INSTALLATION OF THE MONTH - July 2009

Artcoustic Loudspeakers and Rayleigh Hi Fi – A Custom Fit

Rayleigh Hi Fi has been doing high end installations for years. They are behind some of the most elegant and state of the art residential home cinemas in the South East of the UK. One recently completed project was for an exclusive client in Brentwood, Essex.

One of the greatest advantages in building a new home is freedom in design. Another is the ability to introduce new technologies. Although there seems to be no end to how much componentry you can specify, your decisions will not be only financial ones but also based on your background knowledge and lifestyle requirements.

These clients decided from the beginning to have a complete and comprehensive home entertainment system incorporated into a new home. Recommended by one of the foreman on site, the family met with Rayleigh Hi Fi to convey their ideas and wishes. Rayleigh Hi Fi were fully aware of what the family required and confident they could offer the best solution for such a installation that would also include a state of the art dedicated home cinema. Rayleigh Hi Fi know that installing a home entertainment and theatre system is not simply a matter of choosing fancy equipment but about finding a solution that's right for their clients. The clients were a young family where entertainment was an important factor and they wanted their home to cater to that aspect of their lives. 

Rayleigh Hi Fi felt the owners were the ideal clients and that they perfectly described their ideal system – both parties worked well together to ensure all the needs were met through multiple meetings. Embarking on a project like this is daunting. With so many systems needing to work cohesively with ease of use, it takes careful planning to ensure everyone is on the same page and that nothing gets overlooked. Rayleigh Hi Fi was fully aware they would need to work closely together with the architect, builders, electricians, interior designers and custom cabinet designers to complete a stellar solution. The importance of having a close working relationship with the different trades can't be overstated on any project, but it's especially important on large-scale jobs like this one. Multiple visits were made to the building site so that Rayleigh Hi Fi could design a pre-installation plan as well as ensure the selected equipment and products would work in situ.This major project took approximately 2 years to finalise, from the initial planning meetings to the final result. Everything was planned and designed with the client and their new home as the main focus from the start.

All details had to be state of the art, elegant, high-end and sleek - all incorporated with ease of use. The solution also had to blend harmoniously with the interior décor (one of the clients’ main requests). For audio, Rayleigh Hi Fi introduced the owners to Artcoustic’s range of products. Amazed by their superior sound reproduction and visual appeal, they were completely sold on the idea of using Artcoustic for their sound systems. The owners chose exclusive artwork prints for the speaker fronts from Artcoustic’s Getty Images Portfolio.

Throughout the home Rayleigh Hi Fi installed entertainment units including sleek Pioneer HD monitors along with audio systems. Both sons have their own home cinema systems in their rooms. The greatest demands and attention were made by the home cinema, which required an extensive roll call for Artcoustic equipment. A luxurious designed room with a contemporary décor this is a very impressive space. This room got the star treatment and no amount of money was spared. Just a glance and you can see its comfort and elegance. Not all homes have the space required to incorporate a dedicated home theatre. The luxury of such a room however, is that an audiovisual system can be calibrated to create an optimum cinematic experience. A number of factors, including a room's size, shape and surface finishes, can affect the way sound is reproduced. These were all considered when components were chosen for a dedicated home theatre and Rayleigh Hi Fi knew Artcoustic loudspeakers would provide the best solution. The room is a large elegant space and Rayleigh Hi Fi chose a selection of audio visual components for customising this room while the interior designers chose luxurious leather sofas and accent pieces and coordination of beautiful in-ceiling lighting.

Artcoustic DF100-75 X2 loudspeakers elegantly feature on both sides of a large Panasonic 63” inch flat screen. This system includes an Artcoustic DFS100-75 Subwoofer, Artcoustic DF 65-50 X2 loudspeakers that provide the left and right sound performance in the rear, Artcoustic PA-1800 Professional Amplifier and a DF-Multi 60” loudspeaker employed as a dedicated centre channel, which has been beautifully integrated within an elegant and stately wooden custom made cabinet. Also concealed in this cabinet are the remaining components that make up this impressive solution: Naim Audio AV2 Surround Processer, Naim Audio Nap300 Stereo Amplifier, a Naim Nap250 Amplifier, a Naim Audio Nap145 mono bloc, Pioneer BDP 1x70a Bluray Player, Nintendo Wii Console and Sky HD Box. The system utilizes the highest quality wiring – provided by Chord Rumor HDMI and Wireworld cables. Interconnection capabilities have been made possible with the use of the Matrix Component Video Switch. Most importantly the system is easily controlled by a Philips Pronto TSU 9400 and Rako wireless control unit to provide the ultimate in home cinema automated integration. The real movie experience begins at the stroke of a button. The plasma screen is switched on, motorized blinds are lowered over the window, the sound system begins and the owners are given the ultimate cinematic experience. Stepping through the large wooden double doors the owners enter a comfortable room with raw brick walls and the first thing they notice is the custom rich brown leather sofas embellished with Swarovski crystals. The floor is covered with high end hard wood paneling and a beautiful dark brown texture fabric blind covers the window.. An amazing feature LED lighting system has been designed and installed in the ceiling giving a sparkling effect that complements the crystals in the sofa. The room is subdued enough to not be distracting when the room is darkened but gives the space, color and interest when the lights are up. This décor marries traditional and contemporary materials and ideas which is a theme throughout the residence.

Rarely are the demands of technology and interior design so masterfully blended as in this room. The result is a perfectly melded and intertwining flow of sound and design with every aspect custom tailored to the tastes and lifestyle of the clients.

The clients have Rayleigh Hi Fi to thank for their top-notch audio and home cinema solution. Brilliant aesthetic choices have been made to ensure the system complements the elegant interior.