Whole-House Harmony
CAPITALIZING ON THE CONVENIENCE AND INNOVATION OF DISTRIBUTED AUDIO PRODUCTS
Of all the nifty amenities now available for today’s smart home, is anything as exciting as a whole-house entertainment system? Imagine an integrated environment where everyone in the family can watch or listen to what they want, when and where they want it. With new distributed audio systems from AMX, Control4, Crestron, ELAN Home Systems, Niles Audio, RTI, Sonance, SpeakerCraft, and Speco Technologies, integrators can create custom solutions where everyone wins.
With a centralized hard disc server, music and other content can be stored in one library while distributing different streams to different rooms in the house, simultaneously. Manufacturers are also tapping the wildly popular iPod as its own source and controller, and even the iPhone and iPod Touch.
ROOM SERVICE
Distributing music around the home is nothing new. DIYers have been running cable from stereo receivers to speakers across the room or down the hall since the 1970s. But being limited to one central source meant volume control and/or disc (or vinyl) switching happened right at the box. Power was another concern. Enter the age of truly distributed music, made possible by Cat-5 and innovations in amplification, two-way communication, and wireless networking.
Utah-based Control4 is a trailblazer in this regard. It has created a multiroom music system that lets dealers mesh-network, so homeowners listen to their music collection wired or wirelessly throughout their entire home. For a custom listening experience, users can manage their system on a central location with access via a Control4 touchscreen or remote.
The iRemoteTS from Niles is another wireless solution that provides total control from a single, userfriendly interface. It controls the IntelliControl ICS MultiZone audio/video system as well as home theater automation and access.
At Sonance headquarters in California, Mark Pickard believes that the company changed the game for distributed audio when it moved the loudspeaker off the floor, and off the
Russound’s E-Series Multiroom System shelf, and into the wall. The Sonance Visual Performance Series and Architectural Series are different from “everything else out there,” Pickard said, and give interior designers and design-conscious dealers distributed audio with no compromise in fidelity or performance.
CHOICES, CHOICES, CHOICES
With all the systems available, how can you select the right products for your next client? It all starts with asking the right questions: does your client want touchpanels everywhere in the home or just one centralized location? Does your client want digital audio or source music from iPods with full access to the metadata? Will the system support video? Is that video high definition? Crestron’s Adagio System is HDCP-compliant. Crestron’s Adagio System offers Advanced Image Processing to automatically scale input signals to match the native resolution of high-definition displays up to 1080p. It is also HDCP-compliant, a helpful fact because Blu-ray and HDMI carry HDCP encryption.
Another important consideration is if the home is new-build (perhaps not this month) or is it a renovation? What kind of system is best suited for a 5,000-square-foot home with eight zones, and what is best for a fiveroom Manhattan condo? One Tango Distributed Audio System from AMX can accommodate eight sources with distribution to four or eight zones, but daisy-chained the system can support as many as 64 zones with up to 24 speakers per zone.
Distributed systems can range in complexity from a relatively simple setup to a large-scale, whole-home system that reaches every corner of an estate. Consider cost, sound quality, reliability, flexibility and upgradability, and expandability. Remote Technologies Incorporated (RTI), headquartered in Minnesota, is now shipping the RKM-1 and MRP-64, which, according to RTI’s Brett Stokke, are equipped with true “twoway communication, Zigbee wireless support, and other expansion capabilities,” he said.
AUDIO DISTRIBUTION IN THE METADATA ERA
SpeakerCraft’s MODE 3.1 Keypad According to statistics from Ars Technica this month, Apple’s iTunes is ahead of Wal-Mart in the race to become the leading music retailer in the U.S., and subsequently, the largest music market in the world.
While the new report suggests download sales continue to grow, industry watchdog NPD Group also tracks the decline in physical music sales. In February 2008 it estimated that “one million consumers dropped out of the CD buyer market in 2007, a flight led by younger consumers. In fact, 48 percent of U.S. teens did not purchase a single CD in 2007, compared to 38 percent in 2006.”
As digital audio sales continue to surge, a multi-room audio system with iPod control is a solid investment. It’s also a great way to bring high-quality music into every room of the house, while taking advantage of existing content libraries.
