Any sound experts? I am looking at adding speakers to my home. Have gotten a quote from Best Buy that is a Sonos system witn Martin Logan speakers and another independent with a Control 4 amp and Klipsch speakers.

I'd like to be able to control volume for each room with an app. It can play same music in all areas as long as I can shut off one or two as needed.

Just in the discovery phase right now, so any info/help will be appreciated!

Thanks!

One of the guys on the board sells stuff for a pretty good discount and is super knowledgeable.

Andy@andrewadamsav.com

Does he install?

Unless you are pretty tech savvy, avoid Control4 because you will never be able to change anything in the system on your own. As for the speakers, the brand really doesn't matter for whole home audio - go cheap. I'd recommend monoprice in-ceiling speakers.

agdoc2001 said:

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Unless you are pretty tech savvy, avoid Control4 because you will never be able to change anything in the system on your own. As for the speakers, the brand really doesn't matter for whole home audio - go cheap. I'd recommend monoprice in-ceiling speakers.

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This. I've also found Sonos to be most user friendly. It is rather expensive to add to whole house but the convenience of managing it makes it worth it IMO. The speakers don't matter much for whole home audio. Polk in ceiling speakers are another cheap option you may consider.

Many thanks everyone. Someone else told me that about Control 4. Good info about the speakers. So I don't need 2 in each room? I watched a YouTube video they mentioned speakers with 2 tweeeters and do I need a waterproof one for covered patio?

What about the amp? Both quotes it was around $1600.

Have to admit, quotes were more expensive than I thought it would be.

MsDoubleD81 said:

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Many thanks everyone. Someone else told me that about Control 4. Good info about the speakers. So I don't need 2 in each room? I watched a YouTube video they mentioned speakers with 2 tweeeters and do I need a waterproof one for covered patio?

What about the amp? Both quotes it was around $1600.

Have to admit, quotes were more expensive than I thought it would be.

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Our house came with Polk in-ceiling speakers and they are perfectly fine for casual music. These days I have mine on most of the day on a low volume chill mix.

Assuming your patio is covered, I don't think you need a waterproof cover. We have the same Polks in our patio ceiling as we do inside and they are fine. I put all of mine on SONOS after we moved in. I have 4 amps pushing 8 in-ceiling speakers plus a PlayBar. I have the older amps at this point so you might not need as many these days.

You need 2 speakers per room if you want stereo sound (you do).

So....for each room you need a way to 1. Power the speakers and 2. Control what plays on the speakers. You can accomplish this is a few ways. The easiest is to use one Sonos amp per room and 1 pair of speakers per room. Sonos Amp is $700 and the cheapest Monoprice in-ceiling speakers are $40 a pair. So you are looking at $740 for every room you want to have music in.

Another way to do this is with a distribution amplifier. This can provide power to 6 different pairs of speakers. You can get a Dayton MA1240a for about $500 - BUT you still need a way to control what plays on each of those speakers. How expensive that is depends on if you want to have different music playing in your living room vs your bedroom vs your backyard. If you want the same music playing everywhere, then this is easy. Get the distribution amp, a Sonos Port for $450, and then the ceiling speakers at $40 a pair.

The way the proposal was written by Best Buy was, for each room:

A Sonos port streaming media player $449 each
And 2 speakers per room, either $230 each or $329/pair

Then each room connected to a $1650 amp

Plus a $179 surge protector, and $40 8-port ethernet switch. Do I need that? I've got CEO fiber.

I appreciate the input given so far.

MsDoubleD81 said:

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The way the proposal was written by Best Buy was, for each room:

A Sonos port streaming media player $449 each
And 2 speakers per room, either $230 each or $329/pair

Then each room connected to a $1650 amp

Plus a $179 surge protector, and $40 8-port ethernet switch. Do I need that? I've got CEO fiber.

I appreciate the input given so far.

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My SONOS knowledge is a little dated because I'm on older tech, but I'm not sure why you need a SONOS port streaming media player and more than one at that? And that seems extraordinarily expensive for the amps but, again, I'm on older stuff.

Here is my setup: two Polk in ceiling speakers per room; one amp per room - then controlled via phone/ipad.

Everything should be on a surge protector and I also have a Ethernet switch amongst my stuff, but I also have numerous components all piled into the same space where my SONOS amps reside.

