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Budget Multi room audio

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Old 25-04-2006, 10:23 AM   #1
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Budget Multi room audio

My knowledge is very limited on this subject so I need some advice.

I want to wire my house so that I can provide stereo audio from a central source into about 6 rooms. I am also trying to keep the budget as low as possible.

I have come up with a design that I think will work with 4 rooms.

1. Nothing seems to equal the Sonos system. EVen my wife could use it from the word go. THe introductory bundle includes a controller and 2 x Zone Players. http://www.broadbandstuff.co.uk/prod...roducts_id=383

2. This Volume control Unit http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-Channel-Ster...ayphotohosting It has 2 x stereo inputs so I could plug one ZP into each. THen distribute to 4 pairs of speakers in any combination of speakers or ZP. The volume level to each pair of speakers could also be set here.

3. 2 x sets of these http://www.cybermarket.co.uk/ishop/923/shopscr5831.html at £79.95 per set. That will give me 4 pairs of speakers.

Ok so far so good (unless someone tells me otherwise!). However I would like some local control over ON/OFF and volume in each room. Rather than have to go back to the central point each time. Also very difficult to adjust volume from a central point.

I have got the Sonos controller but is it possible to use an in-wall volume control in each room. I am also confused regarding volume controls. THere seem to be many different types.
I was thinking about using Impedance Matching Volume controls such as http://www.hometech.com/audio/volume.html in each room. But what does impedance matching mean? WHat other types of in-wall volume controls exist? WHich would be better in this case?

Help..............
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Old 25-04-2006, 1:02 PM   #2
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I would also be interested to know people views on this. I don't need anything like Sonos, but am interested in what people think of options 2 and 3. I have a Hi-Fi in our second bedroom, and would like to know what ceiling speaker options there are for adding speakes to our main bedroom and the bathroom, and also a switch box to controll off and on. Oh and has to be on a budget.

Not trying to hijack you thread dobbin, just think I am looking for similar answers from more experianced members of the forums
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