Multi-Room Audio: You Have Many Options

Why Choose a Whole House Audio system? Most people choose to have a whole house system because it allows them to take their music and audio with them regardless of which room they happen to be in at the moment. A whole house system allows you to carry on your life without being plugged into an iPod. You can have conversations with your children, spouse, and guests while listening to the ball game or your favorite tunes. What is on your honey do list for this weekend? You have to clean out the garage. No problem. You can take your music with you. You have to do all of the yard work too? No problem, take the game outside and listen while you work. A whole house system allows you to go about your life and still be able to do the things you want to do like just listening to the ball game.
What are my Choices?
The two big choices are single source systems or multi-source systems. Those can be set up as a wireless audio system or hardwired. The biggest difference is in the quality. The quality of the audio you receive goes up tremendously with professional installation. One consideration is the fact that every room in your home has different audio needs as each room responds differently to sound. A professional will be able to recognize the acoustic requirements of every room in your home.
Features include wall mounted volume dials that allow you to instantly adjust the volume of your audio specifically for that room. Most systems allow you to turn rooms on or off with a remote. No use waking your neighbors up at 3 am when you start to watch Jurassic Park and the outdoor system is streaming dinosaurs fighting. Streaming music is another option with built in iPod docking stations that allow the contents of your iPod to be played over your whole house system or multi-room audio system.
Components:
There is a variety of complete audio packages. These pre-configured systems include speakers, wire, keypads, and everything else you need to set up a multi-room audio system. You can build your own system or allow one of our pros to help you select components that fit your audio needs. Start with an Amp and Keypad package or individual components. From there, you can add in power amplifiers to build a custom sound. Speaker selectors allow you to control which rooms receive audio and when. These allow you to control the overall sound throughout your home. Speakers are another area where choice plays a large part in the quality you receive. A professional installation will allows you to add speakers in your ceiling and even add in-wall units. The type of speakers that you choose makes a difference. Wireless setups allow you to broadcast audio without installing wires. These can afford an advantage to really customizing speaker location. Abus Audio components allow seamless streaming of audio via Cat5 cables.

New Builds and Retrofit
It is obviously easier to install a multi-room audio system during construction, but most of us are not building a new home. That means either using a wireless audio system or installing wires. That is where a professional installer comes in handy. Not only do they understand how to run wires the correct way, they know where wires should go and how to hide them. They can also make sure that all of your components are installed correctly and that all systems are working. They can even give you an overview of how to use the system.
There are a lot of advantages of having a whole house system. The systems range from simple to complex, but the grade of sound should always be professional. When you decide you want home audio choose your components carefully. Working with a professional can make a huge difference in the quality of the audio you receive. Understanding that not every room in your home is going to respond the same way to audio is important. By customizing speaker selection to each room, you gain a huge advantage in the quality of the audio that each room receives. No more popping and crackly connections. As you begin to explore all of your options feel free to ask for our guidance, we are always happy to answer your questions or show you what a component does.

Home Theater Installation: Contractor Vs Installer

To a lot of consumers, home theater installation can be a mind boggling concept. Unfortunately for some, it can also be wallet draining. So it comes as no surprise that the average consumer would try to find ways to save any money they can. The normal place most try to save is home theater product itself, trying to go with entry level equipment expecting high end performance which often leads to unsatisfaction and high returns. Another unfortunate place home owners try to cut corners is on the actual install itself. There are a few notable reasons why this is a choice that saves money now but could end up costing more in the long run.
New construction homes are seeing a lot more than just electrical wiring ran. Surround sound wiring and pre-wiring for a HDTV above the fireplace are common place now. It is a great addition to your home during construction or renovation for immediate or future use and almost always adds resell value to the home. Who doesn't want the experience of theater quality sound in their home? As more and more home owners request this service, more and more contractors are becoming adept to world of home theater. The place where the two worlds intersect is a notable place where homeowners try to save money on their home theater installation. The contractor offers a bundled "home theater installation" price to run speaker and video wiring and connect it all. The average consumer would think to themselves that the walls are down anyway and I am trusting this man to construct my wall so why not let him connect what he is already running for me? Why spend the extra time and money looking elsewhere for a home theater install team to come and do the same thing? A penny saved is a penny earned as the saying goes.
This is where it is wise to stands back and think about long term results. The contractor has been doing his job for twenty-plus years in most cases. He can build a house and make it livable, but does this mean he can set up my new home theater that I spent my hard earned money on? My new Smart LED HDTV lets me surf the internet wirelessly on it. My new surround sound receiver lets me multi-zone whole home audio. With what I am paying this person for my home theater installation, is he going to make sure I am getting everything out of the four-thousand dollar cinema system I purchased, or is he going to simply plug it in and turn it on?

