Hello,
I hope this is the right forum for this. I am building a new home with a room dedicated for multimedia, and currently working with a audio and network guy. I'm planning to have speakers in various locations throughout the house for audio (bedrooms,halls, pool, etc. There will also be a computer network . 99% of the music we listen to is MP3, and I would like to make this the primary medium. Each bedroom will have its own computer on the network.

I thought a cool way to do this would be to setup a computer in the media room cabinet that is on the network, and acts primarily as an mp3 server. So each bedroom would map the drive, and used it as a source. However, the signal out would need to be amplified before it got to the speakers. I was planning on having a multizone amp in the multimedia room for distribution to the speakers in each room, but this would mean the signal would need to go to the amp as a line level signal, right?

Basically, I was trying to avoid setting up a keypad with IR remote in each room, since there's already a computer there. I'd also like to use the computer as a TV in each room as well, so the audio for this would need to be routed to the speakers as well.

Are there any solutions to this, any thoughts?

thanks
Roger

I don't see what the problem is. Just run the line level signal from the media computer/server to the multizone amp. You can do this with a TV tuner card as well. If you want TV feeds in each room you'll have to run cable to each pc.

If it is done this way, could you listen to different selections in different rooms?

yes,

although if you're going to have, say 10 computers on the network, then you have to have a server with some serious juevos....you'll need a high speed processor, LOTS of ram, huge hard drive, etc...as it take a tremendous amount of ooomph to serve ten mp3's to ten rooms at once...then you'll also need to homerun your speaker feeds to a central location, then through a wall plate location in each room, then to a V/C location, then onto your speakers...you would do this because you'll need some sort of amplifier in each room (perhaps a TVA-20 with a feed from the sound card). Also, you'll want to home run your speaker wire to keep the system useable when you move, as not everyone would want to go to such expense (computers at +- 1500.00 each) for music servers, when central servers are so cheap in comparison.

If you wish to do it the way you propose, you'll need to run line level, shielded audio cable back from each room to you're central amp...or do the above and put a small amp in each room.

Whatever you do, be sure to pull at cat5e to each volume control location for future upgrades.

avdude

Yes, this is kind of what I was thinking...each bedroom will have a computer in it...for each of my kids and me...5 total. Their primary function will not be as music servers, but I thought it ould be a good idea to integrate them into the audio if possible ( and also use them as a tv). since all this is going to be there anyway, i was trying to figure a way to make it work without a proprietary central server, keypads, etc.

One other possible solution came to mind, the use of an audio card that has multichannel output like this one [Link: m-audio.com] However, I know very little about these, and am not sure if would work in my system.

yes, we're pulling lots of cat5, actually bundled cable to two walls in each room, and the speaker wire will be home run to the media room....

cowboy...

run your 16/4 speaker wire (or 14/4) THROUGH the most likely TV/Computer location BEFORE you go to a Volume Control/Keypad location!

Even though you may not be planning to use VC/Keypads...you should have them in the walls for practical re-sale values...

The reason to run through a TV/Computer location firt is to give you a splice point OR a point to put a local amplifier inline to your speakers

avdude

Ok, so let me get this straight...media room(central location), to computer location...to possible keypad location...to speaker ...right?

with the 4 conductor speaker wire, yes....otherwise, every other wire can be task specific...

Coax and Cat-5 from Structured Panel/Network Headend to wall jacks

4 conductor spkr wire from central location...to one or both wall jacks, then onto vc/kpd location, then on to speakers with either two 2 condctor wire, or a 4 conducter to first speaker then a 2 conductor jump from first spkr to second...

ANOTHER cat five from central location (same as speaker wire) DIRECTLY to the vc/kpd locations

at least one, prefereably two SHIELDED 22/4 line level cables from EACH wall jack to central location...

There's your pre-wire in a nutshell...now all you need is the time to pull it all!

avdude

thanks avdude

Theres a potential flaw in this design.......

Maybe its just too early for me on a Sunday, but it appears that you are only looping 16/4 through the Computer location. This will limit upur local amp useage to a Niles TV20 or Sonance ASAP type local source amp... Which isnt bad.... but needs to be noted.... I'm assuming here that there will be other whole house audio sources (Radio, Sat receiver etc etc) that will need to be able to go to the local tooms as well.

With this type of configuration, I would look into a AMX or Crestron Control processor for the system. They both have options in the $1500-$2000 range that can serve up control pages to your computers on the network. Even cheap keypads can run $300-$500 each... For 5 rooms, the AMX processor can pay for itsself and then you have FULL web browser based control in each of those rooms with feedback even... (Something a $500 keypad doesnt even provide)

One other thing......

On your head end........ Is the system designed to be once source going to all of your rooms or is it multi-source? Can billy listen to the whole house radio while Jane listens to the whole house Sat receiver.....

There are holes here that should be addressed....

Unless I'm missing something, the system described above by avdude is still a one source system. You cannot have multiple mp3 audio streams from a single PC audio out, so far as I know.

Forget about the speaker and audio wire. You also don't need a multizone amplifier.

option 1 - Just pull the music from the server to the PCs in the house over the home ethernet network, and play over the PC speakers, it's mp3 in a kid's bedroom right - not high fidelity!

option 2 - Or if you want to invest a little more ($150 to $250 per room) and connect to a local system, like a stereo or TV, get a Linksys Media Adapter, Turtle Beach AudioTron or GoVideo Networked DVD for each room. These devices allow you to stream audio (and pictures and video) from the main music server to the local TV or stereo system over the home ethernet network.

Both option 1 and 2 will give you the ability to play different music from the server in each room at the same time.

yeah...homenet...you missed something!

the CENTRAL server would sleep in the rack...hooked to the ETHERNET...for dist as ETHERNET to every computer, then each computer will either feed BACK to the rack with AUDIO LINE LEVEL...to a zone on the multy zone amp OR feed into a local amp in each room...

cowboy...your ideas and apparent understanding of what I suggested are right! and you DO need the wire...

and let's clarify that I did NOT suggest this system, nor would I recommend it...I only answered the question that was asked...read the original post again!

avdude

avdude,

I guess it's possible to feed back from the PCs to the multizone amp, but why?

Just curious, what system would you recommend?

I think cowboy has an application that applies to many people. I suggested what I would recommend.

homenet

You may want to check Onkyo and Integra websites for their Net-Tune products. I haven't used them but theylook to be what you need. If any of you guys have experiance with them I could use the feedback.

the net tunes work well...pretty basic interface, but effective...

the mini system is about $400.00 per unit, with speakers, and like $329.00 without...and they would have enough power to act as the local amplifier too...

good call shoe!

avdude