When it comes to setting a mood, there’s nothing quite like music. Filmmakers know this very well, which is why they play adrenalin pumping music during grand action scenes while somber music plays in the background during more reflective moments. Music can also help you with your business, as it makes your customers feel more relaxed or more in tune with your corporate vibe. It can also set the mood for your home whether you want to relax and read a book, watch TV, play a computer game, sleep, or host a party for your friends. And for large homes and small businesses, you can use the Leviton 95A00-2 8 Zone 8 Source Kit for Structured Wiring Enclosures.
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Features of the Leviton 95A00-2
This is the device you want if you wish to stream tunes to the different rooms in your home. This can work out well with the audio devices you already own, although of course you can really rock out with a great sound by buying the newest audio systems around. You’ll need to out in speakers in every room where you want to pipe in the music.
The Leviton 95A00-2 bundle includes the Hi-Fi 2 Main Board Assembly, which is on the Universal Mounting Plate so you can easily mount it on your wall. It doesn’t come with an enclosure, but it is designed to go into one. That enclosure, however, is a separate purchase. The Leviton 95A00-2 allows for 8 zones along with 8 sources of audio, but with another separate purchase of the Expansion Amplifier Kit you can expand this to 16 zones. Each zone can pipe in a different piece of music.
The power output is 400W, with 25W per system at 8 ohms. It mounts full-width into a Leviton Structured Media Center wiring enclosure.
The bundle also includes:
1. A remote control. Just in case you don’t have a smartphone, it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to control the Hi-Fi 2 remotely. After all, TVs all have them too…
2. 8 OLED Volume-Source Controls (VSCs). While the remote control gives you overall control of the system, these VSCs give the people in the 8 audio zones the ability to increase or decrease the volume of the music you’re playing. It comes with an on/off switch as well, just in case the people there want some silence instead. And the OLED screen tells the people the current volume level.
3. 4 Remote Input Modules (RIMs). The RIM is the module that’s connected to the Hi-Fi 2main assembly. This is also the module to which you connect your music sources. There are only 4 sources here, so you can buy up to 4 more RIMs for your Leviton 95A00-2 system. You may want to go for the BRIM, however, because it has Bluetooth capability. So you can just use your smartphone to connect to the BRIM so you can play your smartphone tunes for other rooms in the house or shop. These other available local inputs can also be used for other sources of music, such as from your satellite radio tuners or from the Internet.
With the RIM, you can plug your music only with a standard stereo input jack.
4. Extra cable for other automation systems. This cable can be used to connect it to the Leviton Omni (security) or Lumina (lighting) automation system. While it can stand alone as just a simple music piping system, it can also be used in conjunction with many other types of smart devices.
Lights are an integral part of some parties, so it makes sense to use it in conjunction with smart light bulbs that can blink or change colors in time with the music. And it can also be part of your home security automation, so that every room with a speaker can be warned when there’s an intruder or a fire in your home.
5. Free app. While you already have a remote controller for the Leviton 95A00-2, you may feel a bit foolish carrying that thing around you with at home. But there’s a free app that can work with either an Android or an iOS device. The app lets you adjust the volumes in every music zone, change the songs playing on each zone, or power on/off the entire system.
6. Free setup utility program. You can also use your Windows computer to monitor and manage your Leviton 95A00-2 system. This setup utility is free to download, and it also updates the firmware of the Hi-Fi 2.
7. Different configuration settings. Now when you control your devices through the Hi-Fi 2, the source of the music is displayed on the keypads. And you can give any name you want for your music source, so that you’re not wondering about such names as “music source 1”.
Other settings and features include the following:
- You can assign each zone a default volume level when you power up. So you can rock your music in the pool area while you can play Mozart softly in the nursery.
- Music zones can be grouped, so you can have different places playing the same music on their speakers. But these groupings can be partial, too. This means while the music source may be the same for several music zones, each music zone can have different volumes for the music.
Uses of the Leviton 95A00-2
This is a wired system, but for some that’s actually preferable because of reliability issues. But it is also geared towards larger spaces, as there’s a version of the Leviton 95A00-2 that only offers 4 music zones.
But with 8 music zones and various control options you now have several possible ways of using the Leviton 95A00-2 to pipe in music throughout your shop. But basically, what this means is that you can put in the most appropriate music for all the different rooms in the house.
