Whole Home Audio - My Solution
Well I thought I would share my weekend project with you guys to see if anyone finds my experience and setup useful.
So here is a problem that i have seen tons of threads about, What is the best way to go about having a whole home distributed audio system?
So what I started with in my place is installed speakers ( 8 ohm ) with all of the cables roughed in to the basement. I have the following zones:
Master Bed
Master Bath
Front Room
Living Room
Basement Media
Outdoor
Each zone is stereo ( two in ceiling speakers)
In my case my builder was smart enough to install impedance matching volume controls for each zone. I don't fully understand what they do but apparently they provide you flexibility in grouping zones without damaging your amp?
The volume controls I have are these:
http://www.russound.com/product_detail.php?i=3392
» Click image for larger version
Simple and clean. Good enough for me.
Now the bigger problem. What to use as an Amp and Source for the audio system?
I have been struggling with this for the last year and a half and has ultimately been what has stopped me from installing the system. Professional systems from the likes of russound or control4 cost THOUSANDS of dollars. They also are not recommended for a self install. So for as many zones as I have i was looking a a bill in the order of 10 grand ( for the convenience of music? No thanks!)
The other problem is these systems are generally setup in a rackmount and would take up a ton of space in my already crowded utility closet.
Fast forward to last week. I started looking at the Sonos whole home system based on a FS: post here on beyond for one of their components. That is where I discovered their not so advertised Connect:Amp component.
https://www.sonos.com/en-ca/sonos-sh...term=sitelinks
» Click image for larger version
Basically it is what it sounds like: A compact amp with 55W of power per channel ( tons ) that also acts as it's own control system. It can stream music from your cell phone, Computer, NAS, or just about any internet streaming service available. Subscription or otherwise. Nifty.
So last week I stop down at best buy to pick one of these up to give it a try with my system ( i confirm with them that if it doesn't work with my system i can always return it).
So i grabbed one of the rough cables hanging from the ceiling in my electrical room and stripped the wires off for hookup. I pulled a couple of volume controls around the house out to check the hookup colors to ensure i get the phase done right. Wired it all up to the Sonos Amp with super easy push button connection towers. I also physically wired the Sonos to my gigabit switch to eliminate any issues with wifi ( the whole system can work on wifi if you so choose). Quick setup right on my iPhone and i press play. Music starts coming out of my bedroom speakers, clear as day. great quality with full eq control.
So at this point i was convinced of the merits of the system. The next step was how to set this up more permanently.
I found this company, Flexson, a British company specializing in aftermarket Sonos accessories who make a wallmount bracket for the connect amp. Perfect.
https://www.flexson.com/stores/singl...&itemID=876370
So i order a couple of them from Future shop and they arrived on Friday. Looking at the way my zones are i also picked up a second connect amp ( more on this later)
The result of this setup is this:
» Click image for larger version
Nice and clean, not taking up any space.
Amp 1 is wired right to my switch, with a daisy chain into amp 2. Simple.
Now for zones.
I have set the system up as 2 zones for the time being.
Zone 1 is my Main floor, Living room and Front Room. My house is open concept so no point separating these zones as they would definitely interfere with each other. The connect amp allows me to connect both of these zones in parallel splitting the ample 55W of power between the zones. If i want to only listen to one i can shut one off right at the physical volume control.
The second zone is the Master Bed and Bath. No door between these so separate zones would again be redundant.
I don't have speakers connected to the outdoor zone so I wont be hooking them up for the time being ( or potentially ever as the wire rough in is 15 feet up which is a bit high not to bother the neighbors). Still I could EASILY add this zone to the main floor amp or add a dedicated amp for outside.
Basement media room, I didn't hook up. The room isn't that big and i already have a full 5.1 setup wired in there (with arguably better quality speakers than the ones in the ceiling) . I am considering picking up a regular Connect source to hook right up to my amp with optical but i can add that in later.
The whole setup streams my music library from my iMac in the office so it doesn't kill cell phone batteries by streaming right from them. The cell phones just act as a controller. Another fun fact is that my harmony ultimate remote can also act as a controller for the system. Great!
So the result? For a minimum of effort i have a great fully integrated home audio system that i didn't have to pay 10 grand for a professional to hook up.
Total cost? As i have it $1,400 taxes in. Add another 450 for the source to hook up my amp later down the road.
And the whole thing is stupid easy to use, and sounds great. If i have people over who want to suggest songs they just download the Sonos app and can add their own music to the queue. I can also play different sources on each zone. or group them all up for a whole house party!
As for this post, i hope people take it as a good DIY option for their roughed in home audio that they might feel to intimidated to take on themselves.
Also this serves to show how a Sonos system can work well for an integrated setup, i wasn't impressed with their all in one components ( pricey and while they sound good are a bit to small for room filling sound ) and had initially written the systems off as gimicks for apartments.
Originally Posted by Yolobimmer
Quote
even where i had bluetooth etc available (connecting to bluetooth each time was to irritating). Even my airplay compatible amp never worked and the music always skipped. The system had to be just as easy to use as hitting play on an iPhone or i knew it wouldn't be used.
)
