Which Audio System is Right for You?

Every home and its occupants are unique, as are the needs and desires of those who live there. Fortunately, there are a wide array of options and configurations to be able to satisfy most of the wants and demands of every situation. The challenge is left to the home builders or renovators to match the practicalities of the home layout with the wants and needs of the people who live there.

Portability

Perhaps you want a simple speaker that you can move around the home as you need to. Similar to the days of “boom boxes” or portable radios, there are wireless speaker systems that are capable of streaming music from your phone, tablet or even the internet. These allow you to simply pick up the speaker and carry it from room to room as you move around the house, but unless the speaker has a built-in battery, you will need to find an outlet to plug it in. With battery powered units you don’t have to worry about finding an outlet, but have a finite amount of time they can play before being recharged.

Aesthetics

If you don’t want to worry about lugging a speaker around from room to room, then maybe a more permanent solution is what will satisfy your needs. From free standing speakers to ones mounted in your walls or ceiling, there are numerous options to fit your decor. Choose one or more rooms to have music capabilities or even the whole house. You can even mix and match the types of speakers based on what fits your listening style and decor between rooms. Maybe you want speakers that aren’t visible in your dining room but want an audiophile system in a dedicated listening area. Any option can be designed to fit your specific needs.

Flexibility

Another thing to think about is what kind of audio do you want to play in your system. Do you want the same thing playing everywhere at once? Maybe you want the ability to let the kids play the newest pop song in one room of the house while you listen to something a bit more soothing in the kitchen. Perhaps you just want to play the news in the bathroom while you prepare for the day. Systems can be designed to function as a single unified device or in a modular manner allowing for independence in some or all rooms. Both of these design options have their benefits and limitations. A unified system makes selecting audio for all the included rooms as simple as the push of a button, but prevents you from having different audio in different rooms. A modular system may allow for more options (as in who gets to listen to what music in what room) but makes playing the same music everywhere take an extra step or two. The best thing about modern audio systems from manufacturers like Sonos, and home automation companies like Control4, Savant, and Crestron is that these design features of independent room control and also easy whole house control can be combined on-the-fly by you, the end user, giving you the best of both worlds.

Control

How you control your audio system is the most important aspect of design and one Custom Audio Video’s design team has more experience than any other in the area to provide you with something tailored to your needs. What do we mean by control? Well years ago, audio systems were controlled by ugly knobs on the wall or maybe with your TV remote, but today controlling a system from your phone or tablet has become the default way to turn on your music in whatever room you are in. In some cases, other control methods might be used, either a wall keypad or touchscreen, which are great for guest areas and in places you might not have your phone on you, but also voice control through devices such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home now allow for the ultimate in convenience.

The right audio system for you and your home is out there. Come let us help you find the best fit for your needs.