OMO Recommend me.....wireless sound

[timwilky]

At present I own not any hifi. My music is all download which I play through a bluetooth creative speaker in the lounge. This works well. The speaker is also plugged by 3.5mm into the blueray for any disks, rather than using the carp tv speakers.

The tv also has an android dongle that I use to play downloaded or streamed films and music through the bluetooth speaker.

My issue with this.

No remote. so I have to get off my lazy backside to increase/decrease the speaker volume, beyond what the android device volume controls permit.

I am unsure if I can connect to multiple bluetooth audio devices at the same time from my devices. So if I get a second speaker for the kitchen, can I play to both the lounge and kitchen?

Last issue. No wires.

OMO, what is an affordable solution for a fat lazy half deaf old man. I need good loud sound to multiple speakers/locations. Individual remote control of speakers so the wife can control kitchen or bedroom volume whilst I am chilling in the lounge etc.

Lastly I am a lancastrian. Not a spendaholic from t'other side of t'hill. Value for money is a priority.

[Spank86]

OMO, what is an affordable solution for a fat lazy half deaf old man.
http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/theriver1079.com/files/2013/01/Surround-Sound-Casket.jpg


It's futureproof.

[maviczap]

Thinking about this myself Tim, I looked at the Sonos system in my local Currys & independant shops

Sound is good, no wires and choice of size of speaker

http://www.sonos.com/system?gclid=CJu89JKcrbsCFYYBwwodsm4Adw&gclsrc=aw.ds

Streams all your content to the speaker you choose.

Not too expensive either

[timwilky]

I said, half deaf. Not half dead.......git.

[atassiedevil]

the android dongle, there are remote control programs to remote these if you have an android phone. Works pretty well if both are connected to the network by wifi.
Unfortunately one bluetooth device at a time is all you can usually connect to something.
Considered this? use the 3.5mm out from the tv heaphone socket to your speakers. Use the tvs inputs (there's usually 2 x SCART and a red/white/yellow for video in. You can use these as audio inputs with adaptors. Set your speakers up max, and then you can control all the audio side from the TV.

[a_monkey_hint]

A friend has a sonus system - it is excellent!

[andrewsmith]

Tim is this the type of thing your wanting?
http://www.bose.co.uk/GB/en/home-and-personal-audio/wi-fi-music-systems/soundtouch-stereo-speaker-systems-amplifiers/soundtouch-stereo-jc-wi-fi-music-system/

or a bit more do everything if you want a Hi-Fi also
http://www.bose.co.uk/GB/en/home-and-personal-audio/wave-systems/wave-soundtouch-music-system/

Seeing your a tight sod, you can get most your money back at the other end if you sell

[Bibio]

unless you have a plug socket netx to or very near the so called 'wireless' speaker then its about as good as a chocolate fire poker and you would just as well be better off putting some speaker cable in and be done with it.

http://www.richersounds.com/package/system-savers/home-cinema-separates-bundle-deals/pah011468

then add another £50 for cable, HDMI cables and brackets unless the speakers already come with them.

[Sir Trev]

If your local Richer Sounds branch is as helpful and friendly as mine then it's a good place to go and chat things over. Their packages as Bib has posted are often great value, and who cares if it's last year's model that John Lewis does not stock any more.

[timwilky]

Wires are a total no no. End of. Unless there is something new that feeds speakers over a ring main, it has to be a wireless technology. Solid wood floors so cannot buy them under carpets etc. Newly decorated room so no channeling the plaster to bury the cables etc.

the Bose stuff, does not appear to be what I would describe as truely wireless. Need to look more at the Sonos

[NTECUK]

You should have painted your skirting white.You could have used D-Line Quadrant trunking ;)

[DaveW_42]

As an aside, I've built something that does all the things you ask for using a wireless Raspberry Pi, a USB soundcard, a bluetooth dongle and some wired speakers.
It's written in python and basically interfaces mplayer so it'll do internet radio streams, all the music on my NAS and streams from my phone, etc. etc. It's controlled through a json gui called netio on my android phone.
I've boxed up the pi and peripherals and hidden them inside the speakers. It works fine, but it's an on going project - plan to get multi room working next (it can be done though). It's cheap as I already had most of the bits lying around and it's pretty compact, but it's close to the functionality of a sonos system.
Depends how much time you want to put into it!

