Disribution Amplifier?

[newmill]

I am currently in the process of designing/building a new home, and I have questions about whole house audio. In my old house I ran 6" B&W in ceiling speakers, powered by my pioneer elite SC37 home theater receiver. The source I used was shared with my HiFi (Bryston BDA1 and BDP1). This worked well, but not quite to the level I had hoped for. It was however, adequate, and we enjoyed it for background music just fine. I would like to improve on my old system a bit, and have a dedicated "house audio system". I am looking to purchase a distribution amplifier, larger or better quality speakers, and unsure of the media player options. Cost is a definite factor, so the bang for the buck is very important. I was thinking 3 zones in the house, and 1 zone for the covered deck. Any thoughts, experiences, or caveats are greatly appreciated.
Nick

 

[marty]

I am currently in the process of designing/building a new home, and I have questions about whole house audio. In my old house I ran 6" B&W in ceiling speakers, powered by my pioneer elite SC37 home theater receiver. The source I used was shared with my HiFi (Bryston BDA1 and BDP1). This worked well, but not quite to the level I had hoped for. It was however, adequate, and we enjoyed it for background music just fine. I would like to improve on my old system a bit, and have a dedicated "house audio system". I am looking to purchase a distribution amplifier, larger or better quality speakers, and unsure of the media player options. Cost is a definite factor, so the bang for the buck is very important. I was thinking 3 zones in the house, and 1 zone for the covered deck. Any thoughts, experiences, or caveats are greatly appreciated.
Nick

For what you seek, I'm not sure that a ""classical" wired system using a distributed speaker network is the way to go. You might wish to consider some of the newer wireless options that are available. Bose and Sonos are the ones most people know. But a product that has impressed me is one made by Bluesound. http://www.bluesound.com/en-us/?cl This is a system that allows hi-res wireless to any room of the house. They offer servers with built-in 24/192 DACs, speakers, soundbars and assorted options all controlled from an iPhone or iPad that is really worth hearing.

 

[newmill]

Hi Marty: Thanks for the reply. I have not been overly impressed with wireless options, but admitedly have not investigated these recently. Maybe I'll investigated this technology and see how it has improved. I have heard Sonos and it is a great product. I definitely want to be able to hide speakers in the ceiling though. Any one else with some personal experience is greatly appreciated.

 

[Ron Resnick]

For suggestions on ceiling speakers please see Post #39 of http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showt...ng-In-Wall-Speakers-In-Ceiling-Speakers/page4

For a distribution amplifier I am facing the same question as you. I have been considering a Class AB ATI 7 channel amplifier.

 

[Ron Resnick]

And for wireless the Sonos Play 5 sounds inexplicably fantastic: transparent, rich, big, warm, bold sound.

 

[newmill]

Thanks Ron for the reply. The amplifier I was looking at is the Rotel 8 channel designed for this purpose specifically. I have friends that have Rotel in their Home Theatres and are extremely happy with the brand.
http://www.rotel.com/product/rkb-850

Nick

 

[newmill]

Hi Ron. I just read your thread and am very interested in your comparisons and conclusion. I also agree that the cosmetic "clean-ness" of in ceiling speakers is a very high priority. Do you have the PSB's installed now, and are you happy with the result?

 

[Ron Resnick]

No ceiling speakers have been installed in the house. The test speakers are all sitting on my floor in our temporary apartment.

That Rotel must be Class D?

Have you auditioned it versus any other multi-channel competitors?

 

[newmill]

Yes the Rotel is class D, and in my opinion is a capable enough performer to do duty as a background music amplifier. I haven't heard many other options, so not sure how to rate this amp other than to say I was pleasantly impressed with the sound quality given the context of this genre of amp.