Planning a New Home Sound System? Here’s What You Need to Consider

Music is one of those things that can set the mood for many activities – or inactivity, as the case may be. Whether you use it to pump you up as you pump iron in your exercise room, fall asleep to Norah Jones in the bedroom, or have a rocking party playlist for entertaining, music is foundational.

If you’re looking at installing or upgrading your home sound system in Houston, you have many choices. It might be an almost bewildering task, as there has never been as much choice in audio systems as there is today. From powered and wireless speakers to traditional two-channel separate components to home theater audio, there is a vast array of equipment and options to consider.

What’s the best way to break it all down? Keep reading to see what you’ll want to consider.

SEE ALSO: How to Build the Ultimate Whole Home Audio System

Speakers

Most people tend to think about speakers first when it comes to home sound systems. They are one of the most critical factors for getting the sound quality you would like, but definitely not the only one. The choice of speakers, however, tends to influence much of what you need for other equipment in your installation.

The choice of speakers for home audio is vast. There are wireless speakers, bookshelf speakers, floor standing speakers, in-ceiling and in-wall speakers, and outdoor speakers. If you are putting together a whole-home system, or just thinking about audio in some of your main rooms, you might think all your speakers need to be the same. Sometimes you may want that, but you can have speakers from different manufacturers and designs depending on your needs in a given space.

You could, for example, have a media setup in a living area with hi-fi Bowers and Wilkins speakers. This system might serve multiple purposes for home theater, TV, and focused music listening. In other rooms, like the bedroom or exercise room, the sound system might be for relaxing or getting energized. You could have architectural (built-in to walls and ceilings) speakers in those rooms, and your Bowers and Wilkins speakers can also be part of a whole-house system in the living area. In your exercise room, you would enjoy the energizing deep bass of a set of Origin Acoustic in-wall speakers and a subwoofer, where you can hear and feel the sound but the speakers stay out of sight. In the bedroom, you might select Origin Acoustics in-ceiling speakers for background listening, with full-range sound but not requiring audio at high volumes.

Amplifiers, Sources, and Control

Most speakers, except for the powered and wireless varieties, need amplification to produce sound. If you are driving multiple sets of speakers, you need enough amplification to create the right volume and quality of sound you want in the room. For your listening room or media room setup in a living space, your Bowers and Wilkins speakers may need a powerful home theater processor or a preamp, and enough channels of amplification whether it’s for stereo or multichannel audio for movies and some music.

For built-in speakers in other rooms, you may need a distributed audio installation that can handle routing various music sources to all your areas. One choice we highly recommend is the Crestron Sonnex solution, an audio distribution system that can take multiple audio sources and feed them to speakers in up to 74 zones – enough for the largest properties.  The Sonnex system features high power audiophile-grade amplifiers to drive the most demanding speakers, delivering superb audio quality in any space. Audiophiles will be glad to know that it also handles the latest high-resolution music formats that will make an audible difference in your music.

The Sonnex system includes sophisticated control and customization options to tailor the sound to your space. A graphic equalizer can fine-tune the sound to your preferred listening profile. You can have volume, bass, treble, tone profiles and more accessible with a touch in the palm of your hand, as well as listening to virtually any audio source - from TV sound, your turntable, to streaming music services- over your speakers in any room.

If you’re looking for a better home sound system experience for your Houston property, Relative Home Systems can take you through all the options. Fill out our online contact form or give us a call to schedule a no-obligation consultation with our team. We’d love to work with you.