Sadly, the ladder is usually true. There is no disrespect intended, but twenty-plus years in one field does not make you a viable expert in another. There is a lot more to your entertainment system than an on and off button. Are the speakers going to properly be calibrated for phase, crossover, distance and EQ to have the best sound for the size of your room and location of the listener? Is the receiver going to be setup to properly control multiple zones of sound so that you can enjoy the game inside while your wife enjoys the radio outside? Are your audio sources going to properly be set for PCM or Bit stream in the receiver to receive the best quality sound from each of them? Probably the most important question of them all; Will you know how to properly work your entertainment system when installation is complete? With the contractor the answer is usually a no. With the home theater installer, the answer will always be a yes.
The home theater installer knows the equipment inside and out. He keeps up to date on what's new in the audio/video world so he can properly recommend the right equipment for family. He knows the capabilities and limitations of your system. He knows the right settings for your speakers so your surround sound receiver has to do less work and get better results. He knows the best settings for your HDTV for the type of room it's in. To put it bluntly, the installer knows home theater installation.
There is an old saying that goes "do it once, do it right" and it's never more true than when it comes to the home entertainment system you have installed into your home. While it is understandable to want to save as much money as you can, it is also important to know the experience of the people doing your work. While the contractor might offer to do the work for you, it would be a wise choice to look towards a certified home theater installer. You wouldn't expect the installer to know how to build your home, so why would you expect the contractor to know home theater installation?

A Few High End Home Theater Systems Worth Mentioning

What determines a high end product line? An innovative and streamlined look, a price that few can call affordable, or effective technology that surpasses the consumer's expectations? When investing in high end home theater systems, it is crucial to investigate your motive, your ability to make the payments, and your overall satisfaction and buying experience.
There are the components of high end theater systems which may include: rear projection televisions, high definition plasma displays, home theater front projectors, amplifiers, per-amp/processors, receivers, home theater speakers and speaker systems, subwoofers, CD/DVD players/burners, high-end interconnects and accessories. Accessory components included in more larger projects are adequate seating, if 3D screens are being employed then the availability of 3D glasses, ambient room lighting versus a totally dark room and carpeting. Will you opt for wireless components? Will you have a few standard remotes or a universal remote?
But is that everything? Of course not, this is not an all inclusive list. If you really are interested in keeping up appearances with the neighbors, here are some descriptions of home theaters that have been recognized as Best High End Theaters of 2011 by CE Pro.
The Casablanca Home Theater was designed to reflect the adventurous gambler theme of Hotel Casablanca, the venue for many of the feature film's scenes. With leopard printed carpeting, extreme buttresses, and black leather seating, the room itself commands attention. With over a $250,000 investment in technology, deftly powered by one touch.

The Mega 3D Theater as per the client's request, has the largest screen possible. 15-foot 2.35:1 Cine-V Stewart Film-screen is paired with a DPI Titan Reference 1080p 3D Projector. Vertical masking also incorporates into this humungous screen for those 16:9 projections as well.
The Ice Palace Cinema located in the basement of a large three story residence in Western Canada, was commissioned for and completely assembled off site, and later on installed in one installation cycle. The client was specific in wanting a "glitzy" palace feel complete with muted gold leaf adornments and deep wood tones.
Syrupy Sweet Home Theater has an AMX control system coupled with Vantage lighting control to add convenience and dramatic lighting scene changes. The theater entrance is unique as well, with an automatic sliding door, controlled by the lighting and automation systems, which is something right out of a science fiction program.
Basically, you get what you pay for. And if you have a vision and the right installation team to convert a portion of your residence into a high end home theater, then by all means take on the challenge. Your dream theater may be featured as the Best High End Theater of the near future. At any rate budget wisely, design and redesign both creatively and with space limitations in mind, and have fun planning your install. High end home theater systems are a luxury that should not be overlooked.

How Much Should You Be Spending For High End Home Audio Speakers

Music is something that is a part of everyone's lives. For this reason, it is essential you have a set of high end home audio speakers to place somewhere in the house. As oppose to wasting $50 away, you are much better off spending the money to get quality speakers. But how much do you really need to take advantage of high end speakers?

As with anything, this answer is going to vary as every company, model and brand differs. You may be able to find a similar product from a less known company for far less than you would from a well known brand. The risk you take is spending money on a product that may very well break on you in a few months.

With that said, your best bet is to shop around and price compare online. If you really want to go all out and purchase high end home audio speakers to the extreme, KEF has a number of different models that are around $2,000. Features like the Tangerine waveguide provide you with smoother and clearer high frequency responses so you get the best results.

