We have used Universal Home Theater twice now, once when setting up our home, and again recently when we moved into our apartment. Every time Virgil and Dan have shown up, they are in full professional mode, assessing the situation, making sure we have everything needed for a smooth setup. These last couple of visits have been in Covid-time, and they wore masks the whole time. I'm grateful for the couple of times when I couldn't figure something out with our system, and called Virgil, who cheerfully got me on the right path. I would use Universal again, and give this company my whole-hearted endorsement. read more

Called the number listed, a man answered the phone and I had to be the one to confirm who I was speaking with instead of him leading with who I was calling. Instead of saying "yes, this is Universal Home Theater" he responded "how can I help you" and after proceeding with the reasoning for my call, he states they no longer do installations... Odd since the business says open and there are current reviews. I love when people show their true colors immediately as it allows me to hire real professionals who actually align with me. read more

Was great to work with. Very knowledgeable, on time, and kind. Will contact again for any A/V needs.

Virgil was extremely helpful in talking me through my quandary for my surround sound home system issue. He gave me very sound advice and provided examples of products that would help me solve the problem. I would highly recommend him as he is very professional and knowledgeable in his field. read more

To ALL ... if I could I would give 10 stars to Virgil ! Absolutely fabulous service professionalism, far priced . Vigil installed our system which works great.. however he stayed with us to insure we were comfortable with the new system. Also he is only a phone call or email away for troubleshooting! Universal is the best !!! read more

I just had a 2nd installment done by Virgil and Dan and will have the guys coming back in April to help out with some electrical work on my deck. To date, we have done (2) tv installs, wireless audio throughout our home as well as some light drywall and painting. While they excel in audio/visual installs and consultation, they aren't limited to only audio/visual work. To be shy to ask for any home needs, their pricing is competitive and work is top-end. Can't recommend the team more. read more

Universal Home Theater - Home Theatre Installation Near Me

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I cannot recommend Virgil of Universal Home Theater more highly. My old-school roof antenna was no longer producing a TV picture at all on our HD TV and was producing a picture on only about half of the channels on my old Sony 4x3 aspect ratio analog TV. This occurred after we had 2 ComEd power outages (due to stormy weather) on successive days and also our house re-roofed over the course of 3 days. I am not sure which of these factors caused the problem of no reception from our roof-top antenna, but the problem was there. I called Universal Home Theater on a Saturday afternoon when the roofers finished. I left a message, and Virgil called back within an hour. He promised to come over either later that afternoon or on Sunday. He called me about an hour later to say he could not make it on Saturday because of another job, but he did come over at 10:30 am on a Sunday. He worked on the connections between my TV and VCR/DVDs and did some upgrades; he verified that my coax cable and signal splitter were OK in my attic; he checked by signal splitter in my basement; and he went on my roof to verify the connection from my chimney-mounted antenna to the coax cable before it fed into my attic. The antenna to coax cable connection was the main problem. He was at my house for about 3.5 hours doing all this stuff and charged me only $100 -- all on a Sunday. Nice guy too. He also wore a mask and took off his shoes in my house. He also gave me a few tips about how to improve my TV situation if I wanted to. I would say that you can't go wrong with Virgil. -- S.Z., Glen Ellyn, IL read more

Universal Home Theater is good at mounting TV's and running wires through your walls. Dan does a damn good job doing this and will make your TV look good. Now the question is why a rating of 2. They will mess up your sound system(like they did for me) and is backed by the worst customer service. They installed my sound system in such a way that almost anything I use it for, got downgraded sound. For example my netflix gets downgraded, Bluray sound goes for a toss, to say the least you can't even use your system for simple things like bluetooth audio or google cast. The owner's explanation is that they know how it should be done and this is the best option for you. You as customer need/will not be consulted as you are not professional AV technicians. (It's his words in an email). To correct mess they created, the owner emailed me an estimate of $450. This was for an actual work of 15-20 min. And he claimed this as a discounted rate. When I questioned the estimate and also pointed out that it was a mistake which they created, the owner agreed to do the job for $250. (It's a different thing that he accused me of trying to get this done for free, of not knowing about audio formats among other things.) And yes this was for a 15-20 min work, Dan spent almost 1 hour at my home where 45 minutes was waiting the owner. In short, if you just want to mount a TV, Dan is good. If you expect them to do the right thing on audio, good luck. If you expect to be treated with respect, take a hike. Update based on Virgil's response : Reducing 1 more star. The way you connected sir, I don't get GUI. With no GUI, I can't connect to Bluetooth nor Google cast nor to WiFi. You conveniently omitted mention of downgraded Netflix and Blu-ray sounds by your connection. Ever heard of LPCM? Also you mislead by saying I raised the issue only after tech was long gone. You know this was raised to the tech when they were still finishing up. Any one reading your response can see your contempt for your customer. And I apologise if you find it wrong on my side to expect correct connections after paying you more than 1500$. Good day read more

