Thinking About a Multi-Room Speaker System? Here's What to Know

If you love music, you likely never want to be far from it. You listen in your car, enjoy it when you exercise, and want it wherever you are in your home. Of course, there are many ways you can listen at home. Headphones are always an option, but they are limiting in several ways. A smart speaker can dial up a vast array of streaming music. You can have a high-fidelity two-channel system in a bedroom or listening room. Or you can listen to music on your home theater setup. 

What if you want the music to just flow with you wherever you are in your Duluth, GA house? Even outside? That's where a multi-room speaker system comes into play. And there are many options to consider for a whole-home – or partial-home – audio system. Read on to learn about three ways you can enjoy your love for music throughout the house. 

SEE ALSO: Three Reasons to Invest in a Multi-Room Speaker System

The Home Theater Base

For many people, the best audio system in the house resides in a family or living room home theater. You might ask, why not leverage that for sound in other rooms? If your idea of whole-house audio only needs to be in a small handful of spaces, that may be a good option. Most of today’s home theater receivers include a second and sometimes third zone of audio capability. Typically, this is done by using the unused amplifiers from the receiver.

For example, a typical 7-channel receiver could be playing TV and using the front left, center, and right channels while also outputting audio to two other zones through the remaining two amplifiers when not used for surround. If all you need is audio in your kitchen and perhaps your outdoor patio, this straightforward setup might work. You will need a simplified control system to choose content, control volume, and other settings. This might be through the receiver's app, a universal remote-control system, or the AV control capability of a home automation solution.

The Sonos Solution

Sonos is a popular solution for small multi-room audio systems. While most people know them for their wireless speakers, they have other options that marry the simplicity of their app-based approach to other audio choices. If you want your speakers to be heard and not seen, you can use either the Sonos Port or Amp as a base for multiroom audio with any speakers you prefer discreetly installed in walls and ceilings. The Port can bring Sonos into any amplifier, which could be just the answer for an older home already wired for architectural speakers. The Sonos Amp is a highly configurable solution that includes amplifiers that can be paired with most architectural speakers. With both, you can use the Sonos app on your smartphone or tablet to call up a wide array of music or audio and direct it to wherever you have speakers. 

The Whole-Home Solution 

If you want a multi-room system that extends to more than just a few rooms, you may want to step up to a whole-home solution like Control4. A Control4 solution tends to be more cost-effective when you get beyond 4 to 5 zones of audio. Control4 offers similar ease of use as Sonos, with built-in capabilities for popular music services like Spotify. Like the other approaches, you can also listen to non-streaming sources like your vinyl or CD collection, and you can route TV audio throughout the system as well. Beyond audio, Control4 gives you a powerful smart home automation system that can control climate, lights, security, and more. 

Need help navigating all the options available in multi-room speaker systems? GHT Group is your one-stop-shop for the best equipment, system design, and installation. Contact us here or start a chat below to quickly connect with one of our multi-room audio experts. We look forward to working with you.