We're having a house built (our first, yeah!) and I am planning all the home automation and wiring stuff. The security and wiring makes reasonable sense to me, and I am leaning towards an M1. Audio and video are an area where I'm a bit confused.
We currently live in an apartment and have a sonos system and love it, mostly for the user interface and rhapsody integration. It is our primarly music system, and we don't really play CD's anymore, and I don't think we'd care to integrate XM since we like the Rhapsody radio stations quite a bit.
I want to add an intercom to the plan, with 7-8 stations, and have looked at the Russound and On-Q products. I'd also like the intercom to play announcements from the M1 and any future automation system we add (HS or CQC). We also want music in probably 4 or 5 rooms and currently have 3 sonos units and one controller.
It seems the M1, Russound CAV6.6 and their intercom product can do all of the above, although I am not sure how this would all be integrated into the sonos. I am picturing a stack of sonos units wired to the CAV but feel like there should be a better way.
I'm also wondering if we could dump the CAV and use the intercom for system announcements, and the sonos for music. Cons I see with this approach are needing more sonos units and controllers (expensive, and perhaps on par with adding a CAV if we add 2-3 controllers and sonos boxes) and having a single-use box and speakers in each room where we want music. Pros are that the wife already knows how to use the device, and there is no complicated switching, it just works.
I've also toyed with a hybrid solution of Russound zones hooked to one "shared" sonos, but that seems to be overkill.
We don't do much television watching, other than some PVR'ed shows and movies, so video switching may not be needed, although we may end up with some kind of media room or kids room in the future (I imagine we'll want more than one TV when Barney and his buddies invade).
Overall I'm confused and would like any thoughts on how to tie sonos, whole house announcements/intercom, and audio/video switching together.
Thanks for any advice!
We currently live in an apartment and have a sonos system and love it, mostly for the user interface and rhapsody integration. It is our primarly music system, and we don't really play CD's anymore, and I don't think we'd care to integrate XM since we like the Rhapsody radio stations quite a bit.
I want to add an intercom to the plan, with 7-8 stations, and have looked at the Russound and On-Q products. I'd also like the intercom to play announcements from the M1 and any future automation system we add (HS or CQC). We also want music in probably 4 or 5 rooms and currently have 3 sonos units and one controller.
It seems the M1, Russound CAV6.6 and their intercom product can do all of the above, although I am not sure how this would all be integrated into the sonos. I am picturing a stack of sonos units wired to the CAV but feel like there should be a better way.
I'm also wondering if we could dump the CAV and use the intercom for system announcements, and the sonos for music. Cons I see with this approach are needing more sonos units and controllers (expensive, and perhaps on par with adding a CAV if we add 2-3 controllers and sonos boxes) and having a single-use box and speakers in each room where we want music. Pros are that the wife already knows how to use the device, and there is no complicated switching, it just works.
I've also toyed with a hybrid solution of Russound zones hooked to one "shared" sonos, but that seems to be overkill.
We don't do much television watching, other than some PVR'ed shows and movies, so video switching may not be needed, although we may end up with some kind of media room or kids room in the future (I imagine we'll want more than one TV when Barney and his buddies invade).
Overall I'm confused and would like any thoughts on how to tie sonos, whole house announcements/intercom, and audio/video switching together.
Thanks for any advice!