# Help wanted for multi-room home theatre audio



## Silly (Feb 2, 2013)

Hi,

Can please some one give me recommendation on what I need to buy according to my given requirements. I am a no-techie person and all this information on the google about home theatres and AV receivers and who knows what is driving me nuts.

I Love the sound of the Home Theatre systems(the ones with which your heart beats faster,1000 Watts power something) and basically I need it MAINLY for Listening to songs from my USB and RADIO. (Being able to connect to TV would be an asset but not priority). I want the thing to have like 5-6 speakers which I can put in different rooms but not by taking wires from the main box. Wireless in that sense but its ok. if I have to plug them in for power supply...thats it. These are my only requirements.

Many of you guys know so much stuff in details...I would be glad if you could tell me what I need to buy and which brand...

Thanks in advance


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## csweep44 (Feb 20, 2012)

I would check into the Sonos wireless system, see if it is in your budget.


Charlie


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

First, welcome to HTS! It would help us if we know your budget. Sonos is a great system, but it can be pricey. 

Also, is ceiling mounting of the speakers OK, or would you prefer speakers on a shelf.


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## Silly (Feb 2, 2013)

I would prefer shelf..My budget would be around 400-500$


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

5 or 6 rooms wireless for $500-600 is going to be tough. Sonos is out for that price range. Bluetooth wireless speakers will work, but only 25-30 feet away from your main room and you would have to have a Bluetooth adapter for your main room receiver, which will add about $50 or so. And sound quality won't be the best. Maybe someone can chime in with recommendations.


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## Silly (Feb 2, 2013)

Thnks for that input...Actually I am shocked that there is only one brand providing this technology in this advance stage of technology. Sony did something but it flopped apparently...Don't we get like regular home theatre or stereo systems which can be somehow linked to some sort of special wireless speakers. By special wireless speakers I mean something that would come like seperately and can get connected to any device u may have irresepective of the brand...


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## snowmanick (Oct 16, 2007)

If you are willing to put your music into iTunes, you can use a combination of AppleTV's and/or Airport Expresses to get the music to other rooms. Then use either powered speakers (I didn't see you mention having receivers or amps for the 5-6 rooms) or low cost, refurbished, or used AVR's or integrated amps to power them.

The budget is still going to be tricky though. If you went with the lowest cost option I mentioned (Airport Express's) from eBay, you are looking at around $250-$350 for those components alone. I have a few I picked up from eBay and I paid ~$50 each including shipping. 

If we estimate 5 rooms at $50 each, and assume you have a laptop or desktop and wireless router already, that is half the budget. Which leaves us $50/pr for each of the 5 pairs of speakers, which is more computer speaker territory. You can get pretty decent computer speakers for about $50 a pair, not great, but pretty decent.

Thinking a little more creatively, you could purchase 5 pairs of these speakers , and five of these Lepai T-amps from Parts express which would be at least comparable to the computer speakers for $255 shipped.

Add in some 3.5mm-to-RCA cables for the Airport express' to the amp's (about $25 total) and some speaker cable (about another $25), and you've got 5 rooms of audio for around $555 shipped.

This is brand dependent (Apple), and wouldn't allow for you to hook up your TV out of the box, but still gets you whole home audio for the price range. You could also try to find used receivers in lieu of the T-amps, but that is a little more local dependent and may cost more. If you have TV in one room, it may be worth a slight bump in the budget for you to have at least one receiver to listen to the TV through the stereo speakers.


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## corneredge (Feb 5, 2013)

I know SONOS sounds expensive, but if you really are a non-techie, they are GREAT. I've done my house and a friends and its just easy, fun, and sounds great. Its worth consideration.


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## Silly (Feb 2, 2013)

Thanks for the advice all you guys...Corneredge u r right about me not being a techie person so maybe i will Consider Sonos...But like I went to their website and they have this PLAY 3 thingy but its only 1 piece...So do I need to buy seperate hometheatre or stereo system with woofer and all that to connect to this Play 3 thingy for like the remaining two rooms or do they provide speakers I mean i am confused...


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