Essential Install | Multi-Room Music Systems
DID YOU KNOW : Orson ’ s No Tomorrow holds the UK record for a No 1 single with the lowest sales : under 18,000 in 2006 .
optimises access to the interface for touch screen PCs with a 1920 x 1080 screen size . Sooloos can also be integrated with Crestron and Control4 and the Sooloos music library can also be ‘ watched ’ by third-party music control Apps whilst the metadata and audio performance provided by the system is preserved .
Quality is promoted via the ability the system has to send the optimum signal to each end point via analogue , digital and Speakerlink Cross platform outputs . Integrated TuneIn Radio alongside streaming from TIDAL and Napster / Rhapsody are also included .
Habitech has long been a supporter of the NuVo multiroom platform , in fact it was one of the very first brands to be offered by the company . The distributor points to the new NuVo P20 keypad which offers convenient in-wall control of the core functions of any NuVo P-series music player in a single zone . It ’ s powered by a single RJ45 PoE connection , sits on the network and is assigned to the zone via the Nuvo Player App . The P20 offers users easy command over volume , mute , play and pause , as well as next / previous track navigation and additional access to five system preset favourites . A choice of keypad surrounds match the look of Legrand ’ s Arteor or Synergy home automation systems components to coordinate with switches , sockets and Vantage lighting keypads .
Another brand which is looking to offer flexibility , but with a high-quality level of output is Lode Audio .
Ed Stark from the company tells EI : “ In recent times and certainly since music streaming and App control became the norm , multi-room music became about quantity of content over quality of performance . Out went high-end hardware sources and in came off-the-shelf consumer products that were not built for CI applications .
“ At Lode , we strongly feel that CI can be Hi-Fi , which is why our products perform as well in a multi-room environment as they would a stand-alone high-end Hi-Fi system . Combined with easy and quick control via our iOS & Android Apps and full integration with the leading automation platforms including Crestron , AMX , Control4 and ATi , we have created a suite of products dedicated to re-introducing high-performance audio back into CI , all built to the very highest standards and reliability required for the most complex CI applications .”
Recent additions to the company ’ s offering include the LA1 , offering a single-zone music server that combines quality performance with smart home control .
The Lode Audio LA1 joins the LA4 as part of the Lode ’ s music server offering and is specifically designed for smaller installations , offering one zone as opposed to four .
The product also offers a smaller package , with the LA1 being 1U tall and 9½in wide ; two units can fit side-by-side in a 19in rack . The LA1 features high-end DACs which are capable of high-resolution playback , compatibility with a number of streaming music services and integration with Crestron , AMX , Control4 and RTI .
As with all Lode products , the backbone is the patented LodeNet platform which can deliver expansion out to 64 zones . LodeNet has been designed specifically for the CI market and the company says the platform offers more than enough head-room to deliver whatever the project calls for and remove any worry surrounding interference , latency and outages .
Fully aware that it exists in a much more competitive market and with what can only now be described as a genuine commitment to deliver more functionality to the install sector , Sonos has been far from idle .
The biggest recent announcements have surrounded increased compatibility with control systems . Crestron integration goes the furthest here with native integration with the Sonos App appearing within the control environment rather than as an add on . Go back just a few years and it would have been hard to imagine these two companies working together , but this is all part of the new found wave of collaboration that manufacturers are having to engage with to stay competitive as the market grows .
As well as the control of the Sonos system itself as you would expect , full integration means the Sonos platform can become part of marcos such as welcome home or party mode .
Whilst going further than most , Crestron is far from on its own here . Control4 , Lutron and Savant have all had their Sonos compatibility officially endorsed and secured for the foreseeable future . Functionality is much as it was before , but official status secures the relationship and should give all the platforms room to invest in increased compatibility should they wish to do so .
Also new to Sonos is iPort , the division of Dana Innovations that makes iPad mounts and controls . iPort offers the xPress Audio Keypad , which talks directly to Sonos over the home ’ s Wi-Fi network and does not require a hub for controlling Sonos .
More Information : AWE Europe : + 44 ( 0 ) 1372 729995 , www . awe-europe . com
Anatech Distribution + 44 ( 0 ) 20 89778633 , www . levco . co . uk / www . bluesound . anatech . co . uk
Connected Distribution + 44 ( 0 ) 1242 511133 , www . connecteddistribution . com
Invision UK + 44 ( 0 ) 1359 270 280 www . invisionuk . com Meridian + 44 ( 0 ) 1480 445678 , www . meridian-audio . com Habitech + 44 ( 0 ) 1256 638500 , www . habitech . co . uk Sonos www . sonos . com , email Custominstall . uk @ sonos . com
HEOS
WIRELESS MULTIROOM MUSIC SYSTEM : FILL EVERY ROOM WITH MUSIC .
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