HELP needed for a integrated system for a new build?

[lucy]

I know very little about inbuilt systems, but want to get up to speed. Any help or advice (in layman's terms) would be appreciated.

We are working with a developer on a new 3 floor 3300 sqft new build. I want to add an inbuilt system to watch movies and listen to music with my family.

Can anyone advise me on the following:

1) what are the advantages to adding a system on second and third floor as well as ground floor - I assume that if inbuilt in first and second floors then everyone has to watch/listen to same item?

2) any suggestion for a good system and any basic ideas for all in costs?

3) is it best to integrate with cables or fit via wireless?

4) or is it best to fit on ground floor and then possibly add to upstairs rooms via wireless as and when needed?

Sorry questions so basic - am so useless, Lucy x

 

[English210]

Whole-Home systems are capable of anything you want. The difficult part is figuring out what you want, but nowadays the only real limit is the budget.

How much flexibility do you want/need? One system to run movies and music in every room in the house from a central location?

Do you want/need 'theater sound' on the different levels in the house? Or one 'main' theater, with basic tv watching and 'background' music in the other rooms and levels?

My opinion is cables are more reliable than wireless, but are harder to upgrade once the house is built - but there are other's here who certainly know better than I do about that.

You won't be limitted in what you watch or listen to in different areas of the house. There are relatively easy ways to have lots of flexibility in that regard. As I said, the tough part is narrowing down all your choices.

 

[BMXTRIX]

The above post is dead on... Your budget determines everything, and if your budget is high, then what you want determines everything.

My home has about 17 separate zones of audio in it, each one can be independently turned on and off and has access to up to 16 different sources. All of these are completely independent zones of audio. Several of the zones have video as well, and likewise, they are completely independent of the other rooms.

So, my kids can watch a media player in the playroom, my wife can watch cable 1 upstairs in the master bedroom, and I can be in the basement watching the game on cable 2.

Meanwhile, my dad can be sitting out back on the porch listening to music on XM radio.

It's pricey, but works well.

In this case ALL the gear is in a specifically picked place in the basement which has plenty of cooling to it so the gear doesn't overheat.

MOST COMMON MISTAKE: Picking some stupidly small area to run the wiring to. You MUST put gear in to use, and it generates a lot of heat and can make noise. Heat is the #1 killer of electronics, and you don't want to pack stuff in.

Wireless is basically a myth. You need to power speakers, so you need to get wires to all the locations they are going. I would pick a good spot in the basement (under the stairs maybe?) and put the equipment there in a cabinet that can handle all the gear, and make sure the space has plenty of ventilation. Add fans to the space if necessary.

You can go wireless for control if you buy the right gear. Sonos offers some very good wirelessly controlled product. Other manufacturers do as well. But, it requires you to pull out your iPhone, or Android, turn it on, open the application, and use it. Not really as convenient as walking into a room and pressing the button on the wall that says 'XM' right on it.

But, this is still ALL about money, and the most important thing you can do right now is prewire and pick a really good location for equipment that has room to grow and gets plenty of ventilation.

Speak to an A/V professional in your area if you can, and be realistic with your budget. It is easy to spend $20,000 or more on a better level version of this system.