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Calling all tech Geeks
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So I'm going to join the 21st century and start listening to music via Alexa.
Nothing unusual in that you all say. My problem comes in the size of the room. At 360m3 it is almost ten times the size of the average living room. I need some bigger speakers. I got the chap from that well known chain of Hi-Fi stores to come round and have a look. His solution? Nearly £2,000.00!!!!!
Anyone got any sensible ideas? |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"So I'm going to join the 21st century and start listening to music via Alexa.
Nothing unusual in that you all say. My problem comes in the size of the room. At 360m3 it is almost ten times the size of the average living room. I need some bigger speakers. I got the chap from that well known chain of Hi-Fi stores to come round and have a look. His solution? Nearly £2,000.00!!!!!
Anyone got any sensible ideas?"
Does Alexa have an audio out? I would presume so. Nip into your local cash (crack) convertors and buy a 2 ch amp then go to richer sounds and spend £100 on a pair of speakers and some decent cables. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"So I'm going to join the 21st century and start listening to music via Alexa.
Nothing unusual in that you all say. My problem comes in the size of the room. At 360m3 it is almost ten times the size of the average living room. I need some bigger speakers. I got the chap from that well known chain of Hi-Fi stores to come round and have a look. His solution? Nearly £2,000.00!!!!!
Anyone got any sensible ideas?
Does Alexa have an audio out? I would presume so. Nip into your local cash (crack) convertors and buy a 2 ch amp then go to richer sounds and spend £100 on a pair of speakers and some decent cables. "
Or this |
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By *arksxMan
over a year ago
Leicester / London |
"So I'm going to join the 21st century and start listening to music via Alexa.
Nothing unusual in that you all say. My problem comes in the size of the room. At 360m3 it is almost ten times the size of the average living room. I need some bigger speakers. I got the chap from that well known chain of Hi-Fi stores to come round and have a look. His solution? Nearly £2,000.00!!!!!
Anyone got any sensible ideas?"
Fleabay or gumtree
Speaker technology hasn't changed much in generations.
The recent trend of soundbars and Bluetooth speakers means there is loads of great kit less than 5 years old for peanuts.
My speakers costs thousands too brand new.
I'd get maybe a couple hundred quid if I sold them now.
You gotta be patient and stick to the big brands you should be fine.
Youll need a home cinema amp to power it. I get one with at least 7 channels (speaker ports) this will let you run 6 speakers and subwoofer (if you want to feel 'da' bass)
I'd buy this brand new. There not much more expensive and you get a warranty.
Sony and denon make great kit. For that size room you looking at £300 to £500 |
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By *Man1263Man
over a year ago
Stockport |
4 alexa, link them.
Depend's if your an audiophile or not?
Richer sound's do fantastic speakers and speaker cable, but you probably already know that.
(I don't know if you can self adapt the alexa to the room or if it work's it out it self)
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"So I'm going to join the 21st century and start listening to music via Alexa.
Nothing unusual in that you all say. My problem comes in the size of the room. At 360m3 it is almost ten times the size of the average living room. I need some bigger speakers. I got the chap from that well known chain of Hi-Fi stores to come round and have a look. His solution? Nearly £2,000.00!!!!!
Anyone got any sensible ideas?
Fleabay or gumtree
Speaker technology hasn't changed much in generations.
The recent trend of soundbars and Bluetooth speakers means there is loads of great kit less than 5 years old for peanuts.
My speakers costs thousands too brand new.
I'd get maybe a couple hundred quid if I sold them now.
You gotta be patient and stick to the big brands you should be fine.
Youll need a home cinema amp to power it. I get one with at least 7 channels (speaker ports) this will let you run 6 speakers and subwoofer (if you want to feel 'da' bass)
I'd buy this brand new. There not much more expensive and you get a warranty.
Sony and denon make great kit. For that size room you looking at £300 to £500"
If it's just for music would you need any more than 2 channels tho? |
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By *arksxMan
over a year ago
Leicester / London |
"So I'm going to join the 21st century and start listening to music via Alexa.