MsDoubleD81 said:

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The way the proposal was written by Best Buy was, for each room:

A Sonos port streaming media player $449 each
And 2 speakers per room, either $230 each or $329/pair

Then each room connected to a $1650 amp

Plus a $179 surge protector, and $40 8-port ethernet switch. Do I need that? I've got CEO fiber.

I appreciate the input given so far.

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You definitely don't need a $1650 amp or a $179 surge protector! You can use a $20 surge protector. Also, Sonos ports can be used on your wireless network, so if you have a strong wireless signal where you are putting them, you don't need an ethernet switch either. As I mentioned above, decent in-ceiling speakers can be had for under $50 a pair as well. Lots of money to be saved here.

How many rooms are you adding speakers to? Do you intend to have different music playing in different rooms at the same time?

Thank you for the info.

3-4 rooms, plus patio

I do not want different music in each room, but would like to be able to shut off a speaker or control volume for each room

What exactly does the amp do?

My house is 1300 sf and I have CEO fiber. It seems quick. The only issue I've had is I was trying to connect some wifi switches for lights that would only connect to the 2.4 and it kept telling me "no available ports" (CEO said the 2.4 has a limit, but on the 5 one, I've got unlimited). So if the speakers can connect to the 5, I think I'm good. I was going to purchase my own router, but they weren't very helpful.

Again, I appreciate the input as it seemed excessive.

MsDoubleD81 said:

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Thank you for the info.

3-4 rooms, plus patio

I do not want different music in each room, but would like to be able to shut off a speaker or control volume for each room

What exactly does the amp do?

My house is 1300 sf and I have CEO fiber. It seems quick. The only issue I've had is I was trying to connect some wifi switches for lights that would only connect to the 2.4 and it kept telling me "no available ports" (CEO said the 2.4 has a limit, but on the 5 one, I've got unlimited). So if the speakers can connect to the 5, I think I'm good. I was going to purchase my own router, but they weren't very helpful.

Again, I appreciate the input as it seemed excessive.

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Necessary for "powering" the speakers.

Thanks.

Is that what controls volume for each room?

MsDoubleD81 said:

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Is that what controls volume for each room?

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Yes and usually it handles the source of the audio. The speakers are just that - speakers. They don't play anything unless you provide them with power and a source (music). The source can be music on your phone or a music playing device or app (like pandora, sirius, Apple Music, etc.). As mentioned before, the speakers for your whole home setup don't need to be extravagant. You just want a pair (two speakers) per room so you can get stereo music.

As for the amp (which provides the speakers with power and handles the source - what music to play), there are a few options. Of these options, I recommend Sonos. Sonos is expensive but you are paying for the convenience. The user interface (which is usually controlled by phone, tablet or computer) is really user friendly and allows even the non-tech savvy user to play their music with ease. When Sonos amps are coupled with other Sonos amps, it allows you to easily control the audio in each room (think turn on in rooms A and B but not C or D OR play your favorite music in room A but other music in the rest of the house).

My parents are not very tech savvy and I've tried going the receiver (amp) route for powering and controlling the audio in their living room and patio but it is proving to be challenging for them. They can control my sonos in my house with ease. I often come home to find my dad on my patio listening to his "oldies".

Best Buy has a streaming port device (around $479 each with each set of speakers then a main amp about $1650 where they are all connected (in my master closet) and will tie into the. router. I've asked them to use cheaper speakers.

What is the amp for each room? The streaming port?

Can't wait to get it done but don't want a bunch of stuff I don't need.

MsDoubleD81 said:

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Best Buy has a streaming port device (around $479 each with each set of speakers then a main amp about $1650 where they are all connected (in my master closet) and will tie into the. router. I've asked them to use cheaper speakers.

What is the amp for each room? The streaming port?

Can't wait to get it done but don't want a bunch of stuff I don't need.

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They are recommending you use a single amp to power all the speakers in your home and then use the sonos port to get the convenience that I mentioned.

The sonos port lets you control the audio source (music) but it doesn't have any power to power the speakers so it must rely on the amp. You can find out more here (https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/port).

The sonos amp has both (source control and power). If you went with a sonos amp in each room instead of the sonos port, you would eliminate the need for the $1650 amp they are suggesting. You can find out more on the amp here (https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/amp).

Assuming you have the speakers taken care of and you are planning to go with sonos (which is a good idea), then you have two options.

Option 1 - buy the $1650 amp they are suggesting and then purchase a sonos port for each set of speakers.