This review is a bit late but I worked with these guys a few months ago to get some in-wall speakers installed. At first I was a little cautious because they use some brand speakers I had never heard of. Seemed suspicious. The installer assured me I'd be happy with them and their performance. He was right. The sound is amazing. The cabling is tidy and unseen. We installed some small rear speakers above the couch. The cabling and conduit work is seamless. The entire process was pretty smooth. The installers were friendly, professional and very tidy. I'd recommend them for any home theatre work. And if you're buying their speakers, don't be scared off by the seemingly no-name brand. Even the entry level speakers I've got pack some awesome sound for my space. read more

New house: In one room, we had our TV, a mess of cables we couldn't understand and in-wall speakers we couldn't connect. In another room, we had another TV, plus our receiver, turntable and game systems, and we wanted to beam everything wirelessly to the speakers. Virgil came by, right on time, super nice, honest guy. He recommended a few pieces of equipment, talked us down from buying a much more expensive TV and gave us a quote way lower than we both expected. The week after, his team installed it flawlessly. For real. He warned us we'd need to patch some drywall, but nope. They pulled every cable through a small circle grommet neatly placed into the wall. Can't recommend him enough. read more

This is long-overdue!! Look no further for home theater installation. Working with Virgil has transformed our entertainment experience. He installed two TVs inside and one outside along with a connected Sonos sound system. And he added an internet booster which translates into robust service for everything wireless in my home. His trademark is that he spends a lot of time explaining everything: the mark of a great teacher!! Accessible, high-quality work, and great to work with. Highly recommend! read more

Had a great experience with Virgil on a consultation and subsequent install of a full home Sonos system and two new televisions. He was very thorough and honest during the consultation, often making recommendations that would lower the cost. Communication was very timely and the installation was fantastic, with a great tutorial on all the new features of the home. Don't hesitate to have him come consult on any home theater and/or sound project you may be considering. read more

We used Universal Theater for a home theater install a few years ago and found their work to be top-notch and fairly priced. So, when we decided to rework our family room system we called them back. The owner came to our home and provided options and thorough explanations outline pros and cons with the various options available for the room and our budget. The work was done as promised, on time and at the agreed upon price. Communication prior to the install was exceptional. Quality of the work - professional. And before they left they sat with us for as long as needed for a learning session. They also did a great job picking up and cleaning up. While you have options you owe it to yourself to give Universal Home Theater a call. read more

Every, single, glowing review about the work these guys do is true. Called to get a quote on hanging a television, the work was performed, well under quote and within three days of calling. They were efficient, they were tidy, they were honest, they were, like I said, as good as all of the glowing recommendations you're reading. If you need a television hung, call them, you will not regret it. read more

I contacted Universal Home Theater regarding mounting a Mohu Leaf 50 anntenna in the attic and running coax cable to two TV's to receive OTA broadcast TV. One TV was wall mounted on the main floor and another TV in the basement. My goal was to not have any exposed wires leading to the TV on the main floor. Daniel came out and checked out the job and returned a few days later for the installation. It was clear to me in the first 10 minutes that Daniel knew his stuff. He mounted the antenna in the attic and ran coax to both TV's, tested to make sure I received a good number of broadcast channels INCLUDING Channel 2, which is typically the most difficult station to capture. Daniel was professional, efficient and cleaned up after himself. Thanks to Universal Home Theater, I have cut the cord with ATT U-Verse and will recoup my costs of installing the OTA antenna in 10 months. I have signed up for streaming services for about 20% of what U-Verse was charging me. Thanks to Universal Home Theater, they made cutting the cable cord very easy. I would gladly hire them again for any audio/ video needs in the future. read more

