All Products Filed in Multiroom Audio

Friday, January 20, 2012

Bang & Olufsen (B&O) is one of the most recognizable and unique manufacturers in the entire world of consumer electronics, and the Danish company is well known for its sleek industrial designs and pursuit of high performance.

The company's new BeoSound 5 digital music system is the company's latest product and it enables homeowners in new construction or existing structures to enjoy the benefits of whole-house audio without the need to pull cables. The BeoSound 5 incorporates B&O's proprietary playlist technologies, as well as a built-in CD ripper that allows homeowners to rip their CD collections into a digital library for easy access and management.

In addition, the BeoSound 5 can be used with one of the company's Encore components to create a whole-house audio system that employs wireless technologies to transmit audio and control signals. The BeoSound 5 can be wall mounted, stand mounted or it can be used as a tabletop unit.

Friday, January 06, 2012

James Loudspeaker has consistently produced some of the most unique and best sounding loudspeakers in the specialty world of audio for a number of years. Just recently the company added to its legacy with the launch of its latest product series the Small Aperture line of architectural speakers.

Included in the Small Aperture line of products is the 63SA-7 in-ceiling product, which the California-based company says is designed to provide installers with a speaker that produces a wide dispersion pattern and deep frequency response. The three-way 63SA-7 incorporates a 20mm tweeter, along with a 50mm midrange driver and James' 165mm PowerPipe subwoofer all concentrically mounted to enable the speaker to provide significant low-frequency reinforcement. James engineered the speaker so that homeowners only see a 76mm round opening (or square) and the speaker grille is designed to allow the speaker to match its surrounding decor, which includes light fixtures.

Installers ordering the speaker will order it in two parts: The preconstruction kit, which includes the subwoofer. It is installed before the drywall is installed. After the construction is completed the tweeter/midrange module is installed into the 76mm (3 inch) opening. To complete the install an installer chooses a grille trim kit to finish the job.

Friday, December 16, 2011

With the home entertainment market rapidly adopting computer-based technologies, there is an increasing amount of ways in which electronics professionals can introduce their clients to the benefits of a digitally based whole-house A/V solution.

Recently the New york-based manufacturer Autonomic announced that it has redesigned its MMS-2 server. Externally the company redesigned the appearance of the unit by rounding the curves of the component to make sleeker and more compact. Internally the company added a new, faster processor and a choice of Toslink and HDMI outputs.

Autonomic also says it has bolstered the product by adding Amazon Cloud compatibility to go along with MP3 Tunes and iCloud options. In addition, the company is also working with Savant to ensure compatibility with the Cape Cod-based company's App Programming Interface (API) to enable the product to seamlessly integrate into Savant's control and automation systems. Autonomic already offers modules for compatibility with solutions from AMX, Control4, Crestron, RTI, URC, and Apple iOS devices.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

As much as Apple's competitors may try they've been unable to supplant the Cupertinio, California-based company as the top mobile music player manufacturer. Remote Technologies Inc.'s (RTI) new RTiDock provides the millions of Apple iPod owning homeowners a solution that controls and syncs their iPod with their entire iTunes library.

RTI says its new dock provides installers with the ability to sync with iTunes over a network and it provides full control and navigation capabilities through a video display. The product can be installed in a rack mount environment or on a desktop, and the dock offers full RTI control system integration via IR, RS-232 or IP. RTI says the unit can be controlled by homeowners by using one of its handheld devices or by one of its wall mounted interfaces, and its graphical user interface (GUI) and component video output are designed to facilitate content navigation through the use of a video display or television.

The Minnesota-based manufacturer adds the product is designed to provide dealers with a reliable and convenient iPod integration solution for whole-house audio and home theater system installations.

Monday, December 12, 2011

The world of home audio has come a long way since the days of big speakers dominating the floor space within a home.

The Canadian manufacturer Aeria proves the days of big ugly speakers dominating a home are over through its problem solving product the 801 Series transducer. This device is an 8-ohm unit with no moving parts and it presents a nominal amount of impedance to allow a variety of amps, including digital amps to effectively drive the device.

The 801 Series is designed to provide installers with a stealth way of incorporating audio into an environment that can’t host audio under normal circumstances. The 801 Series can be used in scenarios in which a client doesn’t want holes punched in their walls or ceilings to provide a means of music in a space that otherwise would be silent.

