New home - need help

[Ehat10]

So we just moved into a new home that has built in speakers in the living room, kitchen, master bedroom and deck. Each has their own control on the wall and there is only one place to plug into the system in the living room. I do not have a receiver but tried to test this by hooking up a tv to this but get any sound and didn’t seem to have any power. Can anyone help? I’m attaching pictures of the wall controls and the input.

 

[lovinthehd]

I'd try and find what that panel on the left is connected to. Since it just appears to have a line level input I wonder if that connects to an amp (that they may have taken). Always fun when trying to figure out what's left in a whole-home system you have no info on....

 

[Ehat10]

thank you

 

[BMXTRIX]

Pull the volume control/source selector out of the wall. It looks like it may be a Russound piece of gear, but I can't tell. If the old homeowners took the main amplifier/source selector with them, then you may want/need to reach out to them as they should have had it convey with the home. Just like the speakers and wall controllers, the main unit is the heart of the system and renders everything else nearly useless without it. They are often out of production and impossible to get replacements for as well. Making it even dumber, you often can't get new volume controls/controllers for existing main units, so the main unit they may have taken with them is completely useless to them! This is very circular, but the first step is pulling out the pieces from the wall and seeing the exact manufacturer and the model number of those pieces so you can find out what else is needed. It looks very proprietary.

 

[slipperybidness]

Always remember, pre-existing whole-house audio is typically a liability rather than an asset!

 

[2channel lover]

I'd try and find what that panel on the left is connected to. Since it just appears to have a line level input I wonder if that connects to an amp (that they may have taken). Always fun when trying to figure out what's left in a whole-home system you have no info on....

Although I did it for myself, and there no wall volume panels, I labeled every freakin wire...the next guy/gal should have an easy time of it....lol

 

[2channel lover]

Pull the volume control/source selector out of the wall. It looks like it may be a Russound piece of gear, but I can't tell. If the old homeowners took the main amplifier/source selector with them, then you may want/need to reach out to them as they should have had it convey with the home. Just like the speakers and wall controllers, the main unit is the heart of the system and renders everything else nearly useless without it. They are often out of production and impossible to get replacements for as well. Making it even dumber, you often can't get new volume controls/controllers for existing main units, so the main unit they may have taken with them is completely useless to them! This is very circular, but the first step is pulling out the pieces from the wall and seeing the exact manufacturer and the model number of those pieces so you can find out what else is needed. It looks very proprietary.

I still have an active real estate license and do a few transactions every so often.

At least here in GA....Technically, if it's not bolted down or otherwise secured to the home somehow (such as in ceiling speakers, or wall panel volume control)...it's considered personal property and is not included in a real estate transaction unless it's put on a personal property conveyance form.

That said, whenever that day comes for us to sell, the inceiling speakers, and volume control unit will stay along with the wire labeling.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Always remember, pre-existing whole-house audio is typically a liability rather than an asset!

I don't think that's the case if someone says, as they should, that the equipment conveys. A setup like this looks like it can take up to four different sources and that those sources can be selected, with volume control, from any room that has a controller in the home... AS LONG AS THE BASE STATION IS THERE.

Which it isn't, and that completely screws absolutely everything up.

I understand about what 'conveys' and what doesn't, but why would someone take half a system with them, rendering the half they left behind useless, and the part they brought with them useless? Know why? Because people are just stupid.

I left a full on 16x16 audio switching setup at my last home with keypads and amplifiers and an equipment rack with the gear in it. How the heck else would stuff work if that wasn't in place?

 

[slipperybidness]

I don't think that's the case if someone says, as they should, that the equipment conveys. A setup like this looks like it can take up to four different sources and that those sources can be selected, with volume control, from any room that has a controller in the home... AS LONG AS THE BASE STATION IS THERE.

Which it isn't, and that completely screws absolutely everything up.

I understand about what 'conveys' and what doesn't, but why would someone take half a system with them, rendering the half they left behind useless, and the part they brought with them useless? Know why? Because people are just stupid.

I left a full on 16x16 audio switching setup at my last home with keypads and amplifiers and an equipment rack with the gear in it. How the heck else would stuff work if that wasn't in place?

Agreed, but what I'm getting at is that the "average" person will see the pre-installed gear and think "this is great". They assume it will be complete and work properly when they move in, but they don't know much about it and they don't ask questions, and they don't ask for the entire system to convey. Then, they move in only to discover that what they thought was a selling point is really a huge headache.

When I was looking at new houses recently, I really did not even consider pre-installed audio as an asset, I just said, "that may be good, may not".

 

[BMXTRIX]

I did figure out that this appears to be On-Q stuff. Looks like it is a part of this series...

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-TffcgsUp3ek/p_717AU1003W/On-Q-lyriQ-4-source-4-room-Audio-Kit-White.html

Looking at the manual...
https://pdf.crutchfieldonline.com/ImageBank/v20080824111800/Manuals/717/717AU1003W.PDF

If there is a wall-box in the basement, then the On-Q distribution hub could be located in that location. The keypads are 7.5w amplified units which connect directly to the speakers in each room. So, cat-5e from the hub to the keypad, then 16/4 out to the speakers.

The only thing that is really needed is plugging in a source and selecting it from the keypad. There may be a 3-input source hub in the box as well.

We need a lot more information, and if you have a white On-Q box (or similar) in your basement/garage/somewhere then you should open that up and look inside for associated equipment.

 

[2channel lover]

Which it isn't, and that completely screws absolutely everything up.

I understand about what 'conveys' and what doesn't, but why would someone take half a system with them, rendering the half they left behind useless, and the part they brought with them useless? Know why? Because people are just stupid.

I'd like to give them the benefit of doubt and say most are simply ignorant.

I've been involved in 3 or 4 real estate transactions where the home had some built in audio....you are so right, if the buyer understands what they are getting and ask for all components of the built in audio system to stay...the majority of the time the seller will leave it.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I wish the OP was back to let us know what they found out, because by the look of things, this entire system should not have any pieces which exist much outside of a central distribution box in the home, and they may be able to reach out to see if there is a ON-Q piece which the seller took with them that is otherwise useless to them. This system does appear to be pretty much stand alone. There are certainly some parts and pieces which ON-Q still sells.

 

[2channel lover]

Agreed, but what I'm getting at is that the "average" person will see the pre-installed gear and think "this is great". They assume it will be complete and work properly when they move in, but they don't know much about it and they don't ask questions, and they don't ask for the entire system to convey. Then, they move in only to discover that what they thought was a selling point is really a huge headache.

When I was looking at new houses recently, I really did not even consider pre-installed audio as an asset, I just said, "that may be good, may not".

From my experience. It largely depends on the seller and often times the selling price point.

I sold a fairly expensive home a couple of years ago...representing the buyers, whom I've known a long time. The home had a fairly elaborate built in home audio system. The seller not only left everything associated with the system...he gave them the installer contact...for a small fee, the installer came out and demoed the system and gave them some basic instructions on how to use it. Same guy did the alarm system and showed them some basic info on operating it also.

Had they not done that and just gave them the keys at closing...it could've been a huge headache.

 

[Ehat10]

Apologize for being gone, but we finally figured it out today. Thanks to your responses, we were able to locate the on-q box in the basement. We did an initial test and it worked. Now we can proceed with getting everything connected and can put this system to work.

Thank you again for your help. My family and I appreciate it.