Do I need volume control knobs for in ceiling speakers?

[mediabroom]

I will have 1 pair of in ceiling speakers in master bedroom, 3 pairs in living room/kitchen, 1 pair in family room and 2 pairs in patio. I will have other rooms like bathroom prewired too.

Per contractor, he will have volume control knobs at 4 different places or at least pre wire for it. Example prewire for one volume control knob for master bedroom and master bathroom. I am wondering if I need volume control knobs or prewiring for it?

I am also looking for not expensive amplifier which will give me remote control access through app to control 7 pairs of speakers in 4 zones. Can't find any thing below $ 1000 which works well.

 

[TLS Guy]

I will have 1 pair of in ceiling speakers in master bedroom, 3 pairs in living room/kitchen, 1 pair in family room and 2 pairs in patio. I will have other rooms like bathroom prewired too.

Per contractor, he will have volume control knobs at 4 different places or at least pre wire for it. Example prewire for one volume control knob for master bedroom and master bathroom. I am wondering if I need volume control knobs or prewiring for it?

I am also looking for not expensive amplifier which will give me remote control access through app to control 7 pairs of speakers in 4 zones. Can't find any thing below $ 1000 which works well.

These systems have a habit of turning into a huge mess.

Now it you want control remotely seven pairs of speakers you are going to need a distribution amp with at least 7 amps. If you want stereo it needsto have 14 amps paired to each remote control. This is going to be expensive. Sonos have a system that can help you.

Alternatively you can forget individual remote control and have one or two amps, and impedance matching volume controls for each pair of speakers in the rooms.

Doing this all properly takes are a good installer/integrator if you are not experienced.

To me the over arching issue, that these ceiling systems are to all intense and purposes background music systems, that are not capable of high quality sound. My personal view is that they are not worth the trouble and expense. And they are known to decrease the value of a home and not increase it.

I think the better way it to really decide which rooms you need sound and vision in, and invest in quality systems were you really think people will use them. In most homes that amounts to usually two rooms and sometimes three.

If you really must have sound in a bathroom for instance you can run that from a remote switch from one of the other systems.

For instance in our last home we just had two rooms with sound and vision. That was the theater and the family room.

In our new home we have a system in our lower great room, which comprises open plan kitchen, living room and dining room. That system covers that area well with very good sound. Far better than any ceiling system would do. We have a system in the Family room. Our main system in our dedicated theater. The only ceiling speakers are the four Atmos ceiling speakers in the theater. They are not for listening to by themselves.

That is a much better way to organize yourself for your family.

 

[mediabroom]

These systems have a habit of turning into a huge mess.

Now it you want control remotely seven pairs of speakers you are going to need a distribution amp with at least 7 amps. If you want stereo it needsto have 14 amps paired to each remote control. This is going to be expensive. Sonos have a system that can help you.

Alternatively you can forget individual remote control and have one or two amps, and impedance matching volume controls for each pair of speakers in the rooms.

Doing this all properly takes are a good installer/integrator if you are not experienced.

To me the over arching issue, that these ceiling systems are to all intense and purposes background music systems, that are not capable of high quality sound. My personal view is that they are not worth the trouble and expense. And they are known to decrease the value of a home and not increase it.

I think the better way it to really decide which rooms you need sound and vision in, and invest in quality systems were you really think people will use them. In most homes that amounts to usually two rooms and sometimes three.

If you really must have sound in a bathroom for instance you can run that from a remote switch from one of the other systems.

For instance in our last home we just had two rooms with sound and vision. That was the theater and the family room.

In our new home we have a system in our lower great room, which comprises open plan kitchen, living room and dining room. That system covers that area well with very good sound. Far better than any ceiling system would do. We have a system in the Family room. Our main system in our dedicated theater. The only ceiling speakers are the four Atmos ceiling speakers in the theater. They are not for listening to by themselves.

That is a much better way to organize yourself for your family.

In our new home we have a system in our lower great room, which comprises open plan kitchen, living room and dining room - what do you mean by system instead of in ceiling speakers? Can you tell me more about it as I have open plan kitchen, living and dining room?

I am also looking to have music in patio, master bedroom and family room.

 

[TLS Guy]

In our new home we have a system in our lower great room, which comprises open plan kitchen, living room and dining room - what do you mean by system instead of in ceiling speakers? Can you tell me more about it as I have open plan kitchen, living and dining room?

I am also looking to have music in patio, master bedroom and family room.

These are the details of the great room system.

 

[shkumar4963]

These systems have a habit of turning into a huge mess.

Now it you want control remotely seven pairs of speakers you are going to need a distribution amp with at least 7 amps. If you want stereo it needsto have 14 amps paired to each remote control. This is going to be expensive. Sonos have a system that can help you.

Alternatively you can forget individual remote control and have one or two amps, and impedance matching volume controls for each pair of speakers in the rooms.

Doing this all properly takes are a good installer/integrator if you are not experienced.

