When you first get a home audio system, it’s important to make sure you don’t overspend on it. A good rule of thumb is to spend no more than $200 on your first system. After that, you can spend as much or as little as you want, but make sure your system is worth the money. One reason to avoid overspending on your first home audio system is that a good audio system will last many years. If you buy a new one every five years or so, your audio equipment will be in great shape and will still work perfectly. If you buy an older model, it might not have all the features that are available now, but it will still be able to play music and videos without any problems. Another reason not to overspend on your first home audio system is that a good set of speakers can be very expensive. You might think that because they’re just speakers, they won’t cost too much to buy, but they do. A good set of speakers can cost anywhere from $50 to $300. If you buy them used, they might even be cheaper than this because they’re usually bought in bulk by retailers. If you overspend on your first home audio system, make sure that you do some research before buying anything. You should also ask friends and family if they have any recommendations for good systems or prices for similar ones. This way, you’ll know what kind of systems are out there and what kind of prices are reasonable for them.
It’s Okay to Start Small
While your ultimate goal may be speakers in every room of your house, from the living room to the kitchen, it’s worth keeping in mind that you don’t need to get there right away. Not only is creating a huge multi-room setup from scratch a daunting process, but it can be costly as well.
Instead, try focusing on just one or two rooms. If you only ever listen to music in one room, start with that room and another room you’d like to be able to listen in. This lets you get used to how multi-room audio works without having to juggle five or more rooms at the same time.
Similarly, while you might want full stereo sound in multiple rooms, this isn’t something you have to do right away. Start with a single speaker in each room, then pair another later on if you still think you need it. You may realize that for most rooms, a single speaker is all you require.
Buy for What You Need Now
With most modern multi-room audio systems, you don’t really need to think too much about what you might want to do in the future. The one situation where this isn’t the case is when you’re setting up a wired whole home audio system.
With a wired system, you’ll need to run wires from your amplifier or amplifiers to speakers. The vast majority of these systems run wires through the walls or the floor, so you’ll want to spend some time considering how you’re going to wire the system.
With wireless systems, which are much more common, all you need to worry about is reaching the wall socket for power. Since you don’t need to plan for where you might want to put speakers later, feel free to put your speakers wherever they work best now.
For this reason, all you have to think about is what works for you now. For example, you don’t need to replace your home theater system with a new one that is multi-room capable if you never use the system for music.
Look at What You Already Have
You may already have a few gadgets around that support multi-room and whole home audio, even if you don’t know it. Many of the smart speakers you can buy these days are multi-room capable.
If you’ve got a speaker with AirPlay 2 or Google Chromecast built-in, you may be in luck. These protocols support multi-room audio, and while they are most easily found on products from Apple and Google, they pop up in other gadgets as well.
This isn’t limited to just speakers. For AirPlay 2, other supported devices include Apple TV, some models of smart TVs, and more.
Don’t Forget Compatibility
If you know that you’re planning on whole-home audio, even if you don’t have it yet, focus on compatibility in the future. Assuming you plan on sticking with one brand, choose a brand that offers a wide range of products so that you’ve got more choice in the future.
On the other hand, if you want flexibility, pick multi-room speakers that use protocols like AirPlay 2, Chromecast, or another option that lets you choose from multiple brands. In most cases, you’ll want to choose an option that already works with what you have.
If you’re looking for some speaker suggestions that won’t break the bank, don’t forget to check out our favorite budget speakers.
