The home security and automation business has always been heavily driven by technology – and nowhere is this more true than in whole-house audio, where developments in digital compression and networking are creating change at a faster pace than ever. David Sherman, vice president of Audio Video Alternatives in Royal Oak, Mich., likens this phenomenon to Moore’s Law, which states that computer processing speeds double every 18 months. “There’s a similar law in audio,†notes Sherman, whose company installs home audio and security systems. “Every 18 months, what was the top-of-the-line capability trickles into mid-line products and you see more and more capabilities in lower cost equipment.â€
Although the stereotypical audiophile is someone obsessed with sound quality and performance specifications, installing companies say such buyers represent only a minority of the whole-house audio market. “The bulk of the market just wants to get music playing easily,†notes Jeff Kussard, vice president of strategic development for equipment supplier Russound, Newmarket, N.H.