The Best Smart Home Audio Systems on the Market
Home audio systems have come a long way over the years. In the past, listening to music throughout your home meant carrying a portable speaker from room to room, or adjusting the volume just enough to hear your music without upsetting the neighbourhood.
Nowadays, there are many different types of home audio systems that allow you to enjoy the content you love as part of a single, more extensive system. In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of modern, smart home audio systems, and examine two of the most popular brands on the market: Sonos and Control4.
What is a home audio system?
Seems obvious, right? It’s a little more nuanced than you think. We all understand what a home audio system is — a device for listening to various types of content, from music to movies. However, home audio systems are a little more advanced, and include multiple devices working together to provide audio in more than one room at a time.
Three benefits of home audio systems
There are several benefits to having a home audio system, which is why they have become so popular in recent years. Some of the key benefits include:
1. Convenient
With a home audio system, you can enjoy your favourite content throughout your home. Whether in the kitchen or the living room, you can listen to music, or listen to podcasts without moving any equipment around.
2. Cost-effective
If you’re looking for whole-home audio, an entire audio system is often more cost-effective than buying multiple devices. This is especially beneficial if you want to fill a large home or business with a significant number of rooms with high-quality sound.
3. Customizable
Home audio systems are highly customizable, so you can tailor them to your specific needs and preferences. From bass-heavy theatres to party-hosting decks — home audio systems can be configured for a near-limitless number of scenarios.
Who makes the best home audio system?
There are many different types of home audio systems on the market, and new names emerge as the technology continues to develop. However, with consistent quality, powerful sound, and ultimate control, Sonos and Control4 are two brands we stand behind. Below we compare Sonos Vs Control4 and the home audio systems they provide.
Sonos home audio systems
When it comes to ease of setup, Sonos is champion. With more than 20 years of refinement, Sonos home audio systems have evolved to produce astonishingly clear, expertly tuned, and beautifully balanced sound, from their most compact plug-in products like the One to their full-surround systems led by their iconic Arc soundbar. Nearly all of their speakers require nothing more than power, with the setup magic happening inside of their Sonos application.
Speaking of their application, it’s one of the most powerful and comprehensive audio controllers on the market. Whether you have one speaker, or one hundred, the Sonos app provides users with complete control over their content, with all the major music services – including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, BBC sounds and many more – fully integrated into the app. And, since all speakers are linked to this application, you can enjoy all your content regardless of the Sonos speaker you purchase.
Control4 home audio systems
As the name might suggest, Control4 takes control to the next level. While they don’t have the same design-led marketing as Sonos, their speakers rival their counterparts, and their versatility is second to none. The Triad range is hand-crafted and custom painted, perfectly blending with your décor. Their soundbars, built to order, can fit snugly under even the largest home theatre setups. And their premium, all-weather landscape speakers are designed to deliver great sound in every outdoor space. However, their in-ceiling Designer Series speakers impress us the most — producing spectacular sound with minimal visual impact.
Control4 is where this brand stands from the crowd. In-wall and tabletop touch screens, smartphone and tablet controls, wired and wireless keypads, and a state-of-the-art controller — the possibilities are endless. Like Sonos, they support all the popular music streaming services, and their systems are outstanding in home-theatre setups. However, Control4 is about more than just sound. Using other Control4 products, you can extend your system for full home automation, including lighting, security, heating, and more. Sounds complicated? That’s where we come in. As certified Control4 installers, we can design, pick and set up every product, while helping you to understand this evolution of home audio control.
Image credit: https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/arc
Choosing the right home audio system
Whether you’re looking for a surround set to enhance your television setup or an all-singing, all-dancing, whole-home audio system, we’re here to help. Navigating the vast array of products on the market can be daunting, but our team of experts have years of experience and are passionate about sound. We’ll take the time to understand your needs and recommend a system that suits your budget and lifestyle. And, we’ll install everything, ensuring that it’s configured perfectly and positioned for optimal sound quality.
If you’re looking for more information on Sonos or Control4 home audio systems, book a consultation with a team member, get in touch with our team today.
