Sound Decision

Home Theater Systems

Interior Products Review: Whole-House Audio Systems

Whole-house systems fuel buyers' addiction to high-quality audio

By Bill Gloede

Music has never been more omnipresent in the American home. And in just the past seven years, the way people store and listen to music has changed radically. Piles of CDs have been ripped onto computer hard drives and then tossed into a box in the closet.

Tapes are nowhere to be found. Records? Only in the homes of die-hard audiophiles.

At the same time, American aesthetic tastes now are governed by a minimalist design sensibility. Open spaces, sans clutter, are the rule. That rack-mounted audio component system that used to occupy a conspicuous place in the den now is banished to the basement, or at least to a closed cabinet. In its place, the whole-house audio system is rapidly becoming a fixture in new homes and a desirable upgrade in existing ones.

You and your peers are recognizing this trend. A Parks Associates survey of 1,155 home builders published in the inaugural issue of Digital Home magazine (a sister publication of Building Products) this year found that 70 percent of builders offer built-in speakers for multi-room audio systems and install them in 33 percent of the homes they construct.

But many builders stop there, leaving it up to the home buyer to hook those speakers to something. This, say builders who offer full systems, is a mistake.

"We used to just do pre-wire," says Dan Valencia, purchasing manager for Paramont Homes in Modesto, Calif. "We were losing money there." Paramont now offers whole-house systems based on Sony's CD WallStation system, starting with a standard package that comes with a structured-wiring network and two Kliptsch 2620 speakers installed in the ceiling.

The basic system costs Paramont around $1,400, but it's driving sales of upgrades, including audiovisual (AV) and security systems from GE that average $20,000 in homes that are selling in the $500,000 to $680,000 range. Paramont reaps a 20 percent to 25 percent profit on those sales, not including manufacturer rebates.

"It all starts with the CD WallStation," says Valencia. "It's definitely worth it—our upgrades definitely demonstrate that."

Eric Reiter, design director for the Tampa, Fla., division of Transeastern Homes in Coral Springs, Fla., echoes Valencia's enthusiasm. In several new developments, Transeastern Homes is offering the Bose Built-Invisible AV system, which comes with multi-room audio and a home theater surround-sound system. "It's been very successful," says Reiter. His sales are as high as $30,000 (the average is $8,000 to $10,000) in upgrades in homes costing $300,000 to $500,000.

"The [beautiful] part of selling this system is that no one can compete with you," he says, noting the system isn't available at retail. "We can be the experts, we sell technology in the home, we can install it correctly, and we can warranty it for a year."

And the margins to the builder? Upward of 30 percent, according to Reiter. Single-family homes aren't the only venue for whole-house audio. Opus West is building The Plaza Irvine, a 300-unit high-rise condo project in downtown Irvine, Calif., that's offering whole-house system options.

"The biggest thing is that [due to] the nature of high-rise construction, there's really only one opportunity to incorporate amenities into a unit, and that's when you're under construction," says Matt Montgomery, director of real estate development for Opus West. "I don't think it's an absolute necessity in terms of selling the unit." But, he adds, "in today's world, you'd be missing [out] if you weren't giving the buyer the option."

Money Matters

So what does it take to make the walls come alive with the sound of music? Well, the first answer to that question is: money. But the amount of money it takes can vary widely. Systems are available from scores of major manufacturers like Sony and Bose but also other, lesser-known names, such as NuVo, Sonance, Audio Design Associates (ADA), Russound, Niles Audio, Yamaha, and SpeakerCraft, among others.

System capabilities and functionality vary widely, and, usually, the more they cost, the more they do.

A basic configuration is simply an amplifier connected to speakers and volume controls in separate rooms. This setup is known as a single-zone, single- or multiple-source (depending on what the amp is hooked to), single-program system. Most wireless systems based on computers operate this way, although the amplifiers are usually incorporated in remote speaker systems.

More sophisticated hard-wired systems are referred to as multi-source, multi-zone, and they allow a person in any room equipped with a keypad and speakers to select programming by individual song title from a central server; a terrestrial, cable, or satellite audio channel; or even from multiple iPods. Speaker quality varies widely and will probably affect the overall sound more than any other element.

