Background
The key to this setup was providing clear and dynamic audio in individual rooms across the residence where our client could stream Airplay and Bluetooth music from their phone or tablet. Whether it be a workout playlist or dinner with friends, all options needed to be user friendly and quickly accessible. The Guest Bedroom was a workout area as well and a requirement for good low frequency response for their workout mix was a must. The Living Room would be a combination surround sound system for movie watching and entertainment zone for party music with guests. Last, but certainly not least, a dinner mix needed to be provisioned for when enjoying relaxing dinners at home or a secondary zone of audio when guests are over.
Audio Video
In the Living Room the goal was to accomplish a wireless music streaming solutions with good bass and great clarity without largely sized or even a large number of speakers. Based on the layout of the room and the acoustics of the room the best choice we felt would be a soundbar with a wireless subwoofer. Since the Guest Bedroom would largely be used as a workout space we knew speakers which would deliver a well-balanced mixed of mids, highs and low frequencies was really important. We did not want to take away from the aesthetics of the well decorated room. The end goal was to provide clear audiophile grade music which can be turned up and worked out to when required. For the Guest Room we wanted our client to be able to easily pick up their phone and play their favorite songs using Airplay or Bluetooth music. We also wanted them to be able to stream internet radio to the NHT Super Zero 2.1 speakers we had setup.
Network and Media Streaming
Media streaming needed to be flawless with the high res music and movie collection the client wanted to be able to stream. We stuck with one of the most reliable brands we know for solid network throughput, D-Link. We used the TP Link AV500 Powerline adapters which was able to pass network connectivity directly through electrical outlets in the residence. One adapter was connected at the Living Room AV Unit where the Netgear Network Switch was connected, and another at the Dining Room AV unit. We were then able to connect the Apple TV through a wired ethernet connection and this provided us a much more stable solution for wirelessly streaming music.
The Final Verdict
The NHT speakers as always were extremely impressive and proved to be the favorite speakers of choice for our client’s music sessions. Airplay streaming of music through the Apple TV’s or Bluetooth proved to be incredibly user friendly and easy for our client to use. They could easily turn on or off independent zones in their residence and control volume from the airplay or Bluetooth stream sent from their phone or tablets. DNM amplifiers are a company we will definitely be working with in the future. They provided an extremely clear and powerful output despite their diminutive size and can be easily placed away in AV cabinets or other tight spaces. Airplay worked extremely well as a solution when wired. Our experience in this project serves as a lesson for us to ensure a cat6 is run to all AV locations for wired connections to Apple TV’s or other such devices for future installations.
Products used
- Amplifier: DNM AV 499
- Media Room Subwoofer: NHT Super 8 Subwoofer
- Speaker Cable: Monoprice 16 AWG Speaker Wire
- Stereo Analog Cables: Tributaries 4A-010B
- Digital to Analog Converter: FiiO D3 Digital to Analog Converter
- Multi-Zone Speakers: BIC America HT-8C In-Ceiling Speakers
- Guest Room Speakers: NHT Super Zero 2.1 Satellite/Bookshelf Speakers
- WiFi Access Point: D-Link DIR-816
- Media Player: Apple TV 3rd Generation
- HDMI Cables: Tributaries UHDP-010B
- Optical Cable: Tributaries 2AO-010B
- Media Room Subwoofer: NHT Super 8 Subwoofer
- Dining Room Speakers: BIC America MSR-PRO6 In-Ceiling Speakers
- Network Switch: Netgear GS108PE 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Switch
- Living Room Surround Sound: Yamaha YAS-203 Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer
