ᐅ Experience with in-wall radios?

Tolentino schrieb:

Don't you really have space for a proper radio in any cabinet? The sound quality is quite poor.
And you could also take a regular radio on vacation or something like that.

There is actually enough space, but I find the built-in solution somehow neater 🙂

I can understand that—it gives a bit of a hotel vibe and makes an impression. However, it’s mostly just for show, and a decorative feature mainly serves those who want to impress.

I’d rather have a decent radio or Bluetooth speaker on the shelf—you can also use that elsewhere.

I mean, sure, the Magnat speakers you’re considering are definitely better quality, but you can’t just connect them to a built-in (in-wall) radio. You’ll need an amplifier for that. At that point, you’re already spending an amount of money that I wouldn’t want to invest in a bathroom, especially for the maximum of a 15-minute (0.25 hour) shower.

Maybe if you’re someone who likes long, frequent baths, it could make sense. But then I’d personally go for a classic stereo setup, which again requires quite a bit of space.

Bauenaberwie schrieb:

There is actually enough space, but I find the built-in solution somehow cleaner 🙂

One of the few things we invested in when building our house 9 years ago. Without Bluetooth, that wasn’t really common back then.
We have a good installation spot, namely the platform behind the toilet, which is larger in our case due to the sloping roof, so we have a very large resonating body for the sound… but to be honest, nowadays I would probably just use a Sonos speaker or something similar. They look stylish and are flexible… Even in our caravan, we have a small Bluetooth radio device that you can control via phone.

Tolentino schrieb:

I can understand that, it does have a hotel-like vibe and makes an impression. But it’s mostly about appearance rather than substance, and a false front mainly serves those looking to show off.
Better to have a decent radio or Bluetooth speaker on a shelf – you can use it elsewhere as well.
I mean, your planned Magnat speakers are definitely higher quality, but you can’t just connect them directly to an in-wall radio. You need an amplifier for that. And by then, you’re back to a price range I wouldn’t spend on a bathroom for a maximum 15-minute shower.
Maybe if you’re the type who loves long, frequent baths, but then I’d rather go for a classic stereo setup, and that also requires space.

My bathroom is not a showroom to impress anyone, so it’s unrelated to that. It simply needs to be as easy as possible, and the built-in option works best for that. Unless there are mobile speakers that turn on just by connecting via Bluetooth. That’s the advantage of the Gira socket. Into the bathroom, Bluetooth on, done. No buttons to press. We have a few Bluetooth speakers that work great for the living or terrace area, but in the bathroom I don’t really see them except for sound quality.

I don’t have a clear overview right now, but I’m fairly sure there are speakers that allow standby wake-up via Bluetooth.

also turn it on ... mmmh my Alexa Show 10 responds to voice commands, shows me the time and weather, and plays my favorite music at the same time. It can even be controlled from the shower. You don’t have to like Alexa, but I find it practical. I have, however, isolated it on its own Wi-Fi network.
I find the device stylish, the sound quality acceptable, and the price reasonable—especially if you only buy Amazon devices on Prime Day 😉