ELAN’s marketing communications manager Rick Gratz said that the new VIA!migo, which is now shipping, utilizes the iPod as a multi-room home audio and video player, and integrates easily with an ELAN multiroom system. “It works seamlessly and offers the same control operations as the iPod, so there is no learning curve,” he explained.
Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, Russound has been busy developing the first product to benefit from RNET PLC technology—the iBridge Power Dock. Built on the company’s successful platform, the Power Dock makes an iPod an easily integrated retrofit source for a Russound RNET Multi-room system.
Speco Technologies also knows the value proposition of PC-based content control. Its new “a-live” system lets homeowners play the same song file or audio playlist in up to six zones simultaneously from the same PC without sharing restrictions.
SpeakerCraft president Jeremy Burkhardt said that his Riverside, California-based company has been an enthusiastic supporter of the iPod for the past five years, and is eager to connect dealers with iPhones as system controllers. The brand-new ERS- 1.0 iPhone/iPod Touch Interface is new for 2008 and offers seamless multi-room control in a sleek GUI.
“We were the first to control multiroom systems with the iPhone,” Burkhardt explained. “It takes a new demographic and introduces them to a whole new experience.
“More people are listening to music now than they have in the past 10 years,” Burkhardt continued, “and it’s great potential for our dealers. We spend a lot of time trying to make our dealers’ lives easier and installation time faster.”
Margot Douaihy is a contributing editor for Residential Systems magazine in New York City.
SpeakerCraft MUSIC ON DEMAND, IN STYLE
SpeakerCraft’s MZC line can meet the demands of any distributed audio setting
The Multi-Zone Controller (MZC) System 88, 66, and 64 are powerful units with robust features designed to make installers’ lives easier and give clients the custom experience they crave.
The combination of an MZC-88, MZC-66 or MZC-64 and the choice of either MODE or EZ-Pad keypads can meet the demands of any distributed audio setting. The system enables you to power up to eight rooms and access up to eight different source components. Connect iPod®, DVD, CD or any source of audio or video and control them with the touch of a button.
The system is the ultimate in flexibiltiy. Homeowners can control the MZC from a hand-held remote, and now an iPhone, or a small infrared receiver can be discreetly installed and a remote can be used as a virtual keypad.
Doorbell and telephone triggers can also be programmed, and a video signal from a door camera can routed to the televisions throughout the home and the picture-in-picture function.
The MZC can even sense the audio or video signal from a particular source so it knows if an individual component is on or off. The MZC allows you to add additional rooms or zones as it becomes necessary. Multiple MZC units can be stacked for large projects or output needs. Since the system is software based, as new technologies become available the operating system can be upgraded at both the software and firmware level.
Intuitive and future-forward, the MZC will grow as your clients’ systems grow.
The MZC-66 six zone, six source controller/amplifier
MZC-88 Key Features:
■ Eight zone, eight source controller/amplifier/receiver
■ 50 watts per channel x 16 channels (8 stereo zones)
■ Two built-in AM/FM tuners with a total of 80 presets (10 per zone)
■ Telephone and doorbell mute capabilities
■ Contains discrete on/off power and IR codes for the majority of component brands
■ RS232 output for control of source components
■ Zone expansion capable
■ Includes KCM-1.0 keypad connector module
■ Dimensions: H 51⁄4- x W 17- x D 141⁄2-inch
MZC-66 Key Features:
■ Six zone, six source controller/ amplifier
■ 30 watts per channel x 12 channels (six stereo zones)
■ Telephone and doorbell mute capabilities
■ Zone expansion capable
■ Dimensions: H 51⁄4- x W 17- x D 141⁄2-inch
MZC-64 Key Features:
■ Four zone, six source controller/amplifier
■ 30 watts per channel x eight channels
■ Telephone and doorbell mute capabilities
■ Zone expansion capable
■ Dimensions: H 51⁄4- x W 17- x D 141⁄2-inch
SpeakerCraft MUSIC ON DEMAND, IN STYLE
It’s all about passion. Thirty years ago SpeakerCraft was formed by a group of dedicated individuals with a passion for sound. After inventing the inwall speaker and manufacturing them for the most prominent companies in the business, they developed their own brand based on the everexpanding need for quality sound in the home. Now SpeakerCraft is the leading supplier of custom installed audio/video products in the world, and continues to develop innovative residential solutions, including systems for whole-house entertainment.
