Audio/Video planning for a new duplex appartment

[vitaminp]

Hi Guys,

I am building a new house, and have a duplex appartment for myself. I need advice for audio/video planning. 1 thing I am keen on is having speakers in all rooms, tv in a few bedrooms. Cost wise I would like to keep things to a minimum, but if required we can go higher.
I definitely want to be able to play music of the ipad/iphone and laptops wirelessly hence wifi connectivity of entire system is necessary.
The most important decision to make is if I should get a common multi room amp and all speakers connected to it. I dont like this since individual control is lost and longer wires definitely mean more errors/problems and downtimes.
Second option is individual amps connected via lan cables and onto a switch/ router. Have no idea how this would work but I have a feeling this would be better solution.
The layout of the duplex and requirements are as follows:-
Ground Floor:-
1. Drawing Room: thinking of a 5.1 speaker system, no tv planned as yet but maybe in future I might put it. 17x30 feet. need small speakers which blend in.
Dinning Area is a separate room attached to the drawing so I was thinking maybe get a 2 zone amp and use that to control both areas.Thinking of just 2 wall mount speakers here.(20x10ft approx)
Would like to keep both the areas combined in a range of 1Lac.
2. Infant Child Room:- No thought as to what to put, open to advice if to put or just get cabling done and keep it future ready.Room size- 12x15ft.
3. My bedroom:- Would put a smart tv(probably 50-55"), what audio system to go with. room size 17x14". thinking of a 5.1 setup again. Need small wall mount speakers since tight on space.Range 50-70k. Wife wants bose but I am not keen on lifestyle 520 kinda budget.

First Floor:-
1. My dads room who is very fond of music, has a pair of b&w bookshelfs which we will definitely use here with a new amp if needed. size 20x17ft.Range for amp 30-40k.
2. A tv room(65"tv to get) which will double as a guest room if needed. 5.1 for sure. 14x17".Range for 5.1 including amp 30-50k.
3. Another room where I put my old 32" samsung and active edifier studio monitors attached to wifi device/ receiver to bring it on to the network.(17x14ft). range 5k for wifi device.
4. A lobby area in the middle where I plan to put another 5.1. Reasonable one like onkyo. size 10x20ft. range 35k.
I know onkyo currently is not wifi enabled but I am hoping by the time I complete my house (8-12months away) they will be.
Currently conduting work is going on so want to get the speaker cables also put in now and hence need to figure which type of system and interconnectivity.

A great big thanks in advance.

 

[shuv]

Movie soundtracks are encoded in 5.1 format. So, without a TV, a 5.1 setup is pointless. Unless you are thinking of SACDs..

 

[Naturelover]

Consider if you really need four surround sound systems.
I would go with two good systems (or even one) rather than four lesser ones.

 

[vitaminp]

Movie soundtracks are encoded in 5.1 format. So, without a TV, a 5.1 setup is pointless. Unless you are thinking of SACDs..

Makes sense but I want to be future proof, so thought 5.1 is a better idea. Also prefer the idea of speakers merging into the corners rather than bigger fs or bookshelfs.

@ naturelover thought of this option aswell but just felt not having control of the system from the room itself is a deal breaker.. you dont think so?

 

[viper08]

If you really keen about filling all your house with sound, consider bathroom speakers as well. This is most private and relaxing room afterall. You can really enjoy some nice Jazz / instrumental stuff there. Makes your mood and also doesn't require dedicated time for listening only. Multitasking.

 

[viper08]

First sit and consider if you really going to use all these places. May be some room you will hardly use setup in future. Instead use that money in upgrading setups for rooms where you will definitely use.

 

[vitaminp]

Keeping all your very valid and important points in mind, makes me realize:-

1.)I should go for atleast 1 wifi speakers like b&w a5 which is reasonable and plug and play anywhere in the house (aka bathroom/ terrace) and still connected to the network.

