For the nerdy details — placement math, REW, house curves, and before/after.
Pricing
Start with calibration for your listening room; restoration and AV support when you need them. Final quotes depend on room size, gear, and travel in the Greater Bay Area.
Room Treatment & Filter Creation
From $150
Measured room response, placement guidance, target curves, and bespoke EQ for your home theater or 2-channel system.
General AV Setup
From $150
Internet, cable, home theater, and household electronics support when you want it done right without the DIY rabbit hole.
Speaker & Gear Restoration
Quote after inspection
Refoam, drivers, crossovers, and basic amp inspection or recap. Complex high-end amp rebuilds are outside scope.
Turntable Setup & Repair
Quote after inspection
Cartridge alignment, tracking force, anti-skate, and signal-path fixes for a clean, stable vinyl chain.
My journey in hi-fi audio started in middle school, when I first discovered the joy of tuning the world out with earbuds. In high school I made a discovery. Lying on the floor next to my CD player, I plugged in my Sony over-ear headphones and was absolutely floored at how good they sounded.
It never sounded this crisp and clear connected to my phone I thought. From here I fell down the headphone rabbit hole, ending my search after picking up a pair of Sennheiser HD 650s. Warm, wide, and just plain pleasing to listen to.
I swapped different headphone amps until I reached a certain point where I would have to start spending crazy money on equipment. I thought this was the end of my audiophile journey—that was until my dad picked up a 1994 pair of KEF Reference Ones. Before this pair of loudspeakers, I had only listened to budget bookshelf speakers, and I thought they sounded nowhere near as good as my headphones; they didn't have that wide soundstage and ability to pick out all the small hidden details. The KEFs blew me away. Amplified by cheap Denon AV receivers in its early days, then selling off some cryptocurrency I had bought in high school, I splurged and bought a Cambridge CXA61. That amp and speaker combo followed me to college and I was very happy with its performance.
At some point during summer break I was at a friend's parents' place who had a pair of 804D B&Ws, an Oppo CD player, McIntosh preamp and power amp. I cycled home and returned with six CDs. I spent the remainder of the party in the living room while beer pong continued in the garage. Frank (the owner) loved that I had brought over Beethoven's 6th Symphony, as did his friends who were BBQing in the back. So now I knew that there was even more room to grow.
My senior year of college I picked up a pair of Polk SDA SRS 2.0 that were the greatest speakers ever for a college house. You could hear them down the block at 12 o'clock on the amp. By now I was deep into my addiction, and had a Hafler 500 power amp and was still using that Cambridge as a preamp. I enjoyed my time with those speakers, but later sold them as I really didn't have the space and, frankly, they did some things incredibly and fell flat on their face for others.
At some point my good friend and fellow audiophile Sam picked up a set of Thiel CS 1.2s. I was blown away. They stood about as tall as a fifth grader, but filled the room with a bright, airy tone that was to die for. Within a year we both had a pair of 3.5s. I again thought this was the end of my audiophile journey, as we had reached the point where multiple thousands would need to be spent for small sonic improvements. That was until a pair of 3.6s came up for a whopping two hundred dollars. I drove from Oakland to Ukiah to load them in my car. Cool old hippie guy on a farm was glad to see them go to me.
By this point, I had picked up two NAD 2200 power amps, one for each speaker, as well as a Dayton Audio OmniMic measurement microphone. So here began my journey into equalization, sonic coloration, and experimentation. I loved the 3.6s, but the bass was too fat and boomy; it would drown out the other frequencies. I knew this wasn't what they were supposed to sound like and invested in sound panels in my listening room, only after moving around every piece of furniture in my room to accommodate the speakers' best possible position—priorities. I quickly discovered my problem areas and got to work taking multiple measurements and using REW to create a custom EQ to cut those room modes. The end result knocked my socks off. It wasn't just less boomy; the midrange had a veil lifted, vocals that were once shrouded came forward. Within a few hours the speakers had taken on a new life.
I took this newfound ability into the living room and, with the help of an incredible program by OCA, the 7.2 system improved drastically—far more difficult to do than a simple stereo setup. From here many hours went into studying time delay, crossover integration, proper phase alignment, proper integration of subwoofers. Again, I owe most of what I've learned to OCA and his YouTube videos; his expertise was instrumental in my education.
