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Rather Than DIY Your AV This Christmas, Partner with a Professional

rather-than-diy-your-av-this-christmas-partner-with-a-professional

Treat Yourself or Loved Ones to the Best in Audio & Video

It’s getting colder in Iowa City, IA, and the holidays will be here before we know it. If you’re looking to upgrade your home theater or treat a loved one to a home entertainment gift, you may be tempted to DIY or find them something simple from Amazon. But for an overall improved AV experience, let’s do it together!

Professional home theater and audio solutions will always make a difference when compared to attempting yourself with cheap plug-and-play gadgets. You’ll enjoy higher quality audio and video and smarter control, all and aesthetically blended into your home. Get inspired for the holidays below.

Tags:
Sonos Samsung Home Theater Installation 4K UHD

Miss Tailgating? Bring Entertainment Outside with an Outdoor TV

miss-tailgating-bring-entertainment-outside-with-an-outdoor-tv

Take the Stadium Experience to Your Backyard

 

It’s an Iowa State season unlike any other. Tailgating has been banned, and fans are not allowed into the stadium to cheer on the Cyclones. As we wait out the pandemic, many of us yearn for the traditions and community of football games in previous years.

 

But your fall season doesn’t have to forfeit fun. Imagine watching the game on a large flat screen with a bonfire, drinks, and burgers on the grill. A weatherproof outdoor TV and speakers can bring festivities to your Des Moines, IA backyard all year long, even in winter. Learn how outdoor AV works below!

Tags:
Seura Samsung Outdoor Entertainment
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Reference AVS

Iowa City Coralville
Appointment Only
Serving Coralville/Cedar Rapids Corridor Area
1719 2nd Street
Coralville, Iowa 52241
(319) 354-7700

HTA white

Davenport Quad Cities
Serving Iowa and Illinois
1120 East Kimberly Road
Davenport, Iowa 52807
(563) 386-7800

Des Moines
Appointment Only
Serving Urbandale Area and Surrounding Cities
3056 104th Street
Urbandale IA 50322
(515) 777-1267

Reference Audio Video & Security

Is rated 4.75 out of 5 from a total of 155 reviews

Julie B

"Highly recommend-all employees were very helpful. Great communication from **** coming to evaluate what needed to be done to TJ making sure all of the necessary equipment was ordered and rea..."

2025-03-13

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Julie B

"Highly recommend-all employees were very helpful. Great communication from **** coming to evaluate what needed to be done to TJ making sure all of the necessary equipment was ordered and rea..."

2025-03-13

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Julie B

"Highly recommend-all employees were very helpful. Great communication from **** coming to evaluate what needed to be done to TJ making sure all of the necessary equipment was ordered and rea..."

2025-03-13

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Paul Hayes

"Quality is important to me and that’s why we have used Reference. Very professional. They do seem to have a limited crew available for installation so we had to be patient."

2025-03-07

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Faith Elder

"I had a fire alarm that was three stories up over a staircase battery went out. It was beeping beside my bedroom and two servicemen named Troy and caleb came out when they should’ve been off..."

2025-02-27

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Steve

"I thought the people at Reference Audio, from sales to installation, all did a very good job taking care of my business. I would recomment them to anyone."

2025-02-11

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Michael Vonderhaar

"Professional, courteous, knowledgeable, friendly. Great experience all around."

2025-01-31

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Chris McIntosh

"I have been working with Reference over the past few years at Assumption HS. We just had an issue with our sound system in the gym going down(older system from another company). With sportin..."

2025-01-28

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JoAnn Waldron

"Technicians Caleb and Landon were outstanding! Friendly, professional, and very helpful."

2025-01-23

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Stephanie Schnoebelen

"Delivery time was within estimate. Install was quick and professional. Requested my feedback for placement, etc., and cleaned up after."

2025-01-23

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Mike W

"Excellent service from purchase to installation. Technicians were friendly, professional, and very helpful."

