This is an open-ended call for advice. For years, I’ve used a small FM transmitter to listen to music around the house, but my wife has had enough of my mugly old beat-up radios. Rather than buy new mugly radios, I’m thinking it’s probably time to put in a more permanent solution.
So for anyone patient enough to make a recommendation, I’ll offer my list of priorities.
- The only part of my current setup that I’m committed to is Roon (I’m a lifetime member). I have it installed on a dedicated Windows machine and a conventional home network.
- I’m looking for an expandable, modular solution - i.e. I can’t afford to do the whole house at once,
- I’m not looking for a high fidelity experience. The sound quality I get from a Bluetooth Jambox is acceptable. In fact I’m more interested in having several units on at low volume.
- I’d like on/off switches and volume controls at the speaker (so if I turn one on at the other end of the house, not knowing that she’s reading in that room, she can walk over and turn it back off). At the same time, I think these should be “virtual” rather than hardwired controls, so I can turn that speaker back “on” the next day.
- I’m expecting / hoping the price per station to be $300-$400, and maybe to have to shell out once additionally for controller software / hardware on the network interface.
I appreciate any input. I’ve never shopped for this kind of hardware before and don’t know how to suss out which products will work with my little rig.