6. Speakers: some multi-room possibilities
One of the driving forces behind multi-room audio is 'invisibility'. That applies to electronics, wiring and equally to speakers. It all leads to a home that's made to be lived and entertained in – not overrun with technology.
Virtually any speaker can be used in a multi-room audio setup, but there are some that have been designed with multi-room's special requirements in mind. They won't intrude into your life, fall off countertops or walls and are more or less 'invisible'. There are models for indoors, outdoors and anywhere you need them.
'Invisible' indoor speakers
Discreet, flush mounted indoor speakers can be hidden in walls and ceilings. They might be small, but they can deliver high quality sound into any room. You have a number of different types to pick from and some have paintable front grilles which makes them easy to colour-match with their surroundings.
What type of speakers for which room?
Consider each room you want to listen to music in. Naturally you'll want your most impressive speakers in your main home theatre room. This is one room where many people are happy to disregard the concept of speaker 'invisibility'. That's because big, bold home theatre type speakers can look the part in the home theatre room and don't usually get in the way. But that's not the same for all rooms.
Music and radio are often a background sound in the kitchen. They're not the focus of your attention – just something to hum and jiggle along to as you read the paper or prepare that roast lamb dinner. You'll probably want small speakers that don't clutter up bench-space or stick out awkwardly from the wall. Flush mounted in-ceiling or in-wall speakers are perfect for the kitchen and other rooms where 'bulk' can be a problem.
Outdoor speakers
You can't just drop an indoor speaker outside and expect it to work well. An outdoor speaker needs to be cased with all-weather materials and specially designed to distribute audio in the 'open' outdoor environment.
Without walls to 'hold' the sound in, a lot of power is needed to pump out good, high quality audio outdoors. Many outdoor speakers might look small but the good ones are also very powerful – and need to be. And because they tend to be connected to the main system via a long run of cabling, they need to be powered by their own power amplifier.
Sound control
With so many speakers in so many rooms, can it ever be easy to manage and control? Yes. You can control it all at the press of a button (or two) from any room in your home.