PLAY MUSIC ALL AROUND YOUR HOME
Multi-room sound systems are a core part of our business. We are able to supply and install all brands of whole-house audio systems, each of which have pros and cons affecting your choice and our systems are always bespoke designs to suit your preferences and budget.
Speaker Choices
Ceiling speakers are by far the most popular choice for multi-room music systems. However, they are not the only option.
For a main listening room, we can tie your multi-room system into a beautiful 2-channel hifi. Artcoustic, Monitor Audio and others produce speakers disguised as pictures or photographs. Or for ultimate discretion, we can supply invisible (plastered-over) speakers
There are also many designer speakers available if you prefer to make a statement with your audio system.
If you would like to see some of the available options, please do get in touch and we will arrange for images, brochures or demonstrations.
Which System Should I Choose?
In general, all systems we supply can be made to do whatever you might want to do. However, each does some things better than others.
Sonos
The Sonos range has very successfully popularised multi-room music systems. Their phone/tablet apps are pretty much second to none in terms of features and ease of use, as is the support for streaming services. The limitations of Sonos are that it does not natively support Apple Airplay, and can’t play high bit rate / hd audio.
Crestron Sonnex
For many zones or large buildings, or where higher power output is required, Crestron’s Sonnex system offers superb quality, market-leading power outputs and a party-trick in the form of a digital backbone. This allows amplifiers to be spread around the property, reducing cabling and installation costs as compared to a centralised system. Sonnex includes no native playback facility, so must be paired with Sonos Connect players, Linn DS, a music server or an AirPlay receiver.
Linn DS
The DS system by Linn was designed from the outset to offer the highest fidelity achievable. Their DS players are not servers, control points or ripping devices unlike other manufacturers – they just play music. As such you will need a seperate music server. Streaming services include Tidal and Quobuz, but more can be used via AirPlay or a UPnP server.
A range of quality levels are available, starting with the Sneaky and Kiko, and climbing to the Klimax series. The most popular DS players for multi-room systems are the Sekrit DSM and Majik DS / DSM.
Video Distribution
In larger homes or where it is desireable to hide away AV sources such as Sky boxes, Fire TV and Apple TV devices etc, we use video distribution systems to carry signals from a central location to the displays around the building.
These system overcome the limitations of Sky Q, which is only capable of showing video on 3 boxes at once – the main box and 2x mini boxes. It also allows us to distribute CCTV images and media e.g Kaleidescape or a UHD Blu-ray player around the home.
We have standardised on using HDMI-over-IP solutions for this purpose to keep our installations as future proof and scalable as possible.
With a control system, operation of the video electronics is completely transparent to the user. All you need to do is choose ‘Watch Sky’ (for example) on your remote, and our software takes care of the rest.
Call us to discuss your requirements
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