Home Audio System

[Gben 20]

Any reconsiderations for an audio system in the home? I don't know what's possible but I started thinking about what I wanted:-

• initially it was going to be a replacement system in the main tv room which would hook up with the blu-ray player, hd tv tuner, and various consoles
• then I started thinking about the various portable audio devices in the house (phones, laptops, mp3 players etc) so a wireless interactivity would be cool
• then I started thinking about the new digital audio radio broadcasts (DAB) protocols that would allow me to listen to various sport simulcasts while watch the same video or different video (ie football with a radio commentary instead of tv commentary)
• then I started thinking about moving/adding sound to other rooms and be able to turn individual rooms on or off from a central system (so I could listen to radio in bedroom)

So from my first day of internet research and a short visit to a major retailer - I understand that I could spend around AUD$500-$1000 for a component home theatre system that is blu-tooth or wifi compatible with wireless rear tower speakers - and probably I will go that route. But is there a way to add additional speakers to the main central system?

 

I also understand that I could buy a fancy ipod dock or some other sort of individual wireless speaker that I could just physically carry from room to room - I could spend as little as $50 to get a cheap one and $500 would set me back for a decent brand.

 

I don't really understand the blue-tooth technology, whenever I've used it, it's always been with the word 'paired'. So I'm wondering if I can 'pair' multiple BT portable devices to a single system? The retail guy said yes and no. If I understand apple's airplay has superior fidelity of BT but exclusive to the apple devices which doesn't work in my home. No idea audio quality through a traditional wifi, but when I stream audio from a laptop to PS3 hooked up to my 5 speaker sound system it seemed fine.

 

It sounds like all my portable devices have broadcast qualities, so I just need to make sure my main system can receive and interpret them. I've been caught in the past by expecting a modern system could read mp3's, or cd-r/rw's when it actually couldn't... so anything else I might have missed???

[Guest Rabbit]

For a second I thought this was going to be a spambot post.

 

Anyway, my parents have a few sets of speakers in different rooms (garage, livingroom, bedroom), and they just have a splitter at the source of the sound in the living room that hooks up to the individual speaker sets in the individual rooms. The sound is always "on" but the speakers can be individually turned on in the different rooms. Cheaper for the sound system, but you have to pay for a few sets of speakers, and you still have to change the audio at the source in the living room.

 

My wife's dad has some kind of satellite radio going, with speakers in his bedroom, livingroom, garage, and outdoor workspace, but he also has an individual transmitter (is that the right word?) at each spot so he can listen to something different in each room (which he never actually does).

 

Anyway, it's all cable based, so there's no wireless at either of these locations, but it gives you an idea of how they have stuff set up. As for me, I just play music from the speakers hooked up to my own computer. Nothing fancy, but I don't have a huge house or a constant need for music.

[PurpleGaga27 40]

Some of the best home audio systems have high-definition 3D sound in it, especially if you want to have Dolby HD, DTS HD and THX. However those new systems are expensive to buy today. I was thinking to get one of these one day. I do have a boomer audio system but mostly it's music based (and can also be used with TVs) and I don't use it all the time though. My dad owned it long before we had our first computer in the mid 1990s.

 

Edit: It would be better to hear this sample:

 

 

Sad that neither C&C, COD or Battlefield series has yet to earn THX certified these years. Some games and movies already has these THX effects.

Edited June 10, 2013 by zocom7

[Gben 20]

Thanks Zee, yeah I have seen cabled versions of this in various homes through the ages - but I don't I'll be going that route our house.

It still seems like I will end up getting two systems... cheap portable and decent fixed.

 

Open to more suggestion...

 

And don't forget I can hook you up with cheap ROLEX's direct from the manufacturer any time!!!

[Gben 20]

 

So the SONOS system is what I wanted it turns out but it was way too pricey for me. But wireless and modula, the bigggest downside was that you needed a unit to plug into your wireless router before you could start streaming... play:5 speakers (pictured) were $500-$600 each and a basic 'bridge' to plug into the router was just $100. I was kinda tempted into a soundbar for the tv (which I could use as a wireless hub) but now we're talking $2000 for 2x speakers and the soundbar (without a sub-woofer).

 

 

In the end I went with a SoundLink® Bluetooth® Mobile speaker II which was just straight up Bluetooth not WiFi.

I paid $370 for the model with a leather cover (nylon pictured).

 

I will revisit the home theatre system around Christmas after I figure out which next-gen console I will pick. Then I will try to combine my blu-ray and tv-hdd-recorder (topfield) into a single unit to save space, then look at the sound and TV systems. Of course the next gen console should cover my for disc viewing needs...