# Apple guys



## CDN EC (Jul 31, 2011)

Have another EC buddy who ran wiring to somebody else's spec as follows:

edit: 2 Cat5's and one coax from iPod docks to the demarc location and then speaker wire up to speakers in each zone. 6 iPods to feed 8 pairs of speakers.

They've boarded up already and he's trying to figure out where to go from there.

I'm thinking he needs a multisource/zone amp with some kind of app to control the zones, but then I'm not an apple guy so don't really know what's out there.

Any ideas?


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## Bbsound (Dec 16, 2011)

:huh::help:

I think you may need to explain the situation a little more. Like, what is it?
A house?
a office?
a concert hall?


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## Hippie (May 12, 2011)

CDN EC said:


> Have another EC buddy who ran wiring to somebody else's spec as follows:
> 
> edit: 2 Cat5's and one coax from iPod docks to the demarc location and then speaker wire up to speakers in each zone. 6 iPods to feed 8 pairs of speakers.
> 
> ...


Doesn't whoever speced the wire to be run that way know what they were planning for? Seems like a really convoluted system... 6 ipods??


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## CDN EC (Jul 31, 2011)

Hippie said:


> Doesn't whoever speced the wire to be run that way know what they were planning for? Seems like a really convoluted system... 6 ipods??


The company who issued the spec later quoted $12,000 to finish the job, and the customer flat out won't even take their calls anymore apparently :laughing:


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## CDN EC (Jul 31, 2011)

Bbsound said:


> :huh::help:
> 
> I think you may need to explain the situation a little more. Like, what is it?
> A house?
> ...


It's a house. I've never been there, but judging by the location, it's a big one.


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## CDN EC (Jul 31, 2011)

Airport Express with Airplay and dedicated amps is what it's looking like right now. No speaker wiring at the dock locations rules out bus-driven systems like OnQ-Legrand's and even Channel Vision's.


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

Why the hell would they run two data lines and a coax? Sounds to me like the system was never specd to be a "iPod music system" but instead just standard household wiring.


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## CDN EC (Jul 31, 2011)

Edrick said:


> Why the hell would they run two data lines and a coax? Sounds to me like the system was never specd to be a "iPod music system" but instead just standard household wiring.


The coax makes zero sense to me. 2 cat5's _may_ make some sense depending on what was supposed to go onto the wall. Some baluns require 2.

Running the speaker wire through the same space would have at least opened up the possibilities to a bunch of other options, but that's too much forward-thinking I guess 

Now that you're reading this, have you ever used Apple TVs for distribution?


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## triden (Jun 13, 2012)

Might be wired for one of these. I know the in-wall control panels require a cat 5 and I think the optional ipod docks are cat5 too. The system is worth about $2500 all decked out AFAIK

http://www.nuvotechnologies.com/wired-systems/concerto/overview


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

CDN EC said:


> The coax makes zero sense to me. 2 cat5's _may_ make some sense depending on what was supposed to go onto the wall. Some baluns require 2.
> 
> Running the speaker wire through the same space would have at least opened up the possibilities to a bunch of other options, but that's too much forward-thinking I guess
> 
> Now that you're reading this, have you ever used Apple TVs for distribution?


I've done it quite a few times, personally I would say just set him up with an AppleTV or Airport Express at each speaker location then from any iDevice he can stream video or audio. Find devices that support AirPlay if it's a mac home, then AirPlay is your friend.

If you've got cash here's a favorite http://www.savantsystems.com/category/savant_apple_integration.aspx


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## CDN EC (Jul 31, 2011)

Edrick said:


> I've done it quite a few times, personally I would say just set him up with an AppleTV or Airport Express at each speaker location then from any iDevice he can stream video or audio. Find devices that support AirPlay if it's a mac home, then AirPlay is your friend.
> 
> If you've got cash here's a favorite http://www.savantsystems.com/category/savant_apple_integration.aspx


I looked into using the airport expresses, the problem was that you had to have the same stream running to all zones you chose.

I'm thinking since ATVs are both a source and a destination, would it be possible to have different streams running to different zones controlled by different iPods/phones/pads?


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

What are they looking to do specifically, just control the audio routing and centralized music that can be distributed to other zones via an iDevice or do they actually want to play music from the iDevice to the audio sources?

Basically are we looking to control other devices from an iPhone / iPad thus it acts just as a remote or are they actually trying to play content from iDevices like Videos, Music, Photos to multiple devices in the house such as TVs


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## CDN EC (Jul 31, 2011)

Edrick said:


> What are they looking to do specifically, just control the audio routing and centralized music that can be distributed to other zones via an iDevice or do they actually want to play music from the iDevice to the audio sources?
> 
> Basically are we looking to control other devices from an iPhone / iPad thus it acts just as a remote or are they actually trying to play content from iDevices like Videos, Music, Photos to multiple devices in the house such as TVs


Thanks for the replies, Edrick. 

The best would be for the handhelds to be control only. 

If one or more ATV can feed multiple streams simultaneously that would be perfect. I get the impression that with Express, you're limited to the same stream across the board, but thinking that since ATV can be set as both a source and a destination, you could stream multiple simultaneously.


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

The ATV can only play one source, it's basically a terminal it sends something to a Display or Audio System, it also isn't a storage device it just plays from a network source. 

You can get something from HAI that will do what you want with multiple sources to destinations, they also have a MP3 server. 

What you need is some type of device to take multiple source inputs and distribute to different zones. 

It's very simple to just take one source and distribute it to the whole house and have individualized volume controls, once it comes to different sources and different zones and being able to select then it becomes pricier. 

You could for example, just have a multizone amp at the basement then in each room have a Baluns for Audio to send the music from the iPhone or Apple TV to the MultiZone amp which the iPhone or AppleTV is connected to a local input for those two channels for that room. 

So basically say a 12 channel audio amp, which would give you 6 rooms of L/R audio.

In the room you have a volume control, at the data location you have an Audio Baluns which sends L/R to the MultiZone Amp.

Channel 1 Livingroom Right
Channel 2 Livingroom Left
Channel 3 Masterbedroom Right
Channel 4 Masterbedroom Left
Channel 5 Sunroom Left
Channel 6 Sunroom Right

and those are all connected to the local input for that channel, as opposed to global.

What that would give you is the option to just have volume control over each room and a local source input from each room, but doesn't allow for any type of routing of different sources to different rooms or all rooms. 

The other option gets more expensive and that's using a system from someone like HAI or Savant, Legrand, etc... which will have a centralized audio switcher that can be controlled from touchpads or the iPhone / iPad.

Here's an option to take sources and route them to different rooms or all rooms http://www.atonhome.com/DLA6Room.html that guy is about $300 bucks.


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## ElectricJoeNJ (Feb 24, 2011)

Edrick said:


> Why the hell would they run two data lines and a coax? Sounds to me like the system was never specd to be a "iPod music system" but instead just standard household wiring.



My thoughts exactally. I would just get a a multizone amp and 6 airport express to power 6 seperate zones. Any iPod,iPhone,or iPad can can play music on any zone.


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## CDN EC (Jul 31, 2011)

Update:

Went with the AE's (ATV's supposedly get confused when doing audio only).

Apple said max was 6 of them, Apple community said 3 max, none of the geniuses (their word) knew whether it would work or not, nor did Apple support. I bought one extra just for the heck of it, 7 zones now working, FTW 

Went with a Dayton 12 channel amp, should be here in a week.

Have gotten the Remote app on my Android, independent control of all zones, now just need to upgrade computer 2 to Windows 7 to begin multi-source test.


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