Advice on upgrading older Niles whole home audio system

[AugyIA]

The home we purchased 10 years ago had a Niles whole home audio system installed by the previous owner. There are speaker wire & Cat-5 cables run throughout the home...I think there are 11 different areas pre-wired with speaker pairs & Cat-5. The current system has 5 areas with speakers (see attached diagram). The touch pads are starting to fail and replacements are $$$ and I don't want to invest in old tech if it makes more sense to move into something more modern. We basically use it to stream music from Spotify...accomplishing this by using an August WR320 wireless audio receiver connected to the Niles amp. We do not use any other sources.

What are the most logical options to upgrade? The speakers are all of good quality and I see no reason to replace them. The amp works but, as I mentioned above, the keypads are failing...not sure if there are options for keypads that would work with that amp other than the Niles pads from that era.

Since we only really stream Spotify, the keypads are only being used to turn on/off the source (amp)...are keypads really even necessary for the type of system I am describing?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated....would like to avoid throwing money away

 

[highfigh]

The home we purchased 10 years ago had a Niles whole home audio system installed by the previous owner. There are speaker wire & Cat-5 cables run throughout the home...I think there are 11 different areas pre-wired with speaker pairs & Cat-5. The current system has 5 areas with speakers (see attached diagram). The touch pads are starting to fail and replacements are $$$ and I don't want to invest in old tech if it makes more sense to move into something more modern. We basically use it to stream music from Spotify...accomplishing this by using an August WR320 wireless audio receiver connected to the Niles amp. We do not use any other sources.

What are the most logical options to upgrade? The speakers are all of good quality and I see no reason to replace them. The amp works but, as I mentioned above, the keypads are failing...not sure if there are options for keypads that would work with that amp other than the Niles pads from that era.

Since we only really stream Spotify, the keypads are only being used to turn on/off the source (amp)...are keypads really even necessary for the type of system I am describing?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated....would like to avoid throwing money away

Does the Niles still work? If so, just feed whatever source you use into it and keep going. If you want more power, you can add amplification but the volume controls will be the limiting factor since they're rated for 60W.

Do all speakers play the same music/source material at all times, or do you want to listen to different material in some rooms?

Ebay has those keypads and if some buttons aren't working, you can remove the buttons and clean the contacts with denatured alcohol that doesn't have mineral oil in it, to see if that helps.

 

[AugyIA]

Does the Niles still work? If so, just feed whatever source you use into it and keep going. If you want more power, you can add amplification but the volume controls will be the limiting factor since they're rated for 60W.

Do all speakers play the same music/source material at all times, or do you want to listen to different material in some rooms?

Ebay has those keypads and if some buttons aren't working, you can remove the buttons and clean the contacts with denatured alcohol that doesn't have mineral oil in it, to see if that helps.

Yes, the Niles amp works fine. I've cleaned the contacts on the keypads a few times to keep them semi-working. The system does work sufficiently, was just thinking some more modern might be more effective and user-friendly.

I'm trying to understand what features a newer system might bring to the table but it seems, at least for my use case, there really isn't much to gain from swapping it all out. I see some of the newer systems incorporate Treble & Bass adjustments into the keypads, not sure it's worth the money to change it out though. Since I am only familiar with this Niles system, I really don't know what improvements might come from any changes (sound quality, user-friendliness, etc). I see budget-friendly options from Crutchfield, Monoprice, HTB, and a few others but, again, just not sure what I'd really be gaining...sorry for the lack of awareness, still trying to learn. Appreciate the feedback!

 

[AugyIA]

I am wondering if I could harness my Niles amp but incorporate a Wiim Pro as the audio streaming device? This would eliminate the need for the keypads and bring the user interface into the current times. I might need multiple Wiim Pro devices (one for each zone) but it seems like a fairly simple and cost-effective solution. Thoughts?

 

[highfigh]

Yes, the Niles amp works fine. I've cleaned the contacts on the keypads a few times to keep them semi-working. The system does work sufficiently, was just thinking some more modern might be more effective and user-friendly.

I'm trying to understand what features a newer system might bring to the table but it seems, at least for my use case, there really isn't much to gain from swapping it all out. I see some of the newer systems incorporate Treble & Bass adjustments into the keypads, not sure it's worth the money to change it out though. Since I am only familiar with this Niles system, I really don't know what improvements might come from any changes (sound quality, user-friendliness, etc). I see budget-friendly options from Crutchfield, Monoprice, HTB, and a few others but, again, just not sure what I'd really be gaining...sorry for the lack of awareness, still trying to learn. Appreciate the feedback!

To be honest, I don't think having Bass & Treble controls on the keypads would be a great benefit- the Niles receiver doesn't have provisions for that and if you think the bass and treble are lacking, better speakers would improve the sound more.

This wasn't a 'budget-friendly' piece- it was pretty expensive and the price for something equal hasn't come down to the point where something cheap will do what this does.

If you were to replace this with one streaming device and multi-channel amplifier, you wouldn't be able to control the volume in the Kitchen, BR and Master Bath unless you replace the keypads with some kind of in-wall control AND run the speaker wires to each because the way it is now, they go directly to the ZR receiver and the keypads only use the Cat5e to control the ZR.

If you want different program material in each zone with a replacement system, you would need a separate streamer and amplification for each unless you spend the money for a HEOS Drive HS2, which is shown on the Denon site at $2499. You would still need to buy amplification for the 4 season room and patio, sharing another zone's audio.

 

[AugyIA]

Thank you for the explanation and advice. It may be that I just need to live with what I have until it dies entirely. We really only use 2 of the zones (Kitchen & Master Bath) regularly, anyway.

I might be tempted to move the keypads for the Niles to 2 of the other zones (Patio & Sunroom) for occasional use via the WR320 (as we do now)...and add two new amp/streaming devices for the Kitchen & Master Bath via the Wiim system or similar. That is assuming those newer systems can adjust volume through the app. Then, I'd just put outlet covers where the old kepads were in those two areas. I'd have two completely separate systems but for daily use, I'd gain some advantages with current technology while not having to replace the entire system. Decent idea or foolish waste of money?

 

[highfigh]

Thank you for the explanation and advice. It may be that I just need to live with what I have until it dies entirely. We really only use 2 of the zones (Kitchen & Master Bath) regularly, anyway.

I might be tempted to move the keypads for the Niles to 2 of the other zones (Patio & Sunroom) for occasional use via the WR320 (as we do now)...and add two new amp/streaming devices for the Kitchen & Master Bath via the Wiim system or similar. That is assuming those newer systems can adjust volume through the app. Then, I'd just put outlet covers where the old kepads were in those two areas. I'd have two completely separate systems but for daily use, I'd gain some advantages with current technology while not having to replace the entire system. Decent idea or foolish waste of money?

The volume controls in the 4 seasons room and patio probably don't have a Cat5E cable, although they might if the installing company thought ahead or just used the same cable for all speaker/zone controllers- it costs more/run but can save money in the long term if the homeowner was on the fence about how they wanted to control them or the sales team is effective in getting people to upgrade. If those controls DON'T have a Cat5e, it will have to be added.

Each Niles zone has line inputs, so you definitely have options. You can set them for fixed volume if a source device has volume control, too.

I would recommend downloading the manual for the Niles- it's big, setup isn't simple and the learning curve may not be steep, but all info that you might need is in it.

 

[AugyIA]

Yeah, I did obtain the manual awhile ago and was overwhelmed with all the info. I am 99.9% sure they ran Cat-5 to each zone but would double check. I'll start there and if that looks good I may just try one zone first before I get in too deep. Thank you again for the help and advice.