OT: Home Audio Advice

[4Rings6Stars]

I have zero experience with home audio / stereos and don’t really know what I’m doing...

What I want:

- Budget friendly (all in would like to stay sub $500)
- Speakers inside and outside that can be operated independently or together. Multiple zones within the house would be nice, but not critical.
- Bluetooth connectivity so I can stream from my phone or tablet
- Alexa comparability would be ideal
-The ability to connect my TV to the speakers in the living room would be nice, but isn’t essential

I am as far from an audiophile as it gets. I’m perfectly happy with audio quality from my iPhone earbuds and Echo Plus.

Can I buy normal wired speakers (like this And this ), a multi zone “thing” like this and a Bluetooth receiver like this and I’m good to go?

Being able to say “Alexa - play Cat Stevens in the bedroom” or “play German heavy metal by the pool” would be the ultimate goal. Not sure how the “smart” device would be able to differentiate zones with the above set up though. I think at best I could get it to play the Alexa music through the receiver then I would need to manually select the zone.

Any thoughts? Am I way over or under thinking this? Am I better off just getting a couple Sonos speakers and bringing a portable speaker outside when I want music out there? I would prefer speakers be integrated into the wall/ceiling though since I’ll soon have three kids under 5 and would prefer not to have expensive stuff on tables plugged into the wall.

[eric01]

Staying under 500 is going to be hard given your requirements.

Sonos ticks all the boxes except budget. Get a sonos beam for your tv and a play one for each of your rooms.

[Alan]

I have had Sonos eqpt for the last few years and it is so much fun. Subscribe to the paid version of Spotify and you have a great system. The paid version of Spotify integrates into the Sonos app. Other streaming services can only be used from the Sonos app.

They do sell refurb speakers on their web site so you can watch for some deals. I have a Playbar, 2 Play 1 and a Play 5. It is truly worth the investment as I use it so much.

Go for it.

[sitzmark]

If you truly don’t care about sound quality and just want music/background noise then you can construct a “whole house” audio system with Amazon Echo devices. They can play individually or set up as a group to all play the same content simultaneously. You can stream using your voice and only the echo devices - no phone needed. A command would be “Alexa play rock music from Tune-In on the home audio group”. All echos that you have defined to be on the “home group” will begin to play the same rock music. Substitute “CNN” for rock music and all speakers will stream news. If you have a Tune-In subscription you have more options and no ads, but there is a fair amount of content available for free. There are other streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, etc that can be enabled and linked to your Alexa account. With Amazon Prime you can stream specific songs, albums, or artists. This doesn’t provide a TV solution, but is doable for many rooms/locations for as little as $30-$40/echo device.

If you like better sound quality and want more flexibility with input, Sonos One speakers with Alexa do all the above on their own AND give you the option of setting them up as networked speakers using ApplePlay (II). You can then individually select any or all to play from your iPhone if you’re an Apple ecosystem person. Sonos One also supports Android in the same way through Google Assist. Now you’re into $180-$200 per speaker. You could connect a TV into one of the Sonos One speakers and distribute whole house using the Sonos App, but it won’t be home theater quality sound. You can add that in various other ways and link it in, but not for $500. Price depends if you use ApplePlay, GA, or Sonos as your distribution backbone.

The wired example you provided can theoretically be cobbled into a whole house system, but with many caveats and yes/no’s depending on exactly what content and where you want it to play for a system $500 or less. You’re on the right track for a $5,000++ system - then you can have awesome sound, ceiling/wall speakers, and total input/output flexibility. <— $5k is basically entry-level in this world.

[awdwon]

There are a ton of options these days but again Sonos really is a great option. Lots of options from them at your price point except outdoor. They do make some outdoor stuff with Sonance now I believe but way above your price point. If you got some Ones from Sonos you could just unplug them and bring outside when needed or just get a little Bluetooth speaker to carry around. I resisted bluetooth speakers for so long because older technology was a bit of a pain in the butt but I picked up a little Bose mini speaker last year and it's such a versatile little guy and works really well with my phone. I can strap it to my bag and bring it to the beach, set it up by the pool, I've even strapped it to my bike when I go out with the kids.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Sonos. The speaker quality is pretty good and the functionality is great. I have a Play 3 and three Play 1s. in the house. I take one of the Play 1s outside when we're in the backyard.

The newest models allow direct play from your phone to the speakers. Mine don't have that functionality.

There are often sales of 2-pack bundles of Play 1s. I know Costco was selling the last gen Play 1 2-packs recent

Sonos works with Alexa, I think. Not to sound all tin-foil hat, but no way am I putting something like that in my house.

My kids are 2 and 6 and I've never had issues with any of the speakers. Most are out of reach and when they're not, the kids are pretty good about abiding by the "don't touch dad's stuff" rule.

[4Rings6Stars]

Thanks for the suggestions, even if they are all Sonos!

Aside from the quality, what about my set up won’t work? And what other or additional components would be needed that will get the cost to $5k?

I really would like actual dedicated outdoor speakers if possible.

[Ken Robb]

since you have so little knowledge you can probably benefit from talking with some smart people in a GOOD retail shop. Even if they don't have anything within your budget they might be able to suggest what they think best in lower priced stuff. OTOH you might find that you really WANT to up your budget to get something better.

