Making music

grizzly

What is the best way to play the same music through two different rooms at the same time? We have 6 macs, 3 per room. We do not have airport cards in the macs, but have them all networked. We have one set of speakers in one room and will buy a 2nd set. Can anyone recommend a software/hardware solution?

was thinking about a wired solution. I'm thinking, what is the best way to get, say, itunes playing on one machine and then others users could change tracks and have the same audio streaming across ethernet cables to the other room to speaker through the other mac.

440Hz

That would involve lots and lots of wires, depending of course on your house layout. Under floor/carpet could be an option but I would still avoid wires, one thing for a network, but to be running audio cables as well, I wouldnt. Also, more likely to damage the audio cables that the ethernet cables.

My honest advice, buy airport cards (not every machine will need one, pick a host machine as your DJ hehe) and a base station or airport express unit... you won't regret the initial investment cost! Wireless music in any room!! I couldn't be without it now. Of course, this would require you to have an AUX setting on your audio unit, but most systems do now.

grizzly

440Hz wrote:

That would involve lots and lots of wires, depending of course on your house layout. Under floor/carpet could be an option but I would still avoid wires, one thing for a network, but to be running audio cables as well, I wouldnt. Also, more likely to damage the audio cables that the ethernet cables.

My honest advice, buy airport cards (not every machine will need one, pick a host machine as your DJ hehe) and a base station or airport express unit... you won't regret the initial investment cost! Wireless music in any room!! I couldn't be without it now. Of course, this would require you to have an AUX setting on your audio unit, but most systems do now.

Hi, thanks for the reply. It's for the office – we already have lots of wires from our network setup. Not wanting to spend on Airport cards if we can use the network to do it. Any ideas?

Oriel

FM transmitter? Airtunes?

440Hz

In that case running audio cables will be one of the only solutions. The quality of an FM transmitter is just about acceptable in my car, but I think you would be pretty sick of it if it was in a home/office setup. Also this would require your audio station to have a radio, which alot don't have anymore.

Oriel mentioned Airtunes, which was my first suggestion, but this will only work with an Airport card, which you don't want to add to the shopping list.

I think some decent length audio cables are your only options. Maybe if you try and get very long ones and run them over door frames or something rather than along the ground with the tech cables. So easily damaged!!

If you are a wired office and dont think you will be going wireless than direct audio is your only option, if you want any decent quality anyway.

Wifi all the way for me though! - you wouldnt regret it (see ham'nd'egger post re cost comparison too, WELL worth it)

Ham'nd'egger

As per 440, I'd say Airport but for different reasons entirely.

If your willing to invest in a half decent amp/hifi to play the music to, you are going to be looking at 20 metres of cable from either your amp to speaker or speaker to speaker (Speaker cable isn't cheap, you will be talking minimum €3 per metre for both speakers and interconnectors need to be allowed for as well), If you are just using a Midi system like you get in the Power City's of the world, you will be wasting your time; these units just can't perform at the level your looking at. Decent amps, you will get your money's worth from them but expect to shell out. Also, if you ever wish to wire up a radio, TV/DVD etc, it is a matter of plug in and your away but you need to spend early on. Regardless of which way you want to do it, to do it half decent will take some time, decent equipment, some installation work (Tacking in cables, putting up speaker brackets etc), paying for techies if you don't know what you are up to...

Or you can plug in Airport and away you go for a snip in comparision...