By Totally Wired Ltd

08/06/2010 Ethereal
All the music you want. All over your home. All from the palm of your hand.
Do you want to listen to your music in more than one room? Do you want a system that is simple to use, easy to set up and cost effective? That is well made and looks as good as it sounds? And can be easily upgraded at any time? Well really, who wouldn't!
While the whole multi-room and digital music arena is full of products and brands, there are very few that actually stand out and manage to cover all the bases. We've had plenty of experience with multiroom, from the original Linn Knekt systems over a decade ago, through many others. And things have got very, very complicated. We needed an antidote and when Sonos first came to us, we hoped it would live up to this promise.
Six months down the track with Sonos, we're thrilled with how well it works. And we want to show you just how good, affordable and easy Sonos is. But first we'd better explain exactly what it is and what it will do for you.
On the simplest level, Sonos is a very easy way to get music from A to B. Wirelessly. With just two pieces that together cost less than $1300, you can have a functioning system, including speakers, allowing you to listen to all your CD collection, downloads and internet radio, as well as things you'd like to plug in such as an iPod, This can be in any room in your home - remember that it's wireless! You could think of this system as a very smart, high performance alternative to the little speakers some people connect to their computer. But there is much more to Sonos than that.
Sonos is all about easy. One room, or ten rooms, it makes little difference. You don't need to be a computer whizz to make Sonos work (although if you are you'll revel in all the customization you can do to your system and appreciate the free updates and applications). If you have an iPod (or any music stored on a computer) in the house, and a functioning internet connection you'll be ready to go. Unlike anything else to do with computers, you also have one big advantage with Sonos - us. We are more than happy to come out and set things up for you and are always on hand to answer your questions.
How Sonos works. Here's a great little video for you to watch which explains everything.
Find out why Sonos is so good for New Zealand homes. We've put together a comprehensive webpage here which covers just about every question we think you'll ask. Because there are so many cool things that Sonos does, it can sometimes be a bit hard to grasp. So we've put together a series of different systems within the shop that will quickly show you want Sonos is capable and how good it sounds. In fact we are using Sonos to replace traditional CD players in some rooms. Once you have seen and heard it in action we're sure that you'll find the Sonos system is one of the best things you have ever found in the world of audio. Drop us an e mail , call or just come in to find out more.
Everything you need to know about built-in speakers
If you are building a new home or altering an existing one, you should consider building speakers in, or at least allowing for them in the future. There are few greater improvements you can make to your lifestyle. Especially for the relatively low cost when compared to other parts of the building process. Well chosen built-in speakers can sound just great - often better than conventional speakers because you can optimise position and all the money in a built in speaker is in the components - not the cabinet and associated freighting costs.
We deal with 3 leading companies - each has its own area of expertise:
Speakercraft wrote the book on built-in speaker innovation and design. Often imitated but never equaled when it comes to straight material value for money and performance, Speakercraft are the best option for extensive whole home systems and killer home cinemas. SpeakerCraft have a huge range of models to deal with every possible architectural and practical challenge. And provide several layers of quality options allowing you to tailor any system to your own personal requirements.
Monitor Audio are a leading specialist loudspeaker company from England best known for the high quality sound and finish of their domestic speakers. They have transfered this expertise to deliver a range of built in options that reflect these attributes and represent great value for money. We've selected the best models in their range for musicallly enthusiastic listeners.
Triad occupy the high ground in the world of architectural audio - their speaker systems are unarguably the best, being built without compromise. The sound Triad deliver is equal to the best free standing cabinet speakers - for example Sonus faber - and are priced accordingly. That said, we've seen many homes where the taps cost more than the speakers - Triad rectify this imbalance and provide a real investment in long term sound quality in an architecturally designed home.
Why buy your inbuilt speakers from Totally Wired? If you are building speakers in, one thing is for certain and that is that you want to get it right first time because it's not going to be a simple job to change things once they are in and the house or room is finished. So now is the time to plan and make sure you get the right speakers. We've been putting speakers in walls and ceilings for the sharp end of 20 years and have had some fantastic results.
So we won't compromise with products that we put in. This doesn't have to translate into spending more - what it means is making more sensible choices, maybe having a couple less rooms (a Tivoli Radio is often a better solution anyway) concentrating on quality rather than quantity. If you tell us how good a sound you want, we'll select the most appropriate brand, type and model to deliver just that. It's about having a conversation together and going over all the practical issues, considering the system on the other end, the type of music you enjoy and the logistics of putting it all together. This is what we do!
Cabling & architecture. With any built in speakers there are two critical cabling descisons to make - first being the quality of cable and then funnily enough, the length. Quality x metres = cost. Smart systems like Sonos enable you to have amplifiers in the same room (or close to) speakers - this can greatly reduce the amount of cable required. Shorter cables sound better and save you money. There isn't a huge price difference between the very cheapest low performance cables and something special like Kimber Kwik - at around just $10 a metre you get high quality copper, dual twisted pair construction and robust sheathing. It is far better at rejecting interference - just think about sitting listening to the hum of multiple halogen transformers breaking through into a cheaper cable. Kimber sounds better - the longer the run, the more obvious this becomes. So you can see the logic - talk to us about the complete design and we'll save you money and give you better sound.
Not sure where to start? Try our myhome home control guide.
Hectors Dolphin Update
We're still committed to the support of WWF through our business - every year we're able to donate over $1000 and include the special Hectors Dolphin adoption and information packs that many of you will have found tucked away in the box when you spend $600 or more with us. Far better than a free barbeque! While this is the most visible thing we do, we are also Forest & Bird, GreenPeace and Sea Shepherd supporters. It's easy to get
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overwhelmed by all the problems out there - economic, social and political. But regardless of what people do, the environment is what we live in and we share it with other animals that have just as much of a right to live. Empty poisoned oceans are the alternative to not caring or speaking up. The Hectors Dolphin is a key indicator of where things are heading - every little thing that helps it survive as a species benefits us all - clean seas, an abundance of fish and an evironment that everyone can access and enjoy. Even the smallest things you do can make a difference - just take a couple of minutes to go to the sites we've linked to above see what works for you.
Finally, here's a link to one of the best ideas we've come across this year (and yes, we've put it into practice). Save money, feel better and help the environment. How hard can it be?
Coming next month
We've just got the new Simplex turntable form Well Tempered Labs - it's worthy of a full scale e zine and we've already started to write it. But for now you can take it that this is the best sounding turntable you'll ever hear for around $3000. If you can conceive of a simplified version of the Amadeus you'll be on the right track. If you'd rather just listen to it rather than read about it, grab a couple of your favorite LPs and head our way.