Multi-room Audio

The Concept. A multi-room audio system is meant to be heard and not seen. Lyric FM in the kitchen; U2 in the living room; Coldplay on the patio and not a black box or wire in sight! Happily, the enjoyment of multi-room audio is no longer restricted to the super-rich.

How do the systems work? Most systems provide access to one or more sources such as radio or CD to 4 or more zones. A zone is an area that can be set to play back a source independently of any other zone. In most cases the CPU/Amplifier and sources (Radio, CD, PC, iPOD etc) are located in a central cabinet in the utility room. Music content and volume level are then controlled from a wired or wireless interface.

Aesthetics. Because most of the hardware is hidden away there is minimal intrusion on your homes’ aesthetics. The only necessary evils are the loudspeakers but these are often architectural in-ceiling or in-wall types that are virtually invisible.

Music Content. As well as standard sources such as radio and CD, systems can include a proprietary music server offering instant access to your entire music collection. Most systems can now be integrated with the ubiquitous iPOD which can be a relatively inexpensive alternative to a server. Other systems use your home PC network as a music library.

Sound Quality. The key criteria in most multi-room systems is that they look great with an emphasis on small or inconspicuous loudspeakers. This does not mean however that these systems can not sound great too! We use only the best architectural loudspeakers; they are a little more expensive than standard types but the extra investment will pay dividends as you will more than likely be listening to them for years to come.

Build-in or Build-on? There are dozens of different multi-room audio systems on the market. All systems can be installed in a pre-wire scenario but some lend themselves well to retro-fit situations. There are a number of solutions that use wireless remote controls and local room amplifiers meaning that the only issue is locating the loudspeakers in a tidy fashion.