MODE AND THE MODE IPHONE/IPOD TOUCH INTERFACE
SpeakerCraft’s new iPhone Interface MODE, the Music On Demand Experience. It is the heart of an amazingly flexible distribution system that allows you to have your music and movies where, when and how you want them.
MODE is an elegant interface that blends into your clients’ décor and lifestyle. A full-color screen allows homeowners to see what your entertainment system is doing and decide what is going to happen next. That same ability extends to the entire family. Up to eight different music or video sources can be enjoyed independently in up to eight different areas of the home at the same time.
MODE blends seamlessly into your clients’ decor
MZC is the backbone of the system. It is the central hub to which all source components and individuals zones will be connected. The MZC-64, 66, and 88 are built with technical advancements that make the system both dynamic and flexible. With 8, 12, or 16 channels of digital amplification, depending on the model, a single unit can power up to eight stereo zones or areas of the home with no need for additional amplifiers. Should a zone require more power, the unit offers a separate pre-amp output for each zone. This output can be either fixed or variable allowing the level to be adjusted from the keypad in that zone.
It is possible to control the system entirely from a hand-held remote. If you want to avoid having any type of keypad on the wall, a small infrared receiver can be discreetly installed and the remote will act as a “virtual” keypad. Doorbell and telephone triggers can be programmed to mute the system when the phone rings or someone is at the door. The audio then resumes after a pre-programmed time has elapsed.
SpeakerCraft president Jeremy Burkhardt said that the team in California spent thousands of hours developing the ERS-1.0 iPhone/iPod Touch Interface. “SpeakerCraft was the first company to create a distributed audio system with iPod metadata,” he said, and this innovation is the next logical step. “It opened up a whole new realm of possibilities,” he added. Simple to use, the ERS-1.0 offers wireless control with the backbone of the MODE and the MZC system and can link up to six iPods throughout the entire home.
ERS-1.0 iPhone/iPod Touch Interface for MODE
■ Allows the Apple iPhone or iPod Touch to be used as a wireless remote with control of all sources and routing accessed on the touch screen through an intuitive GUI
■ Simple set up with little or no additional programming required
■ Multiple interfaces can control different zones simultaneously
■ Offers standard PC/Mac Web browsing giving total control via any networked iPhone/iTouch
■ Interface is generated by a chip inside the ERS 1.0 Ethernet to serial adapter and accessed through Safari
■ Dynamic and colorful interface features large “virtual” buttons with the same look and feel of other iPhone functions
■ The ERS 1.0 with the embedded software has an MSRP of $1,000
■ and much more…
MODE 3.1 Keypad Features:
■ MODE 3.1 is designed specifically for use with SpeakerCraft MZC Series Multi-Zone A/V Amplifier Controllers and can be mixed and matched with SpeakerCraft EZ-Pad Keypads
■ Includes a J-box Mounting Bracket that allows installation in most standard two-gang low-voltage new construction and some retrofit electrical boxes
■ 3.1-inch high-resolution color LCD displays ‘Virtual Buttons’ for Source Selection, menu navigation, control, metadata from iPods, MODE Jukebox, MZC Tuner Presets and MODE SetupMenu
■ Volume control knob adjusts volume when turned, mutes the local zone speakers when activated
■ Eight blue volume level LEDs to provide visual confirmation of volume setting
■ Seven back-lit programmable and configurable hard keys allow control of common source components
■ Keys are programmed using SpeakerCraft’s EZ-Tools Programming Software and can be configured to send single IR commands, IR macros, RS232 commands, and MZC internal commands
■ Exclusive ANS (Ambient Noise Suppressor) IR Receiver
■ and more..
Crestron
FEATURE-RICH, INTUITIVE SOLUTIONS
Designed to be accessible to everyone, the Adagio can easily grow with any family via plug-and-play connectivity to room controllers and audio sources.
Adagio makes home technology accessible for everyone. The Adagio Media System (AMS) brings all your home entertainment together: video games, DVDs, MP3 players and satellite radio. Simply select a song or movie, choose your rooms, and enjoy.
Adagio makes home technology accessible for everyone. The Adagio Media System (AMS) brings all your home entertainment together: video games, DVDs, MP3 players and satellite radio. Simply select a song or movie, choose your rooms, and enjoy.
