February 2006 - Archiving your Audio/Video System & Software - page 2
Step Two: Outlining the Scope of Your System(s)
 Take a blank Excel sheet and archive all of your systems with a component by component listing, with your best guess as to the retail price of the products you own. You don’t have to look everything up on Google or Audiogon, but it is helpful to have a running total of your system’s value. You might be shocked to see how fast your system gets to the five or even six-figure range.
Tip: if you have a lot of high-end cable, be sure to archive that in terms of brand and level in the product line (AKA Transparent Reference XL speaker cable, 60 feet in-wall with spade connectors), so you don’t forget the $6,000 center channel speaker cable in your walls.
Tip: Do not forget to include the cost of programming your remote, installation, calibration, room treatments and any special construction you may have done to make your room into a media room. Window treatments that are blackout drapes are a good item to not exclude from your list.
Step Three: Photos
 Many insurance companies will pay you for something you own if you have a photo of it. This goes specifically for jewelry, but with AV gear, a Krell preamp could be worth more than your wife’s bling-bling diamond stud earrings. Even with a cheapie digital camera (under $100 or the one that comes in your phone), you can archive your system in photos. Take shots of the front of your rack and the back. Make sure you get shots of your software collection, as well as your cables. If your projector is in a hush box, be sure to sneak a photo of that, too. You don’t have to be Herb Ritz with the photos; they just have to be clearly viewable by an adjuster.
When you are done with the photos and the Excel sheet, make a folder on your hard drive and burn a CD. Hard drives crash (more on this later) and/or get stolen or destroyed in a disaster or theft. Burn a copy of the photos (which you might want to take the time to rename to make more sense) and your Excel sheet onto a CD and stick it in another location, like a safety deposit box, your office or a friend’s or relative’s home. God forbid you need the CD, but if you do, you will be glad you can simply pick it up and get it to your adjuster.
Step Four: Receipts
If you have receipts for things you bought and/or installation you have paid for, be sure to create a file for them. When talking to your insurance broker, you will want to discuss the price difference between replacement insurance and insurance that pays you what you paid for your gear. You want replacement insurance without question. The $25,000 Runco plasma you bought two years ago should be replaced with the best the industry has to offer now, even if it is less than $25,000. An adjuster will want you to buy the cheapest plasma of the same size they can find.
|
| 
| 
| 
| 
