Help! Multi Room Audio Question...

bazooka

Hiya,

We are in the process of doing up a house, (and money is running out fast!) adn was wondering if anyone knew a good way to put multiroom audio in the ground floor (kitchen, dining area, familly area).

We are nearly at 1st fix stage with the electricians, so now is the time to get this planned, or we could be regretting it for years!

The solution that we would like is as follows:

1. Main Stereo (Sony, Philips, or other Micro Stereo) with Radio/CD/Line out for IPOD Docking
2. Standard Speakers (or good value small designer speakers) in the kitchen, dining area, familly room. They will be as hidden as possible, above kitchen caninets etc.
3. The ability to play sound in just a single zone (ie. Kitchen) or in two zones (ie. Kitchen + Dining Area) or all zones.
4. We don't mind changing the destination zone from the control area (Kitchen), and don't think we will be able to afford those mad digital displays all around the place to select various sources etc...we dont' really need it too, just a simple solution...

Please help if possible!!!

big_moe

get speaker cable run from main stereo point to all other points in the house and then use a speaker distribution amp.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=9327&criteria=speaker%20distribution%20amp&doy=3m2

any stereo you buy will work with these, and then pick up some nice small speakers and you're sorted

adam

bazooka

Thanks Big_Moe, i saw these, only problem is that it looks shocking...and the wife would absolutely shoot me if that was sitting somewhere in the kitchen...

it would be ok if that was the unit, and then there was a sleeker controller on the wall or something like that?

Homer

You could centrally locate your speaker selector as "big moe" has mentioned and then use something like this



in each of the rooms where you want volume control.

It also gives you the ability to have different volume levels in each room.

They can be mounted flush into the wall but do require a bit of depth (usually around 44mm) behind them.

big_moe

yeah you dont need to see the speaker switch. just have it on top fo your stereo or something, then those volume controllers in the room would be nice as well.

bazooka

and is the sound good quality when running to the three zones, ie the same quality as using just local speakers?

that might be the way forward, bury the switch then just have the volume turned all the way down...that wouldn't burn out the speakers or anything like that (ie. power going to them altough nothing being played?)

thanks for all the info on this...

Homer

If you use good quality impedance matched volume controls you won't have a problem.
Obviously if you are going to run three zones from one amplifier/hi-fi system that was only ever designed to run "one" pair of speakers there will be a drop in output the more pairs of speakers you add to the system.
Try and get an amplifier that has enough output to drive several pairs of speakers at once if possible.
Have you bought the source equipment already?

minibob

Visit www.ConnectedHomes.ie and they will tell you exactly how to prewire your new house.