Throughout human history, the wise and the great have often referred to music as the true Universal language. As technology evolves, one can easily expect audio home automation to produce sound quality equivalent to almost any public performance. With more options becoming available daily that give homeowners total control of their environments, personal entertainment and private gatherings can go to a whole new level of experience with a home audio automation system.
A home audio automation system requires an equal distribution of sound quality and acoustical balance in mind. Two elements key to this design are the physical positioning of acoustical equipment and the actual equipment itself. Normally technicians utilize indoor and outdoor speakers from top manufacturers like Boston and Triads. This allows the system to channel music throughout the home with advanced audio distribution systems, giving clear sound quality under direct control of home audio automation system controls. The size and types of speakers selected is based upon the types of music to which you listen and the amount of entertainment you offer to your guests both indoors and out. Normally, home automation experts like Illuminations Lighting and Design will try to accommodate every event or situation you may find yourself experiencing in order to give you maximum control over automated home audio equipment with the least amount of effort and distraction.
Sourcing home audio automation has become almost as multidimensional as the electrical wiring and element design of such a system. Today, listeners may choose from a wide range of media that appears to be growing as fast as technology itself. The rise of satellite radio has led us into new vendor relationships so we can remain one step ahead of the retail equipment market. As your acting vendor we can utilize Nuvo XM tuners, Rough Sound or Polk Audio satellite receivers and configure them directly under home automation audio control devices. Using satellite radio in this fashion is almost as easy as tuning the radio in your car.
If you are already a customer of satellite television and may be worried about how a new home audio automation system could affect your reception, don't. The existing box can easily integrate into the new network and allow you to manipulate your video in total harmony with your sound and lighting. The simplicity of controlling your home's audio automation settings lies in the sophisticated LCD keypads we strategically install in the rooms where you need them the most. These keypads allow you to change volume levels, mute sound, and switch between music sources from any location in the house. Such convenience makes manipulating audio easy and minimizes distraction and interruption when hosting a gathering or private event.
Ideally, home audio automation systems should be custom-designed to the architecture of the home and the lifestyle of the owner. For new homes, the system can be designed during the construction phase itself. For existing homes, or homes under remodel, retrofit wiring for audio distribution can be added to the existing schematics without having to replace the entire wiring network within the home. Look for a consulting firm with experience and multiple certifications in advanced electrical contract work that will enable them to accomplish such complex tasks with minimum invasion to existing home structure. An investment in an organization like ILD can save you thousands of dollars in damages that may easily result from unlicensed or unskilled labor unfamiliar with older home design or advanced home audio automation retrofitting techniques.
It used to be much easier to buy an audio system. You would go to the stereo store, listen to several systems, choose your speakers buy them and take it all home and hook it up. In today's far more sophisticated audio market we are no longer talking about single standalone stereos. Rather now we're talking about fully integrated home entertainment systems.
Whole house audio and video -- your selected entertainment available in every room of your home -- on demand.
While millions of Americans have multiple home computers connected in networks, the real fun can be in connecting all your home entertainment devices into a system and enjoy audio and video anywhere you want in your home.
Although this article deals specifically with the issues you need to take into consideration when making an investment in a home audio system the basic principles apply to video as well.
These are the main considerations you need to take into account:
1)Start with what you want in your system. And let's start with no restrictions. Here is my ideal/dream system description:
** I want to put all my CDs, records (yes I still have vinyl), and MP3 files on one device.
** I want to be able to pull any music I want up immediately even if I can't remember the album title.
** I want to be able to select music by either the mood I'm in or the mood I want to be in. (Pumped up for a work out or mellow to relax after a hard day.)
** I would like the music to be mobile and follow me through out my home.
*** If the family is at home I want each family member to be able to select the music they want to listen to where they want to hear it.
2)Next consider your current home infrastructure. Are you wired for whole house audio or video? Are you about to do a major re-model and want to include this wiring in the project?
3) Is wireless an option?
4) Will it adapt to equipment I have?
Sounds like an impossible dream doesn't it? Well it isn't anymore! There a lot of choices on the market at different price points with different features. While the choices can be confusing they really boil down into two categories:
1)Hobbyist or do it yourself solutions. These solutions vary but tend to be much lower priced however the work begins when you bring your new purchase home. Many of these products have fairly complicated set up requirements such as external computers, an understanding of how to set up the device on your network, complicated setup to name a few. If you know how to do these things already then you'll have no problem but if not it is the equivalent of going to buy a car and going home with a box of parts and a box of tools. At the end of the day you might be able to put it together and make it work but if you wanted a car you could drive off the lot this is definitely not the way to go!
2)Ready to play solutions. These solutions contain more complete features such as integrated storage, complete user interfaces, components that integrate into existing systems. They tend to include more advanced features and while they are certainly more expensive, for those who don't consider themselves computer wizards this is an excellent option. Continuing with my car analogy this would be the car you drive off the lot.
The prices and features are really quite varied from a gadget you can connect to your computer for a few hundred dollars all that way to a system that includes a raid array for tens of thousands and there is a lot in between. If you are in the market for a home audio system be sure to look carefully at all the options and decide which type of system you want first before you even start narrowing down which system you want to look at. Then key to choosing the right decide what features are must haves such as controlling music from any room or is it OK to use a wall panel or turn on the TV. Is central control important to you or are several music libraries acceptable. Would a wireless option be of interest to me or is my home already wired? Once you have your list of must haves then it will be easier to narrow down the choices that are right for you.
Both Tom Kretzschmar & Gregory Grubbs are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Tom Kretzschmar has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management, Computers and The Internet and Home Management. ILD's five specialized disciplines allow for a consultative, custom-planning approach to be taken that takes every element of a restaurant's outdoor dining facility into account when planning the lighting design or lighting control system. For more info v. Tom Kretzschmar's top article generates over 9900 views. Bookmark Tom Kretzschmar to your Favourites.
Gregory Grubbs has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management. Gregory Grubbs is the inventor and manufacturer of moodSeer, a whole new approach to whole house audio. His purpose is to uncomplicate enjoyment of life.Tap a mood, tap a room, enjoy. In the mood to learn more? Please visit us at. Gregory Grubbs's top article generates over 720 views. Bookmark Gregory Grubbs to your Favourites.