A Checklist for Your New Home Audio System
Having a home audio system offers excellent sound quality throughout your home so you don't have to rely on sub-par cell phone speakers to listen to your favorite playlist or podcast. Planning how to wire and connect part or all of your home for audio can be overwhelming or, if you don't have a plan, it can lead to a lot of wasted time and money. To help you out, we're sharing a home audio system checklist to get you started.
Determine Where You Want Audio
The first step (and often the hardest) is knowing which rooms in the house you want to be connected to the system. and remember that each area you include will require speakers. Consider the following areas for your home audio system:
- Living room/Family room
- Dining room
- Home office
- Kitchen
- Main bedroom
- Guest/kids' bedrooms
- Basement/Workshop
- Garage
- Patio or porch
As you decide on which rooms you want to wire into an audio network, consider how each space may require different types of speakers to get the best audio quality. For example, a large living room with a cathedral ceiling will have much different acoustics than an average-sized bedroom.
What Devices Will Be Connected?
In addition to the areas you want to be connected to your home audio system, you'll also need to determine how many sources of audio you'll need to connect. For example, do you want your home to only support a single source at once to play through the whole home, or do you want to stream separate things at the same time. A multi-source system allows different rooms to play different sources, but it can make the wiring more complex and thus, more expensive. If you're doing a multi-source arrangement, remember to include audio devices such as cell phones, video game consoles, satellite radio, and your television.
Should You Choose Wireless or Wired Audio?
Today's whole-home audio systems can be wireless or wired. Wireless speakers are attractive and convenient with few to no wires, cables, or cords to worry about. On the other hand, wired speakers offer excellent sound quality, and you never have to worry about a wi-fi outage affecting your audio.
If cords and wires are your main concern, but you don't want to lose audio quality, you can choose in-wall and in-ceiling options that are nearly invisible to casual inspection.
What Kind of Speakers Do You Want?
Finally, consider how you want the speakers to fit into your home's design. We mentioned above that integrating speakers into your walls and ceiling make them unnoticeable while providing excellent audio. You can also choose floor and bookshelf options that are more portable and easy to move if you decide to rearrange the area.
If you plan on including outdoor spaces in your home audio, be sure to consider outdoor-specific speakers, and for superior bass quality, add subwoofers.
Get a Free Quote for Home Audio System Installation in Durham
If you're ready to upgrade your sound and carry your music through your home, we can help you do it. Our licensed electricians can help you nail down the specifics of how your system is designed, run wiring for in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, and help you get the best quality possible. Call us at (919) 382-0832 or fill out the form below to get a free quote on audio system installation in Durham.
