If you're planning audio infrastructure for a hotel and have heard "Dante" mentioned as a feature you should look for, this guide explains what Dante actually is, when it matters for hospitality, and when traditional analog audio is the simpler and more cost-effective choice. We also touch on AVB, the open alternative to Dante.
The guide is vendor-neutral. Rafilis makes Rafilis Multizone, which works with both Dante and analog audio interfaces — we have no preference for one over the other. The choice depends on your property profile.
What network audio actually is
In a traditional audio system, audio signal travels as analog electrical voltage on a copper cable. The amplifier output drives a speaker by varying voltage rapidly. The cable distance limit before quality degrades is typically 30-100 meters depending on wire gauge and load.
In a network audio system, audio is converted to digital data packets and transmitted over Ethernet network cables (Cat6 or fiber). Multiple audio channels travel on the same network cable. Distance limits become much higher — Cat6 reaches 100m per segment, and switches can chain together for kilometers of effective reach.
The trade-offs:
- Network audio: Higher capital cost, more complex setup, but better scalability and remote flexibility
- Analog audio: Simpler, cheaper, but distance-limited and less flexible
The three main approaches for hospitality
Approach 1: Analog audio
The traditional approach. Audio interface outputs balanced line-level analog audio to amplifiers via TRS/XLR cables. Amplifiers drive speakers via standard speaker wire.
Use when:
- Zones are within 30-80 meters of the equipment room
- Property is single-building, single-floor (or zones are co-located)
- Cost is a primary concern
- You want simplicity
Approach 2: Dante (Audinate's protocol)
The industry de facto standard for network audio. Audio is digitized at the source, transmitted over standard Ethernet to network-enabled amplifiers or audio interfaces at the destination. Routing is configured in Dante Controller software.
Use when:
- Multi-building properties (beach club + main building, conference center + restaurant)
- Long cable runs (over 100m)
- Need for remote source-to-destination routing flexibility
- Integration with broadcast or PA systems
- Mid-to-large properties (150+ rooms typically)
Pros:
- Industry standard with broad ecosystem (~3000 Dante-enabled products)
- Standard Ethernet works (no special cable)
- Very low latency (1-5ms typically)
- Reliable
- Multiple audio channels on single network cable
Cons:
- Proprietary (Audinate)
- Requires Dante-enabled hardware (premium cost)
- Network needs to be properly configured (managed switches recommended)
Approach 3: AVB (Audio Video Bridging)
An IEEE open standard alternative to Dante. Same general capabilities (network-based audio transmission, multi-channel, low latency) but open standard rather than proprietary.
Use when:
- Same use cases as Dante BUT you prefer open standards
- Cost-sensitive deployments where Dante licensing is meaningful
- Integration with broader AV/video infrastructure (AVB does video too)
Pros:
- Open standard
- Often slightly lower hardware cost
- Cross-vendor interoperability strong in theory
Cons:
- Smaller ecosystem than Dante
- Some Dante features missing
- Requires AVB-capable network switches (more limited switch options)
Decision matrix for hotels
| Scenario | Recommended approach |
|---|---|
| Boutique hotel (30-50 rooms, single building, 4-6 zones) | Analog |
| Mid hotel (50-150 rooms, single building, 6-12 zones) | Analog (default) |
| Mid hotel (50-150 rooms, multi-building) | Dante |
| Large hotel (150+ rooms, single building) | Analog or Dante |
| Resort (200+ rooms, multi-building) | Dante |
| Conference centre with flexible source routing | Dante |
| Beach club separated from main hotel | Dante or local audio per building |
| Restaurant chain (each restaurant independent) | Analog per restaurant |
Real-world cost comparison
For a 200-room hotel with 14 zones across multiple buildings:
Analog approach (with local amplification per building)
- Audio interface for each building: 4 × €600 = €2,400
- Local amplifiers: 4 × €1,500 = €6,000
- Long-haul fiber between buildings (data only): €3,000
- Local audio cable runs: €4,000
- Total: ~€15,400
But this requires a music PC per building (or audio sent over network in another way). Adds €2,000-4,000 in additional PCs.
