We Stand Behind Every Speaker We Build
10-year warranty on all custom speakers. Two years of unlimited service calls with no trip fees. If we designed and installed your system, we support it for the long term.
10-Year Speaker Warranty
All custom speakers built by Mike Knows Audio Video are covered for 10 years from installation date. This isn't a limited warranty with fine print that excludes everything meaningful — this is comprehensive coverage on the speakers we handcraft in our Arizona workshop.
What's Covered
Our 10-year warranty covers all components we design and build:
Drivers: All woofers, midranges, and tweeters
Cabinet Construction: Wood, joints, bracing, and finish
Internal Components: Crossover networks and wiring
Proprietary Amplifiers: Our custom-designed plate amplifiers and rack amplifiers
DSP Electronics: Digital processing boards and controls
Acoustic Damping: Internal damping materials
What We'll Do
If any component fails due to manufacturing defect or material failure within 10 years, we'll repair or replace it at no cost to you. We maintain an inventory of replacement drivers, amplifier boards, DSP components, and cabinet materials specifically for warranty service.
We'll diagnose the issue, determine the best repair approach, and handle everything from parts ordering through final testing. If a speaker needs to come back to our workshop, we'll coordinate pickup and return.
What's Not Covered
Our warranty doesn't cover:
Physical Damage: Impact damage, punctured drivers, cracked cabinets from accidents
Water Damage: Flood damage, liquid spills on electronics
Third-Party Modifications: Any alterations made by other installers or DIY modifications
Improper Electrical: Damage caused by power surges, incorrect voltage, or faulty building wiring
Normal Cosmetic Wear: Minor scratches, finish wear from normal use
How This Compares to the Industry
Most speaker manufacturers offer 5-year warranties. Some high-end brands offer 7 years. We offer 10 years because we build every speaker ourselves and know exactly what goes into them.
Mass-market speakers sold through retailers often come with 1-2 year warranties. Even when manufacturers offer longer coverage, getting warranty service typically means shipping speakers back to the factory, waiting weeks for repair, and dealing with multiple companies (retailer, manufacturer, installer) who all point fingers at each other.
We eliminate all of that. You call us directly. We handle everything. No shipping speakers across the country. No dealing with manufacturers who don't know your installation. We built it, we installed it, we support it.
2-Year Installation Warranty
Unlimited Service Calls — Even for Training
Your two-year installation warranty covers unlimited service calls with no trip fees to any of our service areas (Sedona, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Prescott). This includes technical issues, system troubleshooting, recalibration requests, and user training.
Read that again: user training is covered. Want to learn how to switch between streaming services? Need help understanding a new feature on your receiver? Curious about optimal settings for different types of content? Call us. We'll either walk you through it remotely or schedule an on-site visit at no charge.
What's Covered Under Installation Warranty
All installation components and labor:
Cables & Wiring: HDMI cables (including our custom-designed cables), speaker wire, audio interconnects, all connections
Terminations: Banana plug terminations, cable connectors, wall plates
Mounting Hardware: Speaker mounts, TV mounts, rack hardware, all brackets
Source Components: Receivers, processors, streamers, and all electronics we supplied
Wireless Kits: Our proprietary wireless subwoofer kits
Control Systems: Remote controls, control interfaces
Calibration Settings: All DSP tuning, EQ settings, time alignment
Labor: Any work required to diagnose or fix issues
Service Response Time
We respond to all service calls within 48 hours. For system failures that prevent operation (no sound, system won't power on, complete failure), we prioritize same-day or next-day service depending on your location and our availability.
For non-urgent requests (training, recalibration, settings adjustments), we schedule at your convenience, typically within 3-7 days.
Examples of What We Cover (That Others Charge For)
Here are real-world scenarios covered under your 2-year warranty that most installers would charge $150-300 trip fees plus hourly rates to handle:
Training Calls: 'Can you show me how to use the Spotify app on my system?' — Covered.
Settings Optimization: 'I've been watching a lot of dialogue-heavy content — can you adjust the center channel?' — Covered.
Recalibration Requests: 'We added a new couch and the sound seems off' — Covered.
Source Additions: 'We got a new gaming console — can you help integrate it?' — Covered.
Feature Education: 'What's the best way to use Atmos height channels?' — Covered.
Troubleshooting: 'One surround speaker seems quieter than the other' — Covered.
Remote Programming: 'Can you add Netflix to my remote control shortcuts?' — Covered.
How This Compares to the Industry
Most home theater installers provide 1-year warranties. After that first year, every single service call comes with a trip fee ($100-200) plus hourly rates ($125-175/hour).
Want to learn how to switch inputs six months after installation? That's a $200-300 service call with most companies. Want help optimizing settings for a specific movie? Another $200-300. System acting weird? Another $200-300 just for the technician to show up and diagnose it.
We include two full years of unlimited support because we want you to actually use your system confidently. We'd rather answer your questions and help you get the most from your investment than nickel-and-dime you on service calls.
Some installers offer 'free support' but only via phone or email. They won't come to your home without charging. We include on-site visits when needed at no charge.
