[psumazda6]

Hello, been a while since I last posted. Getting ready to move into a new house with no A/V wiring currently. A little background:


With the help of this forum I set up a multiroom system in my current home about 5 years ago. A fairly basic system I designed and installed myself...centrally located amp, speaker selector with volume control, and (6) pairs of in-ceiling speakers. Integrated with surround-sound system that shares common sources.


For the new house, here's what I know so far:


1. I do not need video distribution; audio only.

2. Looking to have music in (6) rooms.

3. Sources: iPhone/iPad, iPod, DVR, CD/Bluray, maybe Pandora

4. Typical use will be same source in all rooms. Multi-source capability nice to have but not a requirement.

5. Wife does not like visible speakers; will likely install in-ceiling speakers in each room.


Questions:


1. Does Sonos make sense if you're not going to use their speakers?

2. Does using in-ceiling speakers (minimum 6 pairs) steer me towards running all speaker wiring to a central location?

3. Do the HTD systems integrate well with iPhones/iPads?

4. Do Russound systems have a significant advantage over the more-economical HTD systems? Sound quality, reliability, etc.

5. Are keypads in each room a necessity? Or are there volume control solutions via smartphones, etc.?


Thanks in advance for any guidance!

 

[jautor]



Quote:
Originally Posted by psumazda6  /t/1521436/looking-for-guidance-new-home-with-no-a-v-wiring#post_24451594


1. Does Sonos make sense if you're not going to use their speakers?

Sonos Connect:Amp units, one per room/zone, will be a really good solution. NuVo also has a competing product family (P100 / P200).

Quote:
2. Does using in-ceiling speakers (minimum 6 pairs) steer me towards running all speaker wiring to a central location?

If you can do that, it will open up some cheaper solution possibilities, but none of those will have the ease-of-use as the wireless zone players, unless you can also run wires for keypads.

Quote:
3. Do the HTD systems integrate well with iPhones/iPads?

They integrate in the sense that they have their own app. But you will be switching between multiple apps all the time.

Quote:
4. Do Russound systems have a significant advantage over the more-economical HTD systems? Sound quality, reliability, etc.

Russound also has a new wireless zone player (not sure it's shipping yet). Russound / NuVo key advantages in their centralized systems is the full-featured keypads and general source-level control integration.

Quote:
5. Are keypads in each room a necessity? Or are there volume control solutions via smartphones, etc.?

IMO they are very, very nice to have - but for retro-fit, I think I'd lean towards the zone players and use semi/wholly-dedicated mobile/tablet devices in each room for control. I don't like relying on my phone as the controller as I don't carry it around the house, nor would I want others using it...



Jeff

 

[psumazda6]

Thanks Jeff, great info. I'm leaning towards the zone players for simplicity of installation. Having already retrofit one house with a centrally located system, I'm not sure I want to take that on again. Will check out the Russound/Nuvo options you mentioned. Thanks again.