2.)@viper:- I do plan on using all the areas, like the drawing will be used when guests are over, dining will be used regularly by all. My dad will use his room, tv room will be used by my parents/ kids in future. only left is spare room where I am putting my existing equipment and Lobby where I can just go for ceiling speakers connected to one central amp in the drawing room.

So now I need advice whether its worth going for automation like crystron (additional expense of min 2Lac) to integrate it or better to go for individual amps with wifi connectivity.
Also which amp for the drawing room, to run 3 zones:-
a) drawing with 2.1 or 5.1
b) dining with 2 speakers(bookshelf or ceiling)
c) lobby with 2 speakers (bookshelf or ceiling)
Rest of the rooms shall pick up as and when needed.
Thanks again guys

 

[devilwearsprada]

Keeping all your very valid and important points in mind, makes me realize:-

1.)I should go for atleast 1 wifi speakers like b&w a5 which is reasonable and plug and play anywhere in the house (aka bathroom/ terrace) and still connected to the network.

2.)@viper:- I do plan on using all the areas, like the drawing will be used when guests are over, dining will be used regularly by all. My dad will use his room, tv room will be used by my parents/ kids in future. only left is spare room where I am putting my existing equipment and Lobby where I can just go for ceiling speakers connected to one central amp in the drawing room.

So now I need advice whether its worth going for automation like crystron (additional expense of min 2Lac) to integrate it or better to go for individual amps with wifi connectivity.
Also which amp for the drawing room, to run 3 zones:-
a) drawing with 2.1 or 5.1
b) dining with 2 speakers(bookshelf or ceiling)
c) lobby with 2 speakers (bookshelf or ceiling)
Rest of the rooms shall pick up as and when needed.
Thanks again guys

Hi, I regularly develop automation devices and systems for friends and hobbyists and can pretty much tell you that in your case Automation is not a needed feature.

What you are looking for is seamless wireless connectivity which can be had with a networking enabled AVR or a wireless HDD system like the Seagate+.

Another suggestion is to audition the systems to match with your speakers. You can take your own systems and audition them and see what matches. In this case two sound studios are tried and tested personally:

1. Sound By Design, Gurgaon.
2. Bass N Treble, Ghitorni.

What you do need is seamless connectivity and connected systems and not automation.
Automation would mean controlling every single device through a non contact point based system or a one touch contact.

You can get a Logitech Ultimate Control and it shall serve 95% of your automation demands.

Also, since you are in the conduit stage of wiring, please get a good speaker wiring done. Most systems you are using are long range hence wiring should be well done and not be compromised on.

 

[GeorgeO]

I agree with the last post. I have audio systems currently installed in three rooms in my house, and will be shifting a new build to have music in a fourth. Wifi streaming makes it all easier. HT is in my basement, which has wifi but also Ethernet with a separate dedicated network. Good to do a careful layout and conceal wiring if possible, though you may want to make changes later!

 

[regeHA]

Actually you don't need automation and neither do your amps need WiFi connectivity.

The only point of contact where you need WiFi capability is at the DAC stage - till then everything can be streamed via WiFi from a central server/NAS. I'm doing exactly that and I stream to 6 different locations (my own) and then any number of devices like smartphones, tablets, etc. can be accessing the media too (family, guests, etc.).

Everything runs on the back of a dual (2.4 & 5 GHz) wireless network, and zero ethernet (except to one PC near the router and NAS).

Lastly don't buy any equipment for the sake of WiFi... not speakers and not even amps. Just throw in Chromecast Audio/Video or Raspberry Pi 3 and every device will have WiFi.

Of my 6 locations, 2 are the worst because they are actual wireless speakers like Sonos and Sony wireless speakers. They are also the least used rooms for any music listening. The rest of my setup has carefully matched speakers and amps and all of them are a part of the wireless network with simple devices like CCA, CCV, Raspberry Pi, Roku, etc. All of them cost a fraction of serious audiophile grade wireless speakers like the Naim Mu-So and sound a millions times better than any Sonos or Bluetooth speakers.