Why Our Warranty & Service Policy Matters
Most Installers Are Incentivized to Keep You Calling
Here's an uncomfortable truth about the home theater installation industry: many companies make more money from post-installation service calls than from the original installation.
They offer minimal training during handoff, provide limited documentation, and then charge $200-300 every time you need help. Some even intentionally make systems complicated so you'll need to call them regularly.
We built our business model differently.
We take on maximum 15 clients per year at premium pricing, which means we don't need to nickel-and-dime you on service calls. We'd rather have you as a satisfied long-term client who refers friends than squeeze extra revenue from support calls.
We Actually Want You to Use Your System
Too many expensive home theater systems sit unused because owners are intimidated by complexity or unsure how to get the most from their investment.
Our unlimited service call policy means you can experiment, ask questions, and request adjustments without worrying about triggering a $300 service bill. Want to try different surround modes for different types of content? Call us and we'll walk you through it. Curious whether your calibration can be optimized for your new furniture layout? We'll come out and measure.
We spent considerable time and resources designing and installing your system. We want you using it confidently, not avoiding features because you're worried about breaking something or incurring service charges.
We Can Offer This Because We Control Everything
When installers use mass-market speakers and third-party components, warranty service becomes complicated. They have to coordinate with multiple manufacturers, ship components, wait for replacements, and deal with finger-pointing between brands.
Because we build our own speakers and design our own amplifiers, cables, and wireless kits, we control the entire supply chain. We maintain replacement parts in inventory. We know exactly how everything is built because we built it. If something fails, we don't need to call a manufacturer — we just fix it.
This vertical integration allows us to offer support that would be economically impossible for installers who assemble systems from catalog parts.
After the 2-Year Installation Warranty Period
Continued Service Availability
After your two-year installation warranty expires, we continue to provide service at our standard rates. The 10-year speaker warranty remains in full effect for the entire duration.
Standard service rates after warranty period:
Trip Fee: $100 (Prescott/Sedona), $150 (Scottsdale/Paradise Valley)
Hourly Rate: $125/hour (1-hour minimum)
Remote Support: Always Free
Many issues can be diagnosed and resolved remotely, which saves you money and gets your system back up faster.
We Maintain Your Documentation Indefinitely
We maintain complete client documentation indefinitely in our system. If you need service five or seven years after installation, we'll have:
Your complete system design and equipment list
All calibration settings and room measurements
Cable routing diagrams and rack layouts
Custom speaker specifications and build notes
Service history and any modifications made
Most installers purge client files after a few years. If you need service from them later, they're starting from scratch trying to figure out how your system was built. We never lose your documentation.
Priority Scheduling for Existing Clients
Even after your warranty period ends, existing clients receive priority scheduling over new consultations. If you need service, you won't be waiting weeks while we handle new installations.
We Do Not Service or Install Systems We Didn't Build
Why This Policy Exists
We only service and support home theater systems we designed and installed. We don't take over service for installations done by other companies, and we don't troubleshoot systems we didn't build.
This isn't because we're being difficult — it's because we can't provide the level of service our clients expect if we're working on systems we don't intimately understand.
The Problem with Taking Over Other Installations
When you inherit someone else's installation, you inherit their mistakes, their shortcuts, and their design decisions. You don't know which cables go where, how the system was calibrated, what compromises were made, or what problems are lurking behind walls.
We'd spend hours diagnosing issues that would have been obvious if we'd built the system. We'd be held responsible for problems we didn't create. And we couldn't offer the same warranty and support commitments because we didn't control the quality of the original installation.
What We Can Do Instead
If you have an existing home theater system from another installer that you're unhappy with, we're happy to design and install a completely new system for you.
We can potentially reuse some components (displays, seating, acoustic treatments) if they're appropriate for the new design. But the speakers, amplification, wiring, and calibration will all be done fresh to our standards.
This ensures you get the full benefit of our design process, our custom speakers, our installation quality, and our comprehensive warranty and support.
Frequently Asked Warranty Policy Questions
What if I move?
The 10-year speaker warranty transfers to the new home if you take the speakers with you. If you leave them for the new owner, the warranty transfers with the home (and is a great selling point). The 2-year installation warranty covers the original installation location only, but we're happy to discuss reinstallation at your new property.
Can I purchase extended warranty coverage?
We don't offer extended warranties beyond our standard 10-year speaker coverage because we've found that components either fail early (manufacturing defect) or last decades. The 10-year window captures virtually all failure modes. After year 10, we still provide service at standard rates if needed.
What if I want to upgrade my system later?
System upgrades and expansions are covered under service calls during your 2-year installation warranty period. After that period, we charge our standard rates for the work involved. Any new components or speakers we add carry their own 10-year warranty from date of installation.
Do I need to maintain service records?
No. We maintain all service records in our system. When you call, we pull up your complete history automatically. You don't need to keep invoices or track service calls.
What if you go out of business?
Fair question. We've designed our business model specifically for longevity — maximum 15 clients per year at premium pricing, minimal overhead, no debt, strong cash reserves. We're not a high-volume operation vulnerable to market downturns. That said, if something catastrophic happens, all warranty obligations transfer to component manufacturers where applicable, and we maintain detailed documentation that any qualified technician could use to service your system.