2025-01-23

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Mike W

"Excellent service from purchase to installation. Technicians were friendly, professional, and very helpful."

2025-01-23

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Mike W

"Excellent service from purchase to installation. Technicians were friendly, professional, and very helpful."

2025-01-23

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Debra S

"Awesome service! ****** did an amazing job setting up our ROKU device, solving a whole house audio glitch. Excellent!"

2024-12-18

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Debra S

"Awesome service! ****** did an amazing job setting up our ROKU device, solving a whole house audio glitch. Excellent!"

2024-12-18

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Debra S

"Awesome service! ****** did an amazing job setting up our ROKU device, solving a whole house audio glitch. Excellent!"

2024-12-18

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Don Thompson

"Reference recently installed a new wireless internet system in our house to replace a mesh system that I had installed. The actual components are high quality. The salesperson did a great ..."

2024-12-13

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Rachel Sundar

"Excellent!! Very helpful!"

2024-12-03

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roger olson

"TJ reviewed and made adjustments to our tvs and Rokus. He is very personable and knowledgeable and a great source for learning. Highly recommend him."

2024-10-28

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Denny Whalen

"We’ve been a customer for many years. Always satisfied with all related matters from response time, equipment, tech help, and billing. Personable people, and customer service oriented."

2024-10-11

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Mike Kuehn

"The staff at Reference AVS was very helpful in selecting our equipment. Their follow-up service is also excellent."

2024-09-30

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John Chase

"I used Reference 10+ years ago for a significant audio and visual upgrade both indoors and outdoors. I was very pleased with their work.

I recently contacted Reference for some new audio a..."

2024-09-26

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Becky

"The staff on both the audio and alarm side are highly professional and technological geniuses. I have had great experiences with Reference, especially managing the Control4 system over the ..."

2024-09-18

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Leesa Jansen

"Corey was my techecian - he installed 2 TVs and moved another. He was very effi ient and knowledgeable! Also very patient helping me understand the new tv set up! He worked hard and cleaned..."

2024-09-04

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Paula Fiala

"Worked with Jack to upgrade my A/V system. He is great to work with and answered all of my questions. On-site technicians were great too. Finished the job quickly and explained the new featu..."

2024-08-28

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Peter Chimenti

"Brett and the team at Reference AVS did a wonderful job with my project. They were responsive, knowledgeable, and very professional. Would easily recommend and will work with them again if n..."

2024-08-22

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Tracy Lindaman

"The service with Reference is amazing. They are willing to go above and beyond for their customers. Brett and Landon were incredibly helpful and did a great job."

2024-06-13

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Linda Roeder

"We had a great experience with Reference Audio & Video. Wonderful people to work with, starting with Brett who came out to assess the project, and then Corey who did the installation. We wou..."

2024-04-17

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Karmella Glasgow

"Tom and Corey installed a new laser projector. They answered all my questions in a manner that I could understand. It was rainy and messy outside, and they were both incredibly respectful of..."

2024-03-14

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Lisa Hulscher

"Technician was friendly and was able to set up my equipment successfully. He resolved all the challenges with the internet set up etc."

2024-03-12

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Maja Eaton

"Todd Guerrero and Reference AVS did a great job for us, installing security, a smart home system, and electronic shades in each room. They were efficient, helpful, responsive and knowledgeab..."

2024-03-12

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Nate Soriano

"There isn’t too much to be said that hasn’t already been said In the reviews but I’ll reiterate that Eric, Cody, and the team do an absolutely amazing job at finding and installing a system ..."

2024-01-26

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Mary Dreckman

"Installation was flawless. Installer set up.YouTube TV for us...above and beyond! The new Sony TV looks so much better than our old one, we are happy to have made the upgrade and added the R..."

2024-01-02

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Kelly Zelinsky

"The entire reference team did a fantastic job. Eric helped facilitate a “rush” order for my security system upgrade so it was working prior to leaving for vacation.
Highly recommend, have be..."

