whole home audio project...need some advice

[hulkster]

So let me preface this by saying I am far from an audiophile...I really just want music in certain rooms in my house.  Even better though, is that I have a limited budget!  With that in mind here are some things to keep in mind with this project:

1.  all Apple - I used to be a Microsoft fanboy, then I went to Android, and now I'm all Apple.  I have an iMac, Macbook Air, 2 iPhones, iPad, and an Apple TV.  Yeah I know, it's crazy, and I like Apple...so there you go. 

2.  AirPlay ftw! - I'm looking to get an AirPlay setup going with the whole home audio deal because I really like the idea of controlling my music with an iPhone, iPad, or using the AirPlay controls from my iMac within iTunes.  I've researched the pros/cons with bluetooth vs. AirPlay and I'm wanting to stick with AirPlay just for the convenience. 

3.  4 zones w/attic access - master bath, kitchen, living room, and porch (off of kitchen).  I've got an attic that runs over the entire house so I basically can walk over top of the ceiling and cut holes for speakers as needed.

okay so with all that in mind, I need some help in getting the most bang for my buck.  I've considered AirPlay enabled speakers, but I don't like the fact that the budget options ($100 or so) only use 802.11b/g instead of n.  So I'm going to do a wired setup to ceiling speakers with all of the gear either residing in the attic or in the closet off of the attic.  I'm thinking about using AirPort Express's + amps but I'm a little fuzzy on what kind of speakers to get as well as what kind of amp to get.  I want the amps to be an auto-shut off thing where if it doesn't sense audio, then it shuts off (i.e. I don't want to manage powering down amps).  I don't know how much power I need or what the best amps are for this job. 

Again, I don't need much for audio...I just want to be able to hear the music.  Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

[mikay]

The latest thing seems to be Bluetooth speakers.  I haven't personally auditioned any, but if you're not an audiophile, they'd probably suit your purpose very well, especially because there's no wiring to worry about.  Worth checking into anyway.

[hulkster]

well as I mentioned above, I don't want to go the bluetooth route as I want greater control over my speakers.  Plus I like the idea of controlling the speakers and such from my iMac in iTunes. 

[mikay]

Ok...here's my next stab at this. 

1.  You DO NOT want amps that sense if there's an audio signal.  All of my experience with such things is that they are complete crap-ola.  Quiet passages in songs, sudden dramatic silences, etc. screw it all up and ruin your enjoyment.   Or, long breaks between tracks end up meaning you miss the first two notes of the next song.  Sometimes technology just plain stinks and is to be avoided, this is one of those cases.

2.  From the sound of it, what you're looking for is a pre-amplifier that is controllable from an ipod or android.  Which isn't a tall order in this day and age.  One probably exists, and if it doesn't, it should.  From that, you want it to have multiple pre-outs.  If you need more than it has, you can probably split off of it with Y cables or some sort of junction box designed for these things.   Then you can have power amps in each room that have a built in potentiometer (vol control) whereas you set the max volume for that room and then adjust the preamp centrally from your ipod/ipad/ithing/android whatever.

I would shy from anything that is a 'plug n play package' designed for this as an all-in-one solution, because it probably will disappoint.  You'll be better off carefully selecting amps and a preamp on your own, with the central key piece being a preamp that's controllable via bluetooth or via wireless internet.