Whole House Audio
Encyclopedia
Whole House Audio systems are ones which allow for playback and often control of music throughout an entire home or building. There are numerous commercial systems that can be purchased, or a system can be custom built or homemade.
Whole house audio systems fall into several categories:
and a desired audio source. Care must be taken not to overload the amplifier by keeping the total speaker impedance
above the amplifier's rated minimum impedance. This can be done by wiring the speakers in series as opposed to parallel (though if the impedance is too high, power transfer will be very inefficient); by using impedance-matching transformer
s; or by using constant-voltage transformers (often, 70 volts). These systems are commonly employed in retail scenarios and large buildings such as churches where large, open areas would benefit from additional speakers.
cable to amplifiers installed in each zone. Others have all equipment centralized and distribute speaker-level audio from the "headend" equipment location. Manufacturers of such equipment include NuVo and Zon.
Whole house audio systems fall into several categories:
- single source, single zone;
- single source, multiple zone;
- multiple source, multiple zone.
Single Source, Single Zone
These systems distribute the same audio source everywhere—individual rooms must listen to the same audio source. This is the most simple type of system that can be installed. If designed properly, no special equipment is required other than one amplifierAmplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
and a desired audio source. Care must be taken not to overload the amplifier by keeping the total speaker impedance
Electrical impedance
Electrical impedance, or simply impedance, is the measure of the opposition that an electrical circuit presents to the passage of a current when a voltage is applied. In quantitative terms, it is the complex ratio of the voltage to the current in an alternating current circuit...
above the amplifier's rated minimum impedance. This can be done by wiring the speakers in series as opposed to parallel (though if the impedance is too high, power transfer will be very inefficient); by using impedance-matching transformer
Transformer
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...
s; or by using constant-voltage transformers (often, 70 volts). These systems are commonly employed in retail scenarios and large buildings such as churches where large, open areas would benefit from additional speakers.
Single Source, Multiple Zone
Separate volume controls are usually installed in each room or zone to compensate for differences in apparent volume due to room size and shape. Here especially, impedance-matching volume controls can be used to protect the amplifier from overload. This system design is otherwise the same as a single source, single zone in that all zones must listen to the same audio source, though volume control is independent in each room (and audio can be turned off in rooms, as desired).Multiple source, Multiple Zone
These systems are the most advanced and flexible ones, and the most expensive. Different zones can select (and often control) different audio sources independently of other rooms. In contrast to the systems described above, this kind requires multiple amplifiers (at least one per source, but usually one per zone). This kind of system could be assembled from separate components (e.g. a splitter-router-matrix mixer, a processor, amplifiers and control panels), though knowledge of professional audio equipment and automation systems would be required. More commonly, commercial systems are employed to accomplish these tasks. Some systems distribute digital audio over Cat5Cat5
Cat5 may refer to:*Category 5 hurricane, used in the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale*Category 5 cable, unshielded twisted pair type cable*Port McNeill Airport, the ICAO airport code...
cable to amplifiers installed in each zone. Others have all equipment centralized and distribute speaker-level audio from the "headend" equipment location. Manufacturers of such equipment include NuVo and Zon.