Friday, December 09, 2011

Within the world of specialty electronics a good case could be made for the loudspeaker category being the biggest in the entire market. A good example of just how big the category is can be found when looking at the 30-plus year old manufacturer GTL Sound Labs. The U.S.-based company has quietly been in business since 1976 and it offers a complete line of products, which ranges from one-off custom products, to production products like the AE 963 in-wall loudspeaker.

The company says the AE 963 has been engineered to provide the highest levels of performance and the product is designed for either vertical or horizontal mounting to allow it to be used in a whole-house audio system or home theater system. GTL says the speaker employs a sealed enclosure that minimizes sound leakage into adjacent rooms, and internally the speaker houses a three-way design that includes a 9-inch carbon fiber woofer, a 5.25-inch poly paper midrange driver and a 3-inch silk-dome tweeter.

GTL adds the speaker fits into a standard stud bay and the speaker offers a frequency response of 26Hz to 20kHz.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Since the advent of Class D amplifiers the audiophile community has generally shrugged off these products, as cheap and inferior to traditional Class A and Class A/B amplifiers.

The Canadian manufacturer Anthem is looking to change the audiophile community's perception of Class D products through the release of its Anthem Statement M1 monoblock amplifier. The M1 uses a Class D architecture, which afforded the company the ability to design an efficient, small footprint amplifier that delivers high levels of power with low distortion. Anthem says the amp took nearly 10 years to engineer and it says that most of that time was devoted to the research and development of the technology to push it beyond its current performance levels.

Anthem says the M1 incorporates a proprietary load monitoring system that includes a digital signal processor that operates outside of the signal path to monitor line voltage, output current, ground faults, temperature and DC voltage at the output to ensure the amp works with 120 volt and 240 volt circuits. The company rates the monoblock amp to produce 1,000 watts of power into an 8-ohm load and 2,000 watts into a 4-ohm load.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

In the modern world of electronics IR technologies are almost taken for granted. Generally beyond the mass market segment IR is not taken for granted however and with products like Vanco's new line of IR Kits and accessories, professional electronics installers have tools at their disposal to take care of IR control issues.

With the newly released IR products from the Batavia, Ill.-based manufacturer custom installers can use a component or system's existing IR-based remote controls as part of a broader, more powerful control solution. Vanco says the new array of products are available in a choice of four kits, as well as other accessories and the products are designed to work in a variety of environments that include CFL lit rooms.

The line of products include devices such as eight-port receiver hubs, brass-tube receivers for concealed installs and other components. With the IR products installers can provide control for everything from Blu-ray disc players and cable boxes, to A/V receivers and advanced powered subwoofers.

Monday, November 07, 2011

Adding to its line of HDMI signal distribution products, the Erlanger, Kentucky-based company TV One has introduced its new IT-CT-633 HDMI Repeater to the market.

The IT-CT-633 HDMI Repeater expands the company's IT-CT-630 line of HDMI Extender products and it can be used to increase the transmission distance of HDMI as far as 250 feet (76 meters) for 8-bit 1080p signals and 98 feet (30 meters) for 12-bit 1080p signals. TV One also says that electronics professionals can further extend the signal transmission capabilities of the product by cascading the units within the parameters of allowable Cat-6 cable lengths.

TV One says the full line of 1T-CT-630 Series HDMI Extender products can handle a variety of installation scenarios that range from traditional residential HDMI 1.3 A/V 1080p to commercially based 1900x1200 DVI signals.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Since the downfall of the new construction market it has been clear that as a whole the custom electronics market put too much emphasis on new construction business.

Helping electronics professionals to move away from that business model is the British audio manufacturer Naim. Naim's Uniti line of products provides custom installers with a choice of products that can be integrated into a new home or existing home environment to provide homeowners a state-of-the-art digital audio solution. The flagship product in the line is the SuperUniti and it is an all-in-one component that incorporates an 80-watt per channel Class A/B amplifier, UPnP network compatibility to support the streaming of locally stored files, streaming Internet radio and a choice of inputs and outputs to offer electronics professionals some installation flexibility. The SuperUniti is Apple iPod certified and it is compatible with many of today's popular file formats, including WAV, AIFF, FLAC 24-bit/192kHz, Apple Lossless (24-bit/96kHz), Windows Media (WMA), Org Vorbis and MP3.

Dallas, Texas-based The Sound Organisation distributes Naim in the U.S., and the complete Uniti line includes solutions to enable installers to build a complete whole-house audio system with local node products that range from the NaimUniti that includes a built-in disc player, and the compact UnitiQute streaming media player.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

There are few companies that can match the experience and expertise that URC brings to the control and automation category, and now with the release of its new iPhone/iPad Total Control app its applying its years research and development (R&D) to a new genre within the control market: Apple iOS-based control.