Option 2 - buy a sonos amp for each set of speakers.

Here is a little more on the difference.

How does Port differ from Amp?
While both Port and Amp offer streaming capabilities and allow you to incorporate wired speakers in your Sonos system, the main difference between the products is amplification. Amp powers passive speakers, such as in-wall or in-ceiling speakers. Port cannot power audio equipment, which means it requires either a powered amplifier or active speakers.

Very similar situation and what we did has worked wonders.

Sonos amps
Sonance or klipsch speakers
Impedance splitters for each amp ($50 or so)
$20 in-wall volume slides/knobs. That's all you need.

We have 3 Sonos amps in our 3800 sqft house.

One power 2 sets of speakers on the patio (ceiling and ones pointed to yard)
One for master bed/bathroom (2 sets of speakers).
One for entry/living/play room. 3 sets of speakers.

Speaker volume sliders go to each speaker and can be controlled individually on the wall. They each run to the speaker impedance splitter (likely in media or master closet). That then runs into Sonos Amp.

This allows you to push a single source (SONOS amp) to multiple speakers. If you want a room low or off, just slide the volume off at each location.

Sonos amps pack a punch. When we have the one pushing 6 speakers turned up, it'll run you out of the house.

You can also pair them with each other (if you decide to do 2 zones in the house) in the app or play different things on each zone in the app.

We also have a few Sonos sound bars for complete music/tv environment. An ARC and Sub in the living room will blow your socks off.

Wow! I like this plan (especially the wall sliders for volume control in each room). And it looks like it could come out considerably more cost effective than the original $8500 proposal!

I really appreciate everyone who took the time to provide input! I'll make a decision sometime this week!

Thanks again!!

It has been pretty flawless. I'd suggest 2 sonos AMPs and split them how you think best fits your needs.

Klipsch also sells a dual- cone/magnet speaker that puts out stereo sound from a single speaker. We have 2 of those in smaller areas where 2 stereo speakers wasn't needed. For example, one in the ceiling of the foyer and one in the playroom. It wires the same as 2 actual speakers.

I also suggest getting the "geek squad membership" at best buy. Then cancel after the first year. It greatly reduces the price of installation. I think $50/pair of speakers or something like that.

Best Buy did my install with a hodgepodge of products bought from them and on my own.

The sliders and impedance controls were from mono price - pretty cheap.


KEY THING TO NOTE: this assumes you're using streaming services and your tablet or phone for control. If you're wanting to use cds or a media server, you will need some more tweaking. Sonos is very user friendly but has its "all in audiophile" limitations.

We're a Spotify house and everything goes through there.

It will be all streaming.

And yes, believe install is free with the $199 total tech service.

This is what Best Buy said when I sent over your scheme. Thoughts?

The reason I designed the audio system without volume knobs is due to the fact that there is no existing infostructure in your home for volume controls. Wiring for volume knobs in each room may require cutting sheet rock to get speaker wires down the wall. We do not offer sheet rock repair and you would have to find a third party to come patch the holes. If you are okay with that then no problem, I can get a similar quote together for you?

The Sonos amps are rated for 2 sets of speakers and I would not recommend hooking up more than two sets of speakers. The amplifiers impedance will drop past the recommend level and draw too much power. Over time the amp will be over worked and would possibly need to be replaced.

MsDoubleD81 said:

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This is what Best Buy said when I sent over your scheme. Thoughts?

The reason I designed the audio system without volume knobs is due to the fact that there is no existing infostructure in your home for volume controls. Wiring for volume knobs in each room may require cutting sheet rock to get speaker wires down the wall. We do not offer sheet rock repair and you would have to find a third party to come patch the holes. If you are okay with that then no problem, I can get a similar quote together for you?

The Sonos amps are rated for 2 sets of speakers and I would not recommend hooking up more than two sets of speakers. The amplifiers impedance will drop past the recommend level and draw too much power. Over time the amp will be over worked and would possibly need to be replaced.

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Yes, you have to run speaker wire down to the wall knobs/plates - any basic home audio installation team can do this. Only issue you run into is... can they fish the wire down from the attic in between the studs where you want the controller?

We prewired our house for this setup so that wasn't a problem. Yes, a hole gets cut but it has a faceplate on it like anything else (power outlet, light switch, etc.).

