Russound began as an audio accessories company and morphed into a system-control company as the market for multiroom A/V emerged. That would seem like a logical transition — accessories are optional, while many people see a control system as more important than the gear it "serves." We recently talked to president and CEO Maureen Baldwin about how she successfully maneuvered Russound from making simple volume controls to devising sophisticated touchpanels, creating one of the leading control-system manufacturers.

When was it first apparent that Russound had to address multiroom A/V?
Our presence in that market wasn't so much a decision as it was a natural progression. We've been involved with multiroom audio from the beginning. Remember that Russound started in 1967 as a manufacturer of source and speaker selectors for audiophiles, musicians, and pros. By the mid-'80s, we shifted our focus to volume controls, which developed a reputation for being rugged and overbuilt. As technology progressed and manufacturing improved, we responded to our core customers by making source, speaker, and volume control easier for the installer and the user. We launched products such as IR control extenders, in-wall speakers, and multizone amps and A/V distribution gear, and we now make source equipment and media servers. To put it simply, we have 40 years of experience in the multiroom audio and video business.

Russound set out to make multiroom A/V more affordable than the other systems available at the time. This seemed to ruffle a few feathers because, up until recently, installers positioned themselves as purveyors of products designed exclusively for the elite, while most of us were left out in the cold. Though we were first seen as making a terrible mistake, at least as far as high-end installers were concerned, I think everyone pretty much agrees that instead of killing the market, we expanded it.

Our goal was to make the products more user-friendly and more readily able to fit in the average home. Just take a look at our keypads. We began with A-BUS products but quickly expanded to create a new, category-defining keypad, the now iconic UNO-TS2. A keypad might not offer much sex appeal, but the UNO-TS2 set a new standard for ease-of-use and, dare I say, "wow" factor, which is a rarity for the category. More important, we set ourselves apart from the most famous high-end players, and we continue to lead the market in areas of industrial design and user interactivity.

With home-entertainment technology changing so quickly, and the demand for cutting-edge control systems increasing, how much guesswork is involved in anticipating what people are going to want 2, 3, or 4 years from now?
We're working diligently to be in tune with our customers, but the reality is that quite a bit of guesswork is involved. Our research shows that most people are unaware of what is available to them today, so we sometimes find ourselves limited to the small percentage of people who already own multiroom audio-video systems. Russound is an active participant in professional organizations like CEDIA and the CEA, and of course we advertise and do whatever it takes to keep our name top of mind. We promote both the brand and overall awareness of what can be achieved with a multiroom system. We'll do whatever it takes to lead the way for greater awareness among consumers, especially those who aren't necessarily home theater buffs.

Russound's iBridge Bay lets you use the company’s UNO touchscreens and keypads, located in any room of the house, to retrieve iTunes media stored on a Mac computer. Although it was designed with the Mac mini in mind, the iBridge Bay (shown here below a Mac mini) will work with most recent Apple computers.

What has Russound recently introduced that you feel points toward the near future?
The best example is our entry into the Media Center category, the Smart Media Console (SMC). Typical for Russound, it's a home entertainment product first and foremost, with features and overall usability that let the user know that it was designed by an A/V company, not a PC manufacturer.

The iBridge Dock is one of the more interesting introductions. Just about everybody has a product that lets users add an iPod to a home theater system. But here again we set out to create something that is typically Russound. Instead of just passing audio from the player to another room, iBridge Dock offers complete metadata and iPod-like controls when used with our RNET system.

Our follow-up, the iBridge Bay, offers similar functionality for people with iTunes collections stored on Macs. With iTunes and iPod becoming many peoples' primary vehicles for audio and video access, we think it's essential to elevate the experience from something PC-centric to true whole-house entertainment. Giving people greater access to entertainment throughout the house is what we do best.

There seems to be some movement away from proprietary control systems towards more open-standard, PC-based installations. How do you see Russound responding to this trend?
Our position is simple: We love open-platform systems because they free us up to focus on the areas that offer the most value to our customers without having to worry about compatibility. Russound is all about making media more accessible, not less.

When we started out, we built our business on developing a few simple sources of music more accessible to or readily controlled by the audio enthusiast. The menu was pretty basic, usually consisting of a tuner, turntable, tape decks, and maybe some kind of digital signal processing. As far as management issues are concerned, it was as straightforward as you could want. Now people are faced with a slew of media choices that's growing all the time. This makes our mission of simplifying access more complicated, especially when proprietary platforms don't get along. And as much of a challenge as it is for us, it can be paralyzing for an installer whose goal is to satisfy a client without having to waste time and resources contending with technical problems.

So, naturally, we welcome the opportunity to move away from proprietary platforms and focus on the areas in which we excel — primarily, making media easily accessible and manageable by introducing products that enhance our customers' enjoyment rather than detract from it.

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