You might love your media and entertainment, but also hate the clutter it creates.  With the excess equipment and audio video components, it can all be quite distracting from the film or show in front of you.  Plus, when you’re not watching a movie, these products might still be out and going unused during the day or when you have guests.  But with hidden audio video, your media room or home theater can serve an abundance of purposes in your Dallas, TX home.  Read on to learn more about veiling these smart technology features within your interior design.

Hide your Screens

There’s no doubt about it – 4K Ultra HD TVs are ideal in every way for your movie nights and viewing experiences.  But often times, they are extremely wide and take up a large amount of space.  We’ve listed out below several ways to hide your TV screen in your entertainment center.

• Moving Panels: You can feel like you’re in the future with wall panels.  Place your favorite piece of artwork or a picture frame on the panel, so when the TV is not in use, you have a nice addition to the room’s décor.  Then, when it’s time to binge-watch a series or film franchise – press a button, have the panel slide up, and enjoy.
• Furniture Lifts: Incorporate your TV into an actual piece of furniture in the room. The screen can slide up and down out of a TV cabinet or a table countertop, and will effortlessly appear when you are ready to view it.
• Ceiling Lifts: A ceiling lift allows a TV to hang up horizontally above its normal display area. Simply press a button on your smart device, and watch as the screen zooms down from the ceiling and vertically into place.

SEE ALSO: ENJOY FOOTBALL SEASON WITH THE LATEST AUDIO VIDEO TECH

Now for the Audio

You want your speakers to give you the best sound quality available.  This means no obstructions or hindrances to muffle them.  But speakers can be bulky and mess with your room’s style.  Now you don’t have to compromise your taste for quality!  Hidden wall speakers mean the product can be carefully placed within your wall, taking up hardly any space.  You can conceal the speakers’ looks and still hear their top-notch sounds.

If you don’t mind how standard speakers look, but still want them not to take up too much space, then bookshelf speakers are a viable option as well.  You get amazing, high-end sound quality, similar to larger and more predominant floor-standing speakers, but are instead able to place these on top of bookshelves or cabinets – eliminating the amount of room they would normally take up.

Music is continuously evolving. Just a few decades ago, CD players were considered “high tech,” yet now you can store thousands of files virtually and have them accessible at the push of a button. You might be familiar with different music file storage types like WAV, AAC, FLAC, AIFF, or DSD, but are you aware that the type of file and how it’s encoded has a huge impact on sound quality?

For a high-end audio system in your Texas home, you need more than just quality speakers—you need music files that are able to reproduce the top-notch sound of the original recording. To learn about these file formats and the difference they can make in the listening experience, read on. 

Why File Format Matters

When you think of music files, MP3 probably comes to mind. It’s a very popular method of storing music because you can hold a lot of songs without taking up much space. However, MP3 uses lossy data compression, which means the smaller the file, the lower the music quality. It used to be the case that if you wanted high-fidelity sound, you had to store huge music files, but new advances in file format types have made it possible to preserve original sound quality while keeping storage size small.

The rule of thumb when it comes to file formats is always to go lossless when you can. Some of the most popular lossless file types include FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec), AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format), and DSD (Direct Stream Digital). Each of these formats has its own merits, but honestly, the file format isn’t as important as the coding, which brings us to MQA.

MQA: A Must-Have for High-End Audio

MQA, which stands for Master Quality Authenticated, is a type of encoding method that reduces the size of high-fidelity music files without any loss in quality. Developed by Meridian Audio, MQA makes it possible to not only store tons of lossless music on your computer but also stream it! While popular music streaming services like TIDAL have not yet made MQA publically available, the launch is likely not far off.

The holidays are nearly upon us. Is your home ready for entertaining? Many holiday traditions revolve around the television: watching the Macy’s Day Parade on Thanksgiving morning or The Grinch during Christmas break. So why not make the most of your time enjoying media with family by upgrading your outdated, clunky system with one that’s easy to use? Keep reading to learn the benefits of a modern audio video system during the holiday season. 