As simple and affordable as the AMS-AIP truly is, it is feature-rich and filled with all of the latest technology.
AMS-AIP delivers up to six zones of distributed audio, six built-in tuners (including SIRIUS and XM Satellite Radio), G-class amplifier, and 7.1 surround sound with DTS and Dolby decoding, and Audyssey MultEQ XT equalization. The professional version Audyssey measures up to 32 points in a room and automatically tunes the surround sound to perfection in just minutes. Advanced Image Processing (AIP), provided by the latest Texas Instruments DSP and Gennum VXP scalers, delivers advanced video source switching to instantly select any one of several analog and digital sources, including HDTV, HDMI/DVI, and automatically scale input signals to match the native resolution of high-definition displays up to 1080p.
“With so many formats and resolutions on the market, good video processing is the key to displaying the very best picture,” stated Jon Otteson, Technical Director of Crestron South. “The AMS-AIP scaler is world-class. It looks great under some of the toughest video conditions.”
AMS-AIP is also HDCP-compliant, processing the sophisticated Digital Rights Management encryption to ensure uninterrupted entertainment at all times. “Many companies are developing HDMI switchers, but no one else has successfully introduced a solution to handle HDCP protected content,” said Fred Bargetzi, Vice President of Technology, Crestron.
The AMS combines home theater and audio distribution in one integrated solution
“Blu-Ray and HDMI carry HDCP encryption, and soon the activation key will be enabled. When the key is activated, only HDCP compliant systems will be able to display protected HD content.”
Key Features:
■ Integrated surround sound processor and amplifier
■ Audyssey MultEQ XT advanced automatic equalization
■ High-definition analog and HDMI/DVI digital video switching
■ Advanced video image processing
■ Audio distribution for four to six rooms, expandable up to 24
■ Choice of 12-button room keypads or APAD LCD controllers
■ Accepts up to three dual-radio tuner cards for XM and SIRIUS Satellite Radio, and AM/FM radio with RDS/RBDS (one tuner card included)
■ Plug-and-play support for Adagio Audio Server and iPod interface
■ Set up via front panel or software
■ PIP/PBP to display dual video/computer sources, and its built-in Isys graphic engine delivers stunning 3D onscreen menu icons
■ 2-Series Ethernet control system: programmable to support Crestron touchpanels, wireless remotes, lighting dimmers, thermostats, and much more
ELAN® Home Systems
VERSATILE AND RELIABLE WHOLE-HOUSE CONTROL
The ELAN® S12
ELAN Home Systems’ comprehensive line up of multi-room controllers provides the features, flexibility, and price options for every project. From three areas of audio up to 32 areas of audio and HD video, ELAN has a solution for customized multi-zone entertainment, including some brand new innovations.
S12 MULTI-ROOM A/V CONTROLLER
ELAN’s most powerful and flexible multi-source/multi-zone controller to date, the System12 (S12) has inputs for 12 audio sources and a built-in 16 x 16 high-definition video switcher. Eight additional local source inputs allow you to place “private” audio sources in each zone.
S8.6AV AND S8.6AVP MULTIROOM A/V CONTROLLERS
Based on ELAN’s S6 and S12 Multi-Room Controllers, the new S8.6AV and S8.6AVP offer the most versatile, scalable, and feature-rich multi-room entertainment systems available today. Eight A/V inputs allow you to choose from any source, even everything on your iPod. Up to four controllers can be linked together for further flexibility.
VIA!MIGO™
Top: The N800 Bottom: The VIA!migo
ELAN is now shipping its innovative iPod Integration Dock, VIA!migo™ which transforms the iPod into a multi-room home audio and video player, offering complete control and seamless integration with ELAN multi-room systems.
N800 FOUR-INCH HANDHELD CONTROLLER
Offers reliable wireless control of all entertainment, theater, and wholehouse systems, plus Internet access, in a sleek hand-held package that makes it the ideal go-anywhere controller for the entire house.
OLɮXL FILM INTERACTIVE TOUCHPAD
Revolutionary functionality, keypad- like simplicity, affordability, unmatched customization and an extra large OLED display.
Sonance
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF DESIGN INNOVATION
Sonance’s Architectural Series & Grille (inset)
Twenty five years ago, the founders of Sonance did something that had never been done before. They moved the loudspeaker off the floor, and off the shelf, and into the wall, creating a breakthrough in the relationship between audio and architecture. This first in-wall speaker installation was the first time the interior design of the space was as important as sound quality, and it formed the DNA of the new company.
