apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Love it, want it at my house, the end. :)

Thanks!
Please note that this setup replaced our CD player. It's not supposed to become the TV in the living room as we don't have (or want) and TV in the living room. The cinema display was an added bonus for the music visualizer and to buy i-tunes songs on-the-spot while at a party!
Thanks again!

joel maria pirela

What a beautiful set-up, exceptionally clean and wire free. Did you have help with the behind-the-wall installation? Very impressive. It looks like it would be fun to surf the web from here as well.

Wiring was done by myself. Not that difficult since it was between studs and I have drywall but you need to know what are you doing so you don't create a bigger problem later on.
Thanks for the kind words,

regards,

joel maria pirela

At the risk of snark, I don't see what's so amazing about this setup. It's very clean and nice, and I'm sure it works quite well. But it's not revolutionary. Now what would make this CD replacement really slick would be:

1. Put an IR distribution system in so that you can use Front Row without opening the cabinet.

2. Replace the mini and cinema display with a small set of powered speakers and a laptop. Now you're totally mobile and have a more concealed system.

3. Replace the mini with a Squeezebox running off the main computer in the bedroom (or the mini). Buy a PSP and use the integrated browser to have a hand-held full color remote control complete with album art and smart-mood playlists.

A for a nice installation, but a solid C for innovation (and speaker placement).

I should also add that all the above solutions would also handle the video end of things quite nicely, incorporating the existing display.

Thanks for your comments they are taken into consideration. I didn't wanted a laptop sitting on the living room as I have one already that I use to and from work. Had the PSP and yes, you can stream music to your PSP from your itunes library but I couldn't "control" the main computer using the PSP as a WIFI remote nor I didn't want to set up an apache server, DNS/IP addresses crap that includes. The IR control with closed doors? No problem A piece of "S" shaped plexiglass tube does the trick getting enough IR thru the gap of the 2 doors, anyway this monitor is going upstairs and I'm getting one of the new 24" cinema display with builtin isight and IR receiver for the same price that I paid fro my 23" ACD. I wanted to use the display as a jukebox of some sorts. Getting people at parties to create their own playlists or browse thru the collection of CD's thru front row. Now, I'm not an audiophile as my ears are "combat" damaged. Those speakers are more than fine for my needs (I don't really do Rave parties anymore) or need to buy KEF speakers and hide them! ; )
Thanks!

JP

i think it will be interesting to see, by virtue of having *cool* as the part of the contest name, whether there's an expectation of having the newest, innovative and greatest stuff in tech.

for me, it is about blending tech into your lifestyle. i've got old school stuff and i integrate the new things as i need/want to. but the emergence of new tech doesn't drive me...my lifestyle drives my incorporation of new tech...

Oh, I meant use the PSP browser to hit the slimserver that's feeding the squeezebox. It's a pretty slick solution with minimal setup (the slimserver does it all, and you don't need to play with DNS if you have a recent router with IP reservations). So you're not playing music through the PSP, you're simply using it as a very nice visual remote control (kind of like a budget version of Sonos).

Best part of the pics is the chair and vases.

The rest is ho-hum; gets the job done, but nothing spectacular -- although from sounds of things he owner was aiming for the most utilitarian solution, not necessarily the coolest.

Very clean and nice to look at, but it seems like the sound quality would suffer because of the speaker placement.

This set up is great. Not only is it efficient, Joel has made it practically wire free and beautiful. Please adopt me, I want to be wire free, too.

Loved your entry in last year's fall colors contest and am happy to get the opportunity to see some more of your home design in detail. I love that everything is hidden beautifully in your set-up.

Wow, your place looks strangely similar to ours. Check out the link to our Small Cool Entry for the Midwest: http://chicago.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/small-cool-2007-entries/3-michael-and-mindys-urban-modern-020963

Thanks guys!

mviamontes, I really admired your place on the contest. That Ivory leather eames is to die for (not really but close!) We have similar (if not same) taste in furniture design. I remember my first piece of "hi-end" furniture was the Noguchi, which came inside a huge wood crate from Herman Miller!!!

One thing that you achieved really well is the way you take your photos. That should be an example of "how-to" when entering a contest. I see great entries with poor photos.

thanks again

joel maria pirela