Access to music has changed dramatically. Mostly, it’s for the better thanks to streaming music services like Spotify, Sirius XM, Apple Music, and Deezer. The plethora of audio options available can feel overwhelming. How will you access all of the different music sources and formats? What if you want to listen to music in more than one room of your home? How can you control the various electronic components? Will you have to share the remote with your son or daughter and therefore tolerate their music selection? There’s a better way; whole home audio will fill your entire Main Line, PA house with music or you can stream it to just one room. Read on to learn more about the evolution of this must-have amenity.

Depending on your age, don’t worry we’re not going to ask, you might remember some of the past attempts by homeowners to listen to music throughout their homes.

Method 1: Crank up the stereo volume

A permanent fixture in most living rooms, the family stereo system included a receiver, turntable, speakers, and a cassette player into one package. If you wanted to listen to music in another room, simply turn up the volume to a loud enough level. The most obvious drawback to this rudimentary approach was that it was impossible to be in the living room without wearing ear muffs. Fast-forward 30 plus years and stereo equipment like amps and receivers are much smaller and can easily be hidden away in a closet so as not to distract from your home’s décor and out of reach of the prying fingers of an exploratory toddler.

SEE ALSO: Tips for Installing a Whole Home Audio System

Method 2: Relocate the boombox

Enter the era of the portable music player featuring integrated loudspeakers, an AM/FM radio with a dual cassette player and if you were lucky, a built-in CD player. Rather than having to crank the volume to glass-rattling levels, you could simply carry the boxy player from room to room as you moved about your house. A staple at summertime cookouts as long as you had a stock of batteries on hand to keep the boombox going. Such relics are now found only at indie record stores and second-hand boutiques. Today we have the multi-room audio system that distributes music to elegant speakers installed in the walls and ceilings of our homes.

Method 3: Put on a pair of headphones

The Sony Walkman, a noble attempt at whole home audio, allowed users to listen to their music while on the move, making the evening commute and household chores a more enjoyable experience. The drawbacks, nobody else could hear what you were listening to, and you were forced to carry CDs and extra batteries with you, but it made ignoring your kids a lot easier. The digital music revolution has provided us access to millions of songs, unheard of artists, and new genres of music.

The whole home audio system method

With Control4, a leader in home automation, you can flood the entire house with music or stream it to a single room. Whether you’re relaxing on the couch or working in the garage, music can be a shared activity, assuming you can agree upon the genre or station. A multi-zone Control4 audio system allows you to play music from any source and control it using a smartphone, tablet, or elegant, hand-held remote. Plus, speakers and audio gear can be hidden from sight, so the integrity of your home interior design stays intact. 

Want to explore the possibilities of a home audio system? Schedule a visit to our showroom located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey or contact us for a free consultation.