Home audio & video: Newbie - Whole House Speaker Setup

Whole house audio can be tricky

First of all who wired your house? Was it a hometheater installer, Geeksquad/Firedog, or was it gaurdian security. This is important because they use two different standards for setting things up. Gaurdian security typically uses a system called BENQ wich works with cat-5 cable, these systems dont typically work very well in my experiance. However, if a actual hometheater installer wired your house it should be done the right way. If it is done the right way you should purchase the following items.
1-Speaker selector- this allows you distribute sound to your speakers.
2-Receiver- This goes without saying, You may want look into a "multi zone" receiver because this gives you more flexibility and options.
3-Volume controls- your house should already have these installed in every room, but i have seen houses that didnt have any.
The whole process can be confusing. You may want to consult a profession to have it done right. A good multi zone HDMI Receiver will cost you around $600. In my experience haveing a good receiver makes a world of difference. As far as hooking it up, that all depends on what type of system you have installed. Please let me know if you have any more questions, or if this was of any help.