2023-12-24

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Vincent Nelson

"Landon from your staff handled the work to be done and he did an outstanding job. He is so professional and so appreciated the excellent work he provided for the project. He is an outstandin..."

2023-10-02

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Steve McLeran

"We had yet another excellent experience with the team at reference. Corey was our technician and he was thorough, patient and very professional. Also, quite knowledgeable we’ll never use any..."

2023-09-09

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Steve McLeran

"My tech was very helpful and patient with my 88-year-old mother today and then had a service call to my home. Do you want to above and beyond what was asked of him. Very thorough very profes..."

2023-09-06

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John Karns-Waren

"Great company to work with! They are very responsive and knowledgeable in their line of work. From start to finish, they were transparent in pricing, scope of work and had great recommendati..."

2023-08-31

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Katie F

"Awesome company! Professional and timely. Reference is always there for us when we need them, I would recommend them to anyone looking for smart home automation."

2023-08-30

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Katie F

"Awesome company! Professional and timely. Reference is always there for us when we need them, I would recommend them to anyone looking for smart home automation."

2023-08-30

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Katie F

"Awesome company! Professional and timely. Reference is always there for us when we need them, I would recommend them to anyone looking for smart home automation."

2023-08-30

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Andy Schreurs

"Eric responded to my service request immediately, came to our office within the hour, and solved our issue. Outstanding customer service!"

2023-08-25

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Will Norgaard

"Bryce was extremely helpful in explaining the process from start to finish. They worked quickly and efficiently to get our home theater up and running. Thanks Bryce!"

2023-08-23

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Deede Heard

"My husband and I chose Reference Audio to install a home network and home audio/video entertainment in our new home after moving to to the area. I am an IT professional and needed fast, sta..."

2023-08-22

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Susan Ballard

"Seven years ago, Reference AVS installed a large screen and sound system in our small church in Grimes. We have had absolutely no problems with the system and have been very satisfied with i..."

2023-08-19

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Nathan Schmitz

"Great experience, will be using them 0n our next project!!"

2023-08-07

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richard gloor

"Installation of our electric shades was very professional, efficient and well done. The installation was very professional. We are satisfied with the product."

2023-06-21

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Alma Grove

"Eric was responsive to our questions, and thoroughly explained the equipment and solutions for our conference room needs."

2023-05-23

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Tom Gross

"Tech challenged OG in search of home video/audio upgrade with space limitations. Worked with me to match new equipment with needs. Install went well with attention to teaching me how to use;..."

2023-03-31

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Mark Plumadore

"I worked with Marcus McQueen on replacing my receiver and he listened to me. He could see I had premium component but over the years the space it was in shrunk and my ears are less sensiti..."

2023-03-15

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M S

"Julian G. provided advice specific to my office. He didn’t try to upsell any products but he informed me of other Reference services. He was professional and even personally delivered my ne..."

2023-02-11

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Thomas Seery

"This is the third time I have used this company for AV projects. Most recently, Reference Audio’s security installation exceeded my expectations from the beginning to the end of the project..."

2023-02-10

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Matt Brown

"Super accommodating, expert and personal attention to getting our job done. Appreciate the skill and knowledge!"

2023-01-06

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Lisa Lepic

"Julian was really helpful.
When I was having system issues he helped me right away to resolve the problem and was really patient with my questions!"

2023-01-06

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Steve Gragg

"Fantastic experience! Design, product consultations, ordering and installation were of a white glove caliber. Couldn't have been better in any way. I highly recommend them for any higher lev..."

2022-12-06

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Brad Cotty

"Upgraded the A/V at the fire station. Did a great job on the install. Response from sales was quick. Great job all around."

2022-11-30

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Lora Daily

"Install was so smooth & user tips very helpful!"

2022-11-23

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Kelly Enyart

"So thankful we chose Reference! We had the privilege of working with Landon recently. He listened to what we wanted/needed, was extremely knowledgeable and an all around joy to work with. ..."

