Home Audio System - Help needed

[GatorsUF]

I am looking to buy a home audio system, however unlike most people I don't want a big sound system for listening to movies or playing music really loud. My goal is to be able to play music throughout the house at low enough levels where you can talk over it.

I just want to place a bunch of small speakers on the cieling in different rooms as well is on the back porch.

I have a Mac Computer, Galaxy Nexus, and Transformer Prime. All of which can play all of my music. On top of that I have GoogleTV (Logitech Revue).

What is my best option for home audio (preferably through Google Music)?

Is my best bet to wait for "Android@Home"?

I have a bunch of old surround sound speakers that I don't use anymore, can I use those for low volume music playing? Don't want to spend $1000 on this...

 

[Grador]

Could you be a little more specific about your goals? It seems you have questions on both the hardware and software end. How large of an area of your house do you want to cover (large room, small room, multiple rooms?).

You mention many possible sources for music but what is your ideal setup? You seem to be implying that you'd like to control the music with your smartphone, but it was pretty vague. Why not go ahead and describe precisely how you imagine yourself controlling everything and we'll see if we can get you there.

As for if your old surrounds will work, well that is going to really depend upon what they are and what kind of sound quality you're looking for. In a nutshell, yes they are speakers, they will play sound.

Do you have any other audio equipment for this yet? Do you have an amplifier you want to dedicate to this, or perhaps a receiver with a second zone or A/B switch?

 

[BMXTRIX]

How do you intend to get wiring to all the different areas of your home? Generally, you will need something which can get audio throughout your home. Traditionally this is done by wiring all the speakers back to a central distribution point, but more and more people are turning to a product like Sonos which can wireless distribute music throughout the home for a far more reasonable price and offers Android/iPhone control of the system.

If I were on a budget, I would likely look to Sonos first, then decide exactly what I want after that.