Thomas, sole proprietor of T. Melodious, Inc., has been advising homeowners and assembling their systems for 30 years, sharpening his skills as a custom audio engineer and installer.

The first challenge is choosing compatible equipment from the vast range of products and accessories.

Wylie Williams, a component and accessories dealer, notes that "what Thomas brings to the job is insight and knowledge."

He observes that "Thomas knows how to pick and choose equipment to assemble an effective, efficient system. And he stays within the budget and the level of sophistication of his clients." Wylie operated a store in Webster Groves for over 20 years and still supplies a/v products to a spectrum of customers.

"Thomas is up-to-date on new equipment," Wylie adds. "In fact, I have him help me when I can't figure something out. Remotes can be particularly complex," he complains.

Installation is the second challenge.

"Thomas will take time to overcome installation problems, such as hiding wires, delivering balanced system output to various rooms and helping design theater rooms," comments Don Bachmann, a remodeling contractor.

Don specializes in high-end jobs and frequently works on older homes and condo conversions.

"Whenever a client starts talking about getting better sound than what comes out of the box with the television or remote speakers or an enhanced sound environment, I immediately call Thomas. He determines what the customer wants and pulls together an estimate. Then he works with me to make installation decisions within the context of my overall job," Don remarks.

Connecting various components in a home entertainment system calls for concentration.

"In addition, Thomas is great on service. If something goes wrong or there is trouble with a remote, Thomas corrects the problem over the phone or responds to the customer's house that day," Don says.

"I have a lot of confidence in him. He is very focused on the results, just as I am. He is not in and out. He expends the effort to get it right," Don reports. "And when a customer wants to upgrade after a couple of years, they call us back," he notes.

Lori McGrath, one of Thomas' clients who lives in an older University City home with her husband and family, is very pleased with her sound system. "We did not know anything about components or equipment," she explains.

"After listening to us, Thomas proposed a cost effective system, and that is what we purchased. My husband, an architect, is pretty particular about things, and we both were very pleased with the installation and the outstanding sound," she points out.