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Steamboat Springs — Did you hear the subtle sounds of the brush hitting drums behind Ornette Coleman's trumpet?

Of course you didn't. Those cabinet speakers you've been listening to since college aren't as good as they used to be.

Perhaps it's time for an upgrade, time to join the era of the fully networked home theater system.

A touch panel that looks much computer screen gives you control of your, television, DVD and CD player as well as the lights in the kitchen and the patio, the heat and the security system.

"Most of my customers want a full blown theater, but they don't want to see any of the equipment," said Ray Martinez of Custom Design Audio in Steamboat Springs. With the push of a button, the fireplace turns off and a movie screen drops down. The lights dim and the sound comes up.

The same panel that sits on your coffee table in the living room or is embedded in the wall near your front door can be accessed 1,000 miles from home via the Internet.

By visiting your personal Web site, a few simple commands tells your home system that you are about to come home. The lights will come on. The heat or the air conditioning will bring the house to a comfortable temperature.

Anything electronic in your home can be customized and controlled with the touch of a screen icon. The Web site is completely secure behind a firewall, Martinez said.

"Only you can access it," he said. The Web site can also be set up to alert you of changes in your home via instant e-mail messages, for example, if there is a break in.

Pan and tilt cameras will show you what's going on in your home.

Martinez opened Custom Design Audio four years ago after realizing that all the high-end home theater jobs were being contracted from outside of town, he said. "I realized there was a niche in the market to be filled."

Martinez always has been passionate about music and good sound since he was a little kid hooking his dad's stereo to the television for surround sound, he said.

He opened Custom Design Audio with no idea how much the business would grow. The first year, Martinez was working other jobs to make ends meet. Now, he employs nine people to finish custom jobs priced anywhere from $1,000 to $1 million.

"I had a five-year plan when I started," he said. "I've far exceeded that."

The needs of people in Steamboat include things like "vacation mode" programmed into their systems.

Vacation mode mimics the last 14 days of lighting use while the family is away.

Entertainment mode can be custom programmed to change the atmosphere of the house moments before the guests arrive. Music comes on 50 percent. Spotlights begin to shine on the artwork. The lights dim inside, but the patio lights brighten and the Jacuzzi turns on.

"The options are unlimited," Martinez said.

The advantage of having your entire home's systems controlled from one panel, he said, is the elimination of wall clutter. One panel replaces the thermostat, the security system keypad and the light switches.

Most customers hire Custom Design Audio during the early stages of building their home, before the wiring begins, Martinez said.

Changes to the system are made from the custom design audio office in real time without the need for a representative to come to your home.