The Sound of Music !!
The mind set of most people, from the installers to the home owners, is to put flush mount speakers in the ceiling as they are out of the way. If they use the slim fitting magnetic grill speakers then even better as they blend well into the ceiling. Here we are all looking to make our houses as green and air tight as possible but here we are cutting holes in the ceiling to install flush mount speakers. Once they are mounted in the ceiling they are there to stay. It doesn’t make sense. I’m not sure if the sound experience is at the top of their minds though. That true sound experience is when the speakers are in front of you and the sound is coming at ear level to you when you are seated.
Now the majority of current multi zone audio system installations use a fixed cable to each speaker. This requires these cables to be installed at the pre-wire stage of a new build. If the cabling gets missed out, or it gets damaged, or if there are any changes down the track, then you may have issues re-running the cables.
Technology has advanced a long way since audio systems were first developed. The only fixed cabling we need now days is for the power. One recognised brand in the market that is leading the way with its innovative solutions is Pioneer. For example their new VSX-932 is the first 7.2ch AV receiver to come out supporting Dolby Atmos for 5.2.2ch/Dolby Surround. It also supports FireConnectTM, has Chromecast built-in, and DTS Play-Fi lets you stream music anywhere in the house. Limitless songs on internet radio and the network streaming services are just a few taps away with the Pioneer remote APP.
Now what is FireConnectTM? It is a wireless multi-room technology that is gathering other brands onto its third party technology. Pioneer has introduced the MRX-3 wireless speakers with FireConnectTM built in. You can have just one speaker, or a group of speakers in other rooms all connected to the AV receiver. The MRX-3 speaker also has Chromecast built-in, so you can also stream your own music, radio, or podcasts to the speaker in your room. Music selection, speaker grouping, and playback management across the home are built into the Pioneer Remote APP for iOS and Android.
The best thing about the MRX-3 speakers is that they are standalone. No need to cut speakers into ceilings. Put it in the most convenient place in the room and power it up. If you change your room around you can move it. For the purists who like a wired connection to their network they do have a LAN port on the back for this purpose. Another feature is the Stereo Mode technology by FireConnectTM. With stereo mode, two MRX-3 speakers can be combined to be used as the front left and right speakers.
In summary most people just want good quality audio sound resonating within their home. Technology has advanced wireless standalone speakers to such a level that the audio quality is far superior to many wired speakers on the market.