Does the CasaTunes you have prominently on your website have an option cheaper than Sonos? On a new home I wouldn't do anything less than a Sonos Connect Amp per zone at minimum.

I'm going to do my best to create a new verb a say you're going to get Trumped here in a minute. (Trumped meaning being told the brutal truth that many people think but may not want to say out loud) You and this Builder both need to work on your branding and business plans.

Thanks Brad, The Legrand looks like a great choice to me too, plus I have plenty of room in the panel for it. I can't seem to find it through distribution though.

I think we are about to move away from CasaTunes. Seems like every time I spec one and call to order the price has increased from the price sheet I have.

Another option is the Niles MRC-6430. App and/or wired keypad control.

You say four zones but don't say if that needs to be independent zones. If not, a single Sonos Connect and a 8 channel amp with some VC's is as basic as it gets. Not going to win any install awards but the job was doomed from the get-go.

You had to sell him on structured wiring in 2015?

I know...Remember, I'm in Tennessee

And he's a general contractor, so of course he doesn't know the stuff we've been using for years. It cost more than 99 cents so he ignored it.

Could be worse. You could be further north east in the state where they don't even have building inspectors.

He is correct. Many years ago when I saw a breakdown by state, of the percent of homes getting structured wiring - Kentucky & Tennessee were by far the worst in the nation (and I do mean really behind). It was something like single digit percentages. I think that was almost 10 years ago but I'm sure they are still behind the rest of the nation.


Just looked at pricing on the Legrand/OnQ system. It's only $400 less (MSRP) than doing (4) SONOS CONNECT:AMPs or (4) Denon HEOS AMPs. You do make a little more profit on the Legrand/OnQ system but not much more. That's a disappointment - I would stick with the SONOS or HEOS for that much.
The Niles MRC6430 is the same dealer cost as the Legrand/OnQ system. But offers more features & expandability. It also has the same MSRP as SONOS or HEOS on 4 zones however - which would mean more profit but up against the powerhouses in this market now.
PIA to look up my pricing on Casatunes but I think it is in this ballpark as well (depending on what amps you use).

As Chris said, the most economical way to do this (if independent control per zone isn't required) is to put in a single SONOS or HEOS, with amp and impedance matching volume controls. Probably get by with $850 MSRP on that setup (assuming $50 MSRP volume controls).
If you wanted to be real cheap, the SONOS amp or HEOS amp direct to the impedance matching VCs. $700 MSRP on the equipment.
Or the cheapest you can go for multiroom with app = Yamaha R-N301 with (4) impedance matching VCs. MSRP $500 for that equipment. But you don't have any margin worth mentioning with that.

Ha ha ha. I moved a guy's audio system from his old house to his new place today (side job kind of).... I was playing FM through the house when he came home... He said: "WOW! That sounds pretty good----is that off your phone???? I said, no, that is just FM off your tuner. He said...WHAAAT I never knew I had a tuner! "(I'm not joking----it was orgionally sold and installed by Magnolia! pretty nice tip when all was done.

Was a great day / gig. He gave me a tip for the holidays! Super nice guy!

I think I'm going to have sausage, egg, and cheese on a bagel for breakfast

You could pick up a dumb amp to cover your zone needs and then string a few Chromecast off the back. Now that they support multi-room and hi-res, @ $35.00 each its hard to beat...Basically for less than the cost of one Sonos you can have 8 stereo zones all controlled via your smartphone. (Works on Android and iOS)

[Link: techtimes.com]

Just a thought.

[edit]: I just looked at the app.
Not really the same functionality. It's just WiFi streaming similar to Airplay.
Since the source is tied to the phone or tablet, makes having multi-users an issue.
But... it does dumb it down to the next level of price & functionality for an app based audio system.

@Brad Humphrey

It is WiFi streaming however its not from your phone. The source is not tied to your phone, the phone is just the controller. The Chromecast does all the streaming so it doesn't eat up your phone battery. You can stream from your local content on the phone to the Chromecast but all other streaming apps such as Spotify are handled directly from the Chromecast. Any app that supports Chromecast is handled by the Chromecast.

Somehow that sound too civilized for a breakfast for you. I'd imagine a side of feral-hog and a jar of moonshine.