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Reccomendatuons on wireless/blue tooth audio for home.

CMontoya79

CMontoya79

Newb Le professional!
Joined
Dec 8, 2008
Messages
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Was reading about sonos, but some seem to say it is not durable. Any and all suggestions would be great. Though I'm not looking to spend 10,000 on some crazy high end audiophile type stuff, looking for a good product at a fair price.
 
I'll assume you're looking for a "whole home" solution, as opposed to just a simple bluetooth playable from your phone?
 
So this is probably no help, but I have really gotten my bang for the buck out of my Jawbone Mini Jambox.  It's great for taking out to the patio with me for a cigar.  Certainly not a "whole home" solution.  But I thought I'd mention it nonetheless.
 
....pfft.  CAT5E in the walls, McIntosh audio in the smoking room, wall and ceiling mounted speakers for front, center, and surround in the great room.  What is this 'bluetooth' madness of which you speak...??..... :laugh:  
 
BlindedByScience said:
snip.....What is this 'bluetooth' madness of which you speak...??..... :laugh:  
Click to expand...
 
Bluetooth is a side effect from smoking too many Moontrances.
 
garrettbuckeye said:
We love our Bose Soundlink. If it had a radio as well, it would be perfect.
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I second this.  Just got it a month ago and love the sounds it puts out.  Just not sure on the battery life yet.  Still have that to test.
 
Two observations:
 
1.  For a portable unit, I second Wyatt's mini Jambox.  Solid battery life, doesn't weigh a ton, puts out decent sound, acts as an excellent speaker phone for conference calls, Skype or face-time.  DURABLE!  Like the color options, but the other stuff makes it a good buy, IMO.
 
2.  We have a Sonos system at the brewery.  LOVE that you can break up the space into zones and have different music going simultaneously.  You can run the system right off your phone and choose from Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn or your own music library.  We use our own speakers that are wired.  Lots of options with a setup like that in your house.
 
I've been looking at this unit. I like their products. Do not know much on the reliability factor. I do have a pair of their 4.5 speakers on my desk system and I absolutely love them. Hoping they voiced this to the same degree of musicality.
 
http://www.peachtreeaudio.com/deepblue2.html
 
BlindedByScience said:
....pfft.  CAT5E in the walls, McIntosh audio in the smoking room, wall and ceiling mounted speakers for front, center, and surround in the great room.  What is this 'bluetooth' madness of which you speak...??..... :laugh:  
Click to expand...
While this option is sexy sounding. I'd never be allowed to even so much as hallucinate about cigars again, If I spent that kind of coin.
 
Oh, I bought a very nice tubed preamp from Music direct. A "open box" that came in a completely sealed manufacturers shipping box at about 50% off.
I.e., had never been opened. I got an older fellow who was great to deal with, and not full of crap. Running some killer deals. And...I admit it....I'm what some consider an Audiophile.
 
I'm doing preliminary research, as this is likely at least 6 months away.
 
CMontoya79 said:
 
....pfft.  CAT5E in the walls, McIntosh audio in the smoking room, wall and ceiling mounted speakers for front, center, and surround in the great room.  What is this 'bluetooth' madness of which you speak...??..... :laugh:  
Click to expand...
While this option is sexy sounding. I'd never be allowed to even so much as hallucinate about cigars again, If I spent that kind of coin.
 
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You can always have them run the CAT5, while your new house is still studs.  No reason not to plan ahead.
 
Ha! I like your thinking. And I believe it is an option. However were awaiting the design center appointment to proceed in the building process.
 
I'm so torn on this one. On one hand, it's hard to beat a hard wired connection. Part of me says to run any and all lines you can now. It'll never be this easy once the drywall is up.

On the other hand... Some of the wireless devices out there now are awesome. I can only imagine many more developments will come, and I doubt the investment in wiring your entire house will make much of a difference. It won't be cheap though.

I love our Bose as a Bluetooth speaker. It sounds great, and the battery lasts a long time. It is super simple to use also. When I really want to listen to music though... I go to the basement and turn on the old school stereo with the 12" floor speakers. Bluetooth is useless when when your spinning vinyl!
 
Adding CAT5E to every room in your house will add maybe $200 to the cost of the home.  Maybe.  I ran all the wires back to a closet in my office, where the cable, security cameras, and ethernet all terminate.  I've got the cable splitter, cable modem, wireless node / router, ethernet switch (16 ports, gigabit), the NAS storage, and the security camera DVR all tucked away in a closet.
 
Put the wire in the walls now; it's dirt cheap and makes adding cameras, speakers, ethernet, etc. all a snap down the road.  Keep in mind that you can certainly run phones over CAT5 as well.  I bought a bunch of stuff from Monoprice and have been very happy with it; no regrets.
 
The 'nice' stereo stuff, my McIntosh preamp and power amp have been mine for almost 30 years...... :cool:
 
Sorry to wander off topic....we return you now to the regularly scheduled broadcast.
 
I was at a house of an aquaintance once, and they had ceiling speakers in every room, the garage, and the deck. Somewhere in the basement was the amp/tuner/receiver whatever. In each space, there was a simple volume nob. It didn't sound incredible... But I thought it was awesome you could just turn it up and listen anywhere while cleaning, cooking, pooping, etc. if I could.. I would setup something like that. I wouldn't give up my other devices... But I never remember to bring the Bluetooth speaker when I poop. I'm sure everyone else appreciates that though. Haha
 
BlindedByScience said:
 security cameras,
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With your dogs for protection you need cameras? That's like six pounds of pure fury!
 
 
 
I have Sonos going to wired in wall speakers.  While you can literally go wireless with the system, I had interference issues so I have Ethernet cables from my switch to the Amps in a daisy chain. I just hooked up 4" tablets in each speaker location to control since I tend to leave my phone on the counter in the kitchen.  I have one amp per zone, but each amp is capable of powering multiple sets if you don't mind them all being on the same channel.
 
As for cat5 in the walls, I would be surprised if it wasn't already in the specs for the new house, but if not, it should be. Upgrade to cat6 would be even better. If you know where the "Media room" is going to be, running speaker wire for the rear speakers and sub woofer at a minimum is a good idea.  You don't have to use any of this wiring, but if you need it, putting it in after the fact is a costly and painful experience.
 
Love all the feedback, ideas and suggestions Fellas, if it ain't a big deal might as well wire while it's easiest.
 
X3 on the Bose Soundlink. Pro - much better sound than competitors. Con - no connectivity features like radio, apps, speakerphone, etc.
 
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