Audio – Video Alternatives

I’ve been working with Carlos since his days at Tweeter in the late 90s. Just before Christmas, our old out-​of-​warranty TV died and he was able to get us a new TV installed on extremely short notice, during the busiest time of the year! His crew took care of reprogramming the universal remote and made sure that the entire system was working properly. They do an extremely professional job. I highly recommend them.

NOT from Andover and NOT Electricians! Although Carlos is a very nice guy, I would not recommend if you live anywhere in the Boston area or have a small job. His address lists Andover as the address here on Unilocal however, he comes from New Hamshire and the $$ for traveling was quite high. Be aware that I had no idea that he comes from NH, had I known, I would have found someone local. Also, I was unaware that they are not electricians,(as they advertise that they are right here on this Unilocal review) until the day they came and they were unable to do what I wanted. In turn, they did something else and when I received the invoice months later, I was shocked at the $$$$$$.
Sorry to have to give this review but felt the need to help fellow Boston residents!

Spoiler: Fantastic installation and exceptional customer service.
To begin, I found this company after searching around the internet for local home theatre installation companies. I read the reviews, was still somewhat skeptical, but nope — the reviews were DEAD ON. Carlos and John came to my house sight unseen and were prepared for every request and need that I had after a brief phone call just a few days before. They got right to work, mounted two TVs in two different rooms, installed an A/​V closet (included a PS3, two cable boxes, and a receiver), 5 speakers plus a subwoofer. As issues came up, they offered reasonable solutions while explaining the pros and cons to everything. They arrived on time, were incredibly patient, professional, yet very down-​to-​earth and carried on conversations as well.
My fiancé and I were amazed at how great they were to work with and how seamless the 1-​day installation became. All in all, I highly recommend this company — Carlos will take care of you!

All I have to say is higher Carlos! His customer service is out of this world and is always there to help! He installed our TV and all of our components hidden in the closet and did an amazing job hanging our TV on our fireplace in building eight mantle to hide the wires! Recently my son dropped our expensive universal remote. Carlos was to the rescue again! He had one of his amazing guys come to our house to replace and reprogram a new remote so we can once again watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! Thank you so much Carlos and team!

Have never written a Unilocal review before — but this is worth it
I moved into a new house — needed a full setup in living room (TV, soundbar, rear mounted speakers, etc) as well as a couple other TVs mounted in bedrooms. I wanted to hire someone local and found AV Alternatives on Unilocal.I emailed Carlos and set up an appointment for him to come by my place and get a quote. I thought it was a very fair quote — and a couple weeks later, Carlos and John (lead installer) came by for the install. important for me, Carlos procured all the items i needed and took all the trash with him when he left — made it extremely easy on me.
In addition to Carlos, the lead installer John was awesome. I have a 2.5 year old who likes to be involved in everything and John was great at letting him pretend to help with the install. Most importantly, the finished product is above what i was hoping for. It was a relatively extensive install including surround speakers they had to mount flush with the wall, running wires between floors, etc — everything looks incredibly professionally done.
John also spent time with us going over how everything works — and Carlos has offered to come back anytime to help go over anything we need help with as we get used to the new systems.
i would recommend Carlos & John to anyone. They do an incredible job and truly care about the final outcome. You can tell they love what they do.

My wife and I had wanted to replace our decade old television with a flat screen wall mounted TV, connected to a speaker system with wires running through the wall for a while. We are not very technologically savvy and were not aware of how this would be completed. We had initially contacted a different install company but I was very disappointed with the lack of responsiveness… I should not have to chase you down to give you my business.
I then contacted Carlos at Audio — Video Alternatives and am so glad that I did — from my first call to the end of the install and follow-​up it was clear that customer satisfaction is their top priority. He was always open to our questions, made the time to explain the different options to us and was competitively priced for the components and service that they offer.
Learning how to use the new features on our Smart TV was important to me and as the install was a full day of work and we were timed out Carlos immediately scheduled a return visit as soon as possible (even though we are not very close to him) so that I could receive a tutorial and learn how to use some of the more advanced features.
If and when we need future projects I know which company I will contact. I can highly recommend this company.

Carlos was able to help us during our office relocation on very short notice, and did a great job. He and his employee worked quickly, with minimal disturbance to our space, uninstalling a drop-​ceiling mounted speaker system. He arrived promptly, and his price was true to his quote.
Highly recommended!

Cannot say enough good things about Carlos and his business. We bought a house wired for sound. Complete with a «mancave» room downstairs. The local company that installed the original equipment would not respond to fix our problem. Even after several requests as well as a personnel visit to their office. I found Carlos on Unilocal.He responded right away and made three visits to our home. He or his people actually showed up when they said they would. Carlos took time to explain what he was doing and what I needed. It was explained to me so even I could understand it. We plan on making some additional changes in equipment in the spring and AV Alternatives will be doing the work.

The main thing that attracts me when I need service for my home is small business. Small businesses who are passionate about their trade, passionate about the people they serve, and passionate about delivering the best possible experience they’re capable of.
Carlos and Johnny of AV Alternatives did just that for me. I had just moved to Andover, and based on the reviews here, reached out to them. I had a very pleasant phone conversation with Carlos, which followed with an appointment for free-​consultation. Carlos came by, assessed the situation, and we bounced around ideas back and forth in emails and came to a GREAT solution for my living room audio and wall-​mounted TV needs.
I’m an incredibly tech-​savvy guy since I work in IT, and based on all our conversations, I can tell you Carlos knows his craft, inside and out. He provides feedback and suggestion based on what’s best for you, not his wallet. I absolutely admire how much dedication these guys put into their business and it shows.
I couldn’t be happier with my finished setup, as I can kick back, relax, and watch the big game and hear sounds I’ve never heard in my entire life prior to. Johnny went out of his way to help me with some odd requests, and was very patient with me when I asked to even borrow his ladder for a few minutes since I needed it for something completely unrelated to the job (I am new-​house unprepared!)
I’ll be continuing to use AV Alternatives for every one of my needs going forward, and passing along this experience to all my friends and family.
Thank you guys, don’t ever lose that passion you guys wear on your sleeves.

these guys are legit! very responsive and knowledgeable, and most of all honest. we just needed a new tv wall mounted and cords hidden. I emailed and Carlos came by a few days later to take a look. he ended up having everything he needed to remove the crazy unsafe system previously in place and install a brand new version. he and his assistant (sorry, forgot his name!) were done quickly and left the place neater than they found it. they even programmed the remote and taught us how to use the system. if we ever need similar work done, I know who I’m calling. thanks guys!

After another company failed to complete the project, Carlos and Mike Hogan immediately finished the antenna installation, re-​wired the home theater, consolidated all the remotes into one simple control, organized and hid the rat’s nest of wiring, and even connected video cameras that monitors a bird house. They documented all their work, gladly answered all questions, showed up on time, kept everything neat and tidy, and continuously cleaned up after themselves.

new to boston, we found carlos on Unilocal.
and, yes, i think our experience can easily be called, «as good as it gets.» we could not have been more pleased. he suggested we do sonos and we have loved every musical minute of it. it’s the way to go. i highly recommend av alternatives. he aims to please.

We first met the owner of this company when we purchased a home entertainment system at Tweeter in 2006, where at the time, he was a sales person there. After Tweeter went under, this young man started his own company. We will never look elsewhere for audio/​video services. To describe him as «service oriented» would be a gross understatement and would not do him justice. He’s done everything he says he’s going to do and he makes sure it’s done right. Don’t bother with the big boys, his prices are competitive and you get to work with a knowledgeable, focused and kind individual.