Russound’s Collage Powerline Media and Intercom System sets a new standard for retrofit multiroom audio systems.

If Twitter-synched pet collars and Wi-Fi at 30,000 feet aren’t enough to convince you that we’re living in the future, consider this: I just installed two zones of distributed audio at opposite ends of the house in one fairly laid back Saturday afternoon.

I’m not talking about some inexpensive (or expensive) wireless box or a secondary feature on a new surround sound receiver; I’m talking about full-fledged multiroom audio: in-wall keypads, in-wall speakers, a robust intercom system, instant access to Rhapsody’s online music service and my iTunes library, all wrapped in up an elegant form factor that looks anything but retrofitted.

And best of all, I can expand upon the system anytime I want—up to ten zones. Thanks to the decentralized architecture of Russound’s new Collage Powerline Media and Intercom System, it’s as easy to expand upon as it is to initially install.

As the system’s name implies, Collage relies upon the power lines inside your walls to deliver audio around the house.

After connecting the Collage Media Manager to your home network router and plugging into a power outlet, installation of each zone is as simple as temporarily connecting the Collage CAK1 Keypad into a power source at its intended location to ensure proper signal strength between the Media Manager and Keypad and between each Keypad in the system (you’ll need to create your own pigtails for this step) and, assuming sufficient signal strength, cutting a few holes in the wall, pulling a few wires through said holes, making a few electrical connections, giving each Keypad a unique name and patting yourself on the back.

Speaker placement is, of course, a matter of taste, as well as access. Each CAK1 Keypad comes with its own 30-watt amplifier, so you won’t be running speaker wires back to a centralized multi-zone amp. In my installation, the wall a few feet above each Keypad turns out to be the perfect location for a Russound Acclaim 7W51SFT single-point stereo in-wall speaker, so my wiring needs are further minimized. As long as your custom installer has access to the attic above your room, in-ceiling speaker installation shouldn’t be a problem.

Once everything is hooked up and faceplates are snapped on, you can just about throw the instruction manual away. Collage relies on the ever-familiar scroll wheel interface that anyone who’s ever owned an iPod will be instantly familiar with and anyone who hasn’t will pick up in a matter of seconds.

The beautiful color QVGA (320 x 240 resolution) screen is packed with menus, from sound controls (including a five-band EQ) to intercom options (complete with room monitoring and paging functionality), but selecting and playing music usually involves little more than a few scrolls and a button press or two, whether you’re enjoying the six-month free trial of Rhapsody’s online music library that’s included with the Collage system or browsing your own iTunes library thanks to the system’s DLNA media-sharing functionality.

Collage is designed to handle three independent streams of audio, but that doesn’t mean you’re limited to having three zones on at any one time. If the system in the bedroom is already playing what you want to hear in the kitchen, for example, you can simply select Bedroom Stream from the Select Source screen, leaving you two independent streams to play with in the rest of the house. Or you can simply tune into your favorite local radio station; each CAK1 Keypad features its own built-in FM tuner.

Given that the Collage system is Internet connected, software updates are a snap. When updates are available, a message pops up on the CAK1 prompting you to download and install it. Updating one Keypad updates them all. It’s as easy as that.

Updates thus far have consisted of minor bug fixes, but new functionality is in the pipeline, in the form of Sleep and Alarm Clock functions, as well as a whole host of free new Internet radio stations.

Hardware updates are also on the horizon in the form of a dedicated iPod dock, as well as a legacy device adapter dubbed the Collage Source Bridge, which promises to allow for the connection and control of everything from CD changers to closed-circuit video camera systems via Collage.

And again, because of the decentralized architecture of Collage, such expansions don’t have to be plugged into a hub or situated near the Media Manager. As long as you’ve got sufficient signal strength you’ll be able to plug them into any power main in your home and access them via any Collage Keypad.