To me the over arching issue, that these ceiling systems are to all intense and purposes background music systems, that are not capable of high quality sound. My personal view is that they are not worth the trouble and expense. And they are known to decrease the value of a home and not increase it.

I think the better way it to really decide which rooms you need sound and vision in, and invest in quality systems were you really think people will use them. In most homes that amounts to usually two rooms and sometimes three.

If you really must have sound in a bathroom for instance you can run that from a remote switch from one of the other systems.

For instance in our last home we just had two rooms with sound and vision. That was the theater and the family room.

In our new home we have a system in our lower great room, which comprises open plan kitchen, living room, and dining room. That system covers that area well with very good sound. Far better than any ceiling system would do. We have a system in the Family room. The main system in our dedicated theater. The only ceiling speakers are the four Atmos ceiling speakers in the theater. They are not for listening to by themselves.

That is a much better way to organize yourself for your family.

Installing volume control costs about $100 including labor.

So if the application is background music, look for a $50 stereo amplifier on eBay or Amazon. One amp per room will be sufficient and each will come with a remote to control the volume.



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[mediabroom]

Installing volume control costs about $100 including labor.

So if the application is background music, look for a $50 stereo amplifier on eBay or Amazon. One amp per room will be sufficient and each will come with a remote to control the volume.



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One amp per room and how many pairs of speakers can I connect to? Since it comes with remote, does it mean I don't need volume control knob? I have to pay around 250 for prewiring for volume control knobs for 4 rooms.
Can you suggest some brands/models or links from amazon. Thanks.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Please be aware that unless you plan to move out in a week, you should get decent components that will last the lifetime of your home.

If you plan to use ONE source and have it shared across multiple rooms, you may get impedance matching volume controls and use them everywhere, then use a single amp, or a couple of amps to drive everything. That's the least expensive route.

Another option is to run separate channels of amplification for each room. Most amplifiers can handle a 4-ohm load, so that means two speakers per channel of amplification, and rooms will be stereo, so two channels of amplification per room.

You can pick up 12-channel amplifiers (6 rooms) for about $300 on eBay used with great quality.
ie: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sonance-SONAMP-1250-12-Channel-Rack-Amp-50Wx12-Good-condition-PreOwned/133411014917?epid=66797633&hash=item1f0fea8905:g:VNwAAOSw2PVevb-h

You can pick up 16 channel amplifiers (8 rooms) as well. Look around, get a good deal, make use of it.

These allow for individual audio selection for each room and power that is individually fed to each room. This should make for a longer lasting and more stable audio system.

Now, you say $250 for prewiring 4 rooms. Decent audio cable is 60 cents a foot, and it may be 50' per run, so $30 in cable, times 4 rooms, that's $120 in materials. So, $130 or so for the labor of running those rooms is SUPER cheap. Typically it would be at least $100 more to do that work.

I don't know what to say here. You will need speakers in all these rooms. $60 a pair minimum, plus installation costs. I would spend a bit more to get better speakers. Installation costs stay the same. You do need a way to control volume in each room, and I'm unaware of many units which offer remote volume control on the cheap. Volume controls are a much better option for single source volume control on the cheap.
A single source like an Amazon Echo. Hook it up to...
A single amplifier: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=18514
A audio splitter like this: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38161
A bunch of cheap volume controls with impedance matching: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38170

So, for a few hundred bucks you get audio with in-room volume control from a single source.

If you have 6 rooms (zones) of audio total, and you want multiple sources, and the ability to change things from within the room, then you have to spend the money to get a multi-source, multi-zone system.

Monoprice 6-Zone Home Audio Multizone Controller and Amplifier Kit, NO LOGO - Monoprice.com

Distribute and control music and other audio material to up to six stereo speaker zones using this 6‑Zone Home Audio Multizone Controller and Amplifier.This multizone controller is a 6x6 matrix

www.monoprice.com

or

MCA-66 Set (No Keypads)

Whole-house audio systems you can install yourself and control with keypads and smart devices. All HTD systems include a 30-day guarantee, 2-year warranty.

www.htd.com

I'm not sure how spending $1,100 or so on whole house audio is too much when you want that level of control. That's what it costs. Simple as that.

 

[shkumar4963]

One amp per room and how many pairs of speakers can I connect to? Since it comes with remote, does it mean I don't need volume control knob? I have to pay around 250 for prewiring for volume control knobs for 4 rooms.
Can you suggest some brands/models or links from amazon. Thanks.

Look at eBay or Amazon. They are called Tripath amplifiers. Depending on amplifier rating and volume requirements, multiple speakers can be tied to one amplifier. One example is below. Keep all of them at an accessible place so that they can be replaced on upgraded later.

Amazon.com: Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Mini Amplifier - 100W Dual Channel Sound Power Audio Receiver USB, AUX for Home Speakers with Remote Control - Power Adapter Not Included: Home Audio & Theater

Amazon.com: Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Mini Amplifier - 100W Dual Channel Sound Power Audio Receiver USB, AUX for Home Speakers with Remote Control - Power Adapter Not Included: Home Audio & Theater

www.amazon.com

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