FAQ
Straight answers for Bay Area listeners comparing calibration, restoration, and AV help.
Who is Peak and Null Audio for?
Primarily Greater Bay Area home-theater and hi-fi listeners with mid to high-end gear who want measured room response, better placement, and custom EQ. We also help vinyl and vintage-speaker owners with restoration and turntable setup, and homeowners who need practical AV installation help.
What does a typical calibration visit include?
In-home acoustic measurement, speaker and listening-position guidance, target-curve discussion, and bespoke EQ or filter profiles for your AVR, miniDSP, or PC-based DSP — including workflows compatible with Audyssey- and Dirac-equipped systems.
Where do you provide services?
In-home visits across the Greater Bay Area. Final quotes account for room size, gear complexity, and travel.
How much does it cost?
Room treatment and filter creation starts from $150. General AV setup also starts from $150. Speaker restoration, gear work, and turntable setup are quoted after inspection.
Do you restore speakers and set up turntables?
Yes — refoam, drivers, crossovers, basic amp inspection or recap, plus turntable setup (cartridge alignment, tracking force, anti-skate, signal path). Complex high-end amplifier rebuilds are outside scope.
What is the difference between room calibration and gear restoration?
Calibration measures and corrects how your system interacts with the listening space — placement, target curves, and EQ. Restoration repairs or refreshes the hardware so speakers, amps, or turntables perform as intended before or alongside calibration.
Contact
Tell me about your room, gear, and goals.
Typical reply within 1–2 business days · Greater Bay Area
Acoustic Analysis
OmniMic RTA measurement, placement, and room reflection mapping.
Overview
Using OmniMic real-time analysis to optimize speaker placement, map room reflections, and identify modal behavior before digital correction. Ideal as a standalone diagnostics session or the first step in a full calibration.
What’s included
Multi-point RTA sweeps across your listening area
Speaker and sub placement recommendations
Reflection and modal hotspot identification
Written summary of findings and next steps
Good fit if
Bass feels uneven from seat to seat
You’re setting up a new room or system
You want data before investing in treatment or DSP
System Calibration
Bespoke equalization for home theater and hi-fi systems.
Overview
Creating bespoke equalization profiles for Marantz, Denon, Anthem, Audyssey, miniDSP, and multi-sub setups—combining physical placement verification with processor-aware DSP for stable imaging and controlled bass.
What’s included
Channel level, distance, and crossover verification
Target curve tailoring for music and cinema
Multi-sub phase, delay, and integration tuning
Final sweeps and handoff walkthrough
Good fit if
You run Audyssey, ARC, or Dirac and want expert refinement
Dialog, imaging, or bass still feels off after auto-cal
You’ve upgraded subs, amps, or seating layout
Speaker Restoration
Driver refoaming and crossover refurbishment.
Overview
Speaker refoaming and crossover refurbishment for vintage and classic loudspeakers.
What’s included
Driver inspection and refoam or recone assessment
Crossover recap and component upgrades where needed
Polarity, impedance, and response checks
Good fit if
Foam surrounds have crumbled or buzz on bass hits
Classic pairs sound dull or uneven side to side
You want heritage speakers performing like new
General Audio Visual Setup
Practical support for home theater and household electronics.
Overview
Help with general internet, cable, home theater, and other household electronics—routing, connections, and basic system configuration so everything works together reliably.
What’s included
TV, receiver, and source hookup and labeling
Streaming, HDMI, and network troubleshooting
Remote and control simplification where possible
Quick-start notes so you can repeat the setup
Good fit if
New gear arrived and connections feel overwhelming
One remote should run the whole living room
You want a second pair of hands for rack or wall installs
Turntable Setup & Repair
Vintage and modern decks — alignment, tracking, and signal path done properly.
Overview
Hands-on turntable setup and repair for vintage and modern tables: cartridge install and alignment, tracking force and anti-skate, speed and isolation checks, plus wiring and phono-path troubleshooting so the chain is quiet, stable, and musical.
What’s included
Cartridge mounting, overhang, and azimuth alignment
Tracking force, anti-skate, and VTA assessment
Belt, bearing, and basic mechanical inspection
Phono interconnect, ground, and signal-path fixes
Good fit if
You inherited or bought a vintage table that needs a real setup
Tracking is skippy, bright, or dull after a cartridge change
Hum, channel imbalance, or weak output points to the signal path
