Building TS juke box with multi-room audio
Discussion
Looking for some pointers here and not too sure where to start:
I'm planning on putting a touch screen (17/19" recessed into wall) in my kitchen/lounge, connected to a PC tower with all my music on. Touch screen I can get for cheap so don't need to worry about that, PC I need to spec and buy/build. Ideally I want to have a multi-room setup so that I can choose to have music on in the lounge/kitchen, dining room or bathroom or all 3. If this can be done in such a way that I can have different music on in both lounge and bathroom for example then this would be an added bonus but certainly not essential.
All kit (screen, PC, speakers) will be downstairs, lounge/kitchen and bathroom are modern, dining room is more traditional. What I need to find out is:
First of all is this possible or am I dreaming? Figure it's possible, just needs time/money
Do I need to add an amp with switchable outputs on it to control the different rooms with independant volume control or can this be done from the PC?
What spec PC?
What spec amp if required?
Kitchen/lounge is open plan with wooden floors, very difficult to run speaker wire without it looking messy. There is a suspended ceiling with recessed spots so guess I can use this for cabling and even ceiling mounted speakers.
From PC to bathroom is probably 10m, maybe 15m cable run. Again almost impossible to run a cable to at the moment, floor will be ripped up and replaced at some point but not for a while. Any suggestions here?
For the sake of setting a budget, let's say £1k. Now I know there are various multi-room products out there but I am not aware of one that does what I want, touch screen PC that I can use as a jukebox or with wireless keyboard as a normal PC etc.
Anyone got any pointers to get me started? Hope this makes sense...
Cheers
I'm planning on putting a touch screen (17/19" recessed into wall) in my kitchen/lounge, connected to a PC tower with all my music on. Touch screen I can get for cheap so don't need to worry about that, PC I need to spec and buy/build. Ideally I want to have a multi-room setup so that I can choose to have music on in the lounge/kitchen, dining room or bathroom or all 3. If this can be done in such a way that I can have different music on in both lounge and bathroom for example then this would be an added bonus but certainly not essential.
All kit (screen, PC, speakers) will be downstairs, lounge/kitchen and bathroom are modern, dining room is more traditional. What I need to find out is:
First of all is this possible or am I dreaming? Figure it's possible, just needs time/money
Do I need to add an amp with switchable outputs on it to control the different rooms with independant volume control or can this be done from the PC?
What spec PC?
What spec amp if required?
Kitchen/lounge is open plan with wooden floors, very difficult to run speaker wire without it looking messy. There is a suspended ceiling with recessed spots so guess I can use this for cabling and even ceiling mounted speakers.
From PC to bathroom is probably 10m, maybe 15m cable run. Again almost impossible to run a cable to at the moment, floor will be ripped up and replaced at some point but not for a while. Any suggestions here?
For the sake of setting a budget, let's say £1k. Now I know there are various multi-room products out there but I am not aware of one that does what I want, touch screen PC that I can use as a jukebox or with wireless keyboard as a normal PC etc.
Anyone got any pointers to get me started? Hope this makes sense...
Cheers
Whilst what you wish to do is possible, solutions involving computers generally end up a bit Heath Robinson.
A few things to consider:
If you're in the bath listening to music and a track you don't like comes on, how do you skip it?
If you're going to have a different track in each room, you'll need multiple soundcards and multiple instances of a player/daemon how will you control each instance in each room?
Will each room be able to control volume locally without finding a control unit/panel or do you want a simple wall control?
Do you wish to have the ability to play the same track in all locations, if so will each instance be synchronised?
However you cut it up you've got to consider a number of things and whilst this will make an interesting project if you're keen to tinker, what will end up being pretty much perpetually, then do it but if you just want something that works there are probably better options.
A few things to consider:
If you're in the bath listening to music and a track you don't like comes on, how do you skip it?
If you're going to have a different track in each room, you'll need multiple soundcards and multiple instances of a player/daemon how will you control each instance in each room?
Will each room be able to control volume locally without finding a control unit/panel or do you want a simple wall control?
Do you wish to have the ability to play the same track in all locations, if so will each instance be synchronised?
However you cut it up you've got to consider a number of things and whilst this will make an interesting project if you're keen to tinker, what will end up being pretty much perpetually, then do it but if you just want something that works there are probably better options.
For the money.
A NAS
3 x SQB Duet Players
3 x Duet Controllers
1 x 4 channel power amplifier
3 x pairs ceiling speakers
Disruption inevitable, wireless speakers still need power and theres invariably not a power point where you want the speakers.
That gets you audio everywhere, a little over budget.
Alternatively you can control the squeezeboxes via a touchscreen as well as or instead of the controllers.
A NAS
3 x SQB Duet Players
3 x Duet Controllers
1 x 4 channel power amplifier
3 x pairs ceiling speakers
Disruption inevitable, wireless speakers still need power and theres invariably not a power point where you want the speakers.
That gets you audio everywhere, a little over budget.
Alternatively you can control the squeezeboxes via a touchscreen as well as or instead of the controllers.
Not at your money, but does everything you want (and the interface is blindingly fast)
http://www.meridian-audio.com/product-by-type/sool...
So in the real world, go with Plotloss's suggestion!
davidy
http://www.meridian-audio.com/product-by-type/sool...
So in the real world, go with Plotloss's suggestion!
davidy
Plotloss said:
For the money.
A NAS
3 x SQB Duet Players
3 x Duet Controllers
1 x 4 channel power amplifier
3 x pairs ceiling speakers
Disruption inevitable, wireless speakers still need power and theres invariably not a power point where you want the speakers.
That gets you audio everywhere, a little over budget.
Alternatively you can control the squeezeboxes via a touchscreen as well as or instead of the controllers.
Some good advice there, thanks.A NAS
3 x SQB Duet Players
3 x Duet Controllers
1 x 4 channel power amplifier
3 x pairs ceiling speakers
Disruption inevitable, wireless speakers still need power and theres invariably not a power point where you want the speakers.
That gets you audio everywhere, a little over budget.
Alternatively you can control the squeezeboxes via a touchscreen as well as or instead of the controllers.
Let's say I go down the squeezebox route then, could you recommend me an amp and ceiling speakers please?
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