This August will mark my four-year anniversary of writing "The Custom Installer" in Sound & Vision, a column covering various aspects of custom installation. (Shameless plug: Nearly every column is available online for your reading/learning pleasure here!) For my second installment, published way back in September 2003, I tackled the topic of intercom systems.
After that column ran, I was contacted by a couple of intercom companies who felt that I was down on intercoms altogether. Absolutely not true. In fact, dating back to when Alexander Graham Bell called out to Mr. Watson, there are times when an intercom system is the perfect prescription. Maybe you have a house that is large or spread over several stories, or a large family to keep tabs on, or you have family members who spend time behind closed doors in playrooms or home offices.
Before you mouse-click away to another page with a loud groan and sigh thinking, "Intercoms?! What do I care about intercoms?", you should know that this is not your typical intercom system. If you've been turned off by giant, button-festooned main stations or poor audio quality in the past, you're going to want to read this review. Russound calls its ComPoint system "the music lover's intercom solution," and it not only looks modern and cool but also promises to integrate with nearly any distributed-audio system.
|
The Short Form |
| Price $2,056 as tested / russound.com / 866-222-6997 |
|
Snapshot
|
| A terrific intercom solution that not only looks cool but works with virtually any audio system |
|
Plus
|
| •Cool, compact design •Integrates with virtually any audio system •Single-gang ISSP speaker simplifies adding intercom zones •Easily installed by DIY-ers |
|
Minus
|
| •Pricey by intercom standards |
|
Key Features
|
| System as tested (4 zones) •ISH1 Hub ($398) •(2) ISK2 Advanced Keypads ($330 each) •(2) ISK1 Basic Keypads ($260 each) •(2) ISSP Speakers ($40 each) •ISK3 Door Station ($238) •ISDR1 Door Strike Release Module ($90) •ISPS Power Supply ($70) •Page to all zones at once or directly to a single location •One hub handles as many as 6 intercom zones; system expandable to 6 hubs, 36 zones •Supports 2 door stations •Works with virtually any audio distribution system •Convenient do-not-disturb and zone-monitoring features •Paging volume independently adjustable by zone |
ComPoint's heart is the ISH1 Hub ($398), which can support up to six intercom zones and two door stations. The hub has a small footprint (6.4 inches wide x 5.1 high x 1.8 deep) that could easily install in a structured-wiring panel or reside discreetly in the back of an audio rack. For large systems, a Link In/Out port is provided, enabling six ISH1s to be linked together to create a total of 36 intercom zones. Each hub requires its own 15-volt, 3.5-ampere regulated DC power supply, designated the ISPS ($70 each). The hub has DIP switches for selecting one of seven tubular chime notes for either door station, as well as a volume control for setting overall doorbell chime volume.
Each intercom zone requires a keypad controller, and Russound offers two options: the Basic ISK1 ($260) or the Advanced ISK2 ($330). Both keypads are single-gang Decora style and come in five color choices (white, almond, bone, brown, and black) to satisfy nearly any décor. Each offers selectable green or amber backlighting. The Basic pad has only buttons labeled 1-6 for communicating directly with zones, limiting its use to single-hub systems. The Advanced keypad has a five-character display that shows any of 65 pre-built labels to identify each intercom zone in the system.
Since Russound touts this as an intercom system for music lovers, you would expect it to work with distributed audio systems, and boy, does it! In fact, the ComPoint is compatible with any audio system except those using active (self-powered) loudspeakers, such as the IP-based Polk LC265i-IP. And, truthfully, if you've gone to the trouble and expense of installing self-powered speakers throughout your home, you're probably not in the market for an intercom anyhow. Just have Jeeves answer the door and do your bidding.
Speaker wiring from an audio system runs through the keypad, which provides In/Out connections supporting up to 14-gauge cabling. A crucial note to installers: To function in a system with volume controls, the keypads must be wired after the volume controls. This ensures that no matter how the volume knob is set — anywhere from totally off to wide open — intercom pages will pass through at the preselected volume. So the wiring chain should go from amplifier to volume control to ComPoint keypad to room speakers. The ComPoint keypads convey music audio signals on to the speakers passively until they receive a page/doorbell command, at which point they automatically kick in, muting the music and playing the page/door chime.
