Help with multi-room streaming with Bluesound


For some years now, I've been using, and enjoying,  a Bluesound Node 2i for occasional streaming on my main system. I play records, CDs, and stream. When I'm doing my serious, audiophile listening, I'm spinning vinyl. But I like the Bluesound, and enjoy having so much music available.

With a new Node about to be released in a couple of weeks, I'm planning to get one for my main rig and move the 2i to my office system. Which leads, finally, to my question:

The house my wife and I bought nearly a decade back now came with in-wall speakers in the bedroom and the adjacent bathroom. Though we've never hooked them up, I've wondered about doing so. Since I would use them only for very occasional background listening, I don't want to spend much at all on anything I might set up. What I'd like would be having what I'm playing on the Bluesound Nodes to play also through the in-wall speakers, if that's easily, and not terribly expensively, done. I recognize that I could get a little integrated amp with two sets of speaker outs and pick up a used (or closeout) Node for cheap and that would do the job, but I'm wondering if I'm perhaps missing something, if there could be an even easier way to accomplish this. If not, can anyone recommend a very inexpensive integrated amp (with two speaker outs) for such a situation? Preferably, it wouldn't be too big and would be relatively cool-running, too, as the place where it could be most-easily located is inside a smallish cabinet that just happens to be near the spot where the speaker wires come out of the wall.

Thanks for any help you all may be able to provide with this.

-- Howard

hodu
How about a bluesound powernode? It’s basically a node with a built in amp. You could hook it directly to your in wall speakers and wouldn’t need any other boxes or components.

Any reason you are wanting to replace your existing node 2i with the new version? Unless there is a specific feature they added on the new model you want, I would stay with the 2i.
Thanks for the suggestion. Two reasons I'd not been considering a Power Node: 1) I'm not sure that one can hook up two pairs of speakers to those units; 2) I'd thought it was a bit of overkill for what I'd be using it for.

As for your question, "Any reason you are wanting to replace your existing node 2i with the new version?" I'd been planning to get another Node 2i, one for the main system, the other for the office rig, but figured I'd just wait for the next, new thing and use that in the main system. Perhaps that's unnecessary, or foolish. 
You can run two sets of speakers in series off of a single set of outputs and it will drop the resistance (two 8 ohm speakers in series is a 16 ohm load). So it would work fine from an amplifier compatibility stand point. The possible problem with this would be that both rooms would be on at the same time and would be linked to the same volume control. This would apply to any integrated with only one set of speaker outputs.

Moving to an integrated with an A/B speaker selection switch would allow you to run one set at a time or both sets together, but again it would all be controlled by the same master volume. The Yamaha AS-301 is a nice affordable integrated with A/B speaker outputs.

The other option would be to add a cheap zone control switch that gives you volume control to each zone/room.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38165&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwLKFBhDPARIsAPzPi-IJ_5JCuFi6K41l9X64C...

I have never personally used a switch like this $29 monoprice one so someone else can chime in if I am overlooking anything but with one of these inline, it wouldn’t matter if the integrated you get has multiple speaker outs. You would have independent volume control over each room.
The way I understand it you need a WiFi amp and then you can control it from the BluOS app.
One of these for each zone would work.   
https://www.arylic.com/products/arylic-a50-wifi-bluetooth-multiroom-full-digital-hifi-amplifier-with...
Test the speakers before spending any money.
You might get better SQ from a BluNode speaker.
And the you could take it outside for picnics.
"Test the speakers before spending any money."

Yes! That is such a fabulous idea -- one that I, of course, hadn't thought of. Thanks!


"You might get better SQ from a BluNode speaker."

This, too, is well worth considering.

I'll also look into that wireless thing as well as the suggestions in the previous post.

Thanks to all.

-- Howard

I think Guy has the impedance backwards.  You will be halving the impedance and can cook your amp.  It all depends on  parallel vs series.

I currently have a Node 2i into an amp.  The outputs of the amp go to a Niles impedance matching unit which allows me to run 8 pairs of speakers from 1 amp, as long as the amp has enough power.

This in turn is wired to speakers all over my house.  The Blue OS will control master volume but each room really should have independent controls.  I put a niles in wall volume in each room to adjust levels or turn it off.

This works seamlessly and sounds great.  The Node is nice and with the right amp and speakers it sounds even better.
Wiring in "parallel" halfs the impedance (two 8 ohm speakers wired in parallel equals a 4 ohm load).

Wiring in "series" as suggested has the opposite result (two 8 ohm speakers wired in series equals a 16 ohm load). 

I'm no expert but pretty sure this is correct. 
@fuzztone, what's a wifi amp? Not being snarky, I honestly have never heard of this.

I must revisit this post as I have some similar thoughts, though something seems off here?!? The bluesound can send an analog decoded signal to the optical input to my receiver??
1. if I use a home theater amp I can easily fire as many sets of speakers as the amp implies.  5.1 = 5 sets of speakers plus a sub or center channel speaker. 
2. using this method would avoid any series or parallel power losses. (Directly wiring) 

3. don’t I have to use pairs or speakers or an individual stereo speaker in each zone to give me stereo sound in each zone??  (Doesn’t this require 4 wires??)

4. As for volume attenuators, aren’t these made for a 70 volt bar/commercial system?  Can you install them and actually affect the volume of an 8 ohm non-powered speaker?

Any help is greatly appreciated.