Whole House Audio extends a high fidelity listening experience to each room within the home and to any selected exterior area. With your system, all household members simultaneously enjoy their own selection of high quality music and Satellite Radio – anywhere, at any time.
At home, individual preferences reign. Through both structured-wiring and wireless options, individuals can program their preferences and then independently access to listen to programming and recordings rendered to their taste within any of the property's zones. There is even a system that remmembers your preferences!
When defining your audio system, take advantage of the information and product links available on this site. The following Audio System considerations are an excellent beginning point on which to base your Whole Home or Home Theater Surround Sound listening experience.
Sony® Receiver STR-DE998
The Receiver The receiver is the hub of the audio system. All the other components connect to it and it ultimately determines the final quality of the audio sound. Receivers, like the Sony STR-DE998, power your speakers, tune in radio stations, and provide easy switching between audio/video sources. Two elements to consider when selecting a receiver are:Power: The higher the power of your receiver, the higher the quality of the audio output. Because the receiver powers the speakers, higher power also helps play your music louder.
Channels: The number of channels determines how many speakers you can connect to your system. Most standard surround sound systems require at least 5.1 channels.
Also think about other features like audio formats supported, color, style, the number of stations you can program, and remote control. Receivers such as the Sony STR-DE698/B supports many audio formats, like Dolby® Digital/DTS, Dolby® Digital EX, Dolby® Pro Logic®, Dolby® Pro Logic® II Decoding, Dolby® Pro Logic® IIx, Dolby® Dual Mono, DTS® ES (MATRIX6.1/DISCRETE6.1), DTS® 96/24, DTS® NEO:6 Decoding, so you can play your DVDs and laser discs in digital sound.
Players:
If you have (or plan) a music collection, you'll need audio equipment to play that music on. This might be a CD player, a Super Audio CD player, a DVD Audio player, or a mini-disc player. Sony's audio players, like the Super Audio-CD Player SCD-CE595, connect easily to any receiver and feature high-quality playback options for a number of different audio formats.Pictured: top left – Sony® ES DVD Video-SACD-CD Player DVP-NS9100ES/B, left – Sony® Changer/Player 400-Disc DVD/SA-CD/CD Mega ChangerDVP-CX995V/KIT2
Speakers
Speakers come in a large variety of styles and sizes so finding the right set for your home is simple. Your receiver will determine how many speakers you can have for your system. You don't have to use all the speaker channels but it's good to know your options.Five speakers is standard for a Surround Sound system, although a seven-speaker configuration is becoming more common and provides an even more intense audio experience.
For Whole House Audio you might consider a Surround Sound configuration for your entertainment center or media room and dual speakers thoughout the remainder of the house.