Convincing Audiophiles that Distributed Audio Systems Are Worth It

July 30, 2024 - Vinyl enthusiasts, record collectors, CD die-hards; these folks have a special connection with their music library. These physical formats create tangible moments, from thumbing through records on a shelf to positioning the arm and dropping the needle.

There’s a ritual that comes with listening to vinyl.

It’s important to understand these rituals and tap into those connections when speaking with homeowners and designing their distributed audio systems.

These touch points that go along with listening to records impart a seriousness to the experience. This can lead to more intentional listening and greater enjoyment of the music. It stimulates us. It enhances the music, the experience, and the overall lifestyle (as a smart home should).

So, when a homeowner casually mentions their turntable or record collection (or CD, cassette deck, etc.), an opportunity knocks. An opportunity to bring their prized collection out of the den or living room and experience it throughout the home.

This is a great time to address some questions.

Audio Quality over IP

Not every record collector is an audiophile. Some just enjoy the nostalgia or the style that a turntable adds to a space.

But for those who can't get enough subtle harmonic overtones in an ’80s synth track or the air and sibilance at the 8kHz frequency range of a vocal track, they may need reassurance that a distributed audio system can handle their favorite Steely Dan record.

There’s no use arguing with them here; a premium turntable with a solid diamond stylus and set of high-end 40” three-way tower speakers is the purest way to listen to vinyl. But it does limit you to listening in a single room. And it’s not always ideal when considering space savings or interior design.

That’s why it’s important to highlight what really matters to pristine audio reproduction.

There’s a common saying among audio recording and mixing engineers, “garbage in, garbage out.”

Just like the premium, diamond stylus and three-way speaker system, audio quality comes down to individual components and proper tuning. It starts with the quality of the record (has the vinyl been properly cared for?). It ends with the materials and layout of the room (reflective surfaces, radial coverage, etc.). But the gear in between can truly make your vinyl collection sing or fall flat.

So, when pitching a distributed audio system to an audiophile, we need to highlight how far these systems have come.

For instance, a whole-home audio system from Crestron is built on the backbone of a technology that’s been trusted in government agencies, universities, and even to transmit signals from Mars — over 140 million miles away — during the rover landing. That technology has made its way into our audio systems through DM NAX® amplifiers.

But what truly makes these amps great is the attention to audio clarity. Starting with the signal-to-noise ratio. We use passive cooling whenever possible to ensure there are no internal fans spinning, moving air, or creating mechanical/kinetic noise. This helps reduce ambient noise conditions in the room. After all, a quiet room allows even more audio details to be heard, helping to maintain a pristine listening environment.

Then there’s distortion (or lack thereof). These amps come within .001% of some of the leading premium turntable amplifiers on the market (and at a fraction of the cost!). The result is a clean-in and clean-out signal path that doesn’t add any additional color or character to the vinyl sound audiophiles are after.

Add to that the ADC bit depth, which converts analog audio to digital at 24-bit / 48 kHz. This is high-quality stuff. Audio at this resolution contains far more detail than the human ear can perceive.

From a technical standpoint, the audio quality in a Crestron distributed audio system is top-notch. If it’s good enough for Mars missions, why not a premium turntable?

But What About Speakers?

The size, materials, and design of a speaker all contribute to the audio quality.

Tower speakers are often praised because they are bigger (allowing greater sound reproduction). They feature multiple speakers in a box which typically uses cross-over to separate high frequencies from the mids from the lows. The speakers are individually tuned to handle those different frequencies. They’re also tuned to accurately reflect off the MDF the box is made from. This gives clarity to the audio.

In a distributed audio system, the room is the box. Instead of three speakers (one for highs, lows, and bass), there are many speakers throughout the home, each tuned using professional DSP to separate frequencies and deliver them for optimized listening.

Professional speaker companies have speaker design down to a science. Crestron partners with the legendary Origin Acoustics, a company with nearly five decades of acoustic engineering experience.

By combining these purpose-built home audio speakers with a Crestron audio system, high-quality vinyl listening can break out of the box of tower speakers and into the space around us.

Digital vs. Analog

When sending analog audio over the IP network, the signal must be converted to a digital format. The question is sure to come up, “Won’t the digital compression destroy the audio quality?”

It is true, compressing audio into a digital format does mean that some of the original audio data get stripped away to create a more manageable digital signal.

But let’s remember what audio data we are losing. We’re talking about parts of the frequency spectrum that are outside the range a human ear can perceive (under 20 Hz and above 20kHz).

Additionally, analog audio can be more susceptible to signal interference, voltage peaks, and hum loops where high-quality digital equipment is immune to these artifacts.

Then there’s the massive benefit of DSP. Digital signal processing uses algorithms to digitally manipulate the sound waves. With tuning presets any single speaker or group of speakers can be professionally tuned within minutes.

Let’s not forget that tower speakers are still the standard. But there is no longer any reason to scoff at a whole-home distributed audio system.

And the convenience of listening to your records as you stroll through the house from the garage to the back patio is something even the most expensive tower speakers can’t deliver.

A Single Home Audio Solution

With audiophiles, it boils down to quality. And with quality, there’s plenty to be said for limiting the number of different components in an audio system. It’s also wise to stick with a single manufacturer. This gives homeowners peace of mind. The audio system is more likely to work reliably when it’s contained within a single brand’s ecosystem. It can just run as it was intended. No jury-rigs, no cheap dongles, no patchwork drivers. Just a solid end-to-end system from a single company.

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