NHL Legend Brett Hull Installs ELAN System

NHL legend Brett Hull has installed an ELAN system in his new home in St Louis, with the help of Dallas-based Eco High Fidelity.

Brett chose to replace his previous home automation system in exchange for a separate cable box in each room for TV, but when the family moved from Dallas to St Louis, he decided that he wanted to go back to a home control system which he had in his old home – although this time he enlisted the help of integration firm Eco High Fidelity.

Collaborating with the local builder, designer and integrator, Eco High Fidelity decided to create an audio/video system that used ELAN G! control.

“The Hulls love music,” says Tommy Kissell, owner of Eco High Fidelity. “They like to play it loud. Their Dallas home electronics started with the best intentions, but it had too many recurring issues to be any fun to use. Now with the new ELAN g! System installed, the Missouri home is a breeze to use and it pumps out serious volume at high fidelity in every room.

“The floor-standing speakers on the first floor and in-ceiling speakers throughout the rest of the home really make this an audio-centric system that delivers above any expectations.”

Eco High Fidelity are based in Dallas, so worked remotely collaborating closely with the builder, Higginbotham Custom Homes and Renovation, local integrator, Fusion Media Systems, as well as the family’s designer, Sohaila Danesh.

Fusion Media Systems handled the low and high voltage wiring while also assisting the Sohaila in eliminating wall clutter and visible electronics. Higginbotham Custom Homes and Renovations were put in charge of designing the system.

The result is a system that the family are not only happy with, but also out of sight; with all the equipment located in two custom-built Middle Atlantic racks in the home’s basement.

“Without the help of this incredible team of local professionals, working long distance with the Hulls would have been exorbitantly expensive and complicated,” Tommy says.

“Collaboration is the key to a successful installation and keeping everything on time and on budget, so it was necessary that we all work together to meet the Hulls’ expectations.

“Basing the home’s electronics on the ELAN system and Pakedge wireless products not only gives the owners a foolproof system, but also allows me to fix common issues remotely all the way from Dallas.

“I can log in to the ELAN system or the Pakedge network to reboot hardware, check and upgrade software, and see exactly what the Hulls are talking about in case of regular maintenance issues. That will save me and them thousands of dollars over the life of the home, because I don’t have to fly someone out.”

Utilising three ELAN S1616A multi-zone audio controllers, Eco High Fidelity created 18 separate zones of audio that can be individually controlled for source and volume through the home’s six ELAN HR2 remotes or the ELAN g! App on the family’s iPhones and iPads.

Due the limited in-wall and in-ceiling access in the older home, the team custom-designed a soundbar along with a floor standing surround system for the sunroom’s 80in Sharp LED TV. The Hull’s also enjoy outdoor audio thanks to Niles outdoor speakers.

In addition to the audio system there is are seven video zones with Samsung TVs ranging from 40 to 80 inches.

Every video and audio zone can play content from the home’s four uVerse DVRs, a Kaleidescape movie/music system, three Apple TVs and an S1 Digital music streamer that holds 200,000 songs.

This approach gives the owners full access to their own music, Spotify, Pandora and all the local terrestrial radio stations controlled through the same simple ELAN g! interface everywhere in the home.

“Having instant access to all of their media in every seat in the house was a core requirement,” Tommy states.

“That’s why we chose to build such a powerful wireless network so every mobile device, ELAN remote and music service works 100% of the time no matter where they are trying to access it from, and never slows down no matter how much audio or video streaming the family does.

ELAN is distributed in the UK by Indigo Distribution.