John Sciacca

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Other Tech
Niles Audio ZR-6 Multizone Audio System
John Sciacca  |  Dec 21, 2008
The Short Form
$1,995 ($3,194 as tested) / NILESAUDIO.COM / 800-289-4434
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Custom Installation Equipment Reviews
Niles Auriel MRC-6430 Multiroom Audio Controller Review
John Sciacca  |  Jun 02, 2015

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $4,070 as reviewed

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Incredibly simple setup
Terrific home theater integration
Easily handles both analog and IP sources
Minus
No native sources
Typical Class D sound quality

THE VERDICT
Auriel is a breeze to set up, provides control over legacy and modern sources, and offers home theater integration along with a variety of easy-to-use interfaces.

Housewide audio distribution systems varied little in their design and feature set for many years. Whether they were from Niles, Elan, SpeakerCraft, NuVo, or Russound, you could essentially count on them offering six analog audio source inputs, onboard amplification for six stereo zones, and connections for a variety of controllers, usually including an in-wall keypad.

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Other Tech
Niles IC2 Home Theater Automation & Control System
John Sciacca  |  Oct 28, 2008
The Short Form
$999 / NILESAUDIO.COM / 800-289-4434
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Other Tech
Niles IntelliControl ICS Multiroom Audio System
John Sciacca  |  Oct 03, 2006

the listAudio 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.

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CEDIA 2016
Niles Updates to Auriel 2.0 with Home Control
John Sciacca  |  Sep 18, 2016
Niles Audio, a member of Core Brands, released a major update to its MRC-6430 (Auriel) audio distribution platform with the roll-out of Auriel 2.0. The new upgrade is will include a lot of performance enhancements such as streaming audio, climate and lighting control, plus remote access features and will be available for free to all existing system owners.

A single MRC-6430 chassis can deliver audio to six zones through seven input sources, and two chassis can be linked together to create a 12-zone system. With the 2.0 update, the chassis now natively supports streaming from Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn “and other popular Internet radio services.”

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Other Tech
Now Playing: The Man Who Invented Home Theater
John Sciacca  |  Jul 07, 2008

The home theater industry is so young and varied that it hasn't produced many people that can be considered legends. But there is one man who actually created the concept of home theater as we know it today, and who continues to push the boundaries and redefine what home theater can be.

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Now Showing on Two Screens
John Sciacca  |  Jul 27, 2008

For most A/V enthusiasts, owning a dedicated media room is the ultimate dream. A place sealed away from the many distractions of the rest of the house.

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CES 2017
Nucleus Demonstrates 21st Century Intercom
John Sciacca  |  Jan 05, 2017
When you think “intercom” you probably think of that large, clunky, multi-buttoned contraption that took up like three-free of real estate in your parent’s kitchen that no one really knew how to use. In fact, if there is one “technology” that has been sorely overlooked by progress, it is the lowly intercom. Nucleus looks to help keep families in touch no matter if they are on the other side of the home or the world with its Anywhere Intercom which adds and HD video camera and IP communication to the mix. It also happens to be the world’s first touchscreen device with Amazon Alexa built-in.

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CEDIA 2014
Nucleus: Reach Out and See Someone
John Sciacca  |  Sep 13, 2014
Reach Out and See Someone Video calling is certainly nothing new, in fact with iPhone and Android devices most of us carry the ability to video chat with someone around in our pocket. But the home intercom is still a popular request, especially in larger homes where you want a more elegant way to find everyone than, “HELLO?!? WHERE ARE YOU?!? HELLO!!!!” New company, Nucleus, has one of the coolest intercom systems I’ve seen in a while and at a price that is pretty startling.

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Other Tech
NuVo Technologies Grand Concerto Multiroom Audio System
John Sciacca  |  Oct 05, 2007

The 21st century is giving us numerous ways to listen to and control our music. Not only can we now distribute tunes around our homes with the touch of a button, but the wonder of metadata feedback actually lets us know what's playing as well.

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