[maviczap]

Wires are a total no no. End of. Unless there is something new that feeds speakers over a ring main, it has to be a wireless technology. Solid wood floors so cannot buy them under carpets etc. Newly decorated room so no channeling the plaster to bury the cables etc.

the Bose stuff, does not appear to be what I would describe as truely wireless. Need to look more at the Sonos

I'm sure I read something about streaming music through a homeplug network, but I can't think what the device was.

But from what I've seen Sonos is the quickest and easiest way to go wireless.

[Mark_h]

As an aside, I've built something that does all the things you ask for using a wireless Raspberry Pi, a USB soundcard, a bluetooth dongle and some wired speakers.
It's written in python and basically interfaces mplayer so it'll do internet radio streams, all the music on my NAS and streams from my phone, etc. etc. It's controlled through a json gui called netio on my android phone.
I've boxed up the pi and peripherals and hidden them inside the speakers. It works fine, but it's an on going project - plan to get multi room working next (it can be done though). It's cheap as I already had most of the bits lying around and it's pretty compact, but it's close to the functionality of a sonos system.
Depends how much time you want to put into it!

Would this work as a basic set-up to let me play internet radio without needing my big power-hungry PC whirring away? I've got a micro-hifi sitting on my desk with spare aux inputs so if you've got a low power way of getting internet radio into that I'd be pleased to hear about it. Can do wired or wireless as I've got a router right next to the radio.

[timwilky]

As an aside, I've built something that does all the things you ask for using a wireless Raspberry Pi, a USB soundcard, a bluetooth dongle and some wired speakers.
It's written in python and basically interfaces mplayer so it'll do internet radio streams, all the music on my NAS and streams from my phone, etc. etc. It's controlled through a json gui called netio on my android phone.
I've boxed up the pi and peripherals and hidden them inside the speakers. It works fine, but it's an on going project - plan to get multi room working next (it can be done though). It's cheap as I already had most of the bits lying around and it's pretty compact, but it's close to the functionality of a sonos system.
Depends how much time you want to put into it!

sounds an interesting project. Any more details?

[NTECUK]

Would this work as a basic set-up to let me play internet radio without needing my big power-hungry PC whirring away? Can do wired or wireless as I've got a router right next to the radio.
Why make life difficult?
Just buy a Dock or Bluetooth speaker and stream it from your phone/i pod.
or buy an internet radio

[DaveW_42]

Would this work as a basic set-up to let me play internet radio without needing my big power-hungry PC whirring away? I've got a micro-hifi sitting on my desk with spare aux inputs so if you've got a low power way of getting internet radio into that I'd be pleased to hear about it. Can do wired or wireless as I've got a router right next to the radio.

Yep, it would. In fact, that's fairly easy to do:
(The pi has a 3.5mm jack out. I added a USB soundcard as it sounds a little crap and tinny tbh. It took a bit of fiddling with settings to get working, but it sounds a lot better than the std output)

Basically, my netio program on my phone sends a text string to a socket on the pi. A python script listening to that socket simply compares the received string to a list that I've made and runs some commandline based on what it receives.
I didn't know any linux before I started playing with the pi so this is all really basic stuff.
To start mplayer playing Heart FM from the command line for example, you just type:

mpc clear
mpc add http://ice-sov.musicradio.com:80/Hear****fordMP3 - HAHAHA! - it found a naughty word - it's a forum thing. Anyway, all the code is listed in the link below
mpc play

This clears a playlist
adds the stream to the playlist
plays the playlist

BBC radio is a bit more complicated as they change the addr of their stream quite a lot.

os.system("sudo wget http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/listen/live/r1_aaclca.pls")
os.system("sudo grep \"File1=\" r1_aaclca.pls > streamaddr")
os.system("mpc clear")
os.system("mpc add $(sed \"s/File1=//g\" streamaddr)")
os.system("mpc play")

This grabs a file with the current stream addr in it
parses through the file and strips out the addr into File1
clears playlist
adds the contents of File1 to the playlist
plays the playlist

The os.system stuff is just cos this is being run from inside a python script.

The entire source code fopr my project is listed here:
http://netio.davideickhoff.de/forum/topic/1078/

The python listener is in post #1 and is the more complicated one.
The scripts that are run depending on the text string received are in post #5

[Viney]

Sonos without a doubt. Best wireless system out there. Expandable and adaptable.

Sonos 1, 3, 5 are powered speakers, you can also get an 'Amp' that you plug into your own speakers. You need a Bridge which plugs into your router and creates its own network that all the speakers etc connect too. You then control it it via iPhone/Pad/Dorid or its own remote control. Point it at music online(Itunes), internet raido, NAS etc etc.