Choosing a multi-room audio streaming system

Multi-room music set-ups used to be the preserve of luxury flats that only a Premiership footballer could afford.

But although most multi-room systems are still quite pricey there are more and more set-ups available that fall within the reach of the average gadget lover.

You can create a simple multi-room audio system using just a couple of network audio streamers. These devices create a wireless link to a Wi-Fi-enabled PC, access music files stored on the hard disk and then relay the music to a stereo by a wired connection.

It means that a box sat discreetly near to a stereo can play songs copied from CDs, although most cannot play music purchased from iTunes because Apple will not license its copy-protection software.

They generally have small mono screens that let you navigate through the library of tacks stored on the PC to find the ones you want to play.

Good examples include the the Slim Devices Squeezebox V3, which costs around £250 and the Roku Soundbridge M1000 which is available for £150.

Unlike the others here, the Roku will play tracks downloaded from sites that offer protected WMA files, but not those from subscription services like Napster To Go.

For more advanced features such as seamlessly switch a track from one device to another as you move between rooms, you'll need a multicast device.

Yamaha's MusicCAST costs £1,800 and has a built-in 200Gb hard drive as well as a CD player, FM tuner and auxiliary sockets. The device uses its own wireless network to connect to additional satellite units, which can be bought for £600 each.

Alternatively, the Sonos network music player accesses tracks from a PC hard disk and sreams music to satellite units called Zoneplayers.

The cheaper ZP-80 model is designed to be connected to an existing stereo system via the auxiliary connector on the rear while the larger ZP-100 players have a built-in ampplifier so you can act as standalone units.

A Sonos set-up isn’t as pricey as the MusicCast system but it’s still expensive. For example, a bundle consisting of the wireless controller and two ZP-100 units costs £950.

If you’re working to a tighter budget you may want to look at the Philips WACS700 .

The basic bundle consists of two large portable-stereo-type devices and costs £600. The main unit has a built-in 40GB hard drive for storing tunes and can be used to feed music out over Wi-Fi to the secondary satellite device (which doesn’t have a hard drive).

Both units can also be set-up to stream music from a PC that’s also connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

Adding a wireless capability to a PC

Most media streamers work over a wireless network, but if you don’t have a wireless network at home don’t worry, it’s easy to set one up. All you need is a wireless router that you attach to your broadband connection and a wireless adaptor for the PC.

Wireless routers are available for both ADSL and cable broadband connections so make sure you choose the right type.

For example, the Linksys WRT54GS works with Ethernet-based broadband connections, such as cable modems, and costs between £50 and £60.

If you don’t want to open your PC you can opt for a USB adaptor such as the Linksys WUSB54GC which costs around £30.

Related reviews
Review: Sonos digital music system
Review: L inksys WTR54GS Travel Router