By Desiree Webster, Legrand
NuVo Technologies is an award-winning innovator in the engineering, manufacture and distribution of whole-home audio systems, and believes that the music-enabled home is something that all consumers can achieve and enjoy. In 2012, NuVo was acquired by the Legrand group - a global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures.
The NuVo Player Portfolio is an IP-based home audio solution that uniquely combines wired and wireless configurations to fit any project. It includes both Wi-Fi and wired network players which can be used in any combination up to 16 zones, allowing easy integration of high-fidelity audio and streaming content into new builds or retrofit jobs, or even as updates to outdated home audio systems.
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The Nuvo Player Portfolio comprises multiple interchangeable wired and wireless zone player options that offer access to networked music libraries and Internet Radio, with intuitive app control through Apple or Android devices.[/caption]
Designed specifically for custom installers, the Player Portfolio is both scalable and flexible, using multiple, interchangeable options, which all include built-in source variety that allows listeners to select and play a wide variety of streaming and networked music sources. The system is conveniently controlled by app through any Apple or Android mobile device, and allows for integration with many third-party automations systems for a superior whole-home experience.
Multizone Audio
The NuVo Player Portfolio system is a high-fidelity audio solution which operates in up to 16 separate zones, and can also easily be configured into larger home automation systems through third-party integration. NuVo and third-party software drivers are available for Vantage, Crestron, Control 4, AMX, BitWise and RTI, and more are in development.
The Player Portfolio's innovations since its launch include improved integration through additional third-party drivers, increased streaming capabilities with access to audio content stored directly on Android and iOS devices, and the use of the local line-in for cinematic synchronisation when using with a video source such as a TV.
Wired and Wireless
The options for either wired or wireless components - or a combination of both - add to the system's inherent flexibility, making it even better suited to the custom install sector.
The Player Portfolio is designed to deliver pristine and dynamic audio with the highest-grade of synchronisation, so that audio is perfectly timed, even when playing a tune throughout all zones. The system's wireless components use the NuVo Gateway, which connects to the home router and establishes a secure line of communication between players and distributes the audio. The dual-band Gateway the 802.11n wireless protocol to deliver faster, more robust signal transmission.
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The NuVo Gateway connects NuVo's P100 and P200 wireless players to the home’s router to provide a robust, music-only wireless network.[/caption]
Streaming Audio
Among the components of the NuVo Player Portfolio are the P3100 and P3500 Professional Series Players. These wired players each supply audio to three zones simultaneously from a single rackmount unit, and include native access to streaming digital audio from online and networked sources. NuVo's latest player, the P3500, provides a whopping 200 watts of power per zone and features Bang and Olufsen's intelligent ICEpower audio amplification technology.
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The P3500 provides 200W per zone, and supports three zones. It has built-in Internet radio access as well as a network connection to your personal music collection.[/caption]
The Professional Series Players can be used alone in new construction or when updating older systems to include access to digital audio, and are compatible with the NuVo P100 and P200 wireless zone players, allowing you to introduce additional zones without wires.
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The NuVo P200 wireless player delivers 120W to a single zone, while offering built-in streaming source variety from networked music libraries, Internet Radio, and even Bluetooth-enabled devices.[/caption]
The recent addition of direct stream functionality has seen the range optimised to deliver streaming capabilities straight from end-users' iOS and Android devices, accessing content stored directly on tablets or smartphones for use throughout the system.
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The NuVo Android direct stream app.[/caption]
Conclusion
The Player Portfolio can offer the convenience and expediency of wireless audio solutions, as well as the integration advantages of wired systems, in a unique hybrid solution that always offers high audio quality. This empowers installers to design and install a flexible solution that works for customers and is specifically suited to their home and their needs.
Home audio is not, and has never been, a stagnant landscape. Innovation has been driven constantly by the demand for better, faster, more varied and more affordable systems. Using a solution that delivers on these feature demands, within a versatile, simple-to-integrate platform that provides the highest quality offering in any type of installation, will mean happy installers and happy end-users alike.
The Player Portfolio's feature set and capabilities will continue to grow. NuVo's connection to the integrator channel is the driving force for product development, resulting in a tailored system to keep the custom install channel ahead of game and best placed to deliver specialist solutions to end-users.
Desiree Webster is Legrand's Marketing Communications Manager for NuVo and On-Q product lines. NuVo Technologies is an award-winning innovator in the engineering, manufacture and distribution of multiroom digital audio distribution systems.
www.legrand.us/nuvo