There are a multitude of ways to experience distributed (or multi-room) audio in your home, and there are music fans who swear by what’s called “the two-channel experience” — a classic stereo setup — who love the sound of high-end gear in a room reserved for listening.
A basic home cinema system encompasses both audio and video, typically including a TV, an audio/video source, system controller, speakers, and wiring to make it all happen. It's more than just a way to watch your favorite movies and listen to the best music, it's an entertainment experience complete with incredible images and unforgettable sound. As technology brings new advances — such as 4K, even 8K pictures and immersive sound — the pinnacle of the home cinema experience can actually be better than going to your local movie theater. (For more on that aspect, click on the “Home Cinema” button on the right.) Like audio, it’s possible to distribute a single source of video to multiple rooms.
Whole-Home Audio and Video
Whole-house, distributed audio systems put the music where you are, whether you’re chopping vegetables in the kitchen or enjoying a bubble bath in the master bathroom. A professionally installed home audio/video system really allows you to maximize your entertainment enjoyment.
A qualified CEDIA integrator can create a home audio/video setup for your home that includes a multi-room audio system. This system allows one family member to listen to music in a bedroom, while another is listening to their own music in the kitchen and yet another is enjoying immersive sound in the family room while watching a movie.
A whole-house audio system can be set up to stream music from your favorite source, including services from Spotify to Tidal. Don't worry about unsightly speakers. Today's multi-room audio systems can be designed to blend into your home's décor with loudspeakers that literally disappear behind your walls without any visible grilles at all.
Another important element to an audio/video system is surround or immersive audio (with overhead channels) in the room where you primarily watch movies. Great sound can take the viewing experience to the next level.
Outdoor sound and video has made incredible advances, too — from all-weather HDTVs to speakers and subwoofers that literally blend into the landscape, modern technology allows you to take all your movies and music outside.
Whether complex or basic, a quality audio/video setup is the heart of any home entertainment system.