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Joined: Dec 2004
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Hi... I'm going to start a project installing a sound system throughout my house. Anyone have any good home systems that they have installed for a customer. I fpossible I would like to get a look at a wiring diagram for a system.I'm not exactly sure if volume controls are in series with the individual rooms or are all the speakers a home run back to the amp.I'm pretty sure they make controls controlled by cat5 now but I'm not sure. Thanks for any input.. ToHo
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Joined: Apr 2002
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Check out Russound Toho. They make some nice looking and fairly priced stuff. I really like the A-Bus stuff. Uses amplified keypads the you can wire with cat5 from the source. Very low wattage but great for bedrooms and such. http://www.russound.com/abus_overview.htm
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Joined: May 2003
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I install one of these two: http://www.nilesaudio.com/ http://www.russound.com/ As for volume control, simple line level controls would be wired in series to the speakers, but have no control over what you are listening to as a source. The digital controls that do this can be wired in different ways, including Cat 5 from the pad to the amp. In general it is star topography. The very basic idea is Cat 5 and speaker wire to the VC location and the speaker wire from there to the speaker locations. Except when dealing with home theater areas that might be remote from the other equipment when you would have to move source audio and video around. Thats where it gets tricky. (IR remote sequences, all kinkds of other things...) I haven't been to any of the forums Electricmanscott offered up, but I'm going to. As these types of thing evolve they you can do more and more with them.
Mark Heller "Well - I oughta....." -Jackie Gleason
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Joined: Jan 2002
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E57 for home theater and home electronics geeks (like me,accoding to the Mrs.) those forums are great. Particularly the AVS forum. There is a great deal of info there and some very knowledegeable people as well. Kind of like another forum I know! I am more lurker than participant but i visit there regularly. for anyone doing research for electronic gear that is the place to be.
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Joined: Aug 2004
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In my home, I installed a very simple, inexpensive system for "whole house stereo". bought everything from a national chain store, with the name brand of "Home Tech". On top of my stereo, I have a 6 zone speaker selector($125). from there to each room I ran 16-4 speaker wire. I put a volume control in each room($50), then 2 conductor from there to the 2 speakers in the room. 16-4 speaker wire is maybe $.18 per foot and does just fine for my needs. the system is simple to use (even for my wife), was inexpensive and dependable. no expensive replacement parts needed here. (plus I didn't have $1500 for a system) this isn't what I would "upsell" to a customer...just an alternative for his own home. [This message has been edited by goodwill (edited 01-05-2005).]
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Joined: May 2003
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Gent's
Don't get me wrong here.... We do do this stuff for money! Whole house audio in my place is if I tune into NPR on the clock radio by the bed, and the living room at the same time...
It's an add-on for alot of remodels 50%sqft or more. After mark-up, (granted you got wholesale pricing) its a hunk of change that would have gone to some hack to do it. The only think to watch out for is persons whom consider themselves "Audiophiles", which means they really want to spend money, and you should mark it up more, and add consulting time to drag them down to the showrooms for time with a "designer" who'll spec all of your locations, wiring and equipment, and let them play with all of the equipment there. (And take all of the responability too, if the customer doens't like the end results.) You can easilly come up with 10% just in mark up (Not including the install itself - which is just pulling wire) after everyone else get thier share of +/-$10K.
One of our main Electrical Supply houses, has a loft above, that has a whole showroom of speakers, plasma TV's, all kinds of high end source equipment the Son of the owner of the supply house runs that end of the biz, when he's not at the counter.
Another guy I used to work with went out on his own as an Electrical Contractor, and was offered all of the installs from one AV shop. Now its all he does, and does well at it.
[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 01-05-2005).]
Mark Heller "Well - I oughta....." -Jackie Gleason
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