About

About JAMbrose

JAMbrose is a NYC-based smart home, AV, and low-voltage integration company founded and run by Jay Ambrose. What started as sound system design and installation for restaurants and venues has grown into full smart home integration — bringing together Savant-based whole-home control, Lutron motorized shades and lighting, and high-end audio/video from Leon and other premium brands.

Jay's approach is shaped by two decades of hands-on experience across AV, security, and low-voltage systems — and by a musician's ear. Before founding JAMbrose, Jay spent 30+ years as a session trumpet and bass player, including 15 years as a founding member of the Brooklyn band Vinyette. That background shows up in the work: systems tuned for real clarity and detail, not just spec sheets.

Jay studied economics and business at the University of Colorado (1997–2001) before moving to NYC in 2001, where he bartended at Balthazar for five years. When the restaurant lost contact with their regular sound person, Jay was called in to rent and set up equipment for a New Year's Eve DJ event. Later that year, when the speakers went out, Jay diagnosed it as a bad amp, replaced it himself, and it worked — the start of him learning the system inside out and taking over its upkeep.

That led to Jay becoming Balthazar's house sound engineer for private buyout events, from weddings to the annual Poets Society Ball charity gala. The work grew from there: rebuilding systems across the other Keith McNally restaurants, and building new systems from scratch at Cherche Midi and Augustine. That hands-on experience became the foundation for what JAMbrose does today.

A Note on Production Sound

Alongside AV integration, Jay works as a production sound mixer and audio engineer for film and TV — full on-set recording kit (Sound Devices MixPre-6, Sennheiser MKH 416 boom, wireless lavs, Tentacle Sync timecode), audiobook engineering for Open Road Media, and an IMDb credit as Sound Effects Editor on the film Frank (credited as Jay Ambrose). See Production Sound page →

Music & Art

Outside of contracting work, Jay has spent 15 years as a founding member of Vinyette, a Brooklyn band, and maintains a personal interest in visual art. Music remains the emotional throughline connecting everything Jay builds — from tuned sound systems to spaces designed for live performance.

View Music → View Art →