I contacted Universal Home Theater after moving into our new condo in River North. I had never had a television mounted on the wall, so I was a bit nervous. Virgil came out the day after our move for a free estimate. He said that he was booked for about the next two weeks. We had some guests coming sooner than that! Thankfully he understood our dilemma and was able to accommodate our request for an installation a week later. The day of the install, everything looked great. Go to fire everything up, and my 10 year old receiver had died! UGH! Not to fear, Virgil was there with the solution. He suggested a receiver, had it delivered to him, and came out 3 business days later. He offered us a discount on the second service call since the receiver failing wasn't anyone's fault. That is going well above and beyond the call of duty. I highly recommend their services! read more

This company is great. I needed to get a 60" tv mounted in my bedroom. My wife is 8.99 months pregnant and I wanted to get it installed before the new baby came so that she could enjoy it while on maternity leave and not have to deal with the hassle of having it installed while managing our new family addition. I called Universal on 12/27/12 around noon and spoke with Virgil. Despite being the week between Xmas and New Years (which I would imagine is the busiest week of the year for TV installers), Virgil was able to come out the SAME DAY! He came to my house around 6pm after I'd gotten home from work and had the TV up in a couple of hours. The job probably took a little longer than what it'd normally take to hang a TV because I wanted to put the DirecTV box in my walk-in closet (where no power outlet or cable jack had existed). Virgil and his co-worker, Bill, installed a power outlet in my closet and ran the cable through the wall into the closet. When it was all said and done, I had a great looking TV mounted with no wires showing, right where I wanted it, with the cable box where I wanted it. Price was also reasonable, and they were very transparent (and accurate) in their estimate that I received before they started work. If I have any future home theater needs, I will be calling them again. read more

What a great experience to have our home entertainment center upgraded. Virgil and Dan are two of the nicest guys you would ever meet. They are knowledgeable, friendly and aim to please. They know their business and have an eye for details. You will not be disappointed. read more

Universal Home Theater - Everything back in place. Thanks so much Virgil and Matt Cheri and Dan Robertson - Home Theatre Installation Near Me

With the sudden urge to purchase a Smart TV, I decided I wanted it to look right and get it professionally mounted. I called around a few places, got a few quotes, but Virgil at Universal Home Theater was the most inquisitive and helpful about what I wanted and talked me through what I'd need. Best part? He said he had an availability the next day and I couldn't resist. Next day, he arrived just in time to do the install, hook up the cables with the highest quality he had (unexpected bonus!) and worked efficiently, knowingly I had company coming over in a few short hours as I was hosting a dinner party. Without knowing a whole lot about TV's and installations, he spelled everything out for me and assured me with the best options, recommendations and additional accessories for the install. I would highly recommend Virgil and his team at Universal Theater! read more

I purchased some Klipsch speakers with a sub from Craigslist (luckily for a steal) and a Yamaha receiver from Best Buy. After literally hours of trying to get the sub to work with no success, I Googled "Home Theater" and found Universal Home Theater. I read several great reviews for the company and Virgil, so I gave them a call. Admittedly I had emailed another company for a quote and it was pretty excessive. Virgil and another gentleman came out the same day to assess the situation. After a couple different wiring configurations and tests he quickly determined the sub was dead (saving a little of my dignity). He provided recommendations, answered questions and was VERY reasonable in his fee. Much to my surprise he even emailed me later to follow-up and offer his services for future questions/needs. I rarely, if ever, review on Yelp - but Virgil and his team are highly recommended in my book! read more

I was most impressed with Universal's responsiveness and customer service. After the install, I had some questions and sent an email on a Sunday. WIthin the hour, Virgil texted me and answered my questions. He also stopped by the next day and made sure everything was working properly. That's what I call responsive and dedicated customer service! read more

I can't tout Virg and UHT enough. Extremely responsive, fantastic at patiently explaining everything and answering every question, great job at offering options, and fantastic value. They swapped out the plates in our home from telephone to ethernet, installed the switch, and helped to optimize our wifi. Highly recommended! read more

