One thing my house does have is electrical power. That’s why the Collage whole-house audio system is tops on my list. It utilizes HomePlug technology to enable music to travel over standard electrical wiring. The only thing your home will need, cabling wise, is a high-speed connection to the Internet. Check.

The keypads used to operate the system connect to the electrical outlets; speakers (whatever kind you want) are connected to each keypad. How many keypads (i.e., music zones) you buy is up to you. You can start with just one $849 keypad, then add more as your budget allows.

Collage is also appealed to me because it requires no source equipment, like CD players, media servers and the like. The Internet (and a $549 Media Manager which places all the Internet music on the powerline) is all you need, as the system can access tunes from a variety of online music sites, including a six-month free trial subscription to Rhapsody. Oh… there’s one more thing: the keypads function as intercom stations.