Nothing unusual in that you all say. My problem comes in the size of the room. At 360m3 it is almost ten times the size of the average living room. I need some bigger speakers. I got the chap from that well known chain of Hi-Fi stores to come round and have a look. His solution? Nearly £2,000.00!!!!!
Anyone got any sensible ideas?
Fleabay or gumtree
Speaker technology hasn't changed much in generations.
The recent trend of soundbars and Bluetooth speakers means there is loads of great kit less than 5 years old for peanuts.
My speakers costs thousands too brand new.
I'd get maybe a couple hundred quid if I sold them now.
You gotta be patient and stick to the big brands you should be fine.
Youll need a home cinema amp to power it. I get one with at least 7 channels (speaker ports) this will let you run 6 speakers and subwoofer (if you want to feel 'da' bass)
I'd buy this brand new. There not much more expensive and you get a warranty.
Sony and denon make great kit. For that size room you looking at £300 to £500
If it's just for music would you need any more than 2 channels tho? "
Thats true
But it's that a big space to fill
So instead of two big speakers you could have multiple smaller discreet ones.
Choices I guess
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"So I'm going to join the 21st century and start listening to music via Alexa.
Nothing unusual in that you all say. My problem comes in the size of the room. At 360m3 it is almost ten times the size of the average living room. I need some bigger speakers. I got the chap from that well known chain of Hi-Fi stores to come round and have a look. His solution? Nearly £2,000.00!!!!!
Anyone got any sensible ideas?
Fleabay or gumtree
Speaker technology hasn't changed much in generations.
The recent trend of soundbars and Bluetooth speakers means there is loads of great kit less than 5 years old for peanuts.
My speakers costs thousands too brand new.
I'd get maybe a couple hundred quid if I sold them now.
You gotta be patient and stick to the big brands you should be fine.
Youll need a home cinema amp to power it. I get one with at least 7 channels (speaker ports) this will let you run 6 speakers and subwoofer (if you want to feel 'da' bass)
I'd buy this brand new. There not much more expensive and you get a warranty.
Sony and denon make great kit. For that size room you looking at £300 to £500"
This sounds interesting.
I have a Sony home cinema contraption. I also have an expensive Cambridge Audio amp and a pair of serious speakers I have had for 15 or so years.
So how do I get 'Alexa' connected to the home cinema and the old hi-fi? |
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"So I'm going to join the 21st century and start listening to music via Alexa.
Nothing unusual in that you all say. My problem comes in the size of the room. At 360m3 it is almost ten times the size of the average living room. I need some bigger speakers. I got the chap from that well known chain of Hi-Fi stores to come round and have a look. His solution? Nearly £2,000.00!!!!!
Anyone got any sensible ideas?"
Cordless headphones |
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By *arksxMan
over a year ago
Leicester / London |
"So I'm going to join the 21st century and start listening to music via Alexa.
Nothing unusual in that you all say. My problem comes in the size of the room. At 360m3 it is almost ten times the size of the average living room. I need some bigger speakers. I got the chap from that well known chain of Hi-Fi stores to come round and have a look. His solution? Nearly £2,000.00!!!!!
Anyone got any sensible ideas?
Fleabay or gumtree
Speaker technology hasn't changed much in generations.
The recent trend of soundbars and Bluetooth speakers means there is loads of great kit less than 5 years old for peanuts.
My speakers costs thousands too brand new.
I'd get maybe a couple hundred quid if I sold them now.
You gotta be patient and stick to the big brands you should be fine.
Youll need a home cinema amp to power it. I get one with at least 7 channels (speaker ports) this will let you run 6 speakers and subwoofer (if you want to feel 'da' bass)
I'd buy this brand new. There not much more expensive and you get a warranty.
Sony and denon make great kit. For that size room you looking at £300 to £500
This sounds interesting.
I have a Sony home cinema contraption. I also have an expensive Cambridge Audio amp and a pair of serious speakers I have had for 15 or so years.
