ITC Plug | News

June, 2008 — Criteria is a South Florida integration firm with design offices across the country. The company, founded by Michael Silverman and Russell Sinacore in 1998, believes its impressive growth is linked to its commitment to high-performance systems that are efficient and reliable.
The company, which services high-end clientele in residential, condominium, and large-scale yachting projects recently got creative to address the limitations of pre-made AV racks. They wanted to make components more easily accessible while optimizing performance and the overall look and feel of the project.
Sinacore explained that while pre-made racks seem like a convenience, many models use pre-terminated cables, which leaves an untidy surplus depending on the application. Another complication: many racks don't feature open designs, making it difficult to service the back of components. Poor labeling adds to the headache. In addition, AV signals and power signals are not always isolated which leads to interference that affects component performance.
Criteria's installers rolled up their sleeves to solve these problems. First they laced the left side of the rack with AV signals and the right side with power signals. Sinacore says this isolates interference and noise in the systems for better component performance. This design also opens the center for better visibility to connections, better ventilation, and serviceability. Using AutoCAD for the point-to-point wiring drawings, color coding and labeling produced a cleaner, more efficient rack.
Sinacore explained that using higher-quality custom cables was essential in this design. By using self-terminating ITC tool-less connectors from AudioQuest they created specific lengths from component to component without excess cable, making the rack genuinely customizable to each application. In addition, if a mistake is made, the connectors can be reused, saving on the cost of new materials. This also saves valuable install time with no soldering or multiple tools or dies for termination.
The implementation of the customizable tool-less connector and meticulous drawings helped Criteria to install more than 100 racks. The firm's model allows for the racks to be pre-built and tested and wired using the self-terminated ITC tool-less connectors in Dania Beach, Florida, and then later shipped to their installations anywhere in the U.S.

-Margot Douaihy