Bluetooth speakers for upstairs bathroom

psd99 · 29 Oct 2018 at 09:37

been thinking about this for a while, I'd really like a system in place so I can play music in the bathroom.

I got a nice mirror already so I'm thinking of putting a system in place by accessing the loft, there are a lot of wires up there so I can get power, but which system/speakers should I go for?

How many do I need? the bathroom is approx 3 x 4 metres in size with 4 spot lights centred in the room.

Em3bbs · 29 Oct 2018 at 10:48

I bought some ceiling speakers and a Sonos amp which does the job well in the loft - although not cheap.

psd99 · 29 Oct 2018 at 11:19

Em3bbs said:
I bought some ceiling speakers and a Sonos amp which does the job well in the loft - although not cheap.

Linkage? if I could go back with the house was torn up
I'd have put speakers in almost every room all wired up

psd99 · 29 Oct 2018 at 11:22

what tool do I need to cut the hole in the ceiling? seen some mention of a cutting saw? but I thought I'd need something bigger than holesaws for cutting led lights?

Em3bbs · 29 Oct 2018 at 11:23

My speakers (Polkaudio RC60i) came with a template and I drilled a hole and used a jigsaw. Be careful of any wiring/pipes there though!

psd99 · 29 Oct 2018 at 11:36

Em3bbs said:
My speakers (Polkaudio RC60i) came with a template and I drilled a hole and used a jigsaw. Be careful of any wiring/pipes there though!

yes jigsaw of course but you'd need steady hands...

I will go into the loft and look above to see what is up there before I do anything, just worried about joists being in the way regarding placement of the speaker itself.

Em3bbs · 29 Oct 2018 at 11:44

psd99 said:
yes jigsaw of course but you'd need steady hands...

I will go into the loft and look above to see what is up there before I do anything, just worried about joists being in the way regarding placement of the speaker itself.

You don't need super steady hands, ceiling speakers generally have a grille with a lip which will cover up any imperfections in your hole.

GeX · 29 Oct 2018 at 18:24

I used a hole-saw to cut the ceiling when upgrading my bathroom speaker. I have speakers throughout the house that link back to a multizone amp;

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nUdT5Z793UPxZ1sdA

If you don't want to a wire back to an amp then you can get self-contained units with bluetooth / amp etc all built in.

Slight hijack, @Em3bbs what do you think of those RC60i speakers? I need to upgrade the ones in my dining room.

Em3bbs · 29 Oct 2018 at 22:09

GeX said:
Slight hijack, @Em3bbs what do you think of those RC60i speakers? I need to upgrade the ones in my dining room.

I was really impressed with them, so much so I bought another set and a Sonos amp for the bathroom as well. I got the originals in 2009 wired up to a Yamaha amp before getting the Sonos a few years later so maybe there are better options available now but they were well rated at the time and lasted well. I moved house a couple of years ago and waiting to do the kitchen and bathroom here before putting them up again.

psd99 · 30 Oct 2018 at 08:05

GeX said:
I used a hole-saw to cut the ceiling when upgrading my bathroom speaker. I have speakers throughout the house that link back to a multizone amp;

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nUdT5Z793UPxZ1sdA

If you don't want to a wire back to an amp then you can get self-contained units with bluetooth / amp etc all built in.

Slight hijack, @Em3bbs what do you think of those RC60i speakers? I need to upgrade the ones in my dining room.

nice looks good!

I think self contained units will be the best option here as I can access above the ceiling by going into the loft above the bathroom. Ideally would have been good to have had speakers in the kitchen and diner but that might ruin the finish I got now that everything has been completed. too late for that now

got any recommendations for 2 x speakers?

GeX · 30 Oct 2018 at 08:43

I don't, sorry. All of mine are just normal speakers linked back to an amp with a bank of Chromecast Audios on it.

I posted in the AV section about which speakers; https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/car-speakers-as-ceiling-speakers.18806236/ but as I say, none include amps. You might be able to find some advice in other threads in that part of the forum though.

psd99 · 30 Oct 2018 at 08:48

GeX said:
I don't, sorry. All of mine are just normal speakers linked back to an amp with a bank of Chromecast Audios on it.

I posted in the AV section about which speakers; https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/car-speakers-as-ceiling-speakers.18806236/ but as I say, none include amps. You might be able to find some advice in other threads in that part of the forum though.

what does it mean when you say they are linked to an amp? I dont fully understand that

is that like a central point or something

Jonnybmac · 30 Oct 2018 at 09:15

Have you considered portable speakers?

The anker motion b are waterproof and you can link 2 up wirelessly as a left and right. The battery is decent and the quality and volume are also pretty good.

Just being in a bathroom with moisture plus generally you'd want to control things with your phone i presume and not something out of reach?

GeX · 30 Oct 2018 at 14:14

psd99 said:
is that like a central point or something

Exactly that, yes.

I have a 6 zone, 12 channel amplifier; http://www.daytonaudio.com/index.php/ma1240-multi-zone-12-channel-amplifier.html

All of my ceiling speakers are wired back to this one amp that is in my study. On each zone input on the amp is Chromecast Audio. I have other speakers in the house that have Chromecast Audio support built in. I then use the 'Groups' within Google Home to group the Chromecast Audio's together. I can then cast music from any device to any room, or groups of rooms. When nothing is casting, all the devices go to sleep - but auto wake when music is sent to them

Cast list looks kinda like

https://i.uploady.uk/48swp.png

psd99 · 30 Oct 2018 at 15:17

GeX said:
Exactly that, yes.

I have a 6 zone, 12 channel amplifier; http://www.daytonaudio.com/index.php/ma1240-multi-zone-12-channel-amplifier.html

All of my ceiling speakers are wired back to this one amp that is in my study. On each zone input on the amp is Chromecast Audio. I have other speakers in the house that have Chromecast Audio support built in. I then use the 'Groups' within Google Home to group the Chromecast Audio's together. I can then cast music from any device to any room, or groups of rooms. When nothing is casting, all the devices go to sleep - but auto wake when music is sent to them

Cast list looks kinda like

https://i.uploady.uk/48swp.png

wow that's smart

this is exactly the type of solution I was craving when the whole house was being re-wired!

I could have zoned up each room like living room /dinerkitchen/bedroom 1 etc then somehow find a way to play music via my phone/devices in each room and or hook it up to the tvs

psd99 · 24 Feb 2021 at 16:10

So here i am
Back on this thread

i had a look on amazon they got lithe audio speaker for the bathroom

If im getting my loft converted i will probably need speakers in there

so i guess i got two options

1 x lone bluteooth bathroom speaker for existing bathroom

+

3 x speakers for the loft

or

4 x speakers in a system

1 for the existing bathroom
2 for the new bedroom
1 for the new bathroom in the loft

what kind of solution am I looking at for either option here?

psd99 · 24 Feb 2021 at 16:15

I see mention of polk audio on here

are they still a good make? Guess they would be simple
Bluetooth speakers rather then asking alexa or google

dirtychinchilla · 24 Feb 2021 at 16:20

I was literally thinking about the same thing yesterday. Maybe we've been watching the same TV program or something. I quickly came to the conclusion that it was easier to buy a shower speaker.

psd99 · 24 Feb 2021 at 16:25

dirtychinchilla said:
I was literally thinking about the same thing yesterday. Maybe we've been watching the same TV program or something. I quickly came to the conclusion that it was easier to buy a shower speaker.

lol yes possibly

i dont agree i think ceiling speakers are awesome the concern for me is buying a speaker that doesnt work well or causes problems

then u end up with a huge hole in the celing and frantically look for the same sized speaker

polk audio look they make decent ones
How would i know if 1 or 2 speakers is enough for existing bathroom?

i currently use anker portable
Speaker
Its good but i got scope to get the celing speaker in why not eh

dirtychinchilla · 24 Feb 2021 at 16:32

psd99 said:
lol yes possibly

i dont agree i think ceiling speakers are awesome the concern for me is buying a speaker that doesnt work well or causes problems

then u end up with a huge hole in the celing and frantically look for the same sized speaker

polk audio look they make decent ones
How would i know if 1 or 2 speakers is enough for existing bathroom?

i currently use anker portable
Speaker
Its good but i got scope to get the celing speaker in why not eh

On the number of speakers, do you have another room of similar size? Just give it a go with an equivalent. Or buy one speaker, see if it's good enough (without cutting a hole in the ceiling) and if it's not, buy another.

I have no idea what's good, I'd probably end up buying Anker personally.

How the hell do you power these things anyway? lighting circuit?!