- Your home office can play music that can help you concentrate while you’re also relaxed.
- In the library, you can play soothing instrumental music at a low volume that won’t distract anyone.
- In the nursery, your baby can listen to Mozart and Beethoven while they’re asleep, as some studies show that classical music can boost concentration, listening skills, aspirations, and even social skills. While this may be debatable, one thing for sure is that it can’t hurt.
- When you go into your den, you can play extremely relaxing music while you read a book and sip your drink after a day’s work.
- In your TV room, you can use multiple speakers for a complete “sensurround” experience, which can make you feel you’re in the middle of the battle scenes.
- In the pool area and backyard, you can pipe in more festive songs as you have your parties with friends and family.
- In your bedroom, you can nod off the calming music which you can program to turn off at a certain time.
You can have different music playing for each floor, or perhaps you have kiddie sections in the house that plays Disney tunes, with older teens and young adults in another section playing rap, while the real adults play real rock music in another part of the house. And that’s just for the home.
For shops and restaurants, you can have different sections playing different types of music. This works well when you sell different types of merchandise in your shop. Perhaps some items are for younger customers, while others are for older adults. Or some items are for rap fans while other items are for fans of alternative rock. Such sections ought to have different music playing in the background.
And then every now and then, you can broadcast a special advertisement over all the speakers in the shop.
Pros
So you want to pipe in music in different parts of the house or shop? Regardless of the reason why you want to do this, the Leviton 95A00-2 is a good way to do this. One main reason is that Leviton has a good reputation in the industry. And they offer fantastic customer support as well. If you have any questions that you feel their manuals and guides don’t explain to your satisfaction, you can just send them an email. And if something goes wrong with your Leviton 95A00-2 system, Leviton will probably just send you a new one as a replacement.
Another good reason for choosing the Leviton 95A00-2 is that it’s fairly easy to set up yourself, provided that you know your way around using wires for your speakers. In fact, it’s geared towards the technophobic in general. You don’t really have to get an authorized dealer to send you a trained technician to do it for you. And even if you do need some help, any electrician can figure this thing out.
In general, the volume levels available for your music zones are also more than sufficient to satisfy you. You can actually play loud music without any noticeable distortion of the songs you’re playing.
It’s also very easy to use. You have several methods of control over your system, and that’s more than enough for most people. It’s fairly intuitive, and it shouldn’t cause you any sort of difficulty. Also, you’ll love having so many grouping options for your music zones. And being able to play music from just about any music source is great. If you like to use your smartphone to regale everyone in the house with your taste in music, you’ll only need to get the BRIM and you can use Bluetooth with your smartphone.
Finally, you can actually use this with the Leviton lighting and security home automation systems. That ties up your home automation neatly, and you get more uses out of it too.
Cons
Of course, in this day and age lots of people have their own smartphones and ear buds, so each one can enjoy their own music. Also, some people may not appreciate having their music changed from other parts of the house.
It’s also a bit expensive too. What’s more, while the installation isn’t hard to understand, you will still need to plan out where all the wires are going. And you better be sure where you put your wired components, so you don’t have to rearrange the wiring later on. Actually, the fact that the Leviton 95A00-2 is wired can already be a deal breaker for some people. Today most people are used to wireless systems, and having wires all over the house can be a logistical nightmare. And there’s always a chance it’ll make interior design in your house a true challenge as well.
Conclusion
So is the Leviton 95A00-2 8 Zone 8 Source Kit for Structured Wiring Enclosures the right one for you? It is if you need to pipe in music to various parts of your home, and you have a large house. It’s also ideal of your shop caters to different demographics and each one will appreciate a different type of music—there are very few music acts that will please both senior ex-military men and typical 9-year old girls, after all.
The Leviton 95A00-2 is also for serious music lovers, because it is wired. Wireless systems aren’t as reliable, and you can ask a serious gamer about why they prefer wired keyboards and mice when they play video games for keeps. It’s the same thing with music systems. You want your music to flow uninterrupted, and with the Leviton 95A00-2 you get the music you want when you want it, where you want it, and at the volume you prefer.
It’s really perfect for parties and family gatherings, where different age groups can congregate in different parts of the house and they can enjoy a particular type of music without bothering other people. And for shops that sell to different age groups will live this too. So if you need a centralized audio control system for your place, then the Leviton 95A00-2 must be in your short list of options.