Revox Voxnet - (R)Evolution from the Multiroom Pioneer

    The Swiss company Revox has a long and rich history in the audio sector and has been involved in music listening in multiple rooms—modern term: multiroom audio—for thirty years. Recently, Revox introduced a new system called Voxnet, which is set to revolutionize the enjoyment of music distributed throughout the house.   Voxnet is intended to be nothing less than the best and easiest-to-use multiroom audio system in the world. That’s certainly not a modest claim, but when Revox tackles something, they do it right. Besides the traditionally outstanding audio quality that you can simply expect from a Revox solution, Voxnet is especially notable for its enormous flexibility and a completely new operating concept.   Actually, ‘operating concept’ doesn’t even go far enough, because Voxnet completely redefines the logic of a multiroom system. Until now, planning a multiroom audio solution always started with one or more sources, which could be accessed as needed in different listening zones or rooms. On the hardware level, nothing changes at first with this basic principle. After all, you still need music sources, and if you want to listen to music in a particular room, you need speakers and an amplifier there. But the similarities end with further planning. With Voxnet, the control logic is not based on sources and listening zones but instead focuses on different users and the music and sources that each user typically uses or wants to use. In this way, not only does the currently playing music follow the user into different rooms, but the entire source selection and operating concept do as well. All it takes is a press of a button on the modern Gira wall control unit when you enter a room.  

Revox Voxnet—the first multiuser/multiroom system   Of course, control via an app on a tablet or smartphone is also possible. Within a Voxnet installation, these devices can also take on additional roles as needed. For example, they make it easy to integrate various audio streaming services into the multiroom system. The user simply uses the app of the desired service as usual, and playback then occurs via the Voxnet system in any room you want. Video services such as YouTube, Netflix, or Amazon Prime can also be integrated just as conveniently via the tablet. Small additional products, such as an Apple TV or Google Chromecast, make it possible to watch the tablet’s video stream on the big TV. Voxnet can recognize this, automatically take over the audio playback, and, if necessary, even dim the lights or close the blinds via a Gira Home Server. To ensure that different users in a house don’t get in each other’s way while operating the system, Revox has implemented comprehensive rights management and hierarchy. This system even lets you restrict your children's access to selected sources or limit their usage to certain times of day.  

Tablets and smartphones in Voxnet serve not only for control but also as sources for music streaming and video services   Naturally, ‘classic’ music sources like the good old CD can also be comfortably integrated into Voxnet—there are virtually no limits to what’s possible. This flexibility is made possible by the special infrastructure of a Voxnet system. The backbone is a gigabit Ethernet installation, which handles all Voxnet communication as well as the audio data; at the same time, this network bridges the gap to other IP-based devices (tablets, smartphones, computers, etc.) on the network or Wi-Fi. At the same time, the Voxnet room amplifiers also feature classic electrical trigger inputs, which can be used to trigger freely programmable actions, as well as inputs and outputs for infrared link. Of course, existing Revox installations—such as those based on the amplifiers Re:system M100 or M51—can be integrated with Voxnet.  

Revox Voxnet connects the modern IP world with ‘classic’ multiroom technologies   Revox has invested several years of development in Voxnet and can therefore present a system right from the start that will function very reliably and, above all, extremely quickly—the developers promise latency times of less than 3 milliseconds! Conversely, this means that music from any source can also be played in perfect sync in different rooms. Since Voxnet offers almost unlimited possibilities, Revox will rely from the very beginning on detailed presentations and consultations at selected specialist dealers. The Auditorium is, of course, on board and will probably be among the first partners to present Revox Voxnet in Germany starting in February, both in the Gira Revox Studio in the Raumfabrik Münster and at the Auditorium Hamm.  

Voxnet premiere in February: The Auditorium is one of the first locations in Germany to showcase the new Revox Voxnet in Hamm and in the Raumfabrik Münster (pictured)   If you are interested in a demonstration of Revox Voxnet, you can already register with us and we will contact you as soon as the installation is ready. Or you can simply follow us on Facebook, where we will also keep you updated on the latest developments.