I'm curious about the transition of distributed audio from simple speaker and source selector switches to integrated multi-zone solutions. Who were the key players? What were the drivers and relevant products? What was the timeline?

Norton

I first started to sell and install Multi source/Multi zone systems in 1990. The product that I used then and still today is Elan. Elan has transformed from the early days of Square D into a very solid line. The other system that was offering Multi source/ Multi zone was Audio Access. Unlike the Elan product it never seemed to evolve in anything new and expandable. The Crestron product came into play much later for the residential market and has obviously became one of the major players. Niles was also a company that had a huge head start on everyone else but seemed to be caught in the speaker distortion box mentality for much too long. There was also a product called FROX in the late 80's to the early 90's. This product seemed much like PHAST/PANJA of their time. Thay promised everything and only delivered problems and promises. I thought about starting a simular thread when I read about the downward pricing pressure on Media rooms. I believe that the real money is made with the Whole House system. I think the WH system is the back bone of the electronics for the home and the Theater is a nice add on. I probably install on average 8 to 14 pair of speakers in every home that we work in. This also requires the need to provide a keypad or touch panel in each zone along with amplification and composite or component video switching. I'm floored by the companies that sell a moderately to high priced Theater and run a few main areas for Whole House A/V with speaker selector boxes, and modulation for the video switching.

My recollection is that Bang and Olufsen had the first system for multi-room use. ADA was on the leading edge as well, but with a different approach. These go back into the 80s.

Also, companies like Xantech and Niles made IR routers and line level distribution amps to share sources with multiple stereo recievers, and the IR router made it so you could operate each receiver independantly from a specific room, yet still address the shared sources from every room. The products and accessories that made these types of systems possible were released and refined through the late 80s to mid 90s.

Audio Access, Elan, a/d/s/, Soundstream, Carver, and many others also came and went in the late 80s-early 90s, and only Elan and Audio Access had any major success and survived.

I remember the Soundstream KPs were the best in their day, but their amp looked like a car amp, and nobody wanted to use it. For some reason, the Soundstream system has almost a cult following on Ebay. It must be the installers from those days that remember how cool they were.

A lot of these jobs were massive science projects because of the crude nature of the early universal remotes and keypads.
PC programming was unheard of, and you were more likely "teaching" EVERY command into every KP, toggling from learn to use modes with the tip of a straightened paper clip in a little recessed button on the back.

The worst part was the reliability...
Static discharge (like the kind you get from walking across carpet) wiped out the programming at best, and fried the KP at worst.
And remember, the products had to return to the manufacturers, there were no local distributors in those days.

Many jobs were just an remote controlled amp & preamp, or the biggest receiver you could buy, set to an agreed upon volume level (marked with fingernail polish or something like that) with a speaker selector and VCs in every room.

After reading 2nd Ricks reply I think I have PTIS( post traumatic install disorder) up until reaading his reply I forgot about the static discharge problems. This was a huge problem especially in the fall!

Congradulations, 2nd rick!

You've won 'the biggest understatement of the year award'!!

Installers that are 'new' to this industry (less than 10 years,give or take) have NO IDEA how much better it is today!

Thanks for the 'not so fond' memories!

I'll be wearing a big smile when I go to work tomorrow! :)

This message was edited by pilgram on 03/20/05 17:39 ET.

I'm prettty sure the Elan HD (which I recall was their first true multi room/mutli source keypad based distributed audio system did not ship until 1993. We got one of the first one's and I recall that being in 1993. (I've still got several of the original in wall HD Keypads if anyone need some) AudioAccess hit the scene in 1992, I believe.

Boy that Soundstream stuff was a steaming pile of sh*t.

Here's a name that most will cringe from memory. Ambiance - 1991 from MKO (in St Louis). One of the only systems that also distibuted composite video. Way ahead of it's time (and way ahead of itself). You actually programmed it on a PC and downloaded into its RS232 port. But man was it a steaming pile of crap too. Very buggy. Would have been very cool if it would have worked and the company would not have gone out of business (went out the same year they launched Ambiance) before they got it tweaked (of course you could say that about a lot of equipment in that day. Maybe we could create a new acronym: RCPOS (Really Cool Piece of Sh*t)

Niles had a true multi room multi source keypad system in the very early 90's too. Can't remember the name of it though. I've never been a Niles dealer.

I had forgot about that B&O system.

Oh yeah and let's not forget about AudioEase from the wheer are they now file.

And does anyone remember that ADS system that they talked about for something like 5 years and never ever delivered? What a crock!

good summary of the past, but what is the future?! what companies do you expect big things froms? products that are pushing the industry?

Wow... how could I have forgotten Audio Ease??
I helped mop up a job a few tears ago that was an Audio Ease tear out.

I don't really remember the Ambience system, I might have to break out the early Audio/Video Interiors mags...

Obviously Crestron has to be on that list, and I have really been liking what I have been seeing so far from Xantech in the MRC line...

Oh man, did I forget the Xantech Zipper in the old school discussion??

Elan, speakercraft,maybe russound.

I'm kind of worried about Crestron.

And RTI.

I'm sure I left some out,but, I only named the ones I currently deal with.

I thought Audio Ease was one of the first. They had modular zone amplifiers that slide into their chassis.

They were bought by AMX/PHAST and via osmosis disappeared into the PHAST system.

doopid, Elan also had a card based amplifier HDA1000. This was nightmare to say the least. We used to bid an extra one of the cards into the system and leave it at the job site. In the event there was a problem we could send the nearest tech over to swap it out. (This also proved to be a good idea with the early HDC1050 cards) It was replaced by the Z660 and after a few revisions turned out to be a great low profile amplifier for whole house applications. I have used only a dozen or so of their new D Series (Digital) and have been very impressed with the audio quality. The Z660 is also being converted to a D series.

You guys are great... here's what I got so far... from your comments and following up on the web...

80’s

Bang & Olufsen – still around, but not big in whole-house audio today
ADA – still playing today, small player
Soundstream – car nowadays
FROX – disappeared
a/d/s/ - car nowadays
Carver – still around, but not big in whole-house audio today
Speakercraft – still a player today


90’s

Elan – still a big player today
Audio Access – now owned by JBL – minor player today
Niles – still involved today
Xantech – IR (control) distribution – still big player (same parent as AMX)
RTI – started in control, still player today
Crestron – started in control. Home theater primarily?
AMX –
MKO Ambiance – control system, no longer around
Audio Ease - ?
Russound

Current Driving Players

Elan
Crestron
AMX
Xantech
Niles
Speakercraft
Russound
RTI

I recall the Niles Intellipad was really a jump in light speed in the late 90's for us because we could use it in a great room theater/whole home system by using tap and press & holds depending on whether we wanted one or both zones to fire up. Most of them are still in use in the older installations we've done.

Lots of programming but quite bulletproof and simple when done. We love to use the multizone Yamaha & Denons with the MX-850s now.