Your Music Lifestyle
November 15th, 2007Justin Tags: Multi Room Audio
Whole Home Audio
Whole Home Audio (WHA) or Multi-Room Audio (MRA) is one of the fastest growing categories in the home theater industry. Understandably, it’s also begun playing a critical role in the wiring process for homebuilders. More and more homebuilders consider WHA a standard offering in new home construction.
There are several types of WHA systems and there’s a growing list of options for setting them up. The most important questions to ask before selecting a system and its set up are, “How is the system going to be used? Will it be primarily used for listening to music or for home theater?” Once you’ve determined those factors, a WHA system can be tailored to best fit your needs.
Selecting the right speakers
Choosing the right speakers for your system is relatively easy. Most systems use in-wall or in-ceiling speakers mounted flush to the wall with grills that can be painted to blend in with the room’s decor. There are dozens of speaker manufacturers in the U.S. and many provide comparable sound quality. Talk to a system designer about the WHA system you want for your home. He or she can recommend a number of speakers that will work well. Test all of them. If you can’t distinguish a significant difference in sound quality, your best approach may be to make your decision based on price.
Centralized Control Box
Increasingly, homeowners want separate controls in each individual room. In the past 5 years or so, the most common approach to providing individual volume controls for each room is with a turn knob or slider. This allows for differing sound levels in each room of the house. One large control box can be set up in one location with the equipment. From there, the individual sound volume of every room can be controlled. This is the most cost-effective type of setup, but can place some limits how much music can be played – the same music must be played throughout the entire home. The other drawback is that you must go back to the equipment location to change sources or controls. There are infrared remote systems, but they can prove ineffective and can mean spending a lot of time searching for the right remotes throughout the house. That said, one central control box is still the best way to get music into different areas of the home while not letting the budget get out of hand.
Multi-Room Controls
Multi-Room Control Systems are the next step up. Increasingly, most people in the construction process are requesting this approach. As always, you should consult an audio/video professional to determine your specific needs and what system is best for you. Multi-room control systems allow you to change sources and volume levels in individual “zones” throughout the home. A zone refers to a specific area in a home. They can have multiple sets of speakers and controls, but typically each zone plays from one source. Most systems are 4 or 6 zones as a standard, but can be stacked to create as many zones as needed (up to 32). Most come with different choices of volume controls or keypads. These allow you to do everything from basic changing of sources to full-blown control of each component in your system. Some systems even use touch screen panels to display information. Dock your iPod in the kitchen, walk up to any keypad in the house, and play your iPod from that room. Love the Sirius or XM satellite radio in your car? Multi-room control lets you play and control your stations from anywhere in your home. Imagine watching the Big Game with all of your friends. What if you could have the game on your big screen and listen to it outside by the grill? CDs, music from your computer, and sound from the cable or satellite box. These systems can be designed to fit perfectly into your lifestyle.
Complete Home Automation
Some control systems are capable of doing what’s referred to as home automation, which can control all the systems in your home. From A/V equipment, to HVAC, Security, and Lighting. If this type of system sounds like it might be right for you, talk to your audio/video professional. These systems can get extremely technical and require a lot of time and involvement to make sure they are tailored to fit your needs.
Putting it all Together
The right WHA system can bring you years of listening enjoyment. However, they can be costly and as stated earlier, it’s easy to wind up with a system that has more capabilities than you’ll ever want or need. It’s important that you with a professional system designer before you select and purchase a sound system.
If music is your passion and you want control of how it’s enjoyed in your home, stick with the systems that focus specifically on music. That way, you can’t go wrong. Come in and check out what we have to offer and see what fits your lifestyle.