2022-11-23

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Linda Farmer

"Our experience with Landon was beyond expectations- he went out of his way to accommodate all of our needs, answer our questions and he said he would come back if needed to fix anything. Tha..."

2022-11-21

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Jenifer Schmidt

"Everyone was very helpful and knowledgeable. Answered all of my questions. Installation went very smoothly with no issues. Very friendly, efficient, and clean."

2022-07-22

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Micah Spike W Craven

"I had a pretty complex system that I had envisioned for my home and business. Cody, Eric and Gabe made it all come together and worked with me every step of the way until it was perfect, an..."

2022-03-18

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Michael Lawrence

"I had a great experience buying speakers from Reference. I bought large speakers, and the Reference team did a terrific job boxing up the speakers and shipping them to me."

2022-02-23

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David Roome

"They did an outstanding reviewing what our needs were and designing a system that was highly functional! The best part was the friendly and professional interaction when they were in our hom..."

2021-11-05

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Don Enright

"Reference is THE subject matter expert when looking for audio video expertise. Too notch service and support. Purchased Sonia speakers and port for my home audio system. Reference walked me ..."

2021-11-02

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Rob Drew

"Gabe and the other boys were outstanding installing our TVs and Gabe was terrific at returning a couple of times to fine tune our remote controls! I would highly recommend Reference Audio a..."

2021-09-06

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AJ Lee

"I have been looking for replacements speakers online for weeks and nothing I found was suitable for my needs. I went in and talked to Eric and explained (not very well, I might add) what I w..."

2021-08-25

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Bradley Rhines

"Eric at Reference AV was excellent. Not only was his response to my initial inquiry prompt, but his quick assessment and resolution of my issues was equally impressive. I highly recommend ..."

2021-07-14

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Butch Trumbull

"Very professional and thorough. Very happy with my entertainment system . Greg and the installers were great to work with."

2021-06-07

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Jennifer Cross

"Helpful, honest and responsive! Highly recommend!"

2021-06-06

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Jim C

"Cody and the Reference AV team were fantastic. We had trouble getting a WiFi signal throughout our 110+ year old house in Des Moines. Cody designed a system that gave us full coverage inside..."

2021-05-27

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Tim Anderson

"Reference Audio Video has been great to work with. Cody and team were professional and easy to work with. I would highly recommend them when choosing an audio video vendor."

2021-03-26

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Susan Collins-Weiss

"Reference did the original installation of audio in our house when it was built 8 years ago. We used their services when we moved in and recently updated our audio and WiFi network. Each tim..."

2021-02-10

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Greg Hanger

"Very nice home automation company. Great people and great products. If your upgrading your AV in your home or business, make sure you give them a call."

2021-02-09

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Kellie Byrd

"We built a new home in the past year and used Reference AVS to set up our surround sound both indoors and outdoors, in addition to all network capabilities. They worked directly with us as w..."

2021-01-26

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Liz Zaharopoulos

"Amazing customer service! Our salesman was ah-mazing! We new we wanted an upgrade, but didnt onow what we wanted. He guided us taking budgetary concerns into consideration, and we are THRILL..."

2021-01-24

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Peter Britt

"I tried a number of things with limited success over the past couple of years to get acceptable WiFi coverage in our home. I should have called RA sooner. Brett designed a system to fit ou..."

2021-01-22

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John Carr

"I was referred to Reference AVS by a doctor in Iowa City who just recently had them do extensive work at his home. He raved about the quality of the work they performed. Since I was remodeli..."

2020-12-26

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Nick Harris

"Great Audio & Video company, fully customized and easy to use software. Their staff has been a pleasure to work with!"

2020-12-23

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Keith Kroner

"Great customized customer experience! Cody and Chad optimize your AV experience. Highly recommend!!!!"

2020-12-18

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David Young

"Reference Audio Video & Security did a great job for us, start to finish. They were prompt to come and check out our facilities and listened to what we needed. They came back with a reasonab..."

