ᐅ Planning Multimedia and Smart Home Lighting in a New Build

Hello,

like many of you, I am currently planning a new build. Now, I want to make sure I don’t forget anything important when it comes to the wiring.

For example, I want to install speakers in the kitchen and bathrooms. On one hand, I definitely want to be able to send the TV sound to these speakers; on the other hand, I also want to stream music via Spotify or similar services.

What should I consider for this? Is it enough to have a LAN connection and power outlet in the appropriate spots (for example, on top of the kitchen cabinet)? And how can I easily get the TV audio to the corresponding speakers?

Also, I want to have two additional speakers near the couch, ideally with optimal sound quality and without interruptions or lag (so also with LAN cables?).

So far, I have used standard speaker cables in my current apartment. They are all connected to an amplifier (receiver) in the living room... and this works very well without any power cables. With Sonos and KNX, you can do much more and better. However, my KNX planner said you should expect to pay around 1000€ per room...

zg_11 schrieb:
Sonos and KNX offer many more and better possibilities. However, my KNX planner says you can expect to pay about 1000€ per room....

Did he also explain what exactly he wants to spend that huge amount of money on per room? I find that general statement problematic, especially since, for example, a dressing room would likely have different sound requirements than a home theater or living room.

I’m not exactly an audiophile, but for me, a Sonos Play:1 is enough for the dining room/kitchen, guest bathroom, bathroom, basement, and master bedroom. These currently cost about 160 EUR each. So roughly 5 x 160 EUR → 800 EUR for all these rooms. Wherever I already know where they should be placed, there is a LAN outlet and a power socket. It would be ideal if the Sonos Play:1 were PoE-capable. If there is no LAN, then Wi-Fi will do for now.

For the living room, I would use two Play:1 speakers as rear channels and the Soundbase as front/center. The TV is connected to the Soundbase via Toslink, meaning the signal is distributed through the whole house. I don’t yet have a use case for requiring TV sound in the dressing room, but it would be possible.
For the sake of completeness: a drawback with Toslink and Soundbars is that, to the best of my knowledge, Dolby Digital is not decodable via Toslink – at least, that is often mentioned in connection with Toslink. I don’t have expertise here and it’s not a requirement for me.

Other existing components can possibly be connected to the network with the SONOS Connect device. (Cost: 360 EUR)

Let’s add that up:
The 5 Sonos Play:1 speakers mentioned above plus two rear speakers for the living room Dolby surround add up to 7 Sonos Play:1 plus the Soundbase (650 EUR), which makes: 650 EUR + 7 x 160 EUR → 1770 EUR for everything. For all of this, you don’t need KNX; it all works with built-in functions.

You can integrate the Sonos system via the KNX IP interface (about 150 EUR) and a suitable visualization software if you really want it on the KNX bus. That’s how I do it, and my visualization/logic server will be Edomi, running on a NUC (about 200 EUR for the NUC, Edomi is free – except for time). Whether this is suitable for everyone is another matter. It’s not a plug-and-play visualization; it requires time and personal effort for configuration. I definitely like it.

In total, with KNX bus integration, we are talking about around 2000 EUR — far from the 1000 EUR per room estimate, which for 6 rooms would be 6000 EUR.

Sonos is just one of many solutions. I like it because I can start small and gradually expand. Where there is no network, it works over Wi-Fi – also portable, for example on the terrace. And with the Echo Dot, you can control it by voice and have Alexa quietly fart in every room. No joke: just try “Alexa, fart”...

I can only share what he told me. For stereo sound, you need multiple amplifiers, along with the corresponding equipment in the control cabinet and the wiring throughout the house, including installation in the ceiling, and so on.

The other option is to have a Sonos speaker on the desk in each room, plugged into a regular power outlet and controlled via smartphone. However, that is not KNX; any Bluetooth speaker can do that... it really depends on what you want or expect.

Salus_86 schrieb:
I would like to install speakers in the kitchen and the bathrooms, for example.

Are you planning to install ceiling speakers? If so, keep in mind that each speaker will require a concrete ceiling box, which could be a cost factor depending on who you work with (general contractor, trade contractor, or architect) and the construction method (precast concrete slabs, cast-in-place concrete, suspended ceilings). I think the speaker cables are usually the least expensive part in terms of cost. However, it depends on exactly what you want.

zg_11 schrieb:
The other option: one Sonos per room on the desk, plugged into a regular power outlet, and controlled via smartphone.

For example.

zg_11 schrieb:
But that’s not KNX, any Bluetooth speaker can do that... it always depends on what you want or expect....

I never claimed that SONOS is the same as KNX. However, you can integrate SONOS into the KNX bus system and control it accordingly. For example, you can use a switching contact (doorbell) or rules (washing machine cycle finished...) to play sounds on different SONOS clients.

I seriously doubt that “any Bluetooth speaker” can do that, especially multiroom setups or grouping speakers into zones. Assigning different streams to speakers or zones so that, for example, relaxing music plays in the bathroom while the teenager enjoys metal anthems in the basement.

So then, what exactly is KNX?