The Universal team was a pleasure to work with. They replied immediately to my email request for a quote, and came to the house at no charge to make certain they understood the scope of work needed before providing accurate pricing. Their work was very clean and well done. Most impressive to me was the fact that Virgil treated me like a VIP despite the fact that my job was likely the smallest he's going to perform this year (hanging of projector screen). Will absolutely use them again when the need arises. read more

Big fan of Virgil. Very nice guy - felt more than comfortable having him in my home. He was very informative, very professional, and made the decision not to install through my ceiling which would have cost me more - that's quality. He even cleaned up and vacuumed before he left : ) read more

Universal Home Theater - mounted tv in the bedroom and added an electrical source - hid the wires perfectly! - Home Theatre Installation Near Me

These guys are rock stars. I cannot say enough good things about Universal Home Theater. Virgil and Dan were absolutely outstanding to work with. They shuffled their schedules and were made time to do my installation on a Sunday in order to make sure that my TV situation was set in time for the holidays. Universal Home Theater have earned a permanent place in my contact list. You cannot beat the quality, service, and professionalism. read more

Virg promptly replied and fixed the issue in no time. I will certainly use again.

Virgil and UHT are amazing. Over the years, I have used several other vendors and have been sorely disappointed. With UHT, I can't say enough good things. In short, they know what they are doing, they don't overcharge, and they are extremely professional. They simplified an overly complex AV system (e.g. my cable box was in a different room from my TV) and made my system so much better. I have used Virgil for multiple projects ranging from hanging TVs, implementing a Sonos system, and hooking up my in-wall/ceiling speakers to my new Sonos system. Highly recommend Virgil and UHT. read more

We recently bought our house, and the sellers left us a home entertainment system that was badly in need of an upgrade. We contacted Virgil at Universal Home Theater, and our experience was first rate. Virgil was prompt, thorough, professional, knowledgeable, honest and easy to work with. Our upgrade was installed on May 3rd, and Virgil's work was excellent. I would not hesitate to use him again in the future and recommend him for anyone with home entertainment needs. Steve S. read more

My husband and I been looking to get our TV mounted. We had previously had another company quote the project and come out to mount it but ended up needing to send them away when we realized their wiring plan was not at all up to city code. We contacted Universal Home Theater and spoke with Virgil. He was extremely thorough in the process of getting us our quote, asked for pictures, referred to his electrician, and answered our many questions. We decided to postpone this project since our wall configuration was more complex than we initially realized and would require more work/costs than we wanted to spend at the moment. However, the quote we received seem fair and truly appreciated the time spent answering all our questions. Definitely will reach out to Universal Home Theater when we are ready to take up this project again. read more

I have had Virgil help a couple of times with A/V work and both times have been great. He helped troubleshoot some issues and spent more time than he initially thought but kept with his estimate. read more

These guys are amazing. The customer service and communication is incredible. There estimates are clear and accurate. They do NOT oversell. I've had several issues with my cable provider (now that's a company I should review next.....minus 100 stars) and Virgil has been kind enough to answer my emails. I did not get other quotes for the same services, but I spoke with a few friends who have used them and said they are fair and competitively priced. I've moved twice in the last 2 years and used them for both moves. AMAZING!!! Look no further....... Thank you, Kristi read more

Virgil and Bill changed their schedule around to make my appointment work. Their work was efficient, clean, and the end product looks great. My wires are hidden and all of my equipment is cleanly tucked away in my closet. Working with them was a pleasure and I cannot recommend them highly enough. A+ work. read more

I'm always hesitant to pay someone to do something that I could probably do myself but I am so glad that I did. I contacted Virgil about mounting my television above the fireplace and installing my surround sound. He showed up early for our consultation which was a positive right from the get go. He gave me some ideas and suggestions that I hadn't considered and emailed me a very reasonable quote the same day. On the day of the install, Virgil again showed up within the allotted time and got right to work. Everything was done very professionally. The install came out looking very clean with no wires showing and everything working as it should. It was definitely worth the money for the time saved and the peace of mind knowing it was done right the first time. These are your go to guys for your A/V needs in Chicago. read more

Universal Home Theater - 70" Tv and front 3 speakers of 5.1 surround, no wires shown. - Home Theatre Installation Near Me

