, accounts and wiring so you know what you have before deciding on changes.
Discuss your Cypress home
Call 346-357-5323 with the community name, the builder if you know it and what you want working.