The most recent innovations from Sonance are extending this philosophy into their best selling in-wall and in-ceiling products. The new Visual Performance Series speakers deliver legendary Sonance acoustic performance in a stunning new design that minimizes the visual impact of the speaker frame and grill.
The new SM55 Surface Mount Speaker is a beautiful extension of the same concept into high-rise MDUs and other spaces where traditional in-ceiling speakers cannot be used. In the SM55, Sonance engineers and designers have created a speaker that sounds great, yet is decor-friendly, very easy to install and doesn’t require a mounting hole. The mounting plate includes the speaker connections and is fastened to a standard junction box, so that the speaker installation is simply to align the connectors on the speaker with those on the mounting plate and let the powerful neodymium magnets take over. The rotating mounting plate allows the SM55 to be aligned with lighting fixtures or other decor features after installation.
SM55 Surface Mount Speaker
Sonance is living up to their reputation for being the one company that elevates the visual performance of the speakers to the same level as the audio performance.
Sonance Architectural Series Speakers
■ The first truly flush-mount, trimless speakers
■ 2007 Residential Systems Product Design of the Year
■ Perfectly aligns the plane of the grille with any surface
■ Provides a solution that complements rather than competes with architectural, interior, and lighting design
■ Available cloth or metal grills can be painted to match the surface
■ The perfect balance of reference quality speaker performance with exemplary design integration
Sonance Visual Performance Series Speakers
Sonance’s Visual Performance
■ Stunning new design that minimizes the visual impact of the speaker frame and grill
■ Looks clean and modern with a low profile that complements interior design better than any traditional architectural speaker
■ Reduces paint matching to a simple one-step process involving only the magnetic grilles
Sonance SM55 Surface Mount Speaker
■ The perfect solution for those who demand quality sound but cannot use inceiling or in-wall speakers
■ The speaker attaches to the mounting plate via powerful neodymium magnets
■ Extremely simple installation
■ The rotating mounting plate allows the SM55 to be aligned with lighting fixtures or other decor features after installation
Niles Audio
OR TOTAL CONTROL
The iRemoteTS is a repeatable predictable control solution
One of the most important services a custom installation professional provides is designing systems that are easy to use. So why do we so often burden customers with two totally different control systems for their home entertainment: one for the home’s multizone audio/video system and another for the home theater? Granted, there are a handful of solutions that combine the two, but they tend to be cost prohibitive and require complex programming and configuration.
The iRemote®TS is a wireless touchscreen for the entire home—a single interface that controls the IntelliControl® ICS MultiZone audio/video system as well as providing automated control over home theater. And since it’s wireless, your customers are free to roam, always in total control.
M
ULTI-ZONE AUDIO/VIDEO
Press the “House” button to access the home’s IntelliControl ICS MultiZone system. The iRemoteTS delivers simple, proven, reliable control that complements existing IntelliControl ICS interfaces. All metadata, favorites, and menus from popular sources such as an iPod®, XM and Sirius satellite radio, HD Radio, AM/FM, and the DMS-4 Digital Music Server are readily displayed for easy control.
HOME THEATER
Pressing the “Theater” button calls up the custom-labeled master keys for the home theater. You’ll see intuitive preset screens with up to four levels of control, all based on the equipment and user preferences. The iRemoteTS works in tandem with the Niles HT-MSU Home Theater Main System Unit using twoway ZigBee RF communication. Together, they combine to deliver reliable, one-touch home theater automation. The iRemoteTS can also be utilized as a stand-alone IR system controller, great for retrofitting into home theaters already wired for IR control. The dual IR/RF capability also solves many common installation problems. Let’s say your customer wants the TV mounted over the fireplace, but connecting an IR flasher would create aesthetic concerns. The solution would be to operate the TV via IR, with all other control commands simultaneously transmitted via RF to the HT-MSU and its connected components.
SIMPLICITY AND FLEXIBILITY
A wireless touchscreen that combines whole-house and home theater control
The iRemoteTS offers many advantages when it comes to integration. IntelliControl ICS’s auto enumeration and auto configuration enables all of the system settings to be automatically uploaded to the iRemoteTS. And when it comes to programming the MultiZone system and home theater, the IntelliFile®3 wizard-based configuration software walks you through the system setup, step-by-step. In fact, it’s so easy virtually any employee can do it.