So how do I get 'Alexa' connected to the home cinema and the old hi-fi? "
Ill say first I don't own an alexa. Persoanly I'd never have any of those in my house they are way to invasive
But i believes in has a 3.5mm headphone port on the back
You can connect it to any of your amps with a phono to 3.5mm cable.
They cost maybe £2 on amazon.
Connect to the amp into any of the poert but there is usually a aux one.
If the alexa has a optical input you are better of using that.
Personally I'd get a chromecast than use an alexa.bht that's just me under my tinfoil hat |
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By *rimtonMan
over a year ago
Bromley |
Doesn’t bother you it records all your conversations? Must be listening in first place to heard you say the keyword.
1999- don’t say anything dodgy on phone cos GCHQ might be listening.
2019- hello GCHQ, play me some songs baby, got to get the right mood for my swinging buddies coming over. |
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"Doesn’t bother you it records all your conversations? Must be listening in first place to heard you say the keyword.
1999- don’t say anything dodgy on phone cos GCHQ might be listening.
2019- hello GCHQ, play me some songs baby, got to get the right mood for my swinging buddies coming over."
I just want to let my young son listen to music in the way his mates do. Totally open to other ideas. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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For such a space I go straight to 15 or 18 inch pa speakers. A decent hifi power amp to drive them.
Look for an audio interface or a mixer, so that people can connect their phones, Alexa and use microphones. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"So I'm going to join the 21st century and start listening to music via Alexa.
Nothing unusual in that you all say. My problem comes in the size of the room. At 360m3 it is almost ten times the size of the average living room. I need some bigger speakers. I got the chap from that well known chain of Hi-Fi stores to come round and have a look. His solution? Nearly £2,000.00!!!!!
Anyone got any sensible ideas?"
£2K to fill a room 360m3 with sound doesn't sound much to me. That takes a decent amount of watts.
What sort of system did they recommend? |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"So I'm going to join the 21st century and start listening to music via Alexa.
Nothing unusual in that you all say. My problem comes in the size of the room. At 360m3 it is almost ten times the size of the average living room. I need some bigger speakers. I got the chap from that well known chain of Hi-Fi stores to come round and have a look. His solution? Nearly £2,000.00!!!!!
Anyone got any sensible ideas?
£2K to fill a room 360m3 with sound doesn't sound much to me. That takes a decent amount of watts.
What sort of system did they recommend? "
They're trying to listen to music not install a PA system or setup an adult themed home cinema |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"So I'm going to join the 21st century and start listening to music via Alexa.
Nothing unusual in that you all say. My problem comes in the size of the room. At 360m3 it is almost ten times the size of the average living room. I need some bigger speakers. I got the chap from that well known chain of Hi-Fi stores to come round and have a look. His solution? Nearly £2,000.00!!!!!
Anyone got any sensible ideas?
£2K to fill a room 360m3 with sound doesn't sound much to me. That takes a decent amount of watts.
What sort of system did they recommend?
They're trying to listen to music not install a PA system or setup an adult themed home cinema "
Then an Amazon Echo smart speaker where you want to sit is all you need at £90. Can't imagine RS coming and quoting £2K if that was the OP's brief. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"So I'm going to join the 21st century and start listening to music via Alexa.
Nothing unusual in that you all say. My problem comes in the size of the room. At 360m3 it is almost ten times the size of the average living room. I need some bigger speakers. I got the chap from that well known chain of Hi-Fi stores to come round and have a look. His solution? Nearly £2,000.00!!!!!
Anyone got any sensible ideas?"
My other half uses Bose Soundtouch in his studio, which is easily the same size. Wifi Spotify amazon music, internet radio and will play from media server. Is £200 ish and the sound is amazing on half volume. Depends though if you are trying to impress with speaker size and cost or not |
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"Doesn’t bother you it records all your conversations? Must be listening in first place to heard you say the keyword.
1999- don’t say anything dodgy on phone cos GCHQ might be listening.
2019- hello GCHQ, play me some songs baby, got to get the right mood for my swinging buddies coming over."
