Multi-room audio: everything you need to know
In a relatively short space of time, multi-room audio has gone from expensive fantasy to affordable reality. So whether you’re looking to get started or expand or upgrade an existing system, here’s how to get the most out of multi-room technology
What is multi-room audio?
Multi-room means independently controllable sound in different rooms around your house. The speakers in each of these rooms can be controlled via an app on your phone, tablet, computer or even your voice.
You can either play the same track in unison, or play different music in different rooms. You can stream music from services such as Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal or play your own music from a network-attached storage device (NAS), computer or stream from your phone.
How do multi-room systems work?
The two main ways multi-room systems work are by creating a dedicated mesh network or by using the existing wi-fi connection. The former, used by the likes of Sonos and LG, means that, having connected to your home internet, the speakers communicate via their own internal network that tends to make the whole system more robust.
Other speakers and multi-room systems connect and communicate through your home wi-fi network. This means they are reliant on the strength and stability of your network and will have an impact on your network bandwidth.
What about multi-room audio quality?
Naturally, we think audio quality should be top of your list of considerations. Not all systems support high-resolution audio, so if you have a library of such recordings or want to future-proof yourself, you should look for one that does support hi-res.
That list includes Bluesound, Yamaha Musiccast, Denon HEOS, LG Music Flow, Lenco Playlink, Harman Kardon Omni and Monster Soundstage. Google’s Chromecast Audio also supports hi-res audio. Most other multi-room systems, including Sonos, top out at Cd-quality, lossless sound.
Which are the best?
Want the best-possible sound quality, including hi-res audio support? We suggest Bluesound. If you’ve got a slightly lower budget and aren’t fussed about hi-res audio, Sonos is an excellent alternative. But things are about to get interesting. With Amazon, Apple and Google upping their involvement, voice control becoming a common feature and devices with built-in Airplay 2 and Chromecast, your options are about to increase.