As a music lover, I am heartened to see whole-house audio systems in so many luxury homes. Yet I notice that some of those systems go largely unused. Why would anyone ignore a system that spreads music to every room of the house? I have a two-part theory. Part one: Most whole-house audio systems are controlled by wall-mounted keypads that cram eight to umpteen buttons into a space the size of a business card. Part two: Any device more complicated than a toaster will frighten away nine-tenths of all people.

The logical extension of my theory is that whole-house audio systems should be as simple to operate as a toaster, and Russound has done just that with its A-Bus multiroom audio system. With the A-Bus system, you see only a keypad with three buttons. When guests notice the keypads on my walls and ask what they do, I tell them, “Punch a button and find out.” In seconds, music envelops them.

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This tiny hub provides all the "smarts" of the A-Bus system. It connects to as many as eight keypads and four audio source devices.  (Click to enlarge)

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The original Russound A-Bus system was perhaps too simple. Through the keypad, it accessed only a single audio source, such as a CD player or AM/FM radio. One source is simply not enough. Who among us does not want to spice his or her CD listening with an occasional baseball game on AM radio (or vice versa)?

Russound’s revised A-Bus system solves that problem without adding a single button. The old version offers buttons for on/ off, volume up and volume down. With the new version, pushing the on/off button now cycles among up to four audio sources. Holding this button down for a couple of seconds shuts off the sound for that specific room. Pressing the button again shuts off the sound in every room.

You have just read everything you need to know about operating the Russound A-Bus system.

A handheld remote controls the A-Bus system and all of the audio source devices connected to it; the remote will work in any room that contains a keypad. With this remote, I anxiously await the moment when my guests turn up their noses at my music selection. I simply pick up the remote, press a button to change the CD selection, and revel as they look around in search of my audio components, which are hidden in a service closet several rooms away.

The A-LC2 accessory lets your installer add an extra CD player or other audio source device to any A-Bus-equipped room. It provides a stereo audio input and fits a Decora switchplate. You can use A-LC2s to add CD players in the guest bedroom and your kids’ rooms so they can easily play music of their choosing; I use one to hook up a record player in my lounge. When the source connected to the A-LC2 begins playing, the keypad in that room automatically switches to that source.

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This tiny hub provides all the "smarts" of the A-Bus system. It connects to as many as eight keypads and four audio source devices.  (Click to enlarge)

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While A-Bus is primitive compared with most multiroom audio systems, I find ways around its limitations. I regularly listen to three radio stations: two FM and one AM. With most multiroom systems, I can switch stations from the keypad. Obviously, I cannot accomplish this from the Russound system’s three-button keypads. However, a solution comes to mind: I connect three radio tuners, set each one to a different favorite station, then use the on/off buttons on the keypads to select the different tuners. Presto—my favorite radio stations are now at my fingertips.

A computer also mates well with the Russound A-Bus system if you set the computer up for wireless control from a Pocket PC. With the Pocket PC, I can select the music I want to hear from anywhere in my home, and the Russound A-Bus system lets me distribute music from the computer to each room.

Part of this system’s magic is that it does not require racks of amplifiers and switchers. The keypads contain the amplifiers, and the hub—the “brain” of the system—is a tiny box that connects to the keypads through a single Cat-5 cable. A small AC adapter connects to the hub to provide power for the keypads.

The basic A-Bus kit supplies sound for up to four rooms, each with its own keypad. The A-H484 hub Russound supplies in the kit accommodates up to four more keypads (for a total of eight) with the addition of a second power supply. By adding more hubs and more power supplies, your installer can expand the system to suit even large homes.

Since the original review was printed in Robb Report Home Entertainment & Design, I have discovered the perfect accessory for the A-Bus system: Sony's RM-AV3000 remote control. Like Russound's remote, the RM-AV3000 can control volume, on/off and source selection for any of the keypads, and can also control any of the source devices connected to the system. However, the RM-AV3000 also has a versatile timer built in. The timer lets me fall asleep to soft music playing over the Russound system; the system now shuts off at 1:15 a.m. every night. The Sony remote also powers up the system at a rousingly high volume every morning at 6 a.m. Any learning remote with a timer and macro capability should do the trick; you might also check out RCA's RCU1010.

The significant limitation of A-Bus, however, is power—each keypad supplies only 7.5 watts per channel. You might be surprised, though, to discover how far 7.5 watts can go, because casual music listening normally consumes only a watt or two of power. I find the power adequate for every application save two: driving a set of rock-shaped speakers in my backyard and cranking up all of the keypads in the house for a party. It is easy, though, to add more power where you need it. Each keypad has terminals that allow your installer to connect a more powerful amplifier, or to add a subwoofer to augment the bass in any room that needs the additional oomph.

Certainly, some homeowners will demand the superior sound quality and flexibility of high-end multiroom systems, and some will want to access more than four audio sources for multiroom sound. But if you can live with this system’s limitations, it will be one of the most useful home improvements you can make, because you will use it every day. I missed my first A-Bus system terribly when I recently moved, and am so thankful to have the new one installed. I have tested more than 500 electronics products in my career, including astoundingly good speakers, amplifiers and surround-sound processors. No other, though, has brought me as much joy as this one.