As we’ve mentioned before, there’s a lot of information to sift through when it comes to home audio. We’ve taken some of the most common questions we’ve heard from homeowners who are interested in exploring their distributed audio options and put them to our in-house expert, Crestron’s Director of Product Management Audio Solutions, Ekin Binal.
What should I look for in a streaming amp — and what’s the actual definition of this thing?
Streaming amps are different than generic amps because they have streaming or network sourced audio built right into them. You can stream music from the internet, from sources like Pandora, Spotify, and so on, and play them out directly through the amplifier without any additional audio equipment.
What about preamps?
The only difference between a streaming amp and preamp is that the preamp doesn’t have an amplifier built-in — meaning you need to connect the output of the pre-amp into an amplifier or a set of powered speakers.
What are the primary differences in streaming services?
Audio streaming services come in all sorts of flavors. Pandora is great because it’s a set-it-and-forget-it type of interface; you do have the option to “steer it” by liking or disliking songs, which customizes your playlist. I’m a fan of SiriusXM, too — like Pandora you have an endless playlist, but there is the added benefit of a DJ chiming in here and there with added color. Furthermore, there are dozens of shows that focus on a variety of subjects: news, arts, culture, you name it — and if you are used to SXM in your car this is a great way to bridge it into your Crestron Home system.
AirPlay is an excellent way to stream Apple Music via your DM NAX system, and AirPlay leverages the apps on your phone so you can play back the audio on your phone anywhere in your home. (Additionally, DM NAX features AirPlay 2, so now you can take advantage of multiroom audio right through Apple’s AirPlay interface). Spotify Connect similarly leverages your mobile device’s Spotify App to play back audio in any Spotify Connect-enabled zone — the difference here is that Spotify Connect moves the actual streaming from your mobile device to the DM NAX streaming amplifier. Crestron’s also working on adding a number of additional streaming services, including Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, Qobuz – the difference with these is that they are focused on very high-quality, lossless audio.
How much power do I need? Is there a formula for power-per-speaker?
Speaker specifications define the amount of power that they can handle. Ideally, you want to provide 10-20% overhead above that rating. That means, for instance, if a speaker says it can handle 100 watts of power, you want to make sure your amplifier can easily drive up to 110-120W. In the case of Crestron’s DM-NAX-8ZSA streaming amp we can drive up to 150W per channel so we can provide more than enough power to each speaker. (You will want to ensure that your default max levels are properly configured to ensure that the speaker is not overdriven, causing damage.)
How many speakers do I need in a distributed audio system? Is there a formula for a room’s size? What about a media room setup?
Number of speakers? If you ask me, I would say as many as possible! Kidding aside, we need to take into consideration the aesthetics of the environment and practicality of peppering a ceiling or wall with loudspeakers.
It may seem counterintuitive, but the more speakers you have, the lower you can keep the volume because the space is blanketed by audio more uniformly. My rule of thumb is that in a large open space — such as a kitchen — you want to target no more than six feet from one speaker to the next for an optimally performing distributed audio configuration.
For media rooms — especially ones where movies are the primary content — we recommend a 5.1 configuration at a minimum. That’s three speakers in the front, serving as the left, center (or “dialogue”), and right channels, and then two surround speakers, the “4 and 5” in this mix). Then the “.1” would be the subwoofer that can be placed in a discreet location. The Crestron Ultimate LCR speakers are a perfect fit for the three speakers up front because they’re designed to flank a TV on the left, right, and below the screen. The Ultimate In-Ceiling speakers (see an example here) above the seating position in that room would be great fits for surround speakers — ideally you want these surround channels slightly above the listening position so they can create the optimal ambient immersive audio. And finally, our new Ultimate IWS82 subwoofer is a great option for these types of media rooms because they discreetly fit into any environment and provide rumbling lows for the most dynamic and exciting movie scenes.
What's the true difference between "two-channel" audio and surround sound?
Two-channel audio almost always implies left and right, stereo audio — this is music in its most distilled form, with the intention of reproducing audio as our ears interpret the sound. Surround sound is immersive audio, generally paired up with an audiovisual experience. Surround sound does not necessarily require more than two speakers — for instance, there are soundbars that employ built-in algorithms to emulate surround sound by using psychoacoustic effects to trick your brain into thinking that audio is coming from behind or above you.
How important is a subwoofer when it comes to movie or TV audio? Do I need a sub for music?
A subwoofer provides the “oomph” that you feel when listening to audio. Subwoofers are focused on generating the low frequency portion of audio: the rumble of an engine, the explosive thrust of a bomb in a movie, or the bass of a heart-thumping song. It also helps supplement the speakers by divvying up the output, allowing each of the components to reproduce the audio that each is best geared for — in short, subs make everything more balanced. As for movies, there’s even a dedicated audio track for the subwoofer.
Do I need more than one sub?