Key Features:
■ Single Unifying Control: Operates the multi-zone audio/video system and the home theater from a single intuitive user interface.
■ Flexible, Intelligent System Management: Choose from a flexible array of automation and control options, including RS-232 and IR.
■ Two-Way ZigBee RF Technology: Provides a flexible, reliable method for communication. In addition, its two-way design provides real-time system status and data to the user.
■ Streaming Metadata: Displays menus, guides, favorite channel lists, and tuner data required to operate today’s popular digital sources.
■ Dual IR/RF Communication Capability: The ability to control equipment via RF and/or IR provides the installation professional with added flexibility when designing a system.
Remote Technologies Incorporated (RTI)
A REVOLUTIONARY WAY TO DISTRIBUTE AUDIO DISTRIBUTED
The MRP-64
Remote Technologies Incorporated (RTI) is the leading manufacturer of innovative, sophisticated and intuitive control devices for professionally installed electronic systems. The company’s design philosophy emphasizes an enjoyable experience, when using any of their system controllers, central processors or accessories. All RTI products are programmed with their renowned Integration Designer software.
Remote Technologies Incorporated (RTI) is the leading manufacturer of innovative, sophisticated and intuitive control devices for professionally installed electronic systems. The company’s design philosophy emphasizes an enjoyable experience, when using any of their system controllers, central processors or accessories. All RTI products are programmed with their renowned Integration Designer software.
MRP-64 MULTI-ROOM CONTROL PROCESSOR
The MRP-64 acts as an interface between multi-zone audio/video receivers and RTI in-wall or handheld controllers, giving consumers the ability to create a dynamic audio distribution system at an affordable price. With the MRP-64 all of the audio/video sources from the media room can now be easily distributed and accessed anywhere in the home. This compact unit features six keypad ports for RTI in-wall controllers, four independent IR output ports, three voltage trigger outputs, three voltage sense inputs and an IR signal input. Additionally the unit is equipped with an Ethernet port for control and programming, two-way RS-232 communication, support for future Zigbee wireless communication, and other expansion capabilities. This unit is compatible with all RTI inwall and handheld controllers and industry standard IR repeater systems.
RTI’s RKM-1 multi-room audio keypad
RKM-1 MULTI-ROOM AUDIO KEYPAD
RTI’s new RKM-1 has a clean, elegant style and is ideal for multi-room audio control. The intuitive keypad was designed for flush-mount installations in walls or cabinets. Its open architecture and Integration Designer software make the RKM-1 an easy to program device. Sized for a single gang electrical box, the product incorporates eight programmable hard buttons and a customizable LED film which provides feedback of power status, selected source, and volume level.
MRP-64’s Key Features:
■ Expands virtually any multi-zone home theater receiver into a distributed audio system
■ Six keypad inputs to provide power and communication
■ Two RS-232 ports for bi-directional communication
■ Compatible with future RTI Zigbee Transceiver Module for two-way communication
■ Programmed RS-232 drivers for popular multi-zone receivers
■ IR input for IR pass-through or control
■ Four addressable IR emitter ports are compatible with industry standard IR emitters and repeater systems
■ Programmed using Integration Designer software
■ and more…
RKM-1’s Key Features:
■ Provides intuitive control of multi-zone receivers via the MRP- 64 Control Processor
■ Use any standard Decora type faceplate
■ Fits in single gang electrical box
■ Eight selectable sources
■ Backlit volume level indicator
■ Open architecture allows control of virtually any audio/video component
■ IR output can transmit signals up to 1,000 feet away over standard CAT-5 cable for standalone control
■ Field upgradeable firmware
■ and more…
Russound
RAISING THE BAR FOR AUDIO DISTRIBUTION
Russound extended RNET PLC to a multi-room system level with the new Avenue Hub and Point
As one of the founding companies in the multi-room audio industry, Russound is always looking for new technologies to improve the multiroom experience for both end users and installation professionals.
With the recent decline of new housing starts, Russound is focused on creating new opportunities for their dealers in retrofit installations. Typically, retrofit installations have proven cost prohibitive due to the expense of installing long wiring runs in existing homes. Russound has the answer: Power Line Carrier technology.