URC's new Total Control iPhone/iPad is engineered to provide users with full control of a URC Total Control system. The N.Y.-based company designed the app to mimic the look and feel of its TKP-2000 In-Wall Two-Way Network Touchscreen, including the interface's metadata feedback when used in conjunction with its SNP-1 Streaming Network Player that delivers content from the Internet with sources such as Internet radio, Rhapsody, Pandora, Sirius XM satellite radio and the company's PSX-2 Personal Server.

The company says the addition of the iPad/iPhone app provides dealers and their clients with a control option to use in tandem with its TKP-2000 Touchscreen, TRC-1280 handheld remote and TRC-780 remote products.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

The difference between expectations and reality in the world of custom electronics can be great. Many homeowners think that because of the word custom installers can work miracles to transform any living space into a concert hall that rivals Madison Square Garden or Boston's Symphony Hall.

Obviously those type of goals aren't realistic. The Canadian audio company Aeria Sound Environments is however bridging the gap between unfathomable and realistic with its line of 4- and 8-ohm transducers. Aeria says that its transducers are waterproof and pressure tested to be able to withstand mounting depths 300 feet below the surface. The salt-resistant products are rated to handle up to 100 watts of continuous RMS power, and they are designed to throw sound in a 360-degree pattern to turn any surface into omni-directional speakers.

Some of the materials electronics professionals can install the transducers into include drywall, granite, marble, porcelain and ceramic tile, concrete, glass, structured fiberglass panels, plywood and various wood materials. Some of the installation scenarios for the transducers include steam rooms, tile back splashes, pool side, walls and ceilings, store-front plate glass windows and hotel headboards.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

At this point it seems like it's only a matter of time before small, portable devices overtake desktop components in the worlds of computing and entertainment.

The British Columbia, Canada-based electronics manufacturer Knoll Systems is providing electronics professionals with a simple way to integrate these portable devices into home electronics systems through the release of its new DC-6BT wireless docking station.

Knoll says the docking station works with portable electronic devices like Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, as well as products from the Android platform and Blackberry to provide installers with a versatile solution that wirelessly streams content. Using the Bluetooth wireless protocol the docking station has a range of approximately 33 feet, but the company has effectively used the product in its lab at distances up to 80 feet. The dock also includes a lithium battery to enable its use in mobile situations for up to four hours on a single charge. The DC-6BT also includes built-in digital-to-analog conversion and it comes with a 3.5mm mini pin to RCA cable.

Monday, July 18, 2011

With many companies in the consumer audio market struggling to figure out today's new world order, the U.K.-based manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) has taken the bull by the horns by carving out new opportunities for its dealer base through a series of product releases that address everything from computer and personal audio, to traditional custom installation.

B&W's latest product release aims to fill the custom market's need for affordable and good sounding speakers that can withstand the rigors of non-traditional room environments. The new CI 300 Series from the British manufacturer is engineered to live in environments such as saunas, indoor swimming pools or anywhere that humidity is an issue. The line features three products: the CWM362 two-way in-wall loudspeaker; the CCM362 two-way in-ceiling loudspeaker and the two-way CCM382 in-ceiling loudspeaker.

All three speakers offer an impedance rating of 8 ohms and sensitivity ratings of at least 89dB. Internally the speakers employ 1-inch soft dome tweeters and polypropylene midrange drivers. Stylistically, B&W adds the speakers feature an industrial design that includes a minimalist appearance with small bezels that help the speakers blend into their environments.

Friday, July 15, 2011

No, it's not a product named after Tommy Lee or Eddie Van Halen, the L.A. Rocker is actually a rock speaker from the Carson, California-based company OWI, Inc.

The L.A. Rocker is engineered to be a versatile outdoor audio solution that OWI says is designed to look like an actual rock speaker. OWI says that as part of its design process it took rock samples of Hawaiian lava rock, Floridian reef rock, New Hampshire granite and Colorado river rock and it patterned its products shapes, colors and textures after these rock samples. OWI says it manufactures the speakers using a process in which it pours glass-fiber reinforced concrete into molds and lets it cure for 25 days before hand painting the speakers.

OWI adds the process results in no two rock speakers looking the same and with the addition of the company's sturdy speaker grilles the speakers can withstand hundreds of pounds of standing weight and beatings from weed whackers and lawnmowers. The speakers are available in a choice of two-way and three-way configurations, as well as 70-volt and 8-ohm versions to address commercial and residential installations.