2020-12-17

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chris miller

"Great place to do whether you are a novice or expert with electronics. I have added tv, Sonos sound surround, controlling existing speakers and a new remote. Whenever I have an issue they ar..."

2020-12-16

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Jeremy P. Irving, MD

"Excellent service in both sales and installation. Highly recommend!"

2020-12-02

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Bill Sullivan

"As always Reference and their great staff came through again. Professional service and quality products is the reason I ONLY use Reference for my Video and Audio needs."

2020-12-01

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Tim Annett

"I have found my experience at Reference to be very professional and reliable. They simply have the best people in the business. I would strongly recommend them to anyone looking for help in..."

2020-11-27

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nathan hanson

"Good price on a new Sony 85 inch TV. More importantly, they still do their own installations instead of farming it out to the lowest bidder like the big box stores. I will definitely use th..."

2020-11-21

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Jenelle Stine

"We had a great experience with Reference Audio Video & Security when our home automation system needed updated. Very impressed with the clean, professional and knowledgeable experience Cody ..."

2020-11-05

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Melissa King

"The Reference Audio Video & Security team took great care of us. I run a business out of my home and with the new mesh network, our internet connection is rock solid and lightning fast. Co..."

2020-10-28

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Shannon Knight

"High praise for Reference Audio Video and Security. I am so pleased with my updated home AV system. The Reference team is knowledgeable, professional and efficient. They took the time to lis..."

2020-10-11

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Jeff Burnison

"I moved into a new home, starting at ground zero for all TVs, sound, and whole house hi-speed WiFi Internet. Cody and the technical installation team were fantastic to work with! From the ..."

2020-09-17

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Bob Wesner

"Excellent service and thoughtful planning. Competent crew who coordinated the installation with the electrician and South Slope.TVs aren't the same simple box you could unpack, plug in, and ..."

2020-06-20

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Todd Reed

"Extremely professional and great service."

2020-06-03

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Luke Niemann

"Wonderful service! Even with a tight time line, they had great service and support!"

2020-01-15

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Niral Tilala

"worked with Ryan Pearson at the Davenport location. Great fund of knowledge on the products and how installation would work. I would work with him again for home projects. He is quite respon..."

2020-01-03

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Bill

"I recently needed a new tuner and receiver for my home audio system & contacted Reference Audio in Coralville for advice. Devin Guerrero came to my home to evaluate my situation and assess m..."

2019-12-06

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Troy Pflughaupt

"Cody and crew are always very knowledgeable and fast to respond. Professional work and top of the line products and installation. Highly recommended!!!!"

2019-11-12

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Nicholas Donlin

"Cody and the team at Reference was awesome to work with. They were very quick at getting pricing and the communication, scheduling, and quality of work was truly 5 star. I highly recommend w..."

2019-10-28

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Todd Bindel

"The team at Reference is great! They have been to my home to install the audio/video equipment I purchased and on one other occasion to re-position some equipment following remodeling that ..."

2019-10-14

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Rod Pierick

"Great Experience working with Cody. He had incredible knowledge of his products. He helped Customized our project to fit our needs, not theirs. Would highly recommend and they have all the H..."

2019-10-13

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Nicholas Fustino

"I could not have had a better experience with Reference AV. Their expertise, creativity, technical acumen, and service were second to none. They worked with me continually to make sure the..."

2019-10-09

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Heather Spooner

"Outstanding service! I feel like Reference treated us like family. We have used them for help both in an existing home as well as in new construction. They really took the time and attent..."

2019-10-02

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Braeden Watson

"What a great team of people to work with. They were able to give me multiple options to meet my needs and budget. The whole process was easy and they kept me informed during the whole thing...."

2019-09-03

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Rusty Green

"Cody and the entire Reference Audio Video team are absolutely top-notch. They offer the widest range of technical expertise & service delivery of anyone in their industry. If you're lookin..."

