A touch of class in Central LondonDiscrete Audiophile speakers located in the Reception Room
Front speakers in the Cinema room were hidden
behind acoustically transparent cloth |
Design Brief: The Client has a wide range of musical tastes and the very highest quality audio was required for the Lounge coupled with speakers that complemented the decor. Space was at a premium and all equipment needed to be hidden from view. All Bedrooms required access to the CCTV security system at all times. There were two Guest Bedrooms, a Lounge, a Cinema Room that needed to be equipped with High Definition TVs which could also access 'Movies on Demand' over the Internet, e-mail and a shared Blu-ray Player. Each of the spare bedrooms also had local access to a DVD player for convenience. The Master Bedroom required to be uncluttered with speakers, but still able to deliver enjoyable 'surround sound' when watching movies. All rooms in the house must be able to play Music with an easy option for 'Party Mode'. The client entertains often.
Background: This beautiful four storey listed London town house was completely renovated to its former glory. We were selected from a large list of Custom Installers to carry out the AudioVisual installation and also to project manage the electricians in creating a future proof AV infrastructure. The electrics were not completely rewired, so lighting technology had to be selected that could use the existing wiring, but still achieve whole house control of the lights and blinds. Wow Factors: A pseudo surround sound speaker was located beneath the large TV in the Master Bedroom and calibrated so that it delivered surround sound without the clutter. A magnetic iPad Mini Wall Dock by the front doors ensures that the iPad is always available and always charged. The high end (front left, centre and right Morel Octave Signature) loudspeakers in the Home Cinema room were located behind acoustically transparent cloth to again reduce clutter. Guests, when listening to the Home Cinema system are amazed at the quality of the sound, thinking that they come from the TVs in-built speakers! A Velodyne MicroSub is hidden behind one of the chairs for that ultra low bass - it is just a 25cm cube so again takes up minimal space. Audio features: The Client auditioned with The Pleasure Home Project Manager to select the speakers for the Lounge. The product eventually chosen combined elegant Italian looks with superb sound quality in a compact design. In order to maximise the sound quality, the amplifier was located in the same room to reduce cable lengths. Owing to the small cupboard space available, a special audiophile amplifier was selected that was also extremely efficient on power, so generating minimal heat and taking up as little space as possible. The End Result: Superb sound, ease of control of any of three SkyHD boxes, a Blu-ray Player, AppleTV, the entire house lights and cinema room & master bedroom blinds with any of the three iPad minis in the house. |