My simple wired system (Score 1)

I have a system that I love, which cost about $100 worth of wire to link existing systems. Here's how it works:

1. I already had a good computer with great audio as part of the recording studio in my basement.

2. The studio's firewire audio interface outputs to an 8-channel Behringer headphone distribution amp (and another headphone amp for actual headphones).

3. Nearly every room in the house already had a stereo or computer sound system.

4. I bought long cheap headphone extension cables from yourcablestore.com. Most were 25 to 100 feet long and my total was under $100.

5. I ran the cables from the headphone distribution amp to each room's sound system. Since computer speaker systems typically use 1/8" stereo headphone connectors, it all plugged together without any adaptation.

6. Now when Pandora is playing in the studio, any room of the house can choose that source (the wire from the studio) and be on the house "channel."

7. Using a netbook, I can RDP to the studio computer and control the music wirelessly. I also added an RF remote (ATI Remote Wonder) so I can use that to skip/pause songs in Winamp all over the house.

This system works well for us. There aren't the latency issues you find in network-based distribution, so all the rooms are in sync. Maybe not in perfect phase, but I can't tell while roaming around cleaning. I've played with wiring in different sources, so for example we can listen to the Satellite or an ipod upstairs on the desk. I've ran video out to the projector in the theater so one wall of the house can enjoy milkdrop visualizations. All fun geeky ways to pass the time, but ultimately it's a fairly simple system that even the less geeky inhabitants can use.

It's fun to crank the whole place up at once; many watts of power and countless speakers at my command!