He's being misleading on the SONOS Amp discussion. SONOS has INSTRUCTIONS in their manuals on how to hook up multiple sets of speakers (you have to buy different Ohm speakers if you want to pair them directly).

He probably doesn't know what an impedance speaker selector is...

Monoprice 4-Channel Speaker Selector - Monoprice.com

Monoprice SS-4 Premium 4-Channel Speaker Selector - Monoprice.com

This controls and limits the impedance to keep your AMP from overworking. It's like a governor for the AMP so the speakers don't try to pull too much.

FWIW, the guys that designed my home audio set up showed me this route when we built the house. They were insanely expensive so I ended up buying all the components myself and having bestbuy do the installation - saved me a couple thousand $$$ going that route instead of just having them buy everything.

Coming to this thread late, and I admit I have only skimmed through the responses because I am lazy, so sorry if anybody has to rehash. Here's my situation:

I want to be able to play music throughout my house in different zones, plus maybe TV sound in the living rooms and outside.

Head start number 1: the house ALREADY HAS built in speakers (1) outside above the patio and around the pool, (2) in the living room/den, (3) in the kitchen, (4) in the master bedroom, (5) in the master bathroom, and (6) in the upstairs living room. It is also pre-wired for sound in a few other rooms but I doubt I'll need or want sound in more than these 6 areas.

Head start number 2: the wires for ALL of these speakers come out of the wall behind my living room built-in into a space designed specifically for sound equipment.

Head start number 3: the previous owner labeled EVERY SINGLE wire by room and left/right for me before he moved out.

So it seems like I should be able to set this up myself. Can anybody give me a rundown of what equipment I need? Obviously an amp of some kind, but then I assume some kind of splitter to create the different zones? But then can the zones play sound from different inputs at the same (like music from my phone outside but an Aggie football game on the TV in the den and kitchen), or am I stuck with one input and just independent volume levels in the different zones? I don't need 6 zones necessarily; 3 or 4 would probably be sufficient.

Aside from just powering the speakers and splitting them into zones, what do I need to play music via Bluetooth? Is it as simple as just getting a basic blue tooth receiver and plugging it into the amp?

What about TV sound? My downstairs TV doesn't have an optical sound output for some bizarre reason, so I might need to go HDMI from my roku into the amp and then from the amp to the TV. But then I have an over the air antenna I sometimes watch games on. Not sure how that factors in.

I know that's a lot of questions. Thanks to anybody who endeavors to answer a few of them.

depends on how many Zones you want powered at once...

A big nice receiver will work but many only have 2-3 zones - i.e., only 2-3 zones can play at once.

New receivers will receive wifi signal, blue tooth, etc.

See my post above about speaker selectors... Let's say you have 6 zones currently but only care to break them into 2... you can plug 3 zones into the speaker selector and then wire that to "Zone 2" on the receiver.

Lots of configurations and endless possibilities... you just need to know HOW you want to use that many speakers.

For the TV... HDMI passthrough is likely your best best (or HDMI eARC).

You could also take the same SONOS AMP route I've described above and pair a few of those zones up with a few Amps.

TV is really dependent on what you want to do... I have Sonos Beam and Arcs on some TVs... I can then pair those with my Sonos-powered inceiling speakers...

For example... I've got a TV mounted on my patio with a Sonos Beam plugged/mounted. It defaults to TV Audio but I can play music with it if I want. I also have a Sonos Amp powering in-ceiling speakers and speakers pointed at the yard. I can "pair" the Beam and Amp together and play the TV Audio over the AMP. It's great for sporting events to have the Tv Audio all over the yard.

Same for the house.. I've got an Arc in the living room and Amp powering in-ceilings. Pair them and I've got TV Audio in the entire house.

MsDoubleD81 said:

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Any sound experts? I am looking at adding speakers to my home. Have gotten a quote from Best Buy that is a Sonos system witn Martin Logan speakers and another independent with a Control 4 amp and Klipsch speakers.

I'd like to be able to control volume for each room with an app. It can play same music in all areas as long as I can shut off one or two as needed.

Just in the discovery phase right now, so any info/help will be appreciated!

Thanks!

