Buying Multizone Audio tips
Todays daily tidbit, is from www.SoundResearchLabs.com and is a small primer about the main considerations for buying multi zone audio.
Most of us today have some sort of an idea what multi zone audio is. For those of you who are completely out of the loop, Multi zone audio is the process and configuration of your home and its audio video sources, to play through multiple zones through out your home, all at once for each individual user or zone. For example. John wants to listen to a CD, while Mom is in the kitchen and wants to listen to the radio. 2 kids are in separate bedrooms and they want to listen to their Ipods. We could have four different sound systems around the house, each with speakers, and all the amps, DVD players and cabinets. Or we could wire the house for multi zone audio, and each person gets a keypad and a set of speakers in the wall or in ceiling. Users have access through that keypad to ALL of the sources of the house, not just the ones that would have had to be in each room, freeing up valuable space and expense.
Recently after installing a multi zone audio video system in a customers house, they asked us. "Will we be able to play the CD in the bedroom?" We were actually quite shocked at this question. After buying quite an expensive system and two or three consultations with techs, these customers were still not quite sure what we had sold them.
Hence this article. Multi zone audio allows us to take ALL of your input sources, IE EVERYTHING, and put it all in one closet or rack. That means if you have 3 cable boxes, 3 dvd's, 6 ipods, and two tuners, you would be able to access all of that from EACH keypad around the house. If your installers are good and the system is layed out and programmed well, you can have advanced control of all of those pieces, and IR control with any original remote controls or additional Learned remotes.
Our preferred piece for getting this job done is the Speakercraft MZC-66 and MZC-88 Multi zone audio amps. https://www.soundresearchlabs.com/Speakercraft-MZC-88-Multi-Room-Amplifier-Keypad-Controlled-Dual-Tuner-8-Zone-8-Source-inputs_p_0-623.html
You access your sources, IE CD, DVD's ipods, Cable boxes through these keypads https://www.soundresearchlabs.com/MODE-31-Keypads-For-MZC-66-Or-MZC-88-systems_p_0-920.html
One Amp can power and control up to 8 rooms, all from one amplifier sized box. Tie in up to 6 ipods and you have a music server driven house, with access of possibly hundreds of thousands of songs at your fingertips. Of course the system is expandable and upgradable and remotely programmable. You can add power to any room, have it turn down when the phone or doorbell rings, have it change to a camera view when the doorbell rings and many other valuable features.
One of the common mistakes customers make is thinking that the Theater Room, or 5.1 / 7.1 surround room should be wired separately. Why would you even have that amp in the same room with you? There is nothing nicer than being able to sit at your 65" plasma watching a game and being able to run upstairs to the bathroom or outside to the pool and with a couple of keypad presses have the game follow you!
There are a handful of brands and each system has its advantages and quirks, and it takes some coordination to plan it out successfully so we recommend a telephone consultation with our techs at www.soundresearchlabs.com to be sure that what you buy is what will fit your lifestyle and needs for the future and your family. There are allot of advanced programming techniques that can be applied to make the system grow with you, be updated on occasion by your installers. Heck we can even lock your kids out of certain sources so they are not listening to your late night antics with you!
Smart money says if you are planning on building a house, this is the way to go. If you need a consultation or have questions about becoming an elite homeowner with the ultimate luxury sound and video system that works with your lifestyle, Please don't hesitate to contact admin@soundresearchlabs.com
