I'm looking to set up a whole house audio system and would appreciate any tips/comments/approvals etc. My husband and I are not audiophiles; we would just use it for background music. It would mostly be mp3s off my PC or Pandora. I don't foresee us ever wanting to distribute video. I do not need a state-of-the-art system, but I don't want something that is cobbled together either. With that in mind, here are the requirements:
Zone 1 - Patio (use previously purchased outdoor speakers)
Zone 2 - Family Room - Will install new HT system in a year or two and would like to use 2 of those speakers for the audio. Can I use an A-B switch here to control source? Does it need to be impedance matching?
Zone 3 - Kitchen - stereo speaker, probably 2
Zone 4 - Living/Dining Room - Large open area that will need multiple speakers, should most likely be stereo speakers? could I connect more than 2 stereo speakers to 1 zone?
Zone 5 - Guest Bathroom - 1 stereo speaker
Zone 6 - Master Bed/Bath - not sure if speaker in bath, room is very small
Volume controls in zones
House plan:
The equipment will be housed in the office.
I like the idea of using stereo speakers instead of regular ones. Most of the rooms either don't have defined seating areas, or I want the flexibility to move my furniture around.
HTD MCA-66 is what I'm looking at getting.
Monoprice dual coil speakers
As I understand it Cat 5 is run to the keypad, and regular speaker wire from there to the speakers? /* ETA: Got it now, speaker wire from amp to speakers */
I'm unsure of the speaker quantity / placement in the living and dining rooms. I think stereo speakers would work best there, but I think I can only safely connect 2 of those to 1 zone. I'm not sure if 2 speakers would provide enough coverage for both rooms.
Is the overall system configuration okay, or is there a better/cheaper way to do this? Also, I like the prices for Monoprice speakers. Are they of acceptable quality? I don't need anything super great, I just don't want them to detract from the listening experience.
Thanks in advance,
Jaime
Zone 1 - Patio (use previously purchased outdoor speakers)
Zone 2 - Family Room - Will install new HT system in a year or two and would like to use 2 of those speakers for the audio. Can I use an A-B switch here to control source? Does it need to be impedance matching?
Zone 3 - Kitchen - stereo speaker, probably 2
Zone 4 - Living/Dining Room - Large open area that will need multiple speakers, should most likely be stereo speakers? could I connect more than 2 stereo speakers to 1 zone?
Zone 5 - Guest Bathroom - 1 stereo speaker
Zone 6 - Master Bed/Bath - not sure if speaker in bath, room is very small
Volume controls in zones
House plan:
The equipment will be housed in the office.
I like the idea of using stereo speakers instead of regular ones. Most of the rooms either don't have defined seating areas, or I want the flexibility to move my furniture around.
HTD MCA-66 is what I'm looking at getting.
Monoprice dual coil speakers
As I understand it Cat 5 is run to the keypad, and regular speaker wire from there to the speakers? /* ETA: Got it now, speaker wire from amp to speakers */
I'm unsure of the speaker quantity / placement in the living and dining rooms. I think stereo speakers would work best there, but I think I can only safely connect 2 of those to 1 zone. I'm not sure if 2 speakers would provide enough coverage for both rooms.
Is the overall system configuration okay, or is there a better/cheaper way to do this? Also, I like the prices for Monoprice speakers. Are they of acceptable quality? I don't need anything super great, I just don't want them to detract from the listening experience.
Thanks in advance,
Jaime