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This thread has been overengineered for your what you want. What you are asking for is exactly what we have. All you need are SONOS amps + in ceiling speakers and that's it. These are the SONOS amps we have in our cabinet powering 10 speakers in 4 zones (keep in mind my SONOS amps are obsolete at this point - yours will look different):



Zone 1: study (2 speakers)
Zone 2: Kitchen + dining room (4 speakers)
Zone 3: Living room (2 speakers)
Zone 4: Patio (2 speakers)

So, get above and get some cheap Polk or equivalent in-ceiling speakers and call it a day. You will control all of this via the SONOS app on your phone.

YouBet said:

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MsDoubleD81 said:

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Any sound experts? I am looking at adding speakers to my home. Have gotten a quote from Best Buy that is a Sonos system witn Martin Logan speakers and another independent with a Control 4 amp and Klipsch speakers.

I'd like to be able to control volume for each room with an app. It can play same music in all areas as long as I can shut off one or two as needed.

Just in the discovery phase right now, so any info/help will be appreciated!

Thanks!

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This thread has been overengineered for your what you want. What you are asking for is exactly what we have. All you need are SONOS amps + in ceiling speakers and that's it. These are the SONOS amps we have in our cabinet powering 10 speakers in 4 zones (keep in mind my SONOS amps are obsolete at this point - yours will look different):



Zone 1: study (2 speakers)
Zone 2: Kitchen + dining room (4 speakers)
Zone 3: Living room (2 speakers)
Zone 4: Patio (2 speakers)

So, get above and get some cheap Polk or equivalent in-ceiling speakers and call it a day. You will control all of this via the SONOS app on your phone.

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Yep! I have this same setup and would be my recommendation as well.

If you're willing to throw down some cash… Sonos Amps are definitely the way to go.

THANK YOU. This is what I want. Does the size of the speakers matter? I'm seeing 6 and 8's all over the place.

When I use Spotify, where does that connect to? Does it have to be open on my phone while I'm listening in the house? Like if I close the app does it stop playing?

Many thanks again to all!

MsDoubleD81 said:

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THANK YOU. This is what I want. Does the size of the speakers matter? I'm seeing 6 and 8's all over the place.

When I use Spotify, where does that connect to? Does it have to be open on my phone while I'm listening in the house? Like if I close the app does it stop playing?

Many thanks again to all!

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this is definitely the easier route than what I was suggesting.... but more costly.

Amps run about $700/piece so getting 2 vs 4 can be a big difference.

However, if you want EASE and usability over all else, just plugging Amps up to every pair is the way to go.

Size of speaker doesn't matter necessarily. Pay attention to Ohms and RMS Watts. But... any basic in-ceiling 8" will do. Stick with Klipsch, Polk or Sonance.

Sonos Amps are all Wifi/internet based. So, once they're plugged in, you can access them anywhere you have wifi access (or cell access).

You open Spotify, click play and then your "source" are the Amps you choose. Same as bluetooth when doing it that way.

To start pairing Amps together (rooms playing the same or different things), you open the Sonos App. It's pretty intuitive.

These are on MEGA sale: Sonance MAG Series 6-1/2" 2-Way In-Ceiling Speakers (Pair) Paintable White MAG6R - Best Buy

Klipsch CDT-3800-C II In-ceiling speaker at Crutchfield

If you start putting more than 1 pair on the same Amp, Ohm will change - 2 pairs of will need to be 4Ohms vs 1 pair of 8 (Sonos are 8Ohm amps).

Hopefully these speakers are ok. They were on a flash sale the other night for $99. I impulse bought them late the other night thinking they were the 8" ones in the quote from BB! I figured I can return them.

"These are on MEGA sale: Sonance MAG Series 6-1/2" 2-Way In-Ceiling Speakers (Pair) Paintable White MAG6R - Best Buy"

MsDoubleD81 said:

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Hopefully these speakers are ok. They were on a flash sale the other night for $99. I impulse bought them late the other night thinking they were the 8" ones in the quote from BB! I figured I can return them.

"These are on MEGA sale: Sonance MAG Series 6-1/2" 2-Way In-Ceiling Speakers (Pair) Paintable White MAG6R - Best Buy"

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the 8" ones are $999.

Unless you're wanting a rock concert, the 6.5" will be just fine. We have the 8" Sonance in our living room paired with an Amp and have been very pleased.

Just curious what y'all think about this set up? I have.the sonance speakers.

2 sonos amps $1,400
2- 3 way audio flow speaker switch $400

Zone 1 - LR/Patio/Study
Zone 2 - Master Bdr/bath/guest

These guys fromm the UK do great YouTube videos and dumb down stuff!!