NuVo Renovia Delivers Whole-House Audio Over Powerlines

NuVo Technologies may be first to market with a whole-house audio system that requires (almost) no new wires. Instead of delivering music over Cat 5 cables or speaker wire, NuVo's Renovia system uses the home's existing A/C wiring to distribute music and metadata throughout the house.

Specifically, NuVo is using HomePlug 1.0 powerline technology for its new multiroom audio system.

HomePlug for Music over the Powerlines

NuVo's Renovia line starts with a hub that looks similar to NuVo's other source and multiroom audio components. Unlike NuVo's flagship Concerto and Essentia multiroom audio systems, however, the Renovia hub has sources built in.

Dual AM/FM tuners (Sirius-ready) are on board, and users can plug in two iPod docks and two analog sources (preliminary specs). In addition, the unit can control and play virtually any digital content on the network via NuVo's Music Port module.

NuVo decided on one integrated box for the powerline solution because "the goal of the system is for the installer to do a one-day job," says NuVo CTO Rick Kukulies. "That's paramount for obvious reasons – like there's just one truck roll – but I think the No. 1 reason that people don't retrofit is because of the disruption."


The Renovia hub plugs into a standard AC outlet to deliver music to individual zone amps (25 watts per channel) that fit in a double-gang box – actually, two single-gang boxes connected via a jumper cable. The high-voltage power supply goes on one side of the box; the amp and processing technology goes in the other.

The electrician does nothing more than wire the power module like any other light switch or outlet. The integrator pops in the amp, connects a jumper cable to the power, and runs a Cat 5 cable to the keypad – any of NuVo's standard ControlPad touchpads will do.

"It works just like the NuVo Concerto or Essentia," Kukulies says. "You just don't have to homerun the wires.

While NuVo did not have to reinvent its core products and industrial design to create Renovia, the company did put considerable effort into the in-wall amps. "We pack a lot of stuff into that 50-watt amp," says Kukulies. "It takes a lot of time and effort to put so much into such a small package."

The Renovia system accommodates 12 zones of audio. Currently you cannot "HomePlug-enable" NuVo's traditional hardwired multiroom audio systems but such a solution may be forthcoming.

NuVo president David Rodarte says the Renovia system should cost "about the same price as our Grand Concerto, less wiring, less labor." (The Grand Concerto is NuVo's 6x8 hardwired multiroom audio system with 80 watts of power per zone.)

Powerline Trumps RF

Kukulies says the company "made the decision on powerline" about two years ago. In contemplating a retrofit solution, NuVo considered wireless, but not for long.

"The powerline is predictable and the environment is more manageable now and in the future," Kukulies says. Concrete walls, steel studs, and everyday items such as mirrors can undermine a wireless signal, he explains.

High voltage, however, can be a scary word for low-voltage integrators who may not be comfortable with the powerline. But NuVo makes it easy to separate the two disciplines. The electrician wires in a specially designed power supply, and leaves a connector exposed for the low-voltage installer.

Then there is the perception among integrators that wirefree solutions – whether RF or powerline – are simply inadequate for their clientele.

While NuVo suggests that systems be prewired when possible, for retrofit situations the powerline makes for a good substitute. Kukulies says that NuVo added "secret sauce" to the core HomePlug protocol in order to enhance music quality and improve synchronization across zones.

The latency with Renovia is "imperceptible," says Kukulies. "If four rooms are all open to each other, there will be no echoes."

Because NuVo has tweaked HomePlug, its products cannot communicate with other HomePlug products on the market. Kukulies says that HomePlug does not have mandates for interoperability. "What they do have," he says, "is guidelines for performance."

Technical considerations aside, the powerline system may face hurdles among an integrator population that is "used to stringing it [installation] along for five days," says Rodarte. "This is a serious business model, and we have to educate dealers about the concept."

That's just what NuVo plans to do at CEDIA Expo 2008 where the company will preview Renovia at booth 240 (view CEDIA floor plan).

NuVo is planning to ship products in the first half of 2009.

The Competition

While wireless multiroom audio systems abound (Sonos is just one), currently there is nothing for professional-looking in-wall installations.

Last year, Russound showed the new Avenue powerline audio system that essentially HomePlug-enables its existing line of RNet communicating audio products.

That product, however, requires a bulky powerline module (the Avenue Point) to be installed outside the wall near the local keypads and speakers.

Channel Vision also has shown a powerline-based multiroom audio system, but the product is less of a "system" than a series of plug-in modules

NuVo's Renovia is a completely integrated system that offers audio distribution (with metadata), power amps, source control, and an elegant in-wall solution