Audio equipment as a design element of the interior

This week we decided to analyze the most frequently asked questions and myths from the sphere of audio equipments. For a starting point we decided to use the most interesting moments about which the listeners of audio programme «Sound» written in reviews and the stories of their own audio systems.

Today we will talk about what the modern equipment from the point of view of interior design for home and beyond.

Example  installation of Bang and Olufsen – Beovision

A tangle of wires and bulky cabinets with home audio systems— what to do with that?

Acoustic systems of Hi-Fi class are not luxury items anymore, they has become an indispensable attribute of a modern home. As it is a full-fledged element of interior design, acoustics can become a harmonious continuation  of design or it can entirely destroy its perception.

It is better to take care of this during the early stage of audio equipments installation. There are specially trained people for that, who can give a recommendation for the installation of equipment using the information about the size, the shape of the room, the  materials and  the interior.

One of the most common problems that our clients have is the wires. The showcases in most of the shops do not show all the technical nuances that may occur with the direct use of the audio equipments.

A buyer sees a beautiful photo and just forgets about such nuances as cable management. Of course, on the market of Hi-Fi and Hi-End equipment there are wireless systems, but they also work using the net so it’s impossible to get rid of all the wires.

There are many solutions to this problem. For example, there is specialized furnitures that provides convenient location for “hardware,” and a possibility of hiding the hidden cables in the walls of furniture. In this case the manufacturer of such furniture takes into account all nuances, up to a possible heating of the equipment.

In most situations this approach helps to reduce the time for preparatory work, not to ruin the walls, and most importantly to place the audio system so that it would not only have a good sound but it would also have a nice look.

Today it is not popular to put bulky equipment for show off, although it was popular in the 80s. People think primarily about ergonomics and space efficiency. It is possible to order something and build it into the interior, but in some situations it is necessary to consult with a specialist.

If we continue the theme of convenience, we would like to consider a huge number of existing solutions that provides system control with the use of smartphones and tablets. In Audiomania we use a system called Bitvise which solves the necessary tasks and does not give any discomfort during the settings.

These systems provide sufficient flexibility in order to adapt the control elements for your own design. The system works using Wi-Fi, and we can turn the music on anywhere in the house.

So it is possible to work with the whole home cinema system, but if there is no desire to buy specialized furniture, you can move all equipment to another room. Such a room can be quite compact, the only nuance which is needed is a sufficient ventilation.

I have my own restaurant, but the old acoustics from home looks strange. What am I doing wrong?

Unfortunately, the owners of bars, restaurants and cafes generally don’t pay enough attention to the acoustics of an area. There is a myth about expensive professional equipment, so people often buy an amateur or a car audio equipment and use it for other purposes. As a result, it quickly fails, because even if they seem to serve for the same purpose, the effect of a sound system which is designed for the car cannot give the same effect to a restaurant. 

“People are trying to invent a bicycle. Perhaps they are guided by the fact that the professional audio equipments will cost more, the word “professional” always scares them. Unlike what’s known professional audio equipments which are designed for voice acting, for background music are cheap.

Thus it is necessary to think about the conditions of the environment in which the system will be used. For outdoors waterproof and frost-resistant acoustic systems are needed. Here it is necessary to take the class of protection from moisture into account. It’s one thing if we are talking about the open veranda of the restaurant, and it’s another thing if we talk about the sauna on a completely different level of humidity.

“There are very interesting and beautiful landscape solutions. You should read carefully if they should be used for internal or external use. If the speaker looks like a beautiful stone, it does not mean that it can be placed on the road. It is necessary to look what class of protection from moisture it is.

If it is assumed that the speaker will be put in the lowlands, then the equipment must be of the appropriate class or it is necessary to refocus and put the speaker to another place. Fundamentally nothing will change, plus or minus 1,5 m — it is not very important, and the system will make you and your guests happy for a longer time,” – shares  the user his experience.

/ Speakers Visaton FRS 10 WP/8 are manufactured in a plastic shell with integrated protective grid which gives them a nice appearance and a good moisture resistance

Design and installation of professional audio systems require appropriate knowledge and experience. So if you are worried about the comfort and the image of your institution, you should contact a special firm.

Home system won’t suit in this case. For background sound and also for voice announcements sometimes the so-called “translational” audio equipments usually used. It is called sometimes as «100-volt». There is a well established term for it abroad – “public address”.

Such systems allow to transmit sound for distances up to several hundred meters. It is necessary to stretch a separate cable to each speaker when you use traditional Hi-Fi systems, but when you use “public address” systems it is not required. You can simultaneously connect as many speakers as you like.

Special multi-media players, microphones and such sources can be used as the sound sources. Mixer-amplifier, where acoustic systems are connected to, increases its signal and, if it is necessary, distributes it.

You can have a separate street veranda with your own music or VIP-hall where the notifications will not sound. When you choose an amplifier, it is recommended to consider a little extra capacity to make it work not at the limit.