It listens locally (not internet for its wake word - hence limited names as it has to know all the ways it can be mumbled and its memory is limited) then it sends this buffer to the internet to decipher, so its not always listening but that doesn't mean it doesn't get random snippets of what you say when it thinks it hears the name |
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Depending on if you're an audio quality snob, handy at DIY if they will fit and happy to leave them behind if you move- have a look at some of the commercial/smart home installation gear such as this.
https://audioinstallations.co.uk/4-zone-wifi-bluetooth-ceiling-speaker-system-echo-alexa-compatible/
I work on a speaker pitch of about 3.5m on average for a 2.5m-3m ceiling height, but you can space them more if you don't mind a little drop off in volume.
You don't get earth shaking bass (unless you also add a bass pod in the roof) but you can control most of the systems with your phone, as well as connecting it wirelessly to the control panel. Although its marketed as a multi room/zone system, you can just use it as a single room system and just control if you want music in one area or multiple areas |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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No Alexa has no audio and as far as I am aware has no ability to chain link unlike Google devices into zones . Your first problem is not so much coverge but mic sensitivity too far and will not hear you that applies to any of them Google or amazon however solutions can be had . I use Google myself with android phones this is my mic and links over the WiFi so a more powerful speaker system so regardless if it's a stored local music track or One steamed from a service I can voice control where ever I am . Plus Google us better as picking up my scots accent . And controls the lights TV heating alarms and cctv .and intigrates with open source bridges alowing to voice control computers . How's that for geeky |
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To the point I didn't understand a word. However that might just be your Scottish accent!!!
"No Alexa has no audio and as far as I am aware has no ability to chain link unlike Google devices into zones . Your first problem is not so much coverge but mic sensitivity too far and will not hear you that applies to any of them Google or amazon however solutions can be had . I use Google myself with android phones this is my mic and links over the WiFi so a more powerful speaker system so regardless if it's a stored local music track or One steamed from a service I can voice control where ever I am . Plus Google us better as picking up my scots accent . And controls the lights TV heating alarms and cctv .and intigrates with open source bridges alowing to voice control computers . How's that for geeky "
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It's not that big...Clearly I'm talking about the room!!! It is very high and the house is open plan.
I have had a few parties here. But not recently.
"And when you've got it sorted have a massive party"
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"It's not that big...Clearly I'm talking about the room!!! It is very high and the house is open plan.
I have had a few parties here. But not recently"
Then for open plan I would go for a multi smart speaker system which will allow you to group the speakers into zones and either listen in one zone or play the music in multiple zones at the same time. Also having more speakers distributes the sound evenly througout the space rather than two big speakers which will be too loud near to them and too quiet away from them. There are various systems that will do this. Use a streaming service such as Spotify/Amazon/Apple/Google to feed the music in. These systems usually have an additional box you can buy that will feed the music into your existing amp if you want. Most smart speaker systems now have Alexa versions if you want that.
Having a similar setup (Sonos based) I still think £2K is reasonable though if you want the whole space done well. One advantage with smart speakers is you can start with just one (say on your kitchen work surface) and grow it as you want rather than going all in up front with the whole cost. Or if you want to start with you current amp and speakers buy a box to stream music into it though the line-in channel. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"To the point I didn't understand a word. However that might just be your Scottish accent!!!
"
Lol its simple when you know how though instructions are best given in person :p |
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Depends whether WAF is important.
Are you happy having large speakers dotted around the room?
2nd hand bargains aplenty on that well known auction site. If just audio, cracking bargains on old tech cinema amps £1000's a few year ago going for peanuts now. Similarly larger speakers (ideal in big spaces) of certain vintage.
£100 will get you a 'vintage' £1000 surround amp & £100 will get you a £500 speaker...ish! |
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Thanks for all the ideas.
I now realise that all I need is the Alexa box and I can get one called input which does not have its own speaker.
I have a home theatre set up already and I have dug out of the loft the Hi end Hi-fi system I used in my pervious house which had a lot of individual rooms rather than being open plan. I even have the correct lead to connect it all together.
So fingers crossed, I have a solution for £35.00
Fabbers have certainly earned their money today. |
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