Virgil and Dan are top-notch! Right from the get go Virgil was responsive and offered recommendations and advice along the way. Especially with dealing with Comcast. You should look no further for your Home theater installations. These guys are true professionals and are really fair in regards to pricing. read more

My fiancé and I hired Dan from universal home theater to rewire our new construction, centralize the electronics and mount all of our TV's. I was amazed during the consultation about how through he was and what could be done (being an electrician like moving outlets to better hide cords). Other companies would still have to run wires down a wall to an existing outlook. Before I even hired him, he gave advice on what speakers to buy; even though, I wasn't going to buy from him. Most places try to sell you on their products; instead, he used my existing equipment and found the cheapest way to accomplish my goals. The end product surpassed my expectations. He didn't have to cut into drywall when moving all the cords through the ceiling (he was able to use the light sockets). He mounted 3 TVs, installed in-ceiling speakers, moved the homerun location to a new closet and wired all the electronics. Two other examples of him going the extra mile. He made an extra visit when Comcast came to install the cable and mounted then. When my subwoofer wasn't working (broke during the move and was out of warranty), he called in a favor and was able to get the part from the manufacture. I am going to be hiring Dan to work on other projects in the next month. read more

Universal relocated a music system in my office that was installed 20 years ago. They did a very efficient job and I am very happy with the results. I highly recommend them. read more

Great customer service. Called Virgil to work on a speaker system he had installed that was disassembled and put back together. I simply could not get it to work. Virgil was in the neighborhood, luckily, and dropped by after lunch. The issue was fixed in about 10 minutes and the price was right. I can't think of any other business to use for TV, speaker, and home theater installation and troubleshooting. read more

We can't say enough about how wonderful Virgil and his company have been to us. We moved in to our home about 18 months ago - it is a duplex down condo in a 1910's building. Since moving in we have had nothing but problems with streaming videos & wireless service in our basement. At the same time, my husbands office is upstairs. Technology has not been our friend in making things run seamless. Virgil and his crew came in, got my husbands office working great; hung his TV on the wall, installed a surround sound and set up everything to where even I could understand it. They hung a floating shelf for us under the TV (I wish I had a picture to show how great of a job they did!) My husband was beyond ecstatic when he came home from travel to see his new office. When it came to the basement - we had to (unexpectantly) install new floors on the upper level. Virgil made the time in his busy schedule to come and quickly lay down ethernet cable and tunnel it downstairs. Then suggested we get another wireless router for downstairs and hook it up from the newly hardwired ethernet. Works perfectly! For the first time EVER we can actually watch a movie without breaks in the streaming and we don't have to wait 2 hours for a movie to download (like we did before Virgil worked his magic). And our wireless downstairs......works quicker than upstairs router. :) Virgil is always so pleasant. Always so positive. If he's perplexed on the problem then he'll be honest and say that he is, needs to think it over and will get back to you. He's very thorough and won't leave until you are completely satisfied. He checks back with you after the work is done to continue to make sure you are happy. I will always call Virgil back to do any technological/entertainment/computer work for us. I trust him and his crew. I can't say enough about how good these guys are. read more

Superior service. I needed one flat screen mounted on the wall to prevent my one-year-old from reaching for it. Virgil arrived on time and was very professional. He explained very clearly the different options for brackets and suggested the most suitable level for the mounting. The TV was perfectly mounted without any wires visible. I was so pleased that I asked if he would mount our other two tvs as well. Excellent worker very courteous and professional. Would absolutely recommend Virgil to family and friends. My husband is still smiling. Thank you Virgil!! read more

These guys are Awesome! If you're looking for someone to do a top notch professional installation of your home Entertainment System, Virgil and team are the ones you want to hire. I simply can't say enough good things about the quality of their work and service they provided. Virgil went "above and beyond" in working me into their already busy schedule and then did a fantastic job at a reasonable and fair price. In less than a day, Virgil mounted a 60 Flat Panel TV in our family room (all wires hidden) and set-up and configured our home entertainment system with multiple components as well as programed my universal remote control. He then installed/mounted two other flat panel TV's in two bedrooms in our house and set everything up so it looks perfect. Again, if you're looking for someone to do a professional job in this type of work for you........you can't go wrong with hiring Virgil and his team at Universal Home Theater! I highly recommend these guys! read more