[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":171},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-whole-home-audio-vs-smart-speakers-en-US":3},{"guide":4,"related":151},{"title":5,"seoTitle":6,"description":7,"summary":8,"sections":9,"faq":109,"date":125,"service":126,"order":127,"sources":128,"slug":149,"locale":150},"Whole-home audio vs smart speakers, and what to pre-wire during a renovation","Whole-Home Audio vs Smart Speakers","How in-ceiling speakers, streaming amplifiers and smart speakers compare, and which speaker wire, fire ratings and routes to plan while NYC walls are open.","If walls or ceilings will be open during a renovation, run speaker wire even if you plan to use smart speakers for now. Cable is inexpensive, while opening finished plaster later is slow and costly. Smart speakers suit finished homes, rentals and one to three rooms; in-ceiling speakers driven by streaming or multi-zone amplifiers suit gut renovations and homes that want music in many rooms.",[10,39,50,59,64,72,77,105],{"heading":11,"paragraphs":12,"table":14,"after":37},"Three ways to play music in several rooms",[13],"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.",{"caption":15,"head":16,"rows":21},"Multi-room audio architectures",[17,18,19,20],"System","How it works","Best suited to","Limitations",[22,27,32],[23,24,25,26],"Smart speakers (Sonos Era, Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo)","Self-powered speakers on Wi-Fi, one or more per room","Finished homes, rentals, one to three rooms","Visible boxes, an outlet at each speaker, performance depends on Wi-Fi",[28,29,30,31],"Streaming amplifier per zone (Sonos Amp, WiiM Amp Pro or Amp Ultra, Bluesound Powernode)","A compact amplifier drives passive in-ceiling or in-wall speakers for one zone","Two to six zones, renovations of one or two floors","Each zone needs its own amplifier, outlet and network connection",[33,34,35,36],"Central multi-zone amplifier (Sonos Amp Multi, multichannel amplifier with streamers, control-system matrix)","Every speaker cable runs back to one equipment rack","Six or more zones, gut renovations, new construction, small commercial spaces","Requires a ventilated equipment location and more design work",[38],"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.",{"heading":40,"paragraphs":41,"list":43,"after":48},"Current streaming amplifiers, as of October 2026",[42],"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.",[44,45,46,47],"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.",[49],"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.",{"heading":51,"list":52},"Speaker wiring that remains useful for decades",[53,54,55,56,57,58],"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\u002F4 or 14\u002F4) to a single location when one stereo speaker or later flexibility is planned.","Pre-wire a 16\u002F4 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.",{"heading":60,"paragraphs":61},"Cable fire ratings and separation from power wiring",[62,63],"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.",{"heading":65,"list":66},"Installation conditions in New York City buildings",[67,68,69,70,71],"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.",{"heading":73,"paragraphs":74},"When smart speakers are the better choice",[75,76],"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.",{"heading":78,"paragraphs":79,"table":81},"Equipment location and pre-wire checklist",[80],"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.",{"caption":82,"head":83,"rows":86},"What to record for each room before the walls close",[84,85],"Item","What to plan",[87,90,93,96,99,102],[88,89],"Speaker locations","Left and right positions placed for the listening area, not aligned with the recessed lights; distance from walls noted",[91,92],"Cable","Gauge, conductor count and fire rating for each run, home-run to the equipment location",[94,95],"Volume control or keypad","Wall box location with 16\u002F4 or Cat6 cable",[97,98],"Network","Cat6 to each television, amplifier and streamer location",[100,101],"Surround sound","Speaker cable for future surrounds behind a television, even if a soundbar is used for now",[103,104],"Documentation","Labels at both ends, photographs with measurements, coiled slack protected by a bracket or mud ring",{"heading":106,"paragraphs":107},"How we