iTunes in the Kitchen and Bathroom

[professorhat]

So, I've decided I want to be able to play my iTunes collection in the kitchen and bathroom. The obvious solution is Airport Express since I already have this running into the living room and have an iPod Touch as a remote control. In the kitchen, I'm thinking Audioengine A2s - cheap, small and decent sounding from what I've read (enough for music while cooking at any rate) - any other suggestions welcome.
However, the bathroom is a bit of a puzzle - obviously with no power sockets in the bathroom, I can only think the Airport Express unit is going to have to live in an adjoining room, a small hole is drilled and the connection to a unit is made into the speakers in the bathroom. This is all doable but wanted to see if there are any innovative solutions to this I haven't thought of...
Thanks guys!

 

[Anonymous]

A pure DAB radio with a second speaker would give you radio too

they have aux inÿ

 

[Anonymous]

In fact a Pure Oasis would work in the bathroom too, it has a good sized internal battery too, so you can avoid plugs.

I have no relationship with Pure, I've just liked their radios.

putting a 3.5m jack through the wall is a good idea, though make sure you put silicone sealant around the hole to stop damp.

I've been thinking over the same issues too, as we have an old dab radio on the floor of the bathroom, which gets regularly kicked.

We have three dab radios on the go, as the reception is better with DAB, the old portable fm radio in the bathroom was 1-2 seconds out of step and used to drive us mad.ÿ

 

[John Duncan]

Hm, tricky, depends on your proximity to another room with power. Airport express in the next room feeding a pair of active ceiling speakers (not so easy to find, but they do exist)?

 

[John Duncan]

Hey prof - what about this?

 

[daveh75]

or, indeed this

 

[Anonymous]

JohnDuncan:Hm, tricky, depends on your proximity to another room with power. Airport express in the next room feeding a pair of active ceiling speakers (not so easy to find, but they do exist)?


Not active but out all you need in room next door or in the loft.

 

[John Duncan]

daveh75:or, indeed this

True, but needs electricity, the Pure takes a chargepak, was my only thought.

 

[daveh75]

good point, bathrooms an electricity!

 

[professorhat]

Nice one guys, I'll check out all of those...

 

[professorhat]

Right, decided to go with the Pure Evoke flow in the end - Oasis looks good but want the Evoke's ability to play music wirelessly from the Mac rather than having to plug my iPod into the bathroom. It'll all be on a shelf so shouldn't need to worry about it getting wet.
Squeezebox looks good, but the power issue would mean still drilling holes and the ceiling / wall speakers would be a nightmare to fit and needs iTrip and all sorts installed.
So one Evoke + chargepack + auxillary speaker please!
Thanks again guys - much easier than the old Airport through the wall.

 

[Anonymous]

a pleasure, sounds like a good choice.

I didn't realise that the Flow can stream from the Mac, does it just appear as a AirTunes speaker setup or does is need separate software?

 

[professorhat]

Good question this, the website says:
Media streaming requires UPnP server or PC/MAC running UPnP server software (supplied upon registration to www.thelounge.com)
So it looks like once I have this software, it should play my iTunes collection... anyone got one and can confirm?

 

[professorhat]

Well, the Audioengines and Airport are all set up in the kitchen now - luurverly!! Unfortunately, the Pure Evoke has been delayed - in stock on the website when ordered yesterday, told today out of stock - Grrr!! Still, since I know these are probably in pretty hot demand what with the WHF Award and since they won't charge my card until the Pure is dispatched, I've kept the order with them. So it'll be next week sometime before I get the bathroom sorted.
I'm off to do some cooking now

 

[John Duncan]

Was it the A2s Prof? Report in situ?

 

[professorhat]

The A2s indeed. Well, fantastic is the only word for them. I knew they were going to be small, but you just don't appreciate how small till you get them out of the box - they are tiny and, at the risk of sounding a bit girly, quite adorable. I hooked them up in the main room to start off with to get the Airport set up and test them out and I was truly astonished at the sound these little speakers make - they would give many a larger full size speaker a run for their money I reckon, especially on proper stands (I just had them on the table to set them up). Playing some standard 128Kbps MP3s, they sound pretty good, feed them some lossless tracks and the sound is awesome. If you added an external DAC, you would have a very, very nice sounding system very possibly for serious listening purposes I reckon.
Still, not for me a serious listening system here, so moving them into the kitchen and the sound has definitely lost a little something. I'm sure this is due mainly to the fact that (a) it's a small, box of a kitchen with nothing to absorb the sounds, thus giving rise to the sound being a little echoey and also (b) I have them placed quite high up on top of my cupboards as the last thing I want is for water / oil / any kind of food to be spilt on them. This obviously isn't helping either.
But even with that, they still sound pretty damn fantastic I think and a hell of a lot better than the little JVC radio / CD player I had before. And I can now also have iTunes playing in my living room, bedroom and the kitchen all at once - great for parties! I've got the stand that came with my iPod Touch blu-tacked to the top of the microwave, so the Touch can stand there and, if while I'm cooking, I want to change a song, up or down the volume, I just tap the screen and it's done. So I'm very happy - the only danger being me getting carried away, having a little boogie in the kitchen and someone discovering me...

 

[John Duncan]

Cool. Better not let the wife read this, or she'll be saying "why can't we just have them instead of all those boxes?"

Edit: ha - this (warning - youtube) is funny....

 

[professorhat]

Oh don't get me wrong - they're not even close to my B&W 685s in the front room. I was thinking of the budget average speakers around that price - they'd struggle against the likes of the Tannoy F1 I'm sure (but then of course the Tannoys would need separate amplification).

 

[professorhat]

JohnDuncan:Edit: ha - this (warning - youtube) is funny....
Love it - I did pump them up when testing them and could feel the air being pushed out against me a few feet away! Have to say I chickened out though since they're brand new and turned them down!

 

[John Duncan]

Oh come on. Haven't you heard of "running in"?

 

[professorhat]

I know, I know...!

 

[Anonymous]

i've got a similar problem - i want sound in the kitchen, but i'm not starting from a situation with the Airport express. I do have a wireless lan in the house, and i do have a itouch and PC with the music on it.

So, should i go the streaming server route (which i get the impression is going to be expensive), or is there a kitchen size ipod dock with speaker(s) that anyone can recommend? It needs to have a small footprint (or attachable under a cupboard) cos my kitchen is stuffed with (necessary) rubbish.

BTW i wouldnt put the speakers too high up in the kitchen, all the steam and smoke from the kitchen goes straight up to the ceiling.

 

[Anonymous]

Just read the News of Pure releasing an Ipod dock with DAB and Interweb radio at the WHF show. I look forward to this with interest due to trying to find a portable solution not only in bathrooms but outside and to take out and about.