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I have a house with built in speakers in several rooms. Pretty simple. I've been using old cell phones for audio, mostly just Pandora and NPR. My husband is addicted to Pandora. He won't let me get rid of it even though it's not the best music out there. I also use it in my Buick.
The problem with the phones is sometimes they get slow for no reason and have to be restarted. With the current phone (Samsung Galaxy S5) we have the strange problem of the volume going down and we have to turn it back up.
I'm considering something like a tablet or iPad to run this. I thought about Amazon Echo with display but there is no headphone jack to connect it to the home audio system. I'd rather pay for a good device, even a few hundred dollars, instead of a device I have to frequently restart.
(Also, I'm about to upgrade our home internet router & WIFI and I'm not sure the old cell phones I have will support newer WIFI encryption standards.) I'll know this weekend.
So you have wired speakers going back to an amp, and audio plugs into the amp?
If you can afford it, look at the Sonos:Port. It’s what I use for my room speakers.
Actually, I use the Sonos:Connect, which is its precursor. You might be able to find this used/new old stock, but make sure if you go this route you get one newer than 2015.
You’d then use an app on your phone to play Pandora or any other service.
I’ve never had to restart/reboot it. Ever.
There are of course other options which might be cheaper. This is just what I use.
Also, if you have other sources to play (Amazon Prime Music, etc.) they would all be aggregated inside the Sonos app so you could search across them. I also have a SiriusXM Internet subscription (of which I only pay $30 for 6 months) that plays through Sonos as well, and via CarPlay in my car.
Where you might find a cheaper option is if you're only looking to duplicate exactly what you have.
+1 for this suggestion, as this is what we do for our customers (I work for a large AV integrator) when newer streaming sources are desired over older items (iPods, FM radio, etc.).
Only thing I would suggest - if there is any chance that you would want to be able to listen to different things in different rooms at the same time, also consider looking at the Sonos Amp units. Individual pairs of speakers could be disconnected from your existing amplifier, and plugged into a Sonos Amp unit. This could allow for a Hers / His layout where you could listen to your own source. (The Amp unit can run more than one pair of speakers - from their website: "Amp can power two pairs of 8 Ohm nominal passive speakers when wired in parallel. All speakers must have the same impedance rating".).
The Sonos units get named for the rooms they feed, so you would select the room you're in and play your music without disturbing the other room/s.
Good luck.
+1 for this suggestion, as this is what we do for our customers (I work for a large AV integrator) when newer streaming sources are desired over older items (iPods, FM radio, etc.).
Only thing I would suggest - if there is any chance that you would want to be able to listen to different things in different rooms at the same time, also consider looking at the Sonos Amp units. Individual pairs of speakers could be disconnected from your existing amplifier, and plugged into a Sonos Amp unit. This could allow for a Hers / His layout where you could listen to your own source. (The Amp unit can run more than one pair of speakers - from their website: "Amp can power two pairs of 8 Ohm nominal passive speakers when wired in parallel. All speakers must have the same impedance rating".).
The Sonos units get named for the rooms they feed, so you would select the room you're in and play your music without disturbing the other room/s.
Good luck.
What I have in my house are 8 or so pairs of speakers across the rooms on the main floor with impedance matching volume controls (house was like this when I bought it). I ended up using a Sonos:Connect that then outputs to a Crown amp sufficiently powerful to drive them all. No problems in 2 years so far.
I like the price of an iPad or used iPhone. We just upgraded our wifi and some problems with our setup might be resolved.
So you'd have an iPad or iPhone tethered to your amplifier? The newest iPhones don't have a headphone jack out, so you'd need to use some sort of dock or adapter. Make sure you use one that also has a power connection so you can charge the device.
Do you use that device for other things than playing Pandora or NPR?
Do you use that device for other things than playing Pandora or NPR?
No. I try to get my husband interested in Amazon music but he prefers Pandora.
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