Multi room system as the name suggests allows you to play music in your house in more than one room. Adding music to your kitchen, patio, or just adding more rooms could create a nice listening experience. Being able to adjust volume or skip tracks via an app on your phone could also be convenient. If you are using an streaming service for example, playing ad free music can be a bit more relaxing than having a TV on.
All big audio brands have multi room products, like Sony, LG, Samsung, Yamaha, Sonos, Nuvo, Pioneer, etc. Some systems are quite a bit more expensive than others and it’s good to know the differences when considering a system for your house. Sonos is one of the companies that have an extensive range of products for multi room set ups. They have been producing great products that integrate well with each other and extend if needed.
A lot of recent products have multi room capabilities already built in that just needs to be activated with zones assigned. Some setups might be simple with just a couple of zones, and others more complex. Some control systems, like iPad or phone apps can be easier than the others, so this can be a deciding factor when choosing a system.
WIFI
A good WIFI is an important foundation for most set ups. It will determine how well the system works for quality of sound and control. If streaming music from services like Spotify or Pandora is your preferred way, then good WIFI is a must. If you are streaming music from your phone while walking around the house the WIFI needs to be reliable in all those areas. One of the most common features people like to use with multi-room setup is the ability to pick songs on the fly and add them to the cue with their streaming service. Also your preferred connectivity method is important, for example if you have music on USB drives that need to be plugged into the system.
Integration with existing equipment
Some of the simpler set ups can be one product per room, it can even be a portable WIFI speaker that can be moved around. For systems that are built into the house, a more complex professional grade products are required. Some of the challenges with multi room products can be that they work well only with the same brand of products, so integrating them with other brands can be difficult. Sometimes there’s can be a delay problem with sound, that needs to be addressed. One if the solutions for integrating products by different brands can be FireConnect. It also supports multi channel audio and multi room video as well. Some of the new AV receivers have this technology built into them. If your set up just one main product – thats ideal, more neat and easier to manage and service.
The main thing to consider when choosing a multi-room set up is would it meet all your needs. Would your preferred brand or product integrate well with your TV sound, or surround receiver for example.
Prices vary quite a bit, from an inexpensive WIFI speaker that’s easy to set up yourself, to complex high cost integrated speakers systems. Also in most cases using one source of music is what most people require, but having multiple sources is also possible if you require a more involved solution. We’ve got multi room packages available to give you some ideas, staring with the most basic Multi Room Value Package.
We recommend equipment that we consider good quality and value. This is not an advertisement or an affiliate content. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your installation – feel free to contact us.