Jamo Concept Series, Invisible sound

In-wall speakers for a home theater

Did you know it is possible to distribute quality sound throughout your home? Jamo offers its solution.

Specialists' rating: 5

Text: Ramon Sendra

To carry out the System Fidelity reviews published in this issue, I traveled to the specialist store ElectroSo in Lleida. Sometimes distributors and manufacturers invite us to visit some of their dealers so that we can carry out a review under exceptional conditions, something we appreciate since, in return, we have a greater range of options at our disposal: we love to experiment. It was our first visit to ElectroSo (and it won't be the last), so Marc, its manager, took his time showing us around the premises. Among other things, he had set up a simple but effective built-in, remotely controlled sound system from Jamo, a firm that groups this whole solution under the name Custom.

Jamo is not the only firm whose catalog includes a wide variety of solutions of this kind (I still have to do the same with an even more ambitious system from the ever-brilliant Linn), but it is the first time I have come across a finished installation that allows me to understand and, above all, embrace these solutions as valid for our hobby.

Built-in systems naturally require a more complex installation than usual. For a start, it is not always possible to recess speakers into concrete ceilings (in fact, it is impossible), wire everything up and find the perfect place for the electronics that manage the whole setup. That is why specialist stores try to carry out this installation just as the building work (that is, the home) is under way. At that point it is much easier to recommend the use of false ceilings or to lay the necessary cable conduits. A procedure that requires the collaboration of the client, installer and architect. But if this is possible (and it usually is), the result can offer the end customer endless possibilities. But why would I want distributed sound? And no less important, what quality will I get?

With Custom, Jamo presents a very basic and intuitive technical solution, complemented by a wide variety of speakers. Its catalog (available on its website) ranges from the typical round speakers we can find in all kinds of stores to 5.1 solutions, with subwoofer, center, main and surround speakers that can operate in bipolar mode. But the main idea of these systems is to provide "ambient" sound in different rooms of our home, with the advantage that the speakers take up no space on any shelf and, above all, that the quality is good (no nasal sound).

The system ElectroSo has installed in its own store, JamoLink, presents hardly any headaches for the uninitiated. Jamo allows both audio and video distribution, although by way of introduction we will focus only on audio. For this it offers a simple unit that acts as a switcher and command hub, a small electronic box not much bigger than a DVD-ROM drive (the kind we buy to install in any computer). This is the only device we need to hide, and given its compact size this will hardly be difficult. Jamo's solution allows control of up to eight independent zones, that is, eight rooms with their own sound. We connect anything from one source to as many as allowed (CD-DA players, DVD-Video players, radio tuners, etc.) and from here we distribute the signal to each of the control points available in each zone or room. At the end of these lines and on this page you have a picture of the conventional control point Jamo offers with its Custom series. As you can see, this control point consists of two parts. On the left is a simple power amplifier capable of supplying enough power to a pair of in-wall speakers as well as controlling the volume or selecting the audio source. It is small enough that installing it is no problem. To its right is what would be the complete "remote control", although the system can also be controlled with an optional handheld remote. The first can work independently, but the second, which gives us greater control of the system, must always be paired with the amplifier.

From the power amplifier we run the corresponding cable to the speakers installed in our zone or room. The resulting sound quality will naturally depend on the speaker chosen. ElectroSo installed a two-zone system, allowing different sound to be distributed to each, as it should be, as well as independent video signals. For the occasion it installed speakers like those shown on the previous page, achieving truly convincing ambient sound. Extrapolating what we heard to a more or less domestic setting, the possibilities are enormous.

VARIETY

The best way to explain their possibilities (both Jamo's Custom and those of any other firm) is with examples. For this I will use my own case. My living/dining room opens directly onto the kitchen, where we usually eat. From the kitchen you can see the television (a 50" plasma) perfectly, but to hear the sound properly we have to turn the volume up quite a lot. With this system, I could install a pair of speakers in the kitchen's false ceiling and, when we are eating there and want to keep watching TV, select the TV channel on the wall-mounted control and listen to the TV in the kitchen without bombarding the living room with the loud sound of the television itself. Now, while someone is in the living room watching television, another person in the kitchen could listen to the radio or enjoy any music CD-DA without disturbing whoever is in the living room. You would only have to close the door so that nobody bothers anybody. I could install a couple more zones, for example in my study. That way, I could enjoy all the sources in my living room without having to go there. Jamo's system allows IR control of any audiovisual device. In this way, the basic playback controls let the user operate any device remotely. Also, although up to 8 different zones can be used, it is also possible to distribute the same sound to two or more zones. All of this, in Jamo's case, at a truly irresistible price, which makes this option highly desirable.

Let this review serve as a simple introduction to built-in systems, something we will cover in greater depth in future issues. Specifically, with the Custom series Jamo presents a tremendously simple solution and, above all, we believe a fairly affordable one, offering a host of enormous possibilities for those who want quality ambient sound throughout all or part of their home. In addition, the Custom series includes very high-performance speakers that would allow us, for example, to install a genuine home theater using in-wall speakers.

In-wall speakers for a home theater

Within the Custom series, Jamo includes a set of in-wall speakers for multichannel applications. ElectroSo has a 5.1 system in its listening room that includes front, center and surround speakers plus two subwoofers. For better integration, the ElectroSo team painted the frame and front grille black (the walls are black). If you don't pay attention, it really seems as if the sound were coming from the walls themselves. This system requires amplification, which in ElectroSo's case is handled by an Onkyo receiver. The sound quality this solution offers is truly convincing, so it is well worth considering as a serious A/V system.

Jamo Concept Series, Invisible sound

Specifications

Distributor: Productos Audio Jamo (933004458, www.jamo.es).

Price: €0