A Better Movie-Watching Experience

If you or your family members are squinting at the grainy image on the television or bumping up the volume to its highest setting, it’s time for an upgrade. With 4K Ultra HD, the latest advancement in television image resolution, you can now get a super crisp, clear picture of all your favorite shows and movies. Whether you’re watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation or It’s a Wonderful Life, you’ll be able to see so much detail, you’d swear you could reach out and touch the actors.

Of course, the view is only part of a great movie setup. You also need high-fidelity sound to create that immersive experience. The sleek, thin look of modern televisions comes at a price; there’s no space for quality speakers. Whether you have a dedicated home theater or a family room, it’s important to supplement your television with either a sound bar or surround sound speakers. We can work with you to help you decide on the best brand, speaker type, and placement for optimal sound.

Spread Holiday Cheer in Every Room

Nothing gets people in the holiday spirit quite like music. Instead of blasting the Christmas carols from one room or individually going into each area of your home to set up music systems and pick out playlists, it’s possible to set the same music, optimized for easy listening, in every room at once. By upgrading to a multi-room music system, all of your audio equipment, music, and streaming services are instantly accessible via your smartphone or tablet. So when Santa Baby comes on the radio for the fifth time that day, all you have to do is press “Skip” on your phone, and the multi-room music system will immediately respond to your command.

Of course, it’s possible that not everyone in your family will be gung-ho for Christmas music 24x7. Your audio system can have separate music zones that allow everyone to listen to their own music in different areas of the home. So if someone in the family is ready to go on a rampage from too many Christmas jingles, they can retreat to their room without interrupting the holiday atmosphere.

For audiophiles in the Colleyville, Texas area, there’s one room that you definitely need in your home: a listening room. As the name suggests, a listening room is a space dedicated to the enjoyment of high-end audio. In this blog, we cover the main things to keep in mind when building a listening room so that you end up with a truly immersive music experience.

SEE MORE: 3 Ways to Fill Your Home With Music

Create the Right Environment

While it’s true that you can really use any space for a listening room, such as your living room or office, the best listening rooms are spaces that are dedicated for that purpose. That way, you can design the environment to be perfect for high-end audio, as opposed to accommodating multiple functions in the space. Your listening room should be a completely separate space that is able to be closed off from the rest of the house, removing any distractions that could get in the way of your music enjoyment.

Choose the Best Equipment

For a dedicated listening room, not just any speakers or audio equipment will do. In this blog on buying high-end audio speakers, we cover the characteristics you should look for when inspecting different speakers, but another topic worth discussing is brand. You simply cannot get the same level of pure, clear sound from cheap speakers, so do yourself a favor and choose a quality brand from the start. Here are our favorite audio brands—any of these companies will provide reliable, robust A/V equipment perfect for your listening room.

• Triad: Handcrafted in the USA, Triad’s loudspeakers are custom-built to fit your needs, including custom paint and veneer. Triad uses top-notch components and proprietary engineering to ensure each speaker offers premium sound.
• Denon: From amplifiers to analog turntables, Denon’s selection of high fidelity audio equipment leaves nothing to be desired. Their speakers are engineered to make it easy to enjoy pure sound.
• Integra: Integra has been around since 1969, and in that time, their A/V equipment has only gotten better. Whether you’re looking for Dolby Atmos surround sound or the perfect amplifier for your system, Integra has you covered.

Optimize the Acoustics

The most expensive speakers in the world won’t yield the type of sound you want for a listening room if the room’s acoustics are bad. Your audio/video integrator should design and implement your listening room with acoustics in mind from the very beginning. For new construction, your integrator should get involved during the initial planning of the building so that your room ends up with the appropriate ceiling height, room shape, and size for optimal acoustics. Other factors that can significantly impact acoustics include speaker positioning and placement as well as the objects and materials in the room, such as glass cabinets or bulky furniture.

Thinking about upgrading your Westlake, Texas home with a multi-room music system? It’s much simpler than you might think. DB Media Solutions can handle multi-room music installations from the initial design to final optimization of the sound in each room. Not all multi-room music solutions are created equal, so we’ve put together this list of the three main characteristics of a high-quality music system for your whole house.

