Creating a music system for your entire home or multiple rooms can seem daunting to those who don’t do it every day. But like many things in life, seemingly difficult tasks can be accomplished with some forethought and planning. Just like following a recipe, it’s helpful to have the necessary ingredients and tools set aside ahead of time.

Before you start measuring speaker wire lengths or moving furniture, you should determine what features and audio connections you want from a system. Compare your needs to what your current equipment or setup provides. This will help determine what (if any) purchases need to be made or whether hiring a contractor is necessary. The following checklist will help you assess your needs and determine the best way to plan your whole-home or multi-room audio system.

The first thing to think about is how many rooms or zones you want to include in your whole house system. This will quickly tell you what equipment you need and give you an idea of the size of the installation. Keep in mind:

You'll also want to look at the available connections. A simple two-room system can be set up using the Speaker B switch on your receiver. Many AV receivers have multi-zone capabilities that can support additional sets of speakers and sources. If your receiver doesn't have enough connections, you might consider using an inexpensive speaker selector switch. Also consider the following: