Distributed Audio

RedTen

RedTen

RedTen

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Chaps,

Advice needed.

I'm moving into my first house (new build) in November and am looking at my AV options.

I'd like to have distributed audio with in ceiling speakers in the bathroom and possibly other rooms later on down the line.

I'd like to be able to take media from my NAS or streamed via Spotify and played in all or some rooms.

What is the most cost effective option?

Presumably if I have the speakers I'll need an amp between them and the network device.

Any ideas welcome :)
 
If cost effective is a euphamism for cheap then there's speakers on Ebay for tuppence ha'penny a pair combined with T-amps and little project boards based on Raspberry Pi and the like. It will do some of what a proper distributed audio system does, but not all.

On the otherhand, if you mean you want something that works flawlessly out of the box and does all the things that you won't even realise that are important until you start using a distributed audio system, and you'd rather not waste money on partly thought through solutions, then one word..... Sonos.
 
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lucid said:
If cost effective is a euphamism for cheap then there's speakers on Ebay for tuppence ha'penny a pair combined with T-amps and little project boards based on Raspberry Pi and the like. It will do some of what a proper distributed audio system does, but not all.

On the otherhand, if you mean you want something that works flawlessly out of the box and does all the things that you won't even realise that are important until you start using a distributed audio system, and you'd rather not waste money on partly thought through solutions, then one word..... Sonos.
Click to expand...

Ha. Perhaps cost effective was the wrong use of words..

I mean something like the KEF Ci50R @ £50 per speaker rather than the 100's or 1000's I could spend on the real high end kit.

The Sonos range looks great but a little confusing to someone that isn't already in it.

For example - can I use the Sonos Bridge with an existing AMP and speakers or do I have to get the Sonos CONNECT first?

Hopefully that makes sense!

** Edit **

I get it now... I need a Sonos CONNECT if I have an existing AMP and Speakers or a Sonos CONNECT:AMP if I just have speakers.

So I guess it's either ~£279 per room or ~£400 per room. Yikes.
 
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KEF Ci50R are high frequency speakers. They make the "tsst tsst tsst" sounds that same as tweeters in home stereo speakers. Due to their size they can't produce much in the way of midrange (female voice range / middle section of the piano keyboard) and can produce no bass at all. They're not particularly efficient either. That part becomes important when you start to look at amps to drive the speakers and also cable run lengths.

To make proper use of the Ci50R speakers they really should be paired with the rest of the KEF Soundlight system. The other bit is the inceiling woofer (bass box). This makes a complete system but it's still bass light compared to a pair of 6.5" or 8" conventional inceiling speakers. The Soundlight system is really a lifestyle system, it's more about looking unobtrusive rather than producing good sound.


Sonos... Yes, depending on what you're doing (combinations of playing devices and how many rooms) then you need either one Sonos player connected via Ethernet cable to your house router, or to use the Sonos Boost which is their version of a wireless bridge. Because Sonos runs on an independent wireless network to your home router then the Boost is the start of that network.

The Sonos range includes to two players you have mentioned but also a range of network player speakers (Pay1, Play3, Play5) and a home cinema speaker bar for use under a TV (Playbar) as a 3.0 system or combined with the wireless sub for 3.1 or as a complete set using Play speakers for the rears to make a full 5.1 system. So it's entirely possible to start with just a Play1 speaker (£169) networked to your router and access your stored music files and stream to it too. As your needs grow then add more products. That's multiroom starting at £179 per room which is really very cheap for the quality. Oh, and Play1's are surprisingly large so they sound much better than most expect.
 
I looked in to doing this in our house (thread on here somewhere). When you start accounting for a Sonos Amp for every room it starts to get very expensive, especially if you want reasonable speakers, £500 for each bathroom? No thanks!

I'm now going with a combination of Play 1, 5s and in ceiling speakers connected to Amps. I'm going to use Play 1s in the bathrooms then Amps connected to ceiling speakers in the two main areas and outside as well as a couple of other play speakers in the rest of the house.

There may be issues for you with Play 1s in the bathroom however as the electrical code doesn't allow proper sockets closer than 3m (iirc) from a water source in the UK... You may be able to find a workaround, such as plugged into another room and power cables chased through the wall into the bathroom. You'd have to check if that's legal though!

Also you don't need a boost anymore, at least for the Play speakers (not sure about the Amp). All the speakers can connect directly to the Wifi now so no Ethernet cables needed (as of the beginning of this year ish). Even if the amp doesn't if you have a play speaker that will work as the booster.

We have a Play:1 at the moment to test it out and are very happy with it. Only negative is the spotify app in Sonos isn't anywhere near as comprehensive as the proper app (can't search for playlists for example). The Play:1 is significantly louder and more punchy than expected too!

Edit: just realised its the bridge I was thinking of. The boost is something different... Unless you have a really big house i don't see why you'd need a boost? Also, you'll need Ethernet for the play: soundbar but none of the other speakers.
 
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Just to expand on Amp's point about using the house Wi-Fi only...

Sonos uses something called mesh networking. That is to say that with several devices dotted around the house then they make connections to all in range rather than just a single connection to a base point. This produces a very robust network because if one connection is interrupted then a device can choose several other routes. The benefits of mesh networking build once a system gets to 3+ player devices. This is great if you're you putting together a large system, but with the success of Sonos increasing numbers of buyers have been starting off with just a single player. The need to have a Sonos wi-fi bridge just to make that work added an extra £50 to the bill for a typical system purchase. The change in firmware last September to allow direct Wi-Fi access to the home network solved this. However, if your Wi-Fi is patchy or you experience frequenty drop/reconnects then a bridge might still be the best solution even for a small system.
 
There are quite a few up and coming with a solution for this.

Personally i am going down the Sony route with it all, I started looking at Sonos but there lack of HD and the failings of the playbar kind of put me off.
 
Orford said:
I've read that the play one's are sealed for use in kitchens and bathrooms.
https://en.community.sonos.com/wire...rotection-etc-from-moisture-and-steam-5883275

But apparently it's against safety rules. I've not checked that.
Click to expand...

in the us the rules are not quite so draconian but i believe the rule is a 3m boundary from sinks and the like which is probably why its less of an issue in the US due to the size of the bathrooms to the UK

I researched this myself for awhile and ended up finding a cheap sonos amp and running 4 speakers from it initially and quickly found i didn't like the ability not being able to control zone volume as they were all connected to the one amp.

After some whining to SWMBO i was "allowed" to get myself another amp and set them up in the under stairs cupboard along with all my other gear. Only gripe is having to have a phone or controller on you. I would have liked to install an inline volume control in the zones "bathroom" "bedroom" but its more involved than i want to be doing. Another option i will be going for eventually is to put a "smart" bathroom mirror in and should it run android os i'll be able to add the sonos functionality that way.

But if your in a new build i'd consider adding volume control in before anything is fixed in.
 
In North America (Canada at least) you actually have to have at least one socket next to each sink (specific ones with breakers for short protection). My plan is to add another socket next to a corner shelf where I'm putting my Sonos 1's. The damp environment rating on the Play 1's makes more sense when you realise that.
 
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