Creating a perfect sound system for a home or office can seem like significant task for audiophiles at any level of expertise. Experts enjoy the challenge of assembling a system from scratch and balancing its many components, while beginners can be bewildered by the range and type of audio equipment available. The following overview of some of the most popular new high-tech sound equipment can help both advanced users and new initiates understand what options are available.

• Bluetooth speakers: Connecting your sound system to your speakers has long involved a sometimes complex and messy array of wires. Bluetooth speakers give you the option of wireless connections that eliminate the need for wires while still providing excellent sound. Lower-quality speakers may sacrifice some sound quality for the convenience of wireless operation, but higher-quality, higher-priced models will deliver sound that is equivalent to a high-end wired speaker system.
• AirPlay Speakers: AirPlay-enabled speakers offer another wireless option for home sound systems. These speakers use your home Wi-Fi network to stream music and video to Apple devices without a loss of quality. An AirPlay setup provides generally higher quality sound than Bluetooth, but tends to interfere with network performance if being used at the same time as other network tasks.
• Soundbars: Soundbars provide a modern shape for speaker systems, usually a long, narrow, bar-shaped speaker set up. They contain several drivers and an amplifier that makes them excellent as upgrades to TV speakers or as stand-along speakers for a typical sound system. Since soundbars are smaller than many other speaker types, they can be used in situations in which larger speakers may be impractical.
• Passive speakers: These are the standard wired speakers that are common in many sound systems. They require a receiver to generate the power that provides the sound, but they can achieve excellent quality for a reasonable price.

Beginner or expert, Audio Video Design can help you choose the right sound system and equipment for your home or office. Contact us today for more information on the audio technology and components that will make your sound system work best for you.

The holidays will arrive in no time at all, and we’ll be entertaining family and friends. Is your home ready? We love the festive spirit of the season here at AVD, and recommend two ways to prepare your home and welcome guests: set the mood with music and lighting.

The Sounds of Music

Music is a must for any kind of entertaining, and especially so at the holidays. With multiple streaming music services and many state-of-the-art products available, any and all musical tastes are easily shared with family and friends. There are so many services and platforms on which to curate playlists or simply listen to your holiday favorites. We like TuneIn for local radio broadcast stations via the Internet. We also like the iHeart Radio app. Perennial favorite Pandora was one of the early streaming music providers, which uses a complex algorithm to mix your favorite songs- essentially being your personal DJ. We enjoy Slacker Radio for a similar experience – all free but you can upgrade to more robust paid versions. Of course we’re fans of subscription-based Spotify and Tidal that give users access to millions of songs on-demand via their digital services, along with curated playlists.

What we like about Tidal is the option of a high-resolution audio subscription that works well with our compatible high definition audio products. These will bring you Destiny’s Child singing “Apple Pie A La Mode,” Gene Autry singing “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” the Trans-Siberian Orchestra playing “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo,” or Adam Sandler’s “The Hanukkah Song” in a clarity not experienced previously. Most any song can be added to your streaming playlist, all you need to use is your imagination.

We know these services and platforms can be confusing, which is why our expert design team can guide you through the myriad of choices. We will make recommendations based on your objectives and balanced against your budget. All platforms and services work with many products, but we have our favorites, and give priority to best-in-class products that offer ease-of-use and excellent performance. And, like high definition video products (think 4K televisions), music technology keeps pushing the envelope for the best sound possible.