SEE MORE: What You Need to Know When Buying High-End Audio Speakers

Optimized for Each Space

The acoustics in each room of your home will be different, and you need speakers that are versatile enough to accommodate the differences in room layout and furniture. To ensure a smooth, even sound as you walk through the house, speakers are carefully placed in specific locations. Speaker type is another concern with a multi-room music system. You’ll want a different style of speakers for your outdoor audio, for example, than you would for your kitchen. DB Media Solutions can help you design a system that has the right speakers and equipment in the right location throughout your home.

Hidden from View

Your home’s décor probably doesn’t accommodate bulky speakers or cluttered wires. It may be easy to hide speakers in a media room or bedroom, but what about the bathroom? The solution is to use in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, such as the Sonance Invisible Series, to completely hide the speakers. You get high-quality sound without having to deal with wires or looking at speakers.

Easy to Use

The best sound quality in the world isn’t going to do you much good if your music system is difficult to operate. When all of your music equipment is integrated into one seamless system controlled by a touchpad or your smartphone, it’s much easier to adjust volume, change the station, or pause music. You don’t have to walk to the other end of the house to turn on your music—instead, just pull up your phone and start enjoying the high fidelity audio wherever you are.

Investing in high-end audio is a commitment to getting the highest quality music possible in your Southlake, Texas home. If you're only interested in a bit of ambiance while you cook, perhaps this kind of system is not right for you. But if you're the kind of person that categorizes their CD and album collections by eras, genres or themes—it’s time to upgrade your system. The right pair of speakers should be invisible, a transparent window that lets sound come through naturally. If that’s the kind of experience you want, check out how to find the right speakers: 

SEE MORE: 3 Ways to Fill Your House With Music

Things to Look For in High-End Speakers:

• Sound Characteristics: Certain speakers are better at producing different styles of sound, from subtle tones to ‘bright' tones with a lot of trebles. Depending on your musical preferences, we find speakers tuned to the styles you like.
• Frequency response: This is a good way to gauge how pure a sound your speaker can create. It is the amount of frequencies your speaker produces, the fuller the range, the more realistic your audio will be. You also want this range to be flat, meaning that certain frequencies aren’t overwhelmingly louder than others.
• Cone Material: Your speaker has three main components: a cone, a coil, and a magnet. The coil sits in front of the magnet; the coil and magnet interact to create a vibration which is then amplified by the cone. As air comes through the come, it may flex at certain frequencies and distort the sound. What you want is the sturdiest material possible to avoid any flexing.
• Cone Variations: Audiophiles want to hear a range of high, medium and low frequencies. High-end speakers often include multiple cones, each corresponding to a particular frequency to create the most accurate sound reproduction possible.
• Design: You need to have the right design so there’s not too much echo within your speaker cabinet. Everything also needs to be tightly packed to avoid any movement that can create disruption.
• Tweeters: Your tweeters are important in getting higher frequencies to stand out. To reproduce high-frequency, they need to be light enough to move quickly, yet strong enough that they hold their shape at loud volumes. High-end manufacturers work to adjust the design and material of your tweeters to get the best results.
  
  

Give Your Speakers a Test Drive

Ultimately, listening to music is a subjective experience. For you to figure out which speakers sound best, you have to hear them yourself. Just because a speaker is the most expensive or highest rated, doesn't mean it's necessarily the right one for you.

Many AV technicians like DB Media Solutions have showrooms where you can test drive speakers before you buy them. Let us know what you’re looking for in your system and we’ll pick out a few options for you to check out.

Consider Where You'll Use Your Speakers

For one, large speakers in a smaller room can result in too much bass and muddled sound. Meanwhile, small ones will be unable to fill up larger rooms and result in weak, overworked systems

Deciding what song to play should be the only challenge when enjoying music throughout your home. With a multi-room music system, it’s easy to access all your sources—media library, streaming service, turntable—from one centralized control interface.

What makes multi-room music stand out is its reliability. With a professional installation in your Dallas, Texas home, the sound is evenly spread out throughout your space. You also get consistent control of all your technology; everything can be managed from the same user interface or app, so you don't have to learn multiple platforms.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s only one way to listen to your favorite music. Below we take a look at three unique audio design options for your home.

SEE MORE: What is the Best Entertainment Gear for Your Outdoor Spaces?

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