Multi-room audio: everything you need to know

[What Hi-Fi?]

It's easier than ever to fill your home with music, thanks to a variety of audio products that can unite to form feature-packed, voice-controlled multi-room music systems.

Multi-room audio: everything you need to know : Read more

 

[John O]

Hi Joe, I read online that the DTS Play-Fi works by streaming audio to your controller (i-pad, etc) which then forwards the streams to the rooms. This seems a very poor solution, which might tie up the controller if it's directing multiple streams to different rooms.
I'm hoping to set-up a NAS drive with my music and use it to stream directly (sometimes multiple streams) to different rooms in the house. Can you tell me which system you'd recommend for this?

 

[AlastairB]

We have different ideas of what "affordable" means. The whole sector of "multi-room audio" is an over-priced cartel.

With "wires", I could have a multi- room audio system for almost nothing.

Why, then, does wireless multi room cost multiple £500s per room, and only take input from pay-per-month streamers?

Customers are getting ripped off.

 

[AlastairB]

"Two decades ago a home multi-room system would have meant a lot of wires (albeit nicely hidden, no doubt) and a fair chunk of cash. High-end custom installers can still offer such a top-notch no-stress system, of course, but a simpler wireless solution is now within everybody's reach."

That is fundamentally NOT TRUE
(there's a shorter word for "making statements that are not true"...?)
and I take issue with that statement.
On 2 counts:

1) 2 decades ago, a home multi-room system _did_ require wires. But, d'uh, wire is cheap. Some hassle, admittedly, running wires from the audio source to the speakers. But, typically, in a UK house, quite managable. _NOT_ frighteningly expensive. So, not "a fair chunk of cash."

2) "a simpler wireless solution is now within everybody's reach" _also_ seems an untrue statement?
In that "2 decades ago" situation, I owned my music collection, and didn't pay any parasites to listen to something that I own.

I'd like to listen to my music collection, that I own. I'd like to listen to that collection, over multiple rooms in my home. And, since I already paid, to buy that music, I'd like to NOT pay parasite streamer companies for the privilige.

Rather in contrast to the reviewer's state of uncritical glee...
There is no, zero, nada, technological barrier to streaming music over home wifi. From any source.

But vendors simply don't enable that.

Obviously, I won't claim that this is because those vendors operate a cartel.

Clearly, it must be for other, very valid, reasons.

I do wonder what those reasons are.