Site menu:

The Scottish Environmental Technology Network

audio systems

Intelligent Buildings offer both integrated multi-room audio systems as well as surround sound and cinema systems to both residential and commercial clients.

In line with our philosophy on cabling and building management systems we ensure that the audio cable installation behind the walls is correct for your needs. We are firm beleivers in the "technology shouldn't hit you in the face" school of thought so if you don't need to see the equipment then there is no reason why you should.

When specifying AV equipment for a project we place the emphasis firmly on quality over content - it should do what it says on the box, no more, no less - and audio amplifier should do just that, amplify an audio signal. To that end we tend to use brands that we feel comfortable with and have performed well for us on previous installations.

Here at i-B we favour brands like Denon, Onkyo and Yamaha for audio amplifiers and AV receivers. Nuvo, B&W, Tannoy and Kef make excellent free standing and custom install speakers. The Sharp Aquos range of LCD TVs offer excelent value for money and a superb picture quality whereas Pioneer are better for Plasma TV's. NAD and Arcam make some really neat DAB separates. When it comes to residential multiroom distributed audio though we feel there really is only one choice and that is NuVo.

For commercial installations we tend to use products from companies like JBL, Crown and DBX as they offer a level of performance, quality and reliability that we feel is unsurpassed - music without the Musak!

No matter whether it is a commercial or residential sound system even the most expensive kit can be derailed by un-sysmpathetic cable installation. Here at i-B we feel that there is an awful lot of twaddle and hot air talked about audio cable as well as some grossly over inflated prices that are more akin to outright highway robbery than improving the audio quality of a system - £95/Mtr is the most expensive we have managed to be quoted for audio cable to date (and that was the trade price!).

Cable and connectors are just that and provided the cable and the acssociated connectors are specified correctly and are of good quality there is simply no need to specify the "ultra-sooperdooper brand" as most us can't spot the quality difference between the £5 phono lead and the £25 one anyway.

Intelligent Buildings take the common sense approach to audio systems so contact us for impartial and honest advice on the choices availible to no matter how large or small your project.