The more complex hard-wired systems get, the more wire and types of wire are needed. Some systems work fine hung on a standard Cat-5/coaxial structured-wiring network, but most need wires (usually 18-gauge copper) for speakers. Add to that coax for radio antennae—sometimes up to four runs, one each for cable and satellite TV (some folks like to play the music channels found on cable and satellite TV systems) and for AM/FM/HD and satellite radio. The systems can be complicated, although nearly all are simple to operate.

Whatever the system level, a mistake many builders make is to leave the sale of home-audio upgrades to real estate people, who rarely have a clue when it comes to technology. But others are more savvy. Transeastern, for one, stations representatives from its low-voltage contractor, ASI in Tampa, Fla., in its design center to handle sales.

Michael Hattem, president of Brentwood Communications, works mostly on his own when selling home-audio systems but sometimes teams with builders. "The [builder] starts it, and then he'll call me in for the close," says Hattem, whose Los Angeles-based custom AV design and installation firm has been in business for 35 years.

Most builders, he's found, undersell. "They leave money on the table," he says. "The contractor has to be educated."

Hattem's comments are echoed by Paul Self, director of marketing for AudioVisions, a systems integration firm based in Lake Forest, Calif. "Most builders want minimal issues. [But] consumers are demanding electronics because they expect to have music, TV, networks, security, and energy management," says Self, acknowledging the complexity such expectations can entail for the builder. Still, he says, builders can't afford not to embrace consumers' technology demands: "Buying a new home without these things is like buying a home without indoor plumbing."

--BUILDING PRODUCTS

This story originally appeared in Digital Home magazine. Julie Y. Weber contributed to this report.

Xantech. The BXAUDIO4X4 audio distribution system's point-and-shoot technology eliminates computer programming, while the installation of source components is checked with its Intelligent Power Management. This easy-to-install system is equipped with four source inputs and four zones of built-in amplification and allows up to eight zones of control. It is packaged with a controller/amplifier, four remote control units, four keypads, and IR emitters.

Colorado vNet. The Vibe audio system converts audio and metadata to digital IP for system-wide distribution over Cat-5e cabling. This distributed audio system features a flush-mounted 7-inch active-wide screen touchscreen amplifier that displays metadata information and supplies 70 watts of power. Capable of storing up to 1,250 CDs, the audio server delivers six independent audio streams and hosts up to 10 AM/FM tuner blades for additional streams.

Crestron. The Adagio Entertainment integrated system features a built-in amplifier, multi-room processor, six tuners including XM and Sirius satellite radio, 10 line-level inputs, and two-series Ethernet connectivity. Featuring room and group select buttons, and dual rotary encoders, and expandable for up to 24-room audio distribution, this whole-house audio system offers plug-and-play support for the Adagio Audio Server and iPod interface.

Bose. Designed to distribute sound through one central system, the Bose Lifestyle Built-Invisible's ADAPTiQ audio-calibration system adjusts sound quality by analyzing a room's acoustics, speaker location, and furniture placement. The home theater and music system is available with one- or 14-room audio distribution. Additional options include a media center that digitally stores hundreds of CDs and remote control access from anywhere in the home.

Niles Audio Corp. Featuring wall-mountable keypads with or without LCD display, a color touchscreen, and a choice of four system controls including a two-way wireless remote, the IntelliControl Integrated Control Solutions (ICS) GXR2 modular multi-zone receiver allows for six-zone, six-source plug-and-play configurations that are expandable to up to 30 zones. The whole-house audio distributor can be integrated with lighting, HVAC, and security sub systems.

Netstreams. With the ability to distribute audio and control signals over an IP-based network, the DigiLinX synchronizes sound to multiple rooms and is accessible through IP-based touchscreen keypads, PDAs, Web tablets, and PCs. Scalable and expandable, the multi-room system enables virtually unlimited sources and zones. Features include plug-and-play configurations, a 4-inch color touchscreen keypad with integrated Web server, a four-port Ethernet switch, and an audio converter.

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