Power Line Carrier (PLC) technology allows residential electrical wiring to function as a data network. Viewing the great potential of this technology in the multi-room industry, Russound adapted their own version, called RNET PLC, to make retrofit installations a reality for dealers.
The Russound Power Dock makes an iPod an easily integrated retrofit source.
The first product to benefit from RNET PLC technology is Russound’s new iBridge Power Dock. Built on the successful iBridge Dock platform, the Power Dock makes an iPod an easily integrated retrofit source for a Russound RNET Multi-room system. The Power Dock plugs into a standard residential electrical outlet, and audio, control, and metadata signals are transmitted over power lines to an adapter located at the RNET multi-room controller. With installation time of under an hour, the iBridge Power Dock makes adding an iPod as a retrofit source cost-effective to consumers and installers alike.
Along the same idea of retrofit ease, Russound extended RNET PLC to a multi-room system level with the new Avenue Hub and Point. The two components combine with a Russound CAV6.6 to provide a retrofit multi-room system that requires no new long wiring runs. The Hub resides with a CAV6.6 and communicates audio, control, and metadata signals over electrical wiring to multiple Points, which are located in individual zones. Each Point features a 20 watt per channel amplifier, connections for speakers and controls, and local and remote source inputs. New wiring is limited to installing speakers and keypads or touchscreens within a zone itself.
The E-Series Multi-room System
Along with easy to install retrofit solutions, Russound continues to offer traditional multi-room systems featuring the latest distributed media technology. Russound’s new E-Series Multi-room System provides consumers more sources, zones, power, control, and expandability than previous multi-room controller. With more source and control options and easier navigation, the E-Series system has raised the bar for audio distribution.
Speco Technologies
BRINGING DIGITAL AUDIO TO LIFE
Speco’s CB Series in-ceiling speakers delivers high efficiency output, rich bass, and impressive sonic accuracy at an economical price.
For over forty eight years, Speco Technologies has been dedicated to providing the highest quality residential and commercial security, CCTV closed circuit video, audio and electronic components. Contractors, installers, builders, engineers and architects specify Speco products to satisfy both their commercial and residential needs.
Throughout its history, Speco Technologies has been an innovator, providing solutions to meet customers’ varied needs. When in-wall and in-ceiling speakers were first evolving, Speco was at the forefront. In fact, the distributed audio solutions are popular choices for custom dealers.
Knowledgeable customer support people are in place to help every customer and a support group is available to assist with system design, installation, and other professional advice.
IT’S A-LIVE: SPECO’S NEW MULTIROOM AUDIO SYSTEM IS BORN
Integrated networked audio streams directly from the PC to all zones.
With the new Speco a-live system, play the same song file or audio playlist in up to six zones simultaneously from the same PC without any sharing restrictions OR play multiple playlists from the same PC in different zones without appropriating any of a-live’s six built-in source inputs.
THE NEW CUSTOM BUILDER SPEAKER SERIES
Speco Technologies speaker line has received a major facelift and upgrade.
The new Custom Builder Series feature:
■ A mineral-filled polymer woofer cone improves the sound and lessens distortion
■ The baskets have been custom tooled and the sound professionally tweaked for peak performance
■ A titanium anodized cone perfects the tweeter sound
■ The tweeters will swivel in a specially designed cradle that eliminates any diffraction
Control4
AFFORDABLE, DISTRIBUTED AUDIO TO EVERY CORNER OF THE AUTOMATED HOME
Clients can access different zones and create different playlists, allowing for a custom listening experience..
Control4 takes care of the guesswork, allowing homeowners to get the best entertainment experience possible out of their equipment and media libraries. An affordable solution, the Control4 multi-room music system gives homeowners the option of listening to their music collection wired or wirelessly throughout their entire home.
Managed from a central location and accessed via a Control4 touch screen or remote, your customers can access different zones and create different playlists, allowing for a custom listening experience. From one room to the entire house, your customers control the music that plays in their home. These settings can include music style (e.g., classical in the den, Top 40s in the kitchen, etc.) and music source (e.g., MP3 player, iPod, external hard drive, built in drive or computer).