 

[blackscorpio]

At this stage of construction, I would rather get the whole house wired for ethernet first and later after completion I would pickup wireless where ever ethernet is not routed. Its rather moot to plan for wireless in this stage, when you have all the ability to run the cables.

Another moot point to be discussed here, what system or what speakers. Rather, discuss wiring and what type of wiring. Once you have laid out the wiring you can have any setup you need after you all settled.

I would run wiring to all rooms in the house(inlcuding kitchen, bathroom, sit out, balcony) places, if I don't use it later, it's not a loss. But if you don't run the cabling now, later you might have to run the cable through a casing on the walls, which is kinda of undesired.

I am not sure if the component selection has anything to do with the wiring selection. Just run AWG12 wire all over and you are set for future.

My .02 paisa.

 

[vitaminp]

Very fair and valid points made.
I am already running cat6 cable to each and every room and a separate point next to every tv(incase I choose smart tvs). So all systems will have a physical lan connection. Wifi i only want to keep incase of layout changes and faults in cable. So that is pre-planned and sorted.
Now second point is speaker cables, Since I will not be going for high end systems i feel wires in the range of 90-120 are the right bet. But there are a ton of brands and even greater number of fakes. so which brand and right place to buy in delhi from?

Also advice if any company is adviced to work with regarding the lan/wifi network planning and supply installation of network devices.

Once this is sorted will move to the speakers and systems,

 

[blackscorpio]

Finolex 4sqmm (Killing a small snake with a BIG stick) cable for speakers...

 

[vitaminp]

Finolex 4sqmm (Killing a small snake with a BIG stick) cable for speakers...

Are you sure of finolex as speaker cables, is it good enough? people are suggesting me to go for cables like monster, and other similar brands (i forgot the brand name but it was from thailand i think).

 

[blackscorpio]

Are you sure of finolex as speaker cables, is it good enough? people are suggesting me to go for cables like monster, and other similar brands (i forgot the brand name but it was from thailand i think).

I haven't tried for myself with finolex, but I read about it all over the forum. And everyone claims they are decent for speaker cable.. no snake oil. If I remember right some one said they are comparable to monoprice speaker cable, which are considered very DECENT cables.

Other brand that comes to my mind, that doesn't smell like SNAKE oil is BLUE JEANS. Not sure if you could get, monoprice or BJ cables here in India.

There are other mentions of few speaker cable brands available in India which are decent, but I have no experience with any of those. I suggest reading other threads related to speaker cable before you decide.

PS: Looks like there are lot of fakes of finolex, so procure from a reliable finolex distributor.

 

[sud98]

Monoprice is available on Amazon india. I bought bluejeans cable from the US and they are VFM.

I bought 10AWG which is seriously thick, for most uses 12 and even 14 AWG are good enough. Lower the number thicker the diameter.

The thumb rule is buy a well constructed oxygen free copper cable to start with. Once you have all the systems, keep fiddling with different parts of the chain (Starting with room, source, speakers, players, processors, DACs) to get the best out of your budget.

 

[devilwearsprada]

Very fair and valid points made.
I am already running cat6 cable to each and every room and a separate point next to every tv(incase I choose smart tvs). So all systems will have a physical lan connection. Wifi i only want to keep incase of layout changes and faults in cable. So that is pre-planned and sorted.
Now second point is speaker cables, Since I will not be going for high end systems i feel wires in the range of 90-120 are the right bet. But there are a ton of brands and even greater number of fakes. so which brand and right place to buy in delhi from?

Also advice if any company is adviced to work with regarding the lan/wifi network planning and supply installation of network devices.

Once this is sorted will move to the speakers and systems,

Hi, I have already provided you two good contact points for speaker cables. You can use both.

 

[nvpatkar]

get a Nice NAS for storing digital data!