That depends on the room size and desired output. Where applicable it can be great to have two or even more subwoofers. The most recent Dolby Atmos specifications supports up to four subwoofers in a media room application — this allows for a very balanced distribution of the low-end frequency.
What if I wanted to someday add channels to my media setup — how can I prep for later expansion?
In the grand scheme of things, speaker wire is one of the least expensive components of a media setup. So it makes sense to pre-wire for the maximum configuration a room can support while you have the flexibility — especially if the walls are open and it’s just a matter of laying out cable without any drywall to cut.
For instance, I had prewired my media room for a Dolby Atmos configuration even though I only started with a 5.1 setup. Over time I’ve been adding height channels (immersive, overhead audio) and it’s been relatively painless because the wire was pre-run — I just needed to mount the speakers, connect the additional channels to the amplifier, and configure accordingly. It makes sense to spend the extra time in advance when designing a room so that you’ll have the option to upgrade over time.
What’s better for distributed audio when it comes to music, in-wall or in-ceiling speakers?
It really depends on the room and listening positions. In the case of kitchens where wall space is very limited, in-ceiling is the best option, likewise for bathrooms and hallways. However, if the space is a dining nook, study, or location where the occupants are in a relatively fixed position, in-wall speakers are terrific. It’s important to look at the use case and desired output, and then customize the implementation accordingly — luckily our in-walls and in-ceilings all share the same great components so you can be sure to get an excellent experience in either case.
If speakers are installed in the ceilings or walls of a condo or apartment, will the audio bug the neighbors? How do I prevent that?
This is a valid concern. In some newer multiple-dwelling-unit (MDU) construction we have seen that there is not adequate insulation between apartments. To prevent audio leaking between adjacent floors or walls we have released a selection of back boxes — these limit the amount of audio that travels into the open space behind the speaker whether it’s in the ceiling or the wall. This is applicable not only in MDUs but also in homes where you may have speakers in the kitchen that are below the bedrooms — the back boxes greatly reduce the amount of audio leaked into the adjacent spaces.
You’ve mentioned the Ultimate speakers quite a bit, and there are “Reference” speakers available, too — what’s special about these particular speakers and subs?
We partnered with a speaker company called Origin Acoustics, which gave us the opportunity to leverage their decades of experience in audio and acoustic design with the high-end perspective that Crestron brings to the table.
The Reference line brings a whole new level of quality to the baseline speakers we offer. We didn’t cut any corners on the design of our lower cost options, and since we are pairing these speakers with our DSP (digital signal processing) amplifiers we were able to put all our thought into the best available speaker components.
For the Ultimate lineup we were like kids in a candy store: This product allowed us to deliver a higher end solution that neither Crestron nor Origin alone could produce — it’s truly one of those 1+1=3 scenarios. To top it all off we took advantage of Origin’s great array of accessories and installer-friendly features — for instance, all of our in-ceiling models share the same exact cutout size with the same bayonet ring installation experience as Origin models, allowing our installers to lock the speaker into its final position with no tools. (EDITOR’s NOTE: Origin Acoustics invented the “no-tools” system Binal describes that clamps onto drywall internally, allowing speakers to be placed anywhere on a wall or ceiling with incredible speed.)
How do you mitigate the manner in which audio bounces around on hard surfaces in contemporary spaces?
This concept of reflective spaces is a key concern, not only in homes but also in the countless number of commercial conference rooms that Crestron supports every day. The first rule of thumb is to provide as much absorption as possible. These unwanted reflections can lead to distorted audio and the optimum way to counter this is to limit reflections — and the best way to do that is to absorb as much of that first reflection, the initial reverberation, as possible. Diffusion is another option; using surfaces to capture and break up the audio waves. Finally, DSP is always available to tweak the audio output to optimize for a given environment.
I have other media — CDs, vinyl, files on a computer. How can I integrate those sources into this system?
Luckily, all Crestron DM NAX amplifiers and preamplifiers still support the tried-and-true legacy audio connections. From RCA line-outs to digital outputs, all of these can be connected directly to our products for playback in any and all rooms. For files stored on a computer there are a few easy ways to get going. One is via AirPlay: Since iTunes has AirPlay built right in so you can see all the zones in your DM NAX install and send the audio right to them.
Another great option is to use a solution like Roon. Roon provides a great music server that allows you to call up all your personal music files on the network and to any AirPlay, Sonos, or Roon compatible end point. Crestron’s DM NAX is currently compatible with Roon through our built-in AirPlay support and we are working with Roon for an even more native integration to ensure you can play back your high-resolution audio to its full capability.
How important is calibrating a system?
Calibration is critical because you can't just slap the equipment in the room — the proper experience needs to be a custom installation. It’s no different than getting a tailor to ensure your clothing is a perfect fit. Everybody's got a different ear — they have a preference on whether they want a little bit more high frequency in a signal or more low-end response. If you couple that with all that we’ve discussed, that’s why it’s so important to have an integrator who really knows his or her stuff to install and then adjust the gear accordingly.