How Can You Bring Your Home Audio System Up To Speed?

 

Your amplifier is what drives your system, and if it’s an older model it most likely still has a CD player or you rely on an AUX cable, an input that iPhones infamously dropped in 2016. If you had your system installed 10 or more years ago, the likelihood is that it consists of sets of speakers (zones) wired to an amplifier via a speaker switch box, allowing you to manually select which zones are receiving the audio signal. Whilst this was (and still is) a reliable way of having audio in multiple rooms, technology has moved on.

Our customers want to control their home audio system from their handheld devices; selecting zones, setting volumes and streaming from apps like Spotify and Apple Music, and with the development of features like Airplay, wireless systems have become the norm.

 

BRINGING AN OLD SYSTEM UP TO SPEED

The good news is that there are ways to bring an old system up to speed without replacing it entirely. Amplifiers like The SONOS Amp (our best selling solution), HEOS Amp and Drive and the Bluesound Powernode 2 have provided a way for old systems to incorporate wireless streaming using home networks. These products are popular because of their user-friendliness, reliability and ability to be hidden away, and the Sonos Amp has become the market leader.

Through dedicated apps, these amplifiers can be controlled independently or synchronised with other zones to allow for a whole-house audio system. The SONOS, HEOS and Bluesound systems can also be extended without further installation through freestanding products like the SONOS ONE, HEOS 1 HS2 and Bluesound Pulse Flex.

If you are after a more direct way of connecting wirelessly to your sound system, Bluetooth Amplifiers and Speakers are also available. 

 

VOICE CONTROL

One of the biggest developments in the AV industry has been voice control, with the likes of Google’s ‘Home’ and Amazon’s Echo and Alexa becoming household names over the past few years. Many SONOS, HEOS, Bluesound and Lithe Audio products are capable of integrating with certain voice control systems, meaning you don’t even have to use your phone if you don’t want to.

As it is still an emerging feature of wireless audio systems and installed speakers, please get in touch to find out more about voice control compatibility for the products we sell.

SPEAKERS WITH BUILT-IN AMPLIFIERS

With the release of Lithe Audio’s active WiFi and Bluetooth ceiling speakers, installed wireless audio systems are possible without ever needing to purchase an amplifier. If you were thinking of updating your old ceiling speakers, you may consider these as options. The WiFi speakers, controlled through a dedicated app, can provide music in up to 30 zones whilst the Bluetooth version provides a more direct solution for single zones, as well as being compatible with certain voice control systems.

As a side note, Lithe has just released a really interesting infographic on the history of home audio which is well worth checking out here. 

NEW SPEAKER TECHNOLOGY

If you bought your installed speakers more than 10 years ago, you may also consider updating your speaker model. Updated models like the Monitor Audio C165 now have magnetic trim-less grilles, making the speaker even more invisible. They also incorporate newer driver and tweeter technologies, allowing for improved bass response and sound dispersion.

The release of ultra-slim models like the KEF Ci160TR allows for installation in places that could not previously accept speakers, whilst, as mentioned previously, WiFi and Bluetooth speakers allow for installation where speaker cable previously could not reach.