1. What is multi-room audio?
The reality of home entertainment for most of us is a TV and stereo in the living room, a radio or portable CD in the kitchen, a couple of radios here and there (garage, laundry) plus an assortment of smaller TVs and stereos in our kids rooms and our bedroom. Add in the CDs, iPods, MP3 music library on your laptop, remotes, plugs, cables, and aerials and you've got quite a collection. There's a much better, simpler and surprisingly affordable way to meet everyone's entertainment needs at home from just one system – it's called multi-room audio.
One centralised music system delivers the same or many different tunes/radio to many rooms.
One home. One entertainment system.
The big idea behind multi-room audio is reasonably straightforward: Different music for different tastes in different rooms – all at the same time and all from the same system. It really cuts down on the clutter of components, technology and cabling crowding your home.
The latest multi-room audio gear lets you play music and radio anywhere in your home – even outside. Your movie and TV sound can all play back through the same system too. The magic is that your whole home is filled with sound from one centralised system. For instance, you might be listening to radio in the kitchen while the kids and their friends dance to their favourite R&B tracks in the lounge. Meanwhile, your partner might be enjoying a quiet session of jazz – and the late afternoon sun – out on the deck.
Out with the old?
Multi-room audio introduces a new way of thinking, doesn't it? One sound system that serves the whole house, rather than having a separate system in each room. There are many sound reasons to get excited about the new wave of multi-room thinking.