plan and install whole-home audio",[108],"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.",[110,113,116,119,122],{"q":111,"a":112},"Can Sonos be used with in-ceiling speakers?","Yes. A Sonos Amp drives passive in-ceiling or in-wall speakers for one zone, and the Sonos Amp Multi drives up to four zones from one rack unit. Sonos Architectural speakers are designed for this use, and other passive speakers can be used within the amplifier's impedance limits.",{"q":114,"a":115},"What gauge speaker wire is used for in-ceiling speakers?","16 AWG suits most runs up to about 50 feet at 8 ohms. Use 14 AWG for runs of 50 to 100 feet or for 4-ohm loads, and 12 AWG for longer or high-power runs. Measure the routed path, not the straight-line distance.",{"q":117,"a":118},"Does in-wall speaker cable need to be CL2 or CL3?","In-wall cable must carry at least a CL2 rating, and CL3 is preferred. Runs between floors in shafts require riser-rated CL2R or CL3R cable, and plenum ceilings require CL2P or CL3P cable.",{"q":120,"a":121},"Can in-ceiling speakers be added without opening the ceiling?","Often, yes, by fishing cable through accessible paths such as attics, closets and joist bays that run in the right direction. In plaster ceilings this takes more labor and usually some patching and painting, which is why pre-wiring during a renovation is recommended.",{"q":123,"a":124},"Will in-ceiling speakers disturb a downstairs neighbor?","Some sound transfers through any ceiling. Back boxes and careful placement reduce it, and many co-op and condominium alteration agreements specify what is required. We review those requirements before the design is final.","2026-10-25","low-voltage",70,[129,133,137,141,145],{"title":130,"url":131,"publisher":132},"Sonos bursts from the shadows with a bespoke amp, more to come","https:\u002F\u002F9to5google.com\u002F2026\u002F01\u002F27\u002Fsonos-launches-amp-multi-professional-amplifier\u002F","9to5Google",{"title":134,"url":135,"publisher":136},"Sonos Introduces Amp Multichannel Streaming Amplifier","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.residentialsystems.com\u002Ftechnology\u002Faudio\u002Fsonos-introduces-amp-multichannel-streaming-amplifier","Residential Systems",{"title":138,"url":139,"publisher":140},"WiiM Amp Ultra review","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.whathifi.com\u002Fhi-fi\u002Fmusic-streamers\u002Fwiim-amp-ultra","What Hi-Fi?",{"title":142,"url":143,"publisher":144},"Local Law 128 of 2024 (2025 New York City Electrical Code)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nyc.gov\u002Fassets\u002Fbuildings\u002Flocal_laws\u002Fll128of2024.pdf","NYC Department of Buildings",{"title":146,"url":147,"publisher":148},"Revisions to cable requirements in the 2023 National Electrical Code","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cablinginstall.com\u002Fstandards\u002Farticle\u002F14276764\u002Frevisions-to-cable-requirements-in-the-2023-national-electrical-code","Cabling Installation & Maintenance","whole-home-audio-vs-smart-speakers","en-US",[152,158,162,167],{"slug":153,"title":154,"description":155,"service":156,"date":157},"nyc-renovation-permits","NYC permits for renovation, electrical and plumbing work","Which renovation, electrical and plumbing jobs need a NYC Department of Buildings permit, who files it, and what changes on Long Island.","electrical","2026-10-24",{"slug":159,"title":160,"description":161,"service":156,"date":157},"electrical-panel-upgrade","Electrical panel and service upgrades for NYC and Long Island homes","When an older NYC or Long Island home needs a new panel or a bigger electrical service, what the work involves, and how long it takes.",{"slug":163,"title":164,"description":165,"service":166,"date":125},"ev-charging-without-service-upgrade","EV charging without an expensive service upgrade","Load sharing, CT-clamp load management, dryer-outlet sharing and right-sized chargers: ways to add EV charging in NYC and Long Island without upgrading your electrical service.","ev-charging",{"slug":168,"title":169,"description":170,"service":166,"date":157},"ev-charger-installation","Installing a home EV charger in NYC or Long Island","Level 1 vs Level 2 charging, panel capacity, permits, Tesla Powershare, and what to know for houses and buildings in NYC and Long Island.",1792924280023]