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DIY Audio for bathroom suite & bedroom

1269 Views 2 Replies 2 Participants Last post by TomKaz, Jan 19, 2008

TomKaz

Discussion Starter · Jan 18, 2008

DIY Audio system for bathroom suite & bedroom

We are gutting & redoing our master bathroom suite and dressing rooms. It's a good sized space (big house). We will be going down to the studs, will have the ceilings open so access will not be an issue. We will be rewiring all the plumbing and high voltage as well (the pros will be doing that stuff).

So I want to install a distributed audio system covering the master bedroom, his toilet, his & her dressing spaces, shower and main bathroom (6 zones). Our needs are casual meaning the system does not need to be of audiophile quality. We will never be playing two sources in different "zones" but I would like to be able to adjust volume from each zone "locally".

The smaller zones will be too small to use two speaker stereo so I will likely install single R/L channel speakers. Sources will be wall-mounted TV, tuner (receiver) and possibly my SONOS system that's distributed over the first floor of the house.

For my simple needs/usage I can't justify the $s for a Nuvo, Russound or other high-end system. My initial inclination is to run my limited sources through a wall-mounted source switch into a signal-sensing 12-channel amp. The amp's outputs will be run to each zone into a wall-mounted volume control feeding ceiling-mounted speakers. I am posting because I am open to suggestions.

I am handy enough to run all the low voltage, install the speakers, etc. I am looking for ideas from those who have "been there". Are there serious negatives to the simple setup I described above. Or, is A-bus better for this setup? Or, should I keep it real simple and just expand the SONOS system inputing the TV and a tuner into a couple of ZP100s and buy another controller?

I am trying to keep the budget reasonable to please guide me.

Thanks.

Tom

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gjgoldstein1

· #2 · Jan 18, 2008

Hi,

I'm not in the same situation but for various reasons have settled on an A-bus type solution. Don't overlook the actual material cost of the speaker wires you will need, especially if your 12-channel AMP is far away from your bedroom spaces. Some audio distribution systems also require you to run power over speaker wire equivalents even though the audio is sent over CAT5, so you still end up with the copper cost of two runs of 2 conductor or one run of 4 conductor.

If you go the route of using something like Lyriq's amplified keypads, realize you don't need the amplified keypad power source module to sit next to the intercom hub -- you can move it as close as workeable to your speakers as long as you have someplace to plug it into AC.

Jamie

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TomKaz

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 19, 2008

GJG - thanks.

When I built my home theater two years ago I bought a Yami 2500 which has worked great. Unfortunatley, it wasn't until the HDMI-switching models came out that I realized I would have been happier with HDMI since my RPTV, cable box and DVD player are all using HDMI. Too late at that point.

Anyway, I have been searching for a way to justify an "upgrade" of the 2500 to the 2700. Since the 2500 can fee three zones of audio, maybe it can serve as a "poor man's" distribution hub. The TV I get can be fed component off the back of the 2500 and I would be happy.

Then, I could get the 2700 for the HT.

Thoughts?

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