Dante approach (centralized amplification)
- Central audio interface with Dante: €1,500-2,500
- Dante-enabled amplifiers at each building: 4 × €2,500 = €10,000
- Network cabling (Cat6 + fiber backbone): €5,000-8,000
- Network switches with Dante optimization: €1,500-3,000
- Total: ~€18,000-23,500
Dante is ~25-50% more expensive but eliminates the per-building PC requirement and gives much more flexible routing.
What Dante enables that analog doesn't
1. Remote source-to-destination routing
In a hotel running Dante, the lobby's music source can be moved to play in the spa for a single shift. In an analog system, you'd need to physically reconfigure cables. Dante lets you do this in software.
2. Audio sharing for events
Conference rooms set up for a corporate event can share audio from a single source across all rooms. Wedding venues can route music from the main DJ booth to multiple zones simultaneously. Analog systems require pre-configured runs.
3. Microphone integration
A wireless microphone at the front desk can be routed to play in any zone via Dante. In an analog system, microphone routing is fixed by the wiring.
4. Integration with broadcast/streaming
If the hotel wants to stream live audio from an event to the internet or to other hotel properties, Dante makes this trivially routable.
5. Cleaner cable runs
Single Ethernet cable carries 32+ audio channels. Analog cabling requires separate runs per channel.
When to NOT use Dante
- Single-building, small hotel — Dante's flexibility benefits are wasted
- No IT capability — Dante network requires proper IT discipline
- Tight budget — analog is meaningfully cheaper for equivalent functionality
- No future expansion plans — Dante shines for properties that grow or reconfigure
Implementation considerations
Dante network requirements
- Gigabit Ethernet switches — Dante can technically work on 100 Mbps but Gigabit is standard
- Managed switches recommended — for QoS prioritization of audio packets
- Dedicated VLAN — keep audio network separate from guest WiFi
- Static IP for Dante devices — avoids DHCP-induced confusion
- Sample rate consistency — all Dante devices should run at 48 kHz (standard)
Dante Controller setup
- Free software from Audinate
- Discovery is automatic on the same subnet
- Configure transmitters (sources) and receivers (destinations)
- Subscribe receivers to transmitters as needed
- Document the routing for future reference
Maintenance
- Firmware updates for Dante devices happen periodically
- Network changes (new switches, VLAN reconfiguration) may break Dante if not coordinated
- Monitoring tools (Dante Domain Manager) for enterprise deployments
When AVB makes sense over Dante
In practice, very rarely for new hospitality deployments. The Dante ecosystem is so much larger that the cost savings of AVB are usually erased by the limited product compatibility. AVB makes more sense in:
- Live event production where AVB-capable mixing consoles exist
- Academic / research settings preferring open standards
- Hospitality groups specifically standardized on AVB
For 99% of new hotel deployments, if you're going network audio, you're going Dante.
What Rafilis Multizone supports
Rafilis Multizone works with:
- Analog audio interfaces (default, simplest setup)
- Dante audio interfaces (e.g., Focusrite RedNet, RME MADIface XT with Dante card)
- USB audio interfaces with ASIO drivers (preferred)
- WASAPI compatible interfaces (broad compatibility)
The choice of network audio vs analog is independent of the music management software. Multizone outputs audio; the interface delivers it via whatever transport you've chosen.
Related reading
- Multi-zone audio for hotels: how it works — architectural overview
- Setting up multi-PC music networking in a resort — large-scale architecture
- Software vs Hardware DSP for hotels — DSP decision
- 70V vs 8-ohm speaker systems — speaker infrastructure
Network audio (Dante in particular) is a powerful technology that solves real problems for large hotels and resorts. It's also unnecessarily complex for smaller properties. The question isn't whether Dante is "better" — it's whether your property's profile justifies the additional complexity. Most properties answer no; some answer yes; very few answer "definitely AVB."