Looking for amplifier setup with HA controls

Hardware
1

Hi all,

I am thinking about an audio system to my future home.

I am thinking that each room and space could have its own small amplifier. Mainly 2.1 but then in the living room most likely some better 7.1 system would be good.

Then you could locally choose on each location what source to play. Locally from bluetooth, or from central source via RCA.

I would like to be able to control centrally though the sources of local amplifiers and also the volumes, maybe also on/off.

What would be your suggestions for local amp and what for central side equipment? Which brands works well with HA?

2

Something like this picture

audio-system
audio-system1840Ă—936 155 KB

3

You could consider Music Assistant, WiiM media players, and the Monoprice six or 4 zone amplifiers. That combination is proven to work with Home Assistant integrations.

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4

Thanks for these tips. So wiim is more hassle free streaming player that can serve as a central music source where music assistant needs a bit more from its user since you need the infrastructure tonrun it on?

And then the monoprice 6 zone is the mean to channel music to different rooms?

In this case, I assume there is no need for a local amplifier, but of course then you can’t play local sources or can you connect locally to those wall panels that comes with monoprice 6?

5

I’d recommend reviewing details on Monoprice’s web site, but the amplifier is simply a 6 zone stereo amp with 6 selectable line level inputs that can be controlled by network commands - source selection, volume, etc.

Whatever you route into the line level inputs will be played.

If by “local” you mean “room where the keypad lives”, no they don’t have inputs on the keypads. If you control with HA you don’t even need the keypads unless you just want real buttons.

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6

You could skip the monoprice and just use multiple Wiim amps as well.

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7

Thanks for replies. I yesterday watched a good intro of music assistant 2. The impression I got is that I might be ok just having music assistant and local room amps that has dlns/airplay/… Is this correct assumption? So then with music assistant I can enable those amps that has dlna/airplay/… And play my music there? I suppose wiim would be good option as a local room amp, and then I can connect even hard wired speakers to it?

8

Yes, but I’d offer a few considerations -

Music Assistant supports a lot of protocols, but I’d stick with “most used”. Bugs will be worked out of the majority in use protocol first in my opinion. I doubt DLNA is in that majority. Music Assistant is in rapid development and changes frequently which can be both good and bad.

Local amps aren’t an issue, but make sure they interface with Home Assistant if you want source and volume control. I’m not sure the WiiM amps do. Amps with an RS232 or IP interface are going to be a minimum requirement.

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9

Thanks, super tips :pray:

Btw, does Music Assistant magically support scenario where you would listen to two or more different song at the same time and stream to different amps or speakers? Or is it just one song at the time that you can stream?

10

I intergrated my NAD T787 using NodeRED and RS232 (Ethernet Cable)

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11

So you don’t have any amps in rooms, you just have speakers? And everything you play, you play through this NAD?

12

Yes have one Zone from the amplifier playing in another room.
Have Google speakers in the other rooms.

Setting up multiple Zones from a single amplifier may be another option for you.

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