Breaking ground on a remodel in August... looking into my options for A/V goodies, specifically in-ceiling speakers for living areas, kitchen, master bath, entry, patio, and of course the garage! Would love to hear any advice. Don't need top of the line, just some solid speakers for each room. What are some other things to consider, amp built in or remote... Also, what system would be good to control and tie everything together? Would love to be able to control it from ipad/iphone, appleTV... TIA!:thumb::thumb:
I know a little about this but not much. I've worked for a couple different high end audio dealers but on big rig stereo not the whole house A/V side of the business. Your best bet is to find a good installer/dealer and take their advice but the industry is filled with incompetents, hacks and charlatans. If you like I can ask people I still know and trust in the industry if they know anyone they'd recommend in your area. Sonance has a very good reputation for in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. Snell, Speakercraft and Boston Acoustics are probably decent too. I'm a little more skeptical of Niles but like I said this isn't the part of the industry I know well. Audio generally is moving toward computer server based systems. Generally you can nurse more ultimate performance out of a PC but the Mac based systems tends to be more plug-n-play friendly. Control interfaces for whole house systems I know zip about, sorry. High end systems run lossless file formats like WAV, AIFF, FLAC or ALAC. Lossy compression like MP3, even at high bit rates like 256 Kkbits/sec, is seriously compromised for really high quality sound. I can point you toward some of the more reliable audio and A/V forums but you're on the internet so there will be a bunch of self-proclaimed "experts" talking nonsense anywhere and you don't have much time to figure who is credible and who is an idiot or a shill. As with many things it is very tough to do this well on the cheap. Ceiling speakers generally are pretty much only good for background music/muzak. In wall or on wall tends to be a better option, especially if you can mount them closer to ear level and aim them towards the primary listening area.
Thanks Bruce, I appreciate the insights. I think that is a good insight and would be interested if you have any contacts in the Portland metropolitan area. Thanks!
Pretty much any of the top name A/V Receivers out there - Marantz, Denon, Yamaha, for example all have a jack for a RJ-45 Internet connection and all have AirPlay for Apple and another version for Android phones. All will show you how it looks on your Iphone, etc., and the download is free. They all will play Pandora, etc., which is a very nice feature since Pandora for example sounds way way better than any of the Satellite radio offerings out there today and is able to make playlists and is free. Once you decide what you want to have for a total IN House system in terms of Video and Audio, you can pick the parts up easily. It would be good if possible to go to a Stereo Store and listen to the different combinations of Receivers and speakers and see what sounds best to you guys. I think some Best Buy stores have a Magnolia Audio store inside that should have some pretty nice equipment to preview. Onkyo is another receiver out there that is supposed to be pretty good, but according to tons of reviews on Amazon for example, these receivers fail quickly. I have listened to some really nice speakers lately because I am doing the same thing for my garage only, and have heard great things from Definitive Technology, Martin Logan, Monitor Audio, and last in sound quality to me - Boston. Again, it is what sounds best to you guys that determines what you should consider purchasing. A lot of the receivers do have ability to play music and video in different rooms besides where the equipment is located, etc... Good luck with this; I have been researching it for months and have only just purchased some Def Tech speakers. I still need to pull the trigger on the Amplifier/Receiver. They all offer different things, a lot of things for video, all the more expensive ones will have a jack in front for your Ipod, Iphone, MP3 player, etc., and do a ton of things. Again, its what you are looking for and what ultimately looks and sounds the best. This is going to be fun !! Dan F
As noted I'm somewhat out of my depth here but whole house systems typically involve something more than just an A/V receiver for power. I would think that switching amps might be the way to go since they run cool and consume less power than conventional class A/B amps. Wyred4Sound, NuForce, TacT, Channel Islands Audio, Bel Canto, and Peachtree Audio are just of few of the better regarded manufacturers. Among conventional amps I have had great experience with Bryston but they may be more than you want to spend. Since Brystons are often used in studios I have slightly more confidence in their ability to handle 24/7 duty cycles, low impedance or impedance swings and weird phase angles but as noted that comes at a price.
