Many discussions of multi-room audio surround how to stream any song or playlist across your house from Pandora, Deezer, Tidal, etc. Have a bunch of digital music on MP3? We can make all of those songs available in any room of your house! And in smart systems like Control4, streaming platforms are automatically integrated.

But what if you’re a vinyl enthusiast and want to play your LPs on your new multi-room audio system? Or maybe you own a collection of sentimental mix CDs. Are those obsolete now? We say no. There are plenty of ways to connect your vinyl, CDs, and even TV to your whole home audio. Continue reading to learn how!

SEE ALSO: Trends to Bring to Your Multi-Room Audio System This Year

Vinyl

It’s fun to collect stacks of vinyl, but even more fun to listen to them. If you own a whole home audio system, you’ll want to be able to include your records in the experience. If you’re hosting a party, you and musically inclined guests can congregate by the turntable while the rest of the house listens on through multi-room speakers.

If you have a phono input inside your audio receiver, you’re in luck. All you’ll need to do is connect your turntable’s audio signal cable into the receiver phono input, most likely labeled “PHONO.” Otherwise, you’ll need a phono preamplifier to connect your turntable to the system. Outboard phono preamps often contain superior sound quality circuitry and allow you to adjust for better audio, so consider using one even if you do have a built-in phono input. From there, the audio will connect to your speakers, either through wires or a wireless setup.

TV

You can also connect your TV or home theater to multi-room audio, which is useful in many scenarios. Maybe you’re playing music videos and want to listen to the tunes as you walk away from the media room. Perhaps the game’s on, and you want your guests to hear the score while mingling in the other room. Or maybe you’re playing music channels on your TV while artists and song names are shown on display.

Much like a turntable, you’ll need to connect your speakers to the home theater receiver. For a multi-zone and multi-source system (i.e., to use both your turntable, TV, and other sources), you’ll need a control system to send either line-level signals to an amplifier in select rooms or built-in amplifiers that send speaker-level signals to select rooms. If you already have home network wiring installed throughout your house, you can distribute audio signals through the same wires. Wireless technology also uses Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to connect your receiver to speakers, as long as they are compatible.

CDs

Don’t forget CDs! With a multi-source and multi-room setup, you’ll be able to connect your CD player of choice to the receiver. If you’re using a wireless over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth system, the auxiliary input will still let you connect a CD player or even a tape player. That way, you won’t have to toss out your music collection; you can still enjoy your favorites over a new multi-zone system.

Does setting up an audio system sound like a headache? We’re here to help. Call Total Home Technologies at (877) 550-5150 or contact us online here.