I really object to your characterization of these systems as "obscenely overpriced"! It is very apparent that you have little to no experience in home automation/whole home audio. If you DID, you would know that Nuvo systems start with their "Simplese" system at a modest $999.95 retail for a 4 source, 4 zone amplifier. Their "Grand Concerto" system is one of the most robust on the market in its price range, and that one starts around $5500 for a 6 source 8 zone system (complete with 8 keypads). (BTW Nuvo is one of the first on the market with OLED keypads!) While someone who does have any experience with this may find these prices high, anyone who has seriously looked into distributed audio systems knows that Nuvo is RIGHT IN LINE WITH THE COMPETITION!
These systems are NOT for end users to install. They are designed to be installed by professionals and customized for the end user. They are much more than a speaker selector and volume control "duct tape and bailing wire" solution for multi-room audio. They give the user control of all sources from each keypad location, and in many cases, will transmit meta-data (song title, artist, album, cover art, playlists, etc) from an iPod or other music server to the keypad, so the user can see what the heck he or she is selecting.
Bottom line guys, is that I really tire of supposed "experts" on one of my favorite technology blogs ranting constantly that everything is "expensive". It is only "expensive" if you do not understand what value the product will give you, and that, my friends, is the whole point of learning about it! I would suggest some research into the marketplace, find out what these systems do for $5000 and what makes them different from each other. Then maybe you could write an article with your findings and let the masses know!
One could argue that this site is geared towards the gadget geeks, not the "professional home installers," and their expensive comment would in fact fit for most of us weekend warriors.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
John Nemesh @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:18PM
I really object to your characterization of these systems as "obscenely overpriced"! It is very apparent that you have little to no experience in home automation/whole home audio. If you DID, you would know that Nuvo systems start with their "Simplese" system at a modest $999.95 retail for a 4 source, 4 zone amplifier. Their "Grand Concerto" system is one of the most robust on the market in its price range, and that one starts around $5500 for a 6 source 8 zone system (complete with 8 keypads). (BTW Nuvo is one of the first on the market with OLED keypads!) While someone who does have any experience with this may find these prices high, anyone who has seriously looked into distributed audio systems knows that Nuvo is RIGHT IN LINE WITH THE COMPETITION!
These systems are NOT for end users to install. They are designed to be installed by professionals and customized for the end user. They are much more than a speaker selector and volume control "duct tape and bailing wire" solution for multi-room audio. They give the user control of all sources from each keypad location, and in many cases, will transmit meta-data (song title, artist, album, cover art, playlists, etc) from an iPod or other music server to the keypad, so the user can see what the heck he or she is selecting.
Bottom line guys, is that I really tire of supposed "experts" on one of my favorite technology blogs ranting constantly that everything is "expensive". It is only "expensive" if you do not understand what value the product will give you, and that, my friends, is the whole point of learning about it! I would suggest some research into the marketplace, find out what these systems do for $5000 and what makes them different from each other. Then maybe you could write an article with your findings and let the masses know!
zargon @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:54PM
One could argue that this site is geared towards the gadget geeks, not the "professional home installers," and their expensive comment would in fact fit for most of us weekend warriors.