If you are not looking to spend quite that much, Polk is another brand to look into. This brand offers bookshelf speakers between $600 and $1,000 on average. There are countless features that make this brand more than worth the price including the dual driver and ring tweeter which is hard to find in speakers at this price
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The last level of high end home audio speakers to take a look at is Canton. Canton offers products that vary from $300 to $600 allowing you to save money while still dispersing quality sound throughout your home. If you are going to listen to music you might as well do it the right way.

Cheap Home Audio - Shelf Systems, Table Top Radios, Boomboxes

Home audio could reference anything that is designed to allow you to play audio inside the comfort of your own home. This includes the radio, CDs, MP3 songs from your MP3 player, songs from your iPod and more. Lets take a look at some of the best home audio systems you can buy.
Home Stereo Shelf Systems: Take a receiver, subwoofer, front and rear speakers and a CD player and pack it into one, sophisticated audio system designed to sit on your shelf or an audio stand. Some can have as much as 500-700 watts or more of total power. If you like your music loud and full of lows, mids and highs, these systems are definitely for you. Listen to the radio or your favorite CD. Have an MP3 player or iPod stuffed with 1000's of songs? Perfect! Directly connect your MP3 player or iPod to the system via the iPod connection or 3.5mm input for MP3 players and you're all set. You'll have a never ending, full of sound, stereo shelf system in your home for many years to come.
Boombox: Although a boombox is designed to be portable, it can also work similar to the systems talked about above. They most likely will not "pump out" the incredible, loud sound, but because you can rest it on your home shelf or take it on a camping trip, the versatility makes them worth it. These can play standard CDs or MP3 CDs with songs burned from your computer on a recordable disc, and of course a radio tuner is included. You're looking at several D size batteries for their power supply, so it's a good idea to buy rechargeable batteries and a charger.

Table Top Radios: These are similar to a shelf system as well, just more compact and take up less space. These could easily be placed in your kitchen, bathroom, bedroom or any other room in your home where you would like to have access to music. These also play CDs that allow for CD/CD-R/RW/MP3/WMA playback. Some table top radios also have the necessary inputs for MP3 players and iPods and come equipped with built-in 3 to 4 inch, high-performance, full-range speakers. Listening to them play your tunes is a delight.
Complete Home Audio Systems: This is where you buy components separately and can achieve "rock star" sound. It all starts with a receiver that can deliver 100 watts or more per channel. How many channels you need depends on how many speakers you want. You can choose a 5.1 or 7.1 home stereo receiver and add a separate CD player and radio tuner, even a cassette player. When it comes to speakers, you can add separate, front tower speakers and rear speakers that can even be mounted in walls or ceilings, surround sound speakers and a powered subwoofer to handle all of the bass. You can really go as extreme as you'd like. If you want an incredible home audio system, spending more cash and buying components separately is the way to go.

The Importance of Audio In Home Theater

You just purchased your new 55" LED and Blu-ray player. Your son came home with a copy of Iron Man 2 and you all want to enjoy it. You make popcorn and get everything setup. Within the first ten minutes, there is an explosion and you're amazed at how good everything looks, but what amazes you more is how bad it sounds. Did that explosion just come from speakers of small headphones? Why doesn't it sound as good as the old projection or tube TV you just replaced? Does the TV have a defect? Consumer reports told me this model had better sound then all of the others so why am I not hearing it?
The answer is unfortunate. Manufactures put nearly 10x more into the video-end of the production and design process when designing their TVs. Look at your TV from the side and note how thin it is.
That's one of the things that amazed you about it in the first place and for some reason; you actually judged which TV you got on how thin it is. There physically is no room within the unit for a decent amp and legit speakers. Didn't the box say it had something called "SRS Surround Sound"? What that means is that if you have a perfectly sized room with four complete walls that you will get that genuine tin can sound maybe to the left and maybe to the right more. You went over to your friend's house then to watch the first Iron Man because they hadn't seen it yet. You see that in front by the TV and behind you are speakers. The first air chase scene comes on and you are simply blown away at how good it sounds and how the room becomes where ever the action is.
Let's face it; audio is more than half of the experience. Good surround sound is something I like to call high definition audio. You see how good a Blu Ray looks? The right system can give that to your ears. There are some people who understand why a system helps but they seemingly go out of their way to convince themselves why they don't need one. I'll address my most popular reasons here.
"I don't have a room that would be good for audio." This is probably the most realistic one but the only fault with this is that there are speaker brands who specifically design their speakers for odd or uncommonly shaped rooms. Even still, there are brands that almost disregard the room entirely and just fire the sound to one common location in the room. Brands such as these make a full range of speakers in all sizes.
"I don't have the ear needed to appreciate good audio." I shake my head anytime someone discredits their abilities like this. Go into any store where they can actively switch between speakers mid-song and have them go through their setup and listen. If you can say that there was one or two that you liked more than the others then congratulations! You are just as qualified as I am to have "that ear". The only difference is people like me know exactly why that speaker sounds better, which is less important in the long run.

