RESIDENTIAL APARTMENT AUDIO
Built-in Audio systems have been a common feature of residential units for several years. What once was an entertainment feature in luxury homes has now become a feature of luxury residential rental units. The most common form is the placement of speakers in the living room either flanking TV location or in-ceiling. Speakers are wired to a Smart Box where a Sonos-type streaming device is installed alongside the apartment’s incoming cable-TV, Phone, and Internet incoming service and hub. The resident controls the choice of music and volume via a smart device for the streaming device, whether it is Sonos, Nuvo or Heos.
For multi-room installations, a Nuvo or Denon multi-zone streaming device allows the resident to have music in two to four locations in a condo or townhouse.
Below are examples of how speakers are installed in various methods to conform to building codes in various LA country municipalities.
IN-WALL SPEAKERS
LA county building codes allow for recessed in-wall speakers in common walls between bedroom and living room, as shown above, without a need for a fire-rated can behind the speakers. Our preferred brand of recessed speakers for our MDU (Multi-Dwelling Unit) projects are from Revel, the Harman Kardon luxury brand speakers, shown in a closer look above on the left. Thin speaker grills with no bezel are magnetically attached (so they can be easily replaced due to cosmetic damage and are paintable so they may blend in easily. Revel speakers have been a common feature in over two thousand residential units in the past few years.
IN-WALL SPEAKERS
LA county building codes allow for recessed in-wall speakers in common walls between bedroom and living room, as shown above, without a need for a fire-rated can behind the speakers. Our preferred brand of recessed speakers for our MDU (Multi-Dwelling Unit) projects are from Revel, the Harman Kardon luxury brand speakers, shown in a closer look above on the left. Thin speaker grills with no bezel are magnetically attached (so they can be easily replaced due to cosmetic damage and are paintable so they may blend in easily. Revel speakers have been a common feature in over two thousand residential units in the past few years.
ON-WALL SPEAKERS
When speakers need to be mounted on an exterior wall, Euro-Style speakers are a good option. Rounded speakers with half cylinder shallow profile, offered by Boston Acoustics, attach directly to a wall outlet, leaving no gap between speaker and wall, and stand only a few inches from the wall. They are also paintable. Given their shape, these on-wall speakers can be mounted anywhere, including wall and ceiling corners and alongside mounted TVs.
IN-CEILING SPEAKERS
Most of our current Apartment units in Mixed-Use projects feature in-ceiling speakers. In dropped ceiling assemblies these in-ceiling speakers do not require a fire-rated back-box per LA county codes. When installed in rated ceiling spaces as in the photo above, a one-hour rated back-box is installed in construction phase. Installed in back-boxes, speakers sound better and are less likely to transmit sound to living space above. Our preferred brand of in-ceiling speakers and back-boxes are from JBL Pro.
MEDIA ENCLOSURE (SMART BOX)
All above illustrations of music in residential apartments and condos feature speakers in living room areas wired in construction phase to a media closet where all phone, cableTV, and Internet services are wired to. In the above illustration, a media enclosure (Smart Box) typically installed in a closet features not only cableTV and Network hub, but also a Nuvo music streaming device connected to Internet & power within the box.
Tenants simply download an app from manufacturer's website and connect to the streaming device to hear their own Pandora, Spotify or other streaming music account content. Other models of this above streaming device can power 2 or 3 sets of speakers in other areas.
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31348 Via Colinas - Unit 103, Westlake Village, CA 91362
