It’s All About Enjoying the Holidays
Treat yourself and your family with great holiday gifts this year. A new audio system or simple speaker upgrade makes a great holiday gift. There are audio speaker solutions available for every budget.
Today there are many new choices for sound systems in the home or office, large or small. Let’s examine several solutions that can raise the bar for music and audio enjoyment with friends and during family events.
Playing music in the home during the holidays brings additional enjoyment to any gathering. Since some of you may be considering this type of equipment purchase as a gift, let’s talk more about what these products look like today. With so many makes and models available, it can be overwhelming when trying to make an informed purchasing decision. On a basic level, you chose a type, size, a color and one of several brands.
There are several types of speakers available. “In-wall,” “Inceiling,” and “Wireless” are three speaker options for consumers.
The first type we will consider are called “In-wall” speakers. These are among the least invasive and are perfect for blending in with room décor. They are flush mounted, out-of-sight, inside the wall. The speaker grills that fit over the front are very thin and barely noticed from a side view. They can be painted any color (or textured) for an exact match with room décor making them nearly invisible.
“In-ceiling” speakers are similar to the in-wall speakers. They are also flush mounted, but installed in the ceiling rather than in the wall. Once again, the in-ceiling speakers grills can be painted or textured so that they blend exactly with room décor.
Next we have “Wireless” speaker technology. This type of audio system uses your home or office wireless broadband connection to broadcast music, sports, news and weather from such sources as iTunes, Pandora, Rhapsody, SIRIUS Radio or Napster, which have become so popular over the past several years. Unless you have some skill or background with home or office networking, this type of installation is best left to a trained professional.
It’s possible for the do-it-yourselfer to install speakers, but for an exact match with existing equipment or a high quality upgrade, it’s best to get the advise of a credentialed audio expert. You may want to consider a gift certificate for installation in order to assure the best possible match. Professional audio consultants offer advice and present possible options.
While the big box stores provide a few brand names, workers are not always trained or highly skilled. Audio and video professionals provide a much higher level of service and have credentialing from organizations such as the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA).
Better quality speakers can take your music to the next level of enjoyment with family and friends. They can help make all of your holiday celebrations joyful and merrier!
Dave High is a LEED Green Associate with Karbon Consulting in Pleasant Hill. dave@hellokarbon.com.
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