Background
The clients for this project are music lovers and required audiophile grade sound quality across their residence. They wanted a dedicated media room which would also serve as a Home Theater for movie watching, and multiple zones to stream music to if there were to be a party or friends over. The challenge we faced was converting a conventional bedroom into an acoustically balanced listening space which would deliver the wow factors from high end audio solutions. This challenge is certainly not uncommon and we knew that proper acoustical planning would be able to curtail the challenges of reverberation and comb filtering in this layout.
Audio Video
Part of our design plan for the client would be providing them the option to listen to quality audio in any room in their residence. This meant we had to provide separate zones of audio for the Hall as well as the Balcony. We created additional audio zones for the Hall and Balcony to give the client the ability to play music while entertaining guests or just enjoying a relaxing evening at home. We also connected Apple TV 4th Generations in every room so that we could airplay music to any room in the house or even send music directly through the NAS.
Home Automation
With so much equipment in every room we had to install an easy way to control it all. In comes Control4, and gives the client an easy way to choose which device they want to listen to or watch in any room in the residence. Airplay, video streaming, lighting control all become a breeze with the MyHome app on their phone to control their residence. We created a movie watching scene for their media room and programmed the lights to dim to 20% over 5 seconds whenever the TV was put on.
Network and Media Streaming
Media streaming needed to be flawless with the high res music collection the client wanted to be able to stream. We stuck with one of the most reliable brands we know for solid network throughput, Engenius. We installed a Synology DS716+ 2-Bay NAS Server. With the integration of Apple TV’s in every room the client had to just choose which room they wanted to turn on with Control4 and what they wanted to watch or listen to in which room.
Final Verdict
The NHT speakers sounded amazing paired with the Audiocontrol Amplifier. The multi-zone audio and video performed flawlessly with the Synology NAS and Apple TV’s using the Plex solution. The client and his family has been able to store his entire collection of movies, TV shows and music in a digital format and enjoy them in any room in the residence. The Control4 automation solutions has also worked has also worked very well and has taken away the burden of having so many remotes in every room.
Products used
- Television: Samsung JS9000 4K 3D Curved LED Television
- AV Receiver: Audiocontrol AVR-6
- Universal Remote: Control4 SR-260
- Media Player: Apple TV 4th Generation
- Surround Speakers: NHT Absolute Wall Speakers Black Color On-Wall Speakers
- WiFi Access Points: Engenius ECB1750 Wireless AC Access Points
- Media Room Front Speakers: NHT Absolute Tower Floorstanding Speakers
- Hall Zone Speakers: NHT Absolute Wall Speakers White Color On-Wall Speakers
- Son’s Bedroom: Bose Lifestyle 35 5.1 Satellite Speaker Package with Receiver
- Media Room Center Speaker: NHT Absolute Center
- Automation Controller: Control4 HC-250
- Speaker Cable: Monoprice 16 AWG Speaker Wire
- HDMI Cables: Tributaries UHDP-010B
- Network Switch: Netgear GS316 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Switch
- Stereo Analog Cables: Tributaries 2A-015B
- Master Bedroom: Yamaha YAS-205 Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer
- Balcony Zone Speakers: NHT O2-ARC Speakers Outdoor Weatherproof Speakers
- Stereo Amplifier to Power Hall Speakers: AudioControl Rialto 600 2-Channel 200 Watt Per Channel RMS Power at 8 Ohms
