4 ms·

it depends on do you plan to use ceiling/wall speakers wired to central location or not ? if yes, you ideally need multi-zone amplifier to actually drive speake

it depends on do you plan to use ceiling/wall speakers wired to central location or not ? if yes, you ideally need multi-zone amplifier to actually drive speakers with built-in or separate mixer (allows you to have multiple inputs and assign them to different outputs at will). Something like Dayton Audio DAX88 will be probably cheapest solution for such setup, while allowing individual control over each speaker (there are optional keypads for control, mobile apps and dlna support as input). If you to to higher end, you can get even systems with integrated intercoms in keypads and touchscreens for each speaker zone. Or if you go with bookshelfs that are independently powered, well, there were a bunch of options described here

gnicholas 5y ago
I recently moved into a home that has speakers in the ceiling in 4 different rooms, with all the cables running up to an upstairs (inconveniently-located) media closet. I can't figure out what to do with this setup. I'd like to be able to play music/podcasts from my phone into various rooms, and I'd only rarely want simultaneous audio in multiple rooms. One thing I've considered is getting several cheap mini receivers and hooking each one up to a Belkin AirPlay adapter. There also seem to be some $50-ish bluetooth-enabled receivers, which would allow for the same functionality, except without the ability to play in multiple rooms simultaneously. Has anyone dealt with a similar situation?
- simplyaccont 5y ago
  this is what i deal with. only 6 rooms your best bet dax88 or dax66 (older) if you want flexibility. alternative is passive speaker selector like Pyle PSPVC6 and Pyle PDA20 mini amp/bt receiver hooked up to audio source. alternatively you can try instead of PDA20 Amazon Link Amp (it weaker, not sure if it can drive speakers in 4 rooms) you can try to look through monoprice/pyle sites, they may have something different for 4 rooms - there are more options than for 6 rooms. But in general, if you want some remote control (volume, select inputs/output), it quickly jumps ~1k.
  - gnicholas 5y ago
    Thanks, I am getting the sense that the price floor for these features is relatively high. That's why I'm thinking it will be cheaper to buy several bluetooth-enabled mini-receivers. Only one of my rooms has five speakers to drive; the rest have just one or two. I'm not looking for super great sound (I don't even know what kind of speakers they are) — I just want to be able to send sound to different rooms from my phone.
    - simplyaccont 5y ago
      do you mean to make a cluster of mini-receivers in location that has all speaker cables ?
      - gnicholas 5y ago
        Yes. It seems loony, but it appears that it might be substantially less expensive than a single unit solution.
        simplyaccont 5y ago
        at some point of time you would like to play same music (ambient or whatever) in multiple rooms. at this case your setup will break... imho, it's better to bite a bullet and get something capable. you should also check ebay. there is plenty of oldish multi-zone amplifiers/controllers for more reasonable prices. they are not as fancy as new stuff but you will have more over your rooms.

gnicholas 5y ago

I recently moved into a home that has speakers in the ceiling in 4 different rooms, with all the cables running up to an upstairs (inconveniently-located) media closet. I can't figure out what to do with this setup. I'd like to be able to play music/podcasts from my phone into various rooms, and I'd only rarely want simultaneous audio in multiple rooms. One thing I've considered is getting several cheap mini receivers and hooking each one up to a Belkin AirPlay adapter. There also seem to be some $50-ish bluetooth-enabled receivers, which would allow for the same functionality, except without the ability to play in multiple rooms simultaneously. Has anyone dealt with a similar situation?

simplyaccont 5y ago
this is what i deal with. only 6 rooms your best bet dax88 or dax66 (older) if you want flexibility. alternative is passive speaker selector like Pyle PSPVC6 and Pyle PDA20 mini amp/bt receiver hooked up to audio source. alternatively you can try instead of PDA20 Amazon Link Amp (it weaker, not sure if it can drive speakers in 4 rooms) you can try to look through monoprice/pyle sites, they may have something different for 4 rooms - there are more options than for 6 rooms. But in general, if you want some remote control (volume, select inputs/output), it quickly jumps ~1k.
- gnicholas 5y ago
  Thanks, I am getting the sense that the price floor for these features is relatively high. That's why I'm thinking it will be cheaper to buy several bluetooth-enabled mini-receivers. Only one of my rooms has five speakers to drive; the rest have just one or two. I'm not looking for super great sound (I don't even know what kind of speakers they are) — I just want to be able to send sound to different rooms from my phone.
  - simplyaccont 5y ago
    do you mean to make a cluster of mini-receivers in location that has all speaker cables ?
    - gnicholas 5y ago
      Yes. It seems loony, but it appears that it might be substantially less expensive than a single unit solution.
      - simplyaccont 5y ago
        at some point of time you would like to play same music (ambient or whatever) in multiple rooms. at this case your setup will break... imho, it's better to bite a bullet and get something capable. you should also check ebay. there is plenty of oldish multi-zone amplifiers/controllers for more reasonable prices. they are not as fancy as new stuff but you will have more over your rooms.