Building a Multi-Room Audio System
Learn more about multi-room audio and how it works
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Multi-room audio systems have become much more accessible to residential customers than ever before. Not only have advancements in technology (especially wireless) made it easier to implement these systems, but customers are increasingly becoming interested in having multi-room audio systems in their homes.
We are in an era where people want to spend more leisure time at home, and any product or service that can increase the comfort of their home or elevate their home entertainment options is in demand. Whether your customers want to set up the best whole-home audio system for their unique space or need a simple multi-room stereo system, finding the right whole-house audio solution that fits their needs is key. Keep reading to learn more about how it all works.
Multi-room audio is essentially a network of devices — including AV receivers, speakers, amps and soundbars — that allows users to stream a variety of audio content from a central device, most likely a smartphone or tablet. Most multi-room audio systems, even high-end setups, now tend to be wireless. This makes these systems more dynamic and easier to manage in terms of adding more rooms or shifting the placement of speakers.
Whole-home speaker systems offer seamless flexibility, providing an easy way for customers to listen to music, podcasts and other audio entertainment in more than one room at a time. Depending on the setup you configure for your customers, with a multi-room or whole-house audio system, a user can play different songs in different rooms at the same time, play the same music in all rooms, or play audio in only certain rooms at the same time
The music played across a multi-room audio system can originate from the customer's own personal music collection, a music server or Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive, a USB device, a computer or a streaming service.
Multi-room audio systems work in one of two primary ways. They either create their own internal mesh network or use the customer's existing Wi-Fi.
1. Systems that create their own closed network. A multi-room audio system that creates its own mesh network will initially connect to your customer’s home Wi-Fi, but then it will create its own closed network — this way it doesn't use Wi-Fi when the system is on. This method also tends to make the system more reliable.
2. Systems that use existing Wi-Fi. Multi-room wireless speaker systems that connect to your customer's home Wi-Fi network rely on the strength and stability of their network, so keep in mind that this may have a direct impact on their network bandwidth.
Although most systems rely on Wi-Fi alone, some offer additional connectivity options like Bluetooth. Different systems work with different platforms. These platforms determine the user experience and how each multi-room sound system works. They also dictate which speakers and systems work together and which don't.
For multi-room wireless speaker systems, strong and reliable Wi-Fi broadband is essential. This ensures quality sound and a strong continuous connection between products. Your customers will also need a tablet or mobile device, either Android or iOS, to use a proprietary platform such as Apple AirPlay or Google Chromecast. Alternatively, your customer can install the app for a specific brand's platform to control playback through the devices.
Products and network-ready devices that make up a multi-room sound system include:
Depending on how simple or complex a particular system is configured, a combination of just a few of these products or all of them can be used.
Many multi-room audio systems require a single brand's ecosystem, so you are not able to mix and match different brands of speakers. However, open platforms such as DTS Play-Fi and Apple Airplay allow users to easily integrate products from multiple brands into their multi-room sound system. This flexibility allows installers to design and configure a whole-house audio setup that fits their customers’ unique preferences.
The DTS Play-Fi app allows music lovers to stream their favorite tunes from the app to Play-Fi enabled multi-room speaker systems. The app allows for streaming of hi-res audio over Wi-Fi – regardless of the brand or manufacturer. However, DTS recommends a maximum of 32 connected devices. Any more than that, and performance begins to suffer.
AirPlay 2 is a streaming protocol from Apple. It allows the user to stream music from an iOS device, such as an iPhone or an iPad, directly to their multi-room speaker system. The device itself serves as the controller so there is no separate app to download with this platform. It is also compatible with a wide variety of streaming products and brands.
Another open platform is Google's Chromecast. It allows for streaming music across multiple products from various manufacturers. It's supported by a wide range of products, including name-brand TVs, soundbars and wireless speakers, making it an ideal platform for multi-room sound systems This platform also utilizes a Chromecast Audio dongle that when plugged into speakers it can turn them into Wi-Fi-enabled multi-room speakers.
Yes, you can easily expand a whole-home speaker system by adding more speakers, soundbars or receivers, as needed. The modular nature of these audio systems makes it easy to start with a few rooms and gradually expand the coverage throughout a home. Most multi-room stereo systems allow you to add devices as long as they are compatible with the existing setup, especially those that support open platforms such as DTS Play-Fi, Airplay 2 or Google Chromecast. Just ensure your customers’ Wi-Fi network can handle the additional devices and that you stay within any system limitations – such as DTS Play-Fi's 32-device limit.
The cost of a whole-house audio system can vary depending on the size of the system, the brand of the components and the level of customization required. Entry-level systems with basic wireless speakers can start from $300 to $500, while high-end, multi-zone setups with premium audio devices and accessories can reach several thousand dollars. The advantage of modern audio systems is that your customer can start with a modest investment and expand their setup over time as their budget allows.
The benefits of a multi-room wireless speaker system make them easily attractive to customers. These systems can be installed almost anywhere and become incorporated into a home theater system. Because there are no wires, speakers can be placed or mounted just about anywhere the customer would like. The possibilities are almost endless. And these systems are modular, so expanding from just a few speakers to many throughout the home — or from just two rooms to every room — is relatively easy.
The rising demand for whole-house audio solutions presents a valuable opportunity for AV integrators. You can provide the expertise to customize, set up, mount and place multi-room audio products in the best way possible to delight your customers, providing them with rich, enveloping sound throughout their home. Whether you’re designing a multi-room wireless speaker system or an affordable multi-room stereo system, ADI has all of the products and services you need to create the best whole-home audio system for your customers.
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