PoE Speakers... has anyone bothered?

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › PoE Speakers... has anyone bothered?

chevrolux

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#223897 23-Oct-2017 13:46

So we are building at the moment and I've just done the pre-wire.
I have wired for ceiling speakers with normal twin cable. But have also put a Cat6 with them too. I started running the speaker wire and then thought, this is annoying because then I need switching gear and amplifiers and blah blah blah. Hence the Cat6.

A quick Google suggets the products exist, but basically want a speaker with built in amp and can be powered with PoE. Then it needs to have the ability to play a stream from a given location... I figure I have the ability to manipulate a stream enough to do what we need to do with something MPD based.

Notnlookibg for ground brrakingingly good sound or anything, just background noise.

Anyone done this research and found anything interesting?

Aredwood

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#1888181 23-Oct-2017 17:49

There was a thread about WiFi speakers. And a big problem with them was different sound delays from each speaker. Meaning they sounded completely horrible if you could hear the sound from more than 1 speaker.

Best way of using cat6 for speakers is to just parallel the cores down to 2 groups of 4 wires. And use it as normal speaker cabling.

chevrolux

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#1888184 23-Oct-2017 17:56

I didn't think about that. I guess it would be dam hard to sync the stream on each speaker.

Yea there is just normal twin speaker wire there too.. I just don't really want to buy expensive amps and switches and then still have to integrate with home assistant.

Aredwood

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#1888303 23-Oct-2017 23:52

What are you trying to achieve? The ability to play different music in different rooms at the same time? Or a single music source with the ability to control the volume and mute the music in different rooms?

Maybe get some amplifier boards of aliexpress and pair each one to a raspberry Pi? If you want different music sources for each room. Otherwise just connect lots of those amplifiers to your audio signal source. And use Home assistant to switch them on and off. Amplifiers are cheap enough nowadays that there is no need to have to use complex impedance matching boxes to be able to control lots of separate speakers running off 1 amplifier.

Alot of those 12V amplifiers will give you similar per channel power output compared to the inbuilt amplifier in a car headunit.

richms

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#1888308 24-Oct-2017 00:32

better option if a pi is the source is these https://www.aliexpress.com/item/X400-Expansion-Board-for-Raspberry-Pi-2-Model-B-Raspberry-Pi-Model-B/32633442393.html - have an ok i2s dac on them, the pis onboard analog out is trash. Also powers the pi off the save 12-24v wall wart so only one supply needed.

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greenbone

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#1888850 24-Oct-2017 17:46

im looking for something similar, for a whole home broadcast system. something to play chime.avi when the doorbell is pushed

blakamin

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#1888851 24-Oct-2017 17:50

You'd be amazed at how well Google Home, mini, and chromecast audios sync.

I just picked up the mini for the kitchen, have the normal home in the lounge, and a CC audio connected to a Sony amp outside. Absolutely all in sync perfectly.

So, basically, get a chromecast audio and small amp for each pair of speakers, create groups, send audio to that group, enjoy.

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pbgben

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#1888852 24-Oct-2017 17:51

If you run the cat5/6 then just terminate the ends into a small amp in the cupboard.

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richms

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#1888871 24-Oct-2017 18:09

You can sync up the chromecasts with the delay options in the app to a really good match. Next play to the group and they will be out and need a few to 10s of ms correction again.

Richard rich.ms

blakamin

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#1888876 24-Oct-2017 18:14

richms: You can sync up the chromecasts with the delay options in the app to a really good match. Next play to the group and they will be out and need a few to 10s of ms correction again.

Haven't corrected anything, and I'm streaming The Sound NZ, in Australia.

I've obviously only just added the mini,but I've done it with the GH since release. Never adjusted anything.

chevrolux

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#1888880 24-Oct-2017 18:21

Aredwood:

What are you trying to achieve? The ability to play different music in different rooms at the same time? Or a single music source with the ability to control the volume and mute the music in different rooms?

Maybe get some amplifier boards of aliexpress and pair each one to a raspberry Pi? If you want different music sources for each room. Otherwise just connect lots of those amplifiers to your audio signal source. And use Home assistant to switch them on and off. Amplifiers are cheap enough nowadays that there is no need to have to use complex impedance matching boxes to be able to control lots of separate speakers running off 1 amplifier.

Alot of those 12V amplifiers will give you similar per channel power output compared to the inbuilt amplifier in a car headunit.

Hmmm yea I have been way overthinking it.

I just want to do a full house audio system, but refuse to pay for a proper solution (mainly because we are building a house, and secondly cos it will be a bit of fun to build). So I sort of envisioned having to find a matrix switch that has the ability to interface over the network and I could get talking with home assistant. Then hook that up to a few amps for the zones throughout the house.

I didn't realise you could get little amplifier boards like that! Then a Pi for each zone I want would be able to do the input from whatever source I want. And there is bound to be some software that will sort that for me and link with home assistant - maybe Squeezebox?

Also, wow... I need to look at Aliexpress more. I've been on there getting the bits for a multisensor like Talkeit's. Clearly need to trust it a bit more and have a decent look.

chevrolux

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#1888883 24-Oct-2017 18:22

blakamin:

You'd be amazed at how well Google Home, mini, and chromecast audios sync.

I just picked up the mini for the kitchen, have the normal home in the lounge, and a CC audio connected to a Sony amp outside. Absolutely all in sync perfectly.

So, basically, get a chromecast audio and small amp for each pair of speakers, create groups, send audio to that group, enjoy.

That also sounds like an awesome idea. Would probably have higher WAF than other options too!