Music
has become a big part of everyday life, and nowhere is this more
evident than in the home. But wanting to hear music and actually being able to
do that in the various rooms and living spaces has its challenges. For many,
these challenges of where to place the speakers so that they are effective but
out of the way has resulted in using portable speakers (requiring personal and
up-close control) or no speakers at all. But if you are able to install the
speakers, things can be quite different.
WHERE THE SPEAKERS GO
The one thing common to all the spaces in a home are walls and
ceilings. Specialized speakers exist that are made to fit into enclosures
(I.e., there is the driver inside a special cabinet in a manner reminiscent to
that of a conventional speaker placed on a stand or bookshelf, etc.). These
enclosures are then fitted into the wall or ceiling, depending on both desire
and the reality of the space, so as to provide a positioning for the audio to
emit from. Unlike conventional speakers, the specialized speakers in walls or
ceilings are designed with their location in mind -- being baffled so as to
minimize vibrations and direct sound to the listener with more sensibility. Of
course just as the speakers and subwoofers and their enclosures are specialized,
so too must be the physical installation of them into the wall or ceiling. This
necessities an understanding of not just the mechanics needed for installing
them, but also of the laws of the city in which the homeowner lives (not to
mention such things as Condo boards and the like, again depending on the type
of dwelling). These laws take into consideration the rules and regulations that
have been put in place for safety, which is why having this done by a
professional installation company (for example, Just One Touch) means not just
that the work will be done without any code violations or disturbing problems,
but also that it will be done correctly and so as to leave no negative impact
upon the home.
INTEGRATE THE SPEAKERS
Whole house audio sounds difficult at first glance, but it's
actually the best way to have the music you want throughout your home. The
basics are simple: the speakers that are placed throughout the various living
spaces all share a common "control center." This consists of an audio
receiver/controller which both powers the speakers as well as sending the audio
to them. Today's whole house receivers are many times more sophisticated than
those in the past. Before, audio consisted primarily of the radio and whatever
audio components could be connected, such as a CD player. Today, digital
technologies allow for music to be more easily stored and accessed. Besides
streaming capabilities existing (removing the need for stringing cables),
control of the audio has progressed well beyond that of hand-held remotes. Some
companies make dedicated LCD tablets available for controlling the audio, but
there are also specialized apps for use on mobile devices such as smartphones
and tablets
that can now be used. This also enables the addition of dedicated audio
channels such as Pandora, etc. to be added to the mix from the mobile device,
if not perhaps already to be found built into the receiver.
Whole house audio seems a fancy name for something as simple as
being able to hear the music you want when you want and where you want it at
home. But once the work has been done and it has been installed
and you're listening, you'll wonder why you waited so long before doing it.