[sitzmark]

Originally Posted by 4Rings6Stars

Thanks for the suggestions, even if they are all Sonos!

Aside from the quality, what about my set up won’t work? And what other or additional components would be needed that will get the cost to $5k?

I really would like actual dedicated outdoor speakers if possible.

I didn't look close at the equipment specs, but for general starters the receiver appears to have bluetooth aux-in capability, but IR function control. The multi-zone amp is analog with A/B switching for input and no evidence of any remote control options. The amp is listed as 6-zones/300watts, which I suspect is total output or 25rms/channel x 6. The in/out connections are speaker wire and not line level. Unless the receiver has multiple zones (didn't see that), then you'll need another source device to take advantage of the A/B switching of the 6-zone amp.

So yes, you can distribute content to multiple locations with that example. You can select between two input sources (manually) at the 6-zone amp. You won't individually control sound levels for any speakers unless you walk to the zone amp and adjust them manually. Since the receiver is IR remote control, you won't be able to natively select its input unless sitting in the same room as the receiver. There are IR blasters and equipment location choices that may provided workarounds.

So your desire to control input and output remotely and randomly for different locations is going to be very limited or not possible depending on exactly what you want to do and from where. Bluetooth is notoriously sketchy as distance grows - so whether your BLE connection from your phone at the pool to the receiver in the house produces good or bad sound at the pool is anyone's guess.

This is not a feature of the system you proposed:

Being able to say “Alexa - play Cat Stevens in the bedroom” or “play German heavy metal by the pool” would be the ultimate goal.

Probably the most cost-effective option for you to accomplish your ultimate goal is a combination of Sonos One w/Alexa speakers and echo devices where sound quality isn't as critical. Link them by Wifi. You didn't specify how many rooms you are trying to connect, but as noted this option runs $30-$40/location for echo and $180-$200 for Sonos.

If you decide to go wired/wifi and components for more flexibility/fidelity it would be better to select a networked receiver with 2-3 zones. You can get 7.1+ channel surround out of your TV with the right hardwired speakers, then put the pool on one of the other hardwire zones. Using Wifi, Cat5/6, MoCa2, or combinations thereof you can build a network of Sonos speakers connected to your networked receiver. Control all of it with Airplay2 or Google and your networked receiver can be fully controlled with a phone app via wifi. This isn't a $500 solution, nor is it a $5,000 solution. A networked receiver like a Marantz SR6000 series or Denon (same company) will be $1,000 - $1,500 plus whatever speakers you decide to go with. You can keep expanding additional rooms with Sonos or other "networkable" speakers as much as you want. You'll have full wifi control over all of it and good quality sound.

Next step up from there would be full-featured whole house $5k+ audio/video with Control4, Crestron, or similar systems. They provide multi-zone, multi-source networking in a non-compromising way if there's more budget to work with.

[Kevan]

Doesn't hit all your marks, but check out: PS Audio's Sprout.

Oh, hi everyone!

[4Rings6Stars]

Thank you all, and specifically sitzmark for the detailed email and suggestions.

Kevan - thanks for that suggestion. I read up on that a bit and it appears like a great piece of equipment, but I think a bit above where I'm at right now...and I worry would be a gateway into a very expensive hobby!


I'm now thinking something like this to control some hard wired outdoor speakers: https://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Bluetoot.../dp/B010U5EGKE

And maybe a Sonos unit or two to improve on the echo units we have in a few rooms in the house. I think I could connect that Pyle thing and the Sonos to the Alexa and then have my "play music by the pool" type command options...

[Bisquik]

You say your not into sound quality so it will be easiest to stick with Sonos and the wireless tech like Alexa. For wired tech, I have always been impressed with NAD entry level quality and have owned a little 320BEE for 20 years. Old or new the higher power stuff (receiver or integrated amp) comes with multiple wiews outputs. A sale on the t748 or c375 or 300 series should be a good start.

[shortribs]

As a viable alternative to Sonos, take a look at the award winning Bluesound streaming lineup. Their revamped products features voice activation, though if Alexa is not essential you can pick up their first gen multi-room set up (and TV soundbar) on the cheap.

Bluesound is associated with NAD Electronics and PSB Speakers, both of whom are established manufacturers.

Originally Posted by 4Rings6Stars

Thanks for the suggestions, even if they are all Sonos!

Aside from the quality, what about my set up won’t work? And what other or additional components would be needed that will get the cost to $5k?

I really would like actual dedicated outdoor speakers if possible.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by shortribs

As a viable alternative to Sonos, take a look at the award winning Bluesound streaming lineup.

Bluesound makes some excellent stuff, definitely...but they may not be a viable alternative to Sonos for very long:

https://variety.com/2019/digital/new...it-1203251479/

[Spaghetti Legs]

Another vote for Sonos. I’ve been using it for 7-8 years and have it over most of the house, including outdoors now. I’d wonder if there’s a way to use the Sonos amp for regular speakers and integrate it into a lower budget audio system so you get the wireless control functionality.

Anyway, I have an almost unused Onyko receiver amp if you decide to go more conventional and want a deal.