Multiroom Audio

[PaulSC]

Evening all,

I'm in the process of buying a new house (3 bed semi) and if all goes through OK, will be completely refurbishing its 1950's interior. I don't want to finish the skimming then think "I'd wish I'd run this or that in", so ...

As this is a downsize (credit crunch and all that) does anyone have any experience or details of a cheap multiroom audio system? I guess each room would simply need to control its own volume and not necessarily the whole install. Never fitted one of these so would be good experience for me also.

I'm guessing home automation is many thousands and well out of my budget. Appreciate any pointers you can give.

Paul

 

[ianmacd]

If you want decent control of each zone then look at sonos. If you really want to do it on the cheap and have a central source (e.g. av amp in lounge) then running the zone2 out of that into a cheap distribution amp (about

 

[PaulSC]

Thanks Ianmacd,

I'd have clicked the 'Thank you' button, but it seems to have dissappeared since Admin's been decorating!

 

[ianmacd]

Isn't that the star on the bottom left now?

 

[Andy™]

Isn't that the star on the bottom left now?

thats the reputation. always been a feature (used to be the scales in top right)

 

[Robojin]

I'd agree with Ian if you can afford it go the Sonos route, take a look at the Sonos web site worth a look, and you will get excellent trade prices if you go via SAV (forum sponsor) speak to Grant

 

[aptsys]

If you're on a budget there's always the Logitech Squeezebox stuff. You can wander round with the remote (which you can also plug headphones into) and synch the players together or in groups if you want the same stuff on in different rooms. You can also get windows clients which make the application appear as another squeezebox device on the network. The downside is it's less integrated, but obviously easier to shift things around and take with you when you move.

You can also listen over the internet as if you were at home.

 

[ian932]

I'd agree with Ian if you can afford it go the Sonos route, take a look at the Sonos web site worth a look, and you will get excellent trade prices if you go via SAV (forum sponsor) speak to Grant

I can fully recommend Grant a SAV he did a good deal on a load of Sonos bundles and KEF speakers last year.

Also Sono's is top of the game in simple to use multi room audio and has a good Iphone App, it steams internet contend well too. It scores well on the the wife friendly front as well, I've seen no end of people use things like zone 2 of an AVR and it never get used because the wife ends up turning the standalone radio on rather than mess about booting up the AVR selecting the source power selecting zone 2 if it