Cinesigns Home Theater Plaques Review
What do you get for the home theater enthusiast that has everything? Another subwoofer? A couple more speakers? Come on! First of all, you are never going to get the right thing. They spend so much of their free time looking at speakers and subwoofers, that you’ll never buy exactly what they want. And the big box store people? They won’t be any help. They probably don’t carry the “good stuff.” That’s where stuff like plagues and other accoutrements come in. And for my home theater plaques, I shopped at Cinesigns on Etsy. But, let me back up.
Adding Some Bling to my Home Theater – A Brief History
Ok, I admit it – I am a total Home Theater Nerd. I listen to HT podcasts, I watch HT videos, and I write articles about HT. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that my own home theater has some pretty nerdy stuff in it. It also shouldn’t be any surprise that I am always on the hunt for that “one last piece” that will complete my setup. And I found it! Enter Cinesigns on Etsy.
I had been searching for a few plaques to show off my home theater gear for some time. Posts showed some off on the different AV forums that I frequent, but they never met the quality that I wanted. Either that or they were insanely priced. So I checked eBay. Although some of the vendors had what seemed to be quality signs, I am always a bit leery of buying something sign unseen. My wife, who is a creative sort, told me to check out Pinterest and see if I could find something that really piqued my interest and she would help me design them. So with my Google-Fu on point, I started my search. It didn’t take me more than a few minutes to find exactly what I wanted, and better yet, they were on Etsy.
Falling Down the Etsy Hole
I know what you are thinking…Etsy? I know, it could be just as bad as eBay. But a few of my friends had ordered things from Etsy and the quality was very decent. Plus they said it was very easy to speak with the makers and get a sense of their skills. Not to mention they have ratings on Etsy that show you how satisfied customers were with their purchases.
I quickly found a maker, Cinesigns, who made, as the name implies, home theater and AV signs and plaques. They had all of the brands or signs that I wanted and the prices were very reasonable – $33 per sign plus a modest shipping charge. They were based out of Germany and the seller was very responsive and answered all my questions. Best of all, they can do custom signs for a small fee. Score!
Ordering Home Theater Plaques from Cinesigns
So I ordered an SVS, Dolby Atmos, and DTS sign from his shop, and had him design a custom Paradigm sign that matched the stylized “P” on my new Premier series speakers (Paradigm gave permission). The seller sent me a mock-up of my sign and a quote for all four, $158 including shipping. As soon as I paid, I got an email confirming the order and an estimated shipping date of about a week after the order. True to their word, I got the shipping notification about a week later, via UPS expedited. The signs arrived just six days later to Canada but you may have a different experience based on where you are in the world.
I was very impressed with the quality of the home theater plaques from Cinesigns. They are made from aluminum with a very nicely brushed gold finish. The seller made the design with a special printer that puts the ink directly on the aluminum. Best of all, because they were aluminum, they are strong and very light, meaning I could hang them with a couple of 3M Command Strips and not worry about them falling. Installation took about 5 minutes.
A word of caution
So I obviously am very pleased with my purchase. The plaques are very good quality and I had a great experience with my seller. That said, you need to do your own homework when you are buying online. Take the time to look at, and read reviews. Speak with the seller and get your own level of comfort with the product you are buying. But because Etsy is made up of independent sellers, return policies may vary by seller. If you are not happy with the quality of the item, returns could be difficult.
Wrap Up
I love my new signs. They are the chef’s kiss to my home theater and add just a little something extra for my space. If you are in the market for a quality sign, I wouldn’t hesitate to point you towards Cinesigns.