"I don't want big bulky speakers in my room." There is a reason why floor standing, bookshelf, on wall and in wall speakers exist. The reason is because consumers have different needs for their rooms. If you want the best sound and have the space, floor standing speakers are always the best. Do not listen to what anyone else says; the larger the speaker means the better the sound. Simply put, larger speakers can be made of better material and push more air. Even Bose's flagship speaker, the 901, is a speaker the size a third of a refrigerator. Smaller speakers are made for smaller rooms because there is less need to move more air in them. In wall speakers are designed for any room where you can have the big sound that you want without the appearance. These are fantastic when you are building a new room, have easy access to run wiring through the basement or attic and need the space.
"I refuse to spend this much money for speakers!" This one is as realistic as it is misconceived. TV brands do make home theaters in small packages that are great as starter kits to get you used to the concept of surround sound for under the $600 mark. Why are there speakers that go for one thousand dollars each? That's more than the TV I got! I need five of those and a subwoofer? I also need a thousand dollar receiver? The audio world can reach limits only you allow it to reach. Why are there speakers that cost that much? The answer lies in its importance. Let's say you have a system that costs you $4000 and a TV that costs $2500. Which one of those two do you think is going to last you longer? Some studies show that home audio systems will last consumers anywhere from ten to twenty years. How long do you plan on keeping your TV for? How long do you plan on keeping your current car for? Some people pay forty thousand dollars for a vehicle they are only going to keep for eight years.
Knowing that the system you can own will get more use than your car, will make family night possible again and can illuminate your home with music you all love, why wouldn't you want a great system in your home? For something that rations out to pennies a day over the lifespan of it, you can build a vacation spot in your home. You work eight to nine hours a day and come home and want to relax. You can sit down and pop in a movie and take a journey to the Caribbean, to outer space or the future and actually feel like you are there. Just think, you are about to deny yourself this gift by trying to convince yourself that you don't need it, can't have it and shouldn't want it. Next time you think that, go into a showroom and have the sales associate show you a demonstration of good audio to see what you are missing.

Audio Video Home Theater Review

The reviews from the TX-SR508 have proven this receiver to be a smart choice in delivering high-end performance without the high-end price. The TX-SR508 is a full-featured, modern, digital audio/video device designed to be the hub of any home theater system.
This receiver was made especially for the budget-minded individual who wants the maximum amount of quality and features for their dollar. While other receivers will offer a larger quantity of elaborate features, many consumers with a limited budget aren't interested in paying for, or using many of these higher-end features. The TX-SR508 provides a balanced solution at a reasonable price.
The Onkyo TX-SR508 provides 80 Watts of power into7.1 channels. Four 3D-capable HDMI inputs provide connectivity to high-definition electronics. Supported audio formats include Dolby DTS and Dolby Pro Logic IIz, which supports the latest surround sound technology. Dual-zone outputs and bi amping add features not typically found in receivers in this price range.
The list of features built into this A/V receiver is really impressive. The Audyssey technology suite provides an automated way to setup and configure the receiver for any audio environment. The Audyssey 2EQ analyzes the room geometry to provide the best configuration for both primary and satellite speakers. Audyssey Dynamic Volume levels fluctuations between different audio sources. Audyssey Dynamic EQ automatically balances tonal and surround-sound settings regardless of the volume level.

A graphical on-screen display provides a great way to remotely and visually configure the receiver's settings. Using an HDMI connection, the receiver connects to a video source that displays a transparent menu of receiver settings and options. The image displays over whatever video source is active, which means you can make your settings without disrupting what you're watching.
Onkyo's WRAT technology provides high-end audio reproduction from high-definition audio sources through three primary capabilities. A low negative-feedback design expands the definition of audio and video sources for a richer and more detailed A/V experience.
A closed-loop circuit design between each component and the power supply provides superior isolation to reduce bleed through and interference. WRAT provides instant current to satisfy power-hungry, high dynamic-range conditions that are often present in modern digital sources.
Today's audio/video devices are all about features. With so many audio devices, home theater receivers are continually challenged to support the ever-expanding demands of the consumer electronic industry.
The Onkyo TX-SR508 receiver is an exceptional choice for those consumers seeking as many features as possible within a narrow budget.
Whether your A/V setup is basic or complex, the TX-SR508 offers the quality and features often found in systems within a much higher price range.

To see a more complete review, and see why this receiver stays on the best seller list