And, in a first for home automation systems, Control4 customers will enjoy unlimited access to millions of songs from Rhapsody’s digital music service via Control4’s touch screens, keypads and any television. “Rhapsody gives consumers the freedom to create a truly personalized home music experience through instant access to over four and a half million songs,” said Rob Williams, SVP music software, RealNetworks. “We are thrilled to be working with Control4 to, for the first time, to offer consumers the Rhapsody music experience as part of a complete smart home automation system.”
Control4’s intuitive Navigator software extends the jukebox beyond the PC and gives your customers the freedom to access their personal library of playlists and albums in any room of their home. Allowing music fans the ability to play back music from Rhapsody’s robust 4.5 million-song catalog, enjoy Rhapsody’s professional programmed music channels, and discover new music through personalized music recommendations.
“Integrating Rhapsody into our system adds an important new dimension to Control4’s whole-home automation and entertainment experience,” said Will West, CEO at Control4. “We’ve been successful by meeting the growing desire of homeowners to access multiple media forms through a single simple interface. Working with RealNetworks on this firstof- its-kind, ground breaking digital home initiative has been a fantastic opportunity for our company and the entire home automation category.–
The Control4 Whole House Solution
As a Control4 dealer, you can offer your customers access to an automatic free 30-day trial of Rhapsody. Consumers can choose to continue their Rhapsody service beyond the trial period for $12.99 per month or purchase an annual subscription from Control4. Current Rhapsody subscribers can access their existing Rhapsody music libraries (including artists, albums, playlists and channels) at no extra charge.
No need for your customers to continue searching for the CD cases, only to find the CD they want to hear missing. Offer them Control4 an easyto- use, affordable multi-room music solution to listen to music throughout their home.
Key Features:
■ Homeowners can listen to an entire music collection from anywhere in their home
■ Easily configured to deliver highend sound to eight separate rooms all the same time with independent choice of music, adjustable bass, treble, gain, and volume for each room
■ Access to over four and a half million songs through Rhapsody
■ Managed music from a central location accessing multiple sources such MP3 player, external hard drive, computer, or iPod all from a single Control4 remote
AMX
DELIVERING HIGH-QUALITY, MULTI-ZONE, MULTI-SOURCE AUDIO
The scaleable Tango Distributed Audio System from AMX
With the increasing number of technologies and operating platforms at work and home, AMX solves the complexity of managing this technology with reliable, consistent and scalable systems.
In 2007 AMX launched its newest family of multi-room distributed audio products: Tango Distributed Audio. The Tango product line, which includes audio controllers, zone expanders and amplifiers, is the perfect integrated solution for homes, condominiums, doctors offices, salons and restaurants requiring brilliant, high-quality, multi-zone, multi-source audio.
One Tango Distributed Audio System accommodates eight sources with distribution to four or eight zones; however, the system can be easily expanded for larger homes and businesses. Using Tango Zone Expanders and Amplifiers, the system can support as many as 64 zones with up to 24 speakers per zone.
Pair the DAS-T0804 (or DAST0808) SIG Tango Audio Controller with the complimentarily-styled NI- 3101-SIG Signature Series or any NetLinx Integrated Controller to provide control of lighting, thermostats, pool/spa, window treatments, and other audio/video technologies.
Its sleek styling enables the system to be displayed along with source equipment, such as a CD player, iPod docking station and/or AM/FM receiver, on a shelf, or in a cabinet or rack. The audio system can be controlled with AMX’s new Metreau Audio Keypads (pictured here).
Key Features:
■ Control of eight sources
■ Distributes audio to four or eight rooms/zones (depending on the model)
■ Expandable to 64 zones
■ 40 watts per channel
■ Blue light bar indicates power status; blue LEDs illuminate function buttons
■ AM/FM tuner
■ Optional Sirius Satellite Radio tuner
■ And much more
The Tango Distributed Audio Line Includes:
■ Tango Audio Controller, eight source/four zone (DAS-T0804- SIG)
■ Tango Audio Controller, eight source/eight zone (DAS-T0808- SIG)
■ Tango Zone Expander, four zone (DAS-T0804X-SIG) Tango Zone Expander, eight zone (DAS-T0808X-SIG)
■ Tango Amplifier, four channel (DAS-TAMP4-SIG)
■ Tango Amplifier, eight channel (DAS-TAMP8-SIG)
