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New CEA Research Finds Multi-Room Audio Systems Receive High Recommendations from Owners; Non-Owners Have High Interest in Multi-Room Audio Systems (1/4/2006)

Owners with state-of-the-art multi-room audio systems are more satisfied and likely to recommend the systems to others than those with less superior systems, according to a study recently released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA(R)). The new "Multi-Room Audio Systems: A Detailed Look at Owners and Prospects" study also found that 72 percent of multi-room audio system owners would recommend them to their family and friends and that 81 percent of owners would re-purchase them if they moved.

The study was conducted among 480 owners of multi-room audio systems and 530 non-owners who are likely to purchase a multi-room audio system in the next 12 months. For this study, a multi-room audio system was defined as a system that allows home occupants to play and control audio from a central source with output in at least three rooms in the home.

The study found that the vast majority of owners use CDs and broadcast radio with their audio systems and more than half will transmit their television and DVD sound through their audio systems. Most users' systems reside in family rooms, master bedrooms or kitchens. The study showed that almost half the owners use their systems daily, but many do not utilize the full functionality of the multi-room audio system.

"The functionality of multi-room audio systems is very expansive - you can access them remotely, play different content in different rooms, play different content from multiple sources or simply download new content from the Internet," said Joe Bates, director of CEA Research. "But we discovered during this study that while satisfaction is very high, few people are taking advantage of all the exciting options available with these systems because they aren't able to attach as many devices as they would like to their system. This highlights the need for more versatile systems, and an opportunity for upgrades among current owners."

Of the 530 non-owners surveyed, a strong majority had heard of multi-room audio systems, while a third was familiar with them. The prospects, as well as current owners, stated that family members, friends, the Internet and electronics retailers were among the most influential sources of information. Just under half of the prospects surveyed said they would purchase a multi-room audio system for their current home if it is reasonably priced and around 60 percent would purchase a system for a new home.

"Multi-Room Audio Systems: A Detailed Look at Owners and Prospects" was conducted in mid-October 2005. It was designed and formulated by CEA Market Research, the most comprehensive source of sales data, forecasts, consumer research and historical trends for the consumer electronics industry. The complete study is available free to CEA member companies. Non-members may purchase the study for $499.

www.ce.org