Understanding Custom Installation

Basic Information For Multi-Room Music Systems Shoppers

If you are building a new home or remodeling an existing home - this is the perfect time to add music or home theater system. Whatever you choose, this addition to your home will bring you more pleasure, day in and day out, than anything else you will do to your home. Before we go into the custom installation options, let's review two very basic principals of music reproduction.

Everything in the chain is subject to what comes before it. The CD player retrieves the sound off of the compact disc and sends the music to the amplifier as am electrical signal. The amplifier makes a larger copy of the music (signal) - large enough to drive the speakers. The speakers receive that electrical signal (music) from the amplifier and turn that electricity into the music we hear. So regardless of the speakers, if we put better equipment in front of the speakers, we'll get better sound out of the speakers.

The other principal is that music reproduction is basically a damage control job - we get better sound by messing it up less. This is best illustrated by thinking of all the pieces of equipment and cables as pieces of glass in a row. If we clean one pain of glass, our view through all pains is better and clearer. It doesn't matter what pieces we clean, the view is still better. Obviously, the more we clean, the better the view becomes. So any improvement anywhere in the hi-fi chain yields an obvious improvement to the sound. Better speakers, better amp, better cables - they all help you get better sound. Sometimes people worry that they can't get good sound because they will have only “in-wall speakers". Hopefully, this helps you better understand how all of the pieces of equipment contribute to the quality of the sound you hear.

Back to the topic of custom installation. You can choose one of the three types of systems, or a combination. The three basic types of home sound systems are:

1) The High Performance single room music system.
2) The Home Theater system.
3) The Multi-Room Music system.

The High Performance system is a simple system, typically for one room, that makes sitting down and listening to music a luxury you will look forward to every day. (We go into more detail on this type of system in our "Understanding Hi-Fi" paper.)

The Home Theater system is also a single room audio system, but it is a system centered around TV or Video. For many people having a theater (or media room) in their home is the ultimate luxury. (We go into more detail on this type of system in our "Understanding Surround Sound and Home Theater" paper.)

Very often either a High Performance Music system or a Home Theater system is combined with the third type of system - the Multi-Room Music system. The Multi-Room Music system is sometimes called a whole house music system. It allows you to listen to music in as many rooms in the home as you like. The living room, kitchen, master bedroom and bath, exercise room, on the deck, by the hot tub or pool - anywhere you like. There are two basic types of whole house music systems 1) the Multi-Room system and 2) the Multi-Zone system.

In a simple multi-room system, you typically have a stereo system hooked to a switcher/amp interface. From this interface, cable is run to in-wall volume controls for each separate pair of speakers - and then to the speakers themselves. The in-wall volume controls allow you to adjust the volume of the speakers in each room RELATIVE to those in other rooms. Some rooms in this type of system will also have system controls in them. These are most often infrared receivers that allow you to use a hand held remote control in a distant room (or an in-wall key pad) - just like you were standing in front of the stereo equipment.

The multi-zone system combines the features of the above system but allows you to play different sources at different volume levels in different rooms at the same time. This requires specific equipment to allow you to accomplish this, but it is the ultimate in flexibility and is inherently more expensive.

We are well aware that aesthetics plays a major role in the design and installation of a whole house music system. The most visible part of any system is the speakers. Here we have three choices: 1) small floor standing speakers, 2) bookshelf speakers, and 3) built in wall speakers.

All things being equal - free standing speakers will provide the best sound. This is a better choice for decor conscious customers because there are small, high performance, floor standing speakers available in a variety of finishes. While this type of speaker is still a more obvious piece of furniture, it can be made to blend in with other pieces quite nicely.

Bookshelves have long been a popular location for small speakers and that continues today. There are some great small bookshelf speakers available. If this option works for a particular room, it is generally preferable to in-wall speakers.

There is a greater variance in the quality of in-wall speakers than in any other category of stereo equipment! For those installers that work out of their houses or cars, this is one of their greatest sources of profit - high mark up on cheap in-wall speakers. This is not to say that all in-wall speakers are bad. In fact, a good pair of in-wall speakers will out perform a poor pair of free standing speakers. The differences are very obvious when you listen, so evaluate in-wall speakers just like you would any other speakers - LISTEN to them! Never buy an in-wall speaker that you have not heard.

There is a fourth type of speaker system - a three piece system using two small "satellite" speakers that play the mid and high ranges, and a "woofer" that plays the lower midrange and bass. The splitting of the sound in the critical midrange is the main reason that three piece systems perform poorly. Part of the vocals is coming from the little speakers on the wall, and part of the vocals is coming from the bass box. This poor arrangement is made worse when the woofer is placed anywhere except right between the small speakers. The three piece systems are great as a problem solver - when nothing else will work. Because they involve the most compromises however, they should be thought of as the last of the four choices.

Any of the speaker systems outlined above can be enhanced by the addition of a real subwoofer. This is a speaker that plays only the very low bass frequencies - below the range covered by the main speakers. Subwoofers almost always have their own built in amplifiers - so they don't share any amplifier power with the main speakers. True subs will play only frequencies below 4OHz - the very low bass. Because of this low transition point, their placement is much less critical than any with any of the other speakers.

Everyone wants to know where they can spend a little more money and get the most improvement for the money. Better cables - one of the secrets to a great installation. Just as with speakers – it is the quality that counts. Bigger isn't necessarily better. Better cables truly are money well spent.

The other secret to a great installation is the people. From the project manager who designs the system to the installers - these people are the real keys to success. The project manager is responsible for choosing the right equipment for your application and choosing the proper locations for the speakers - for the best combination of sound and aesthetics. He is also responsible for scheduling the installation and the timely arrival of the equipment. The installation people are responsible for the proper routing of all cables and properly installing the speakers and equipment. Finally, the installation people need to adjust and balance the system once the installation is complete. It is critical that all members of the installation team work together. It is equally important that they assume responsibility for their work and provide whatever services are needed after the installation is completed, whether right away or years later.

What type or combination of systems best suits your needs? After sitting down with you and discussing the options, we will furnish you with a proposal tailored specifically to your needs and budget. Investing in quality electronics and having them properly installed will provide you many years of trouble free service and enjoyment. Please allow us two to three weeks to schedule your installation.