For rooms where you would like to have intercom capabilities but don't have or want audio speakers, Russound has a slick solution in the form of the ISSP Speaker ($40). This is a speaker that fits in a single-gang wall box, creating a total intercom solution in a two-gang footprint. Power to drive the speaker for pages or chimes comes from the ISH1 Hub.
Two-way communication with visitors at your door is provided by the ISK3 Door Station ($238). The station is available in three finishes — polished brass, antique brass, and brushed chrome — and should look right at home in any setting. Automated gates and door locks to let visitors in can be triggered by using the ISDR1 Door Strike Release Module ($90).
PERFORMANCE The ComPoint system offers two methods of communicating with the rest of your home. The first is point-to-point, which is ideal for speaking directly with someone without disturbing the rest of the house. Simply select the area that you want to communicate with (by number on the basic pad or scrolling to the appropriate room on the advanced pad) and press the Talk button. An example of a well-thought-out feature is that the microphone on a keypad that has been paged directly stays active for 7 seconds after the page is concluded, allowing a hands-free response from anywhere in the room.
The second key feature of the ComPoint is system-wide paging — or as Pappy O'Daniel from O Brother, Where Art Thou? would say, "We ain't one-at-a-timin' here. We're MASS communicatin'!" The global-paging function broadcasts to all zones simultaneously, except for door stations. This is perfect for calling everyone to dinner or letting houseguests know that the movie is about to start or when you want to speak to or find someone but don't know where he or she is. To initiate a page in this manner, simply walk up to one of the keypads and press the "Talk" button.
ComPoint incorporates two more features that will be especially appreciated by parents of young children. The first is a do-not-disturb mode that blocks all pages and doorbell chimes from the selected zone — great for letting babies or exhausted parents get some sleep. When it's activated, the DND button on a keypad lights red so you can tell at a glance that it is engaged.
The second is a monitoring feature that enables you to listen in on a zone. The keypad microphones are very sensitive and will easily pick up the cries and squawks of a waking infant. And, to ensure you won't be eavesdropped on accidentally, listen mode can be engaged only from the keypad in the zone that you want to monitor. The Talk key in that zone also remains red while monitoring is in progress to alert those in the room.
Most homes, regardless of size, have only a single doorbell chime, which can be difficult to hear in all rooms or if music is playing. Russound's door station addresses this problem: Its chime is heard simultaneously in all intercom zones and overrides any music that is playing. And if you've bought some fancy door chime that you would die without, the ISK3 door station offers connections for wiring to an external chime.
Although I didn't have an automated door-strike or gate release to test the ISDR1, I could hear the relay energize with a click, giving me every confidence that it works exactly as promised. It also emits an apartment-complex "buzz!" at both the door station and intercom zone to let both parties know that the relay has been triggered. This is definitely a cool piece of automation that can be incorporated for very little money.
Paging-audio quality through existing speakers is quite good, and the system provides plenty of volume to ensure that anyone will hear you. Audio quality from the ISSP standalone speaker is about what you would expect from a driver that fits in a single-gang wall box. It is a bit crackly and electronic-sounding, though more than adequate to fulfill its intercom role.
BOTTOM LINE To paraphrase "Dirty" Harry Callahan, an intercom system's got to know its limitations. Many try to be full-blown audio systems as well and often end up not doing either job adequately. Russound's ComPoint system has no interest in being your audio system; its sole desire is to be an intercom, and it not only fulfills that role perfectly but pulls it off with aplomb. The system has a modern look that won't dominate a wall, call undue attention to itself, or detract from your audio controls. Plus, when used with an ISSP, the whole system fits neatly in a double-gang wall box.
Most important for Sound & Vision readers, ComPoint is designed to work with your audio system, enabling you to add intercom functions while retaining great sound quality. That's having your cake and eating it, too!
Photo Gallery
More Test Reports
Back to Homepage
What's New on S&V