Audio distribution is the custom-installation industry's bread and butter. Sure, home theaters are sexier, but with only five or seven speakers, they can't compete with the ten, 20, 30, or more that need installing for a housewide music system.
Although many equipment manufacturers are now rushing to cash in on this exploding market, Niles isn't one of the latecomers: The company has been steadily designing well-respected audio components for 28 years. Its new IntelliControl Integrated Control Solutions (ICS) system isn't its first foray into multizone systems, but it's definitely the most ambitious. Among Niles' goals: create a system that could provide full metadata (track information such as artist, song title, or album) on a variety of controllers around the house; give users the ability to switch easily among a wide range of sources; and do it all at an affordable price. So . . . how'd they do?
SETUP Wisely, Niles designed the IntelliControl ICS multiroom audio system around the industry- standard wiring used for most new homes — usually Cat-5 cable for control signals and four-conductor cabling for speakers. All wired controllers (typically keypads) and speakers connect to the GXR2 main chassis ($2,800), the brains of the system that also supplies the brawn via its 12-channel/6-zone onboard amplifier. This means the ICS can easily be retrofitted in homes that already have standard speaker wiring for other multiroom systems. My house has four existing audio zones (bedroom, bath, dining, pool) with all the speaker and Cat-5 control cabling running back to my electronics rack, so connecting them to the GXR2 was simple.
One of the things that makes the GXR2 so flexible and cool is its modular, card-based architecture, which allows you to play music from a variety of sources. Want to load up on iPods and tap all of their music simultaneously? Need three streams of Sirius to play different stations in different rooms? How about five CD players? ICS has you covered. The chassis can be configured with any combination of up to six IM (Integration Module) or TM (Tuner Module) cards. Currently available are the IM-iPod ($200) docking station; the IM-AUDIO ($150), used to connect ordinary line-level analog audio sources such as CD players; and the TM-XM ($500), TM-SIRIUS ($600), and TM-AM/FM ($250) tuner modules for satellite and traditional radio.
I loaded my GXR2 with the maximum six cards, using each of the cards Niles offers and doubling up on IM-AUDIO cards to handle my Escient and digital cable box. The system is expandable to a total of 30 separate music zones by connecting additional GXR2s. Each adds another six zones that can be independently controlled, though you're limited to the original six sources; these "slave" GXR2s are outfitted with IM-AUDIO cards to "cascade" sources from one unit to the next. If 30 separate audio zones were actually needed in a home, six sources would likely be a limitation, but this probably won't be a concern for most users.
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The Short Form
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| Price $6,800 (AS TESTED) / intellicontrol.com / 305-238-4373 |
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Snapshot
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| This system's modular architecture and powerful amplifier deliver great flexibility and sound, and its iRemote handheld controller sets a new benchmark. |
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Plus
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•Flexible source configuration •Convenient iRemote controller •Excellent sound quality Easy, affordable iPod integration |
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Minus
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•Six sources might be inadequate for large homes •XM/Sirius song data appears only after channel-selection |
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Key Features
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•6-source/6-zone system •Expandable to 30 listening zones •60-watt per channel amplifier •Four different control options •Modular, card-based architecture •XM, Sirius, AM/FM, or all three •iPod integration •GXR2: 17.4 x 5.8 x 18 in; 54 lb |
Since the Niles ICS is intended for professional installation only, your installer will program the system with an IntelliFile 3 "learner," a black box whose software interface has been totally redesigned from earlier Niles systems. Any installer who has worked with Version 2 will love the upgrades: bulk downloads to all controllers, a direct USB connection to the learner, faster code learning, and more. Installers will also appreciate that any previously learned remote-control files from earlier systems can be imported seamlessly. A 21-step wizard walks you through the programming, which could easily be completed in less than an hour.
PERFORMANCE The GXR2 could be mistaken for a big, black power amp, as it offers no control functions save a system-killing power button. Some system control from the front panel would have been welcome in my setup (which is rack-accessible), but Niles expects the GXR2 to be hidden away and instead put a lot of thought into developing a range of controller options. For now, it offers the entry-level Single ($200), a traditional-looking 14-button keypad; the Display ($400), a hybrid keypad/2-inch LCD; the Contact ($750), a 3.5-inch color touchpanel; and the oh-so-sweet handheld iRemote ($800). All have similar aesthetics and offer "one touch to music," meaning that a single button push is all you need to get music playing from any connected source.
What channel am I on? What song is playing? What album do I want to hear? To fully enjoy iPods, XM, Sirius, and even AM/FM nowadays, you need continuous feedback. Smartly, all ICS controllers except the Single directly display the information you need to make selections. At $400, the Display offers an incredible price-to-performance ratio; it's well worth the extra $200 over the Single.
With no disrespect to the other controllers, though, they all paled next to the iRemote. I loved it so much that I essentially abandoned the others. The iRemote reminded me of the handheld remote for the Control4 system (see my review at soundandvisionmag.com), but with elegance of operation raised to the next level.
The iRemote communicates with the GXR2 via the relatively new ZigBee wireless standard, allowing me to roam throughout my house, around my pool, and to practically the farthest reaches of my backyard while still retaining full control. The system supports up to 26 iRemotes, but I'd say one per room is about right.
Any controller except the Single can operate any zone (or turn the entire system off), which is why the iRemote is so handy. Carry it with you to another area, and with a touch of the ZONE button, you're controlling the local speakers. (Brilliant — I want a holster for it so it never has to leave my side.)
If you opt for the Contact touchpanel in your wall instead of the iRemote in your hand, you can still point a traditional IR remote at it and use its built-in infrared receiver to control your system from bed or across the room. Future modules for the GXR2 will allow the Contact to display album art, raising its cool-factor considerably.
One gripe is that while browsing XM and Sirius, you can see only the channel name; you can't tell which artist or song is playing until you select the station. Metadata is like a drug — once you get a taste, you're hooked — and having lived with both satellite music services for over a year, I missed this channel-surfing feature.
Docking stations that mate an iPod with your audio distribution system are old hat by now, but most come with price tags I find staggering. Why does integrating an iPod cost 400% more than actually buying one? Fortunately, Niles gets it: The company's $200 IM-iPod means that, for less than $600 total, you could have a 60-gig Pod with 15,000 songs dedicated as a house-wide music server. That's awesome. And the ICS interface lets you search your Pod's music collection by letter — proof that some serious thinking went into this. Browsing albums for ZZ Top or finding the song "Zoot Suit Riot" no longer requires a carpal-tunnel-inducing spin.
Sound quality from the ICS was excellent. The GXR2 features one of the strongest amps I've heard in an integrated audio distribution system. With its 60 watts per channel, I never wanted for power — even out by my pool, where I actually worried that I might be bothering the neighbors. More than just loud, the sound from my in-ceiling speakers had punch and depth.
Beyond the basic bass, treble, and balance adjustments for each zone, you get some nice extras, such as separate sleep timers and alarm clocks. Doze off to classical music on XM and wake to Howard Stern on Sirius. Add a Niles DBI-1 interface ($270) and you can have paging/doorbell throughout your system as well.
BOTTOM LINE Niles did its homework with the IntelliControl ICS multiroom audio system, delivering a system big on features and performance without a bank-breaking sticker. Though it allows only six sources, they're the ones you'll need most. And the ease and affordability of adding an iPod means your portable music player could readily function as your home music server.
Best of all, Niles has set a new control standard with the iRemote controller. It offers such freedom and flexibility, no ICS system should be without at least one.
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