2019-05-22

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Julie Swank

"I hired Reference Audio Video to get my home music and TV system running properly after a bad experience with another local Des Moines company. Cody was very thorough with his analysis of ou..."

2019-05-10

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Dennis Henderson

"After having shopped for a new television I was referred to Reference Audio Video & Security and found their pricing to be as competitive as anywhere else. That plus the fact that they also..."

2019-05-03

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Jay Glass

"I had Reference Audio install a large TV over the mantel of a fireplace as well as a sound bar and sub. I was very pleased with both the service on the sales side (helping me understand my o..."

2019-04-17

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Teresa Kelly

"We have purchased a Marantz receiver, a turntable, a device to digitally record our records, and a wireless speaker. All were installed by Reference staff, and all work very very well. We ..."

2019-04-16

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Daniel Jessop

"First of all I want to say how professional Brock and the team at Reference were. Brock contacted me back almost immediately and we got a meeting setup to take a look at how they could help..."

2019-04-11

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chris miller

"Cody was great to deal with! Very knowledgeable. Made me feel comfortable. Not like the big electronic stores that just made me feel confused Installation went great! Hooked everything u..."

2019-02-23

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Daniel Mills

"So appreciate the expertise and great customer service both during my audio/video set up and after care service! Thanks Reference Audio staff"

2019-02-22

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Marie Darby

"Joe did an amazing job installing a new receiver and universal remote. He eliminated a rats nest of old wires and simplified the set-up. Highly recommended!!"

2018-12-08

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John Farlinger

"Great company to work with! Very quick response times and excellent customer service!!"

2018-12-07

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RuthAnn Cherny

"The best customer service I’ve experienced in a long while. Knowledgeable and professional,they took care of my problems and even made everything look good. I am so impressed, I’m having the..."

2018-11-20

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Allen Morelock

"Reference AVS updated our old system to new Control 4 system & we are very happy with all the new options that we now have. Their technician was great to work with & sales staff could not ha..."

2018-10-17

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Gordon Axt

"Excellent, personalized customer service. Listened to what I was looking for an help me find the perfect speaker for my needs."

2018-10-17

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Rob Kasper

"Very professional. I upgraded my AV receiver and TV. Greg gave me several options to meet my price point. He made several trips to the house to plan and measure prior to the installation to ..."

2018-09-30

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Kim Fuller

"All of the employees are knowledgeable and friendly. The personal attention you receive is excellent. I have also found the prices to be competitive. It is nice to be able to go back to the ..."

2018-08-23

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mark Joniak

"Reference Audio Video did an outstanding job prewiring our home for security and for installing and mounting TV's, in ceiling speakers, attic antenna and surround sound speakers. In additio..."

2018-08-23

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Matt Morgan

"Excellent company. Very professional. Good communication with staff and very knowledgeable."

2018-08-17

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Richard Burton

"I have used Reference for many years for projects large and small. The service has always been outstanding. High quality equipment correctly installed and outstanding system integration in..."

2018-08-13

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Sid Bradley

"I haven't kept up with todays audio options. I wanted a stellar stereo system. They were very helpful and patient with this old Rock hound. Now I've got one that is truly excellent. Many tha..."

2018-07-12

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Ryan Seaba

"I was very happy with their products and services. I will recommend them to a friend."

2018-04-26

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Eric Langan

"I have been a loyal customer of Reference for many years. I have bought TV's, home theater equipment, outdoor speakers, a security system and smart home technology from Reference throughout..."

2018-04-26

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Jennifer McGivern

"Reference installed a new TV and bluray in my home. Did a great job. Nice people."

2018-03-29

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Joe Smeltzer

"QUALITY and 2ND to NONE!! These are the words I choose to represent this company. I was referred to the company by the owner's daughter and I thought I would give them a try. I ended up sp..."

2016-06-07

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Bryan Snyder

"Amazing customer service. Definitely the best in the QC area."

2016-01-07

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