Whole-home audio vs smart speakers, and what to pre-wire during a renovation

Three ways to play music in several rooms

Multi-room audio falls into three architectures. They differ in where the amplification sits, how much cable is required and how much of the equipment remains visible in the room.

Many homes combine the approaches: in-ceiling speakers in the kitchen, living room, bathrooms and outdoor areas, and smart speakers in bedrooms. Running speaker wire during the renovation keeps every one of these options open.

Current streaming amplifiers, as of October 2026

The amplifier determines how many speakers each zone can drive and which apps and voice services the system supports. The models below are common choices for in-ceiling systems.

• Sonos Amp: 125 watts per channel into 8 ohms across two channels, for one stereo pair or two mono zones.
• Sonos Amp Multi, announced January 27, 2026: eight outputs at 125 watts into 8 ohms, up to four independent zones and up to 24 Sonos Architectural speakers in a fanless 2U rack unit, with integration for Control4, Crestron and Lutron. It is sold through professional installers; confirm availability and pricing at the time of purchase.
• WiiM Amp Pro and Amp Ultra: compact streaming amplifiers rated at 60 and 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms, with AirPlay 2, Chromecast and Spotify Connect.
• Bluesound Powernode: 80 watts per channel into 8 ohms, HDMI eARC for a television and Gigabit Ethernet, running the BluOS platform.

Sonos, WiiM and Bluesound each use their own app. Products from different brands work together mainly through AirPlay 2 or Chromecast, so it is best to choose one platform for the house. Connecting two 8-ohm speakers in parallel on one channel lowers the load to 4 ohms, so check the amplifier specification before placing several pairs on one output.

Speaker wiring that remains useful for decades

• Home-run each speaker pair, or each speaker, directly to the equipment location. Daisy-chaining from room to room limits the system to the amplifier you buy today.
• Select the gauge by routed length: 16 AWG for most in-ceiling runs up to about 50 feet at 8 ohms, 14 AWG for 50 to 100 feet or for 4-ohm loads, and 12 AWG for long or high-power runs. Measure the actual path through joists and walls and add 10 to 20 percent.
• Use 2-conductor cable for each speaker of a stereo pair, or 4-conductor cable (16/4 or 14/4) to a single location when one stereo speaker or later flexibility is planned.
• Pre-wire a 16/4 cable or a Cat6 cable to each volume-control or keypad location, even if you expect to control the system from an app. Where many speakers share one amplifier channel, the amplifier manual will indicate whether impedance-matching volume controls are needed.
• Run one Cat6 cable to every amplifier location and every television. Wired streaming is considerably more reliable than Wi-Fi in plaster and masonry homes.
• Label both ends of every cable, leave 2 to 3 feet of slack at each speaker location, and photograph the open ceiling with a tape measure in view before it is closed.

Cable fire ratings and separation from power wiring

Speaker cable inside walls and ceilings must carry a listed in-wall rating. CL2 is the minimum and CL3 is preferred, because CL3 may replace CL2 but not the reverse. Vertical runs through shafts between floors require riser-rated CL2R or CL3R cable, and ceilings used as return-air plenums, which are common in small offices, require plenum-rated CL2P or CL3P cable. Unrated lamp cord inside a wall does not meet code. In New York City these rules are in Article 725 of the 2025 NYC Electrical Code, which is based on the 2020 NEC; on Long Island, where a job is inspected under the 2023 NEC, the cable-type rules are in Article 722.

Under NYC section 725.136(I), speaker and other Class 2 or Class 3 cable is kept at least 2 inches from power conductors unless the power wiring is in raceway or in NM, MC, AC or UF cable, or a fixed nonconductor separates them. Where speaker cable must cross power wiring, it crosses at a right angle. The NYC version of 725.24 also requires exposed cable to be supported by approved non-combustible straps, staples, ties or hangers, which matters in unfinished basements and equipment closets.

Installation conditions in New York City buildings

• Brownstones and row houses: floor joists in many of these buildings span between the party walls, so a run from the front of the house to the back crosses every joist. The route is planned while the ceiling is open, because fishing the same run through plaster later is slow.
• Plaster ceilings: in-ceiling speakers need a clean, stable cut, and new-construction brackets installed during rough-in give the speaker a solid mount and a fixed location.
• Co-ops and condominiums: many alteration agreements restrict speakers in a ceiling shared with the unit above or require back boxes. Back boxes reduce sound transfer to neighbors and improve bass response, but they do not eliminate transmission. Review the alteration agreement before the design is final.
• Fire-rated assemblies: an opening in a rated ceiling between units, or in a multifamily corridor, requires a listed fire-rated speaker enclosure or a tested firestop detail. This is resolved during design, not after inspection.
• Bathrooms and outdoor areas: use speakers rated for moisture or exterior use, and cable rated for wet locations or direct burial where it runs outside.

When smart speakers are the better choice

Smart speakers are the practical choice when no renovation is planned, when the home is a rental, when only one or two rooms need music, or when you want a built-in voice assistant and equipment you can take with you. Current models perform well, and a stereo pair of smart speakers in a living room is often sufficient.

Smart speakers are not entirely wireless. Each one needs an outlet nearby, which is electrical work to plan at rough-in, and each depends on a strong Wi-Fi signal. In a brick or plaster home, a wired network connection or a well-placed access point resolves most dropouts.

Equipment location and pre-wire checklist

Amplifiers, network switches and recorders produce heat. The equipment location needs a dedicated outlet, a network connection and an air path such as a louvered door, a vent or a small thermostat-controlled exhaust fan. A closed closet without airflow shortens equipment life. Outlets and circuits are installed by our licensed electrical partner.

How we plan and install whole-home audio

We review your floor plan, mark speaker, volume-control and equipment locations, and coordinate the rough-in with your general contractor and with the licensed electrical partner who installs the outlets, so the cable is in place and documented before the walls close. Low-voltage work is performed with our licensed partner contractors, and we provide a written estimate for the pre-wire alone or for the complete system.