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Pipe music to kitchen

I want to pipe music from my living room system to my small kitchen. I do not need a separate source for the kitchen. I want sound that will be fun while working in the kitchen -- good mid-fi will be fine. Seeking good rhythm, mid-range clarity, and reasonably smooth response within realistically limited frequency range. Speakers will be mounted on-wall.

Space is a challenge -- don’t want to give up the All-Clad for stereo. I just need amplification and volume control. I’ve got an old Harman-Kardon PM640 integrated that would perform the job well, but are there any more compact options you can think of?

How about running the line-level signal from my living room preamp to the kitchen? Distance as the sparrow flies would be about 30’, but I’ll probably need to allow 45-50 feet of cabling. What kind and price-range of cabling should I be looking for?

There have been many appropriate speaker suggestions made in other threads, but feel free to suggest your favorite tiny speakers. I have a pair of Linn Sekrits available for use that sound great, but unfortunately, they’re too big.

What do you think about going mono with one speaker in this situation?

Thanks, Jayson
jayboard
danvetc
527 posts
 
My experience suggests that Ernie, (Suburuguru,) has a good idea. I think you might like to avoid running into the other room to control what is playing. I would also suggest that you go mono, but use a pair of speakers. There can be no stereo "sweet spot" in the kitchen, unless you are just stirring soup.
The excellent Paradigm Atom is light and is ready for wall mounting. I have a pair of these, and they would be great. Anything from PSB would be great too, but they are heavier and you have to drill your own cabinet mounting holes. This will be fun. Good luck. Charlie
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,614 posts
 
I have always used a radio in places with separate/isolated kitchens.

I do not use radio as a source in Hifi setups, but enjoyed listening to it while cooking (my old radio was a KLH Model 21).

People seem to like the new Tivoli radios which look similar to vintage KLH.

If you end up using extension speakers and CD as a source then pick up a relay device (for the remote control) @ Radio Shack for around $75. This will allow a basic remote control unit to operate from a different room.
jayboard OP
301 posts
 
Thanks, all, for the variety of ideas. Charlie, I do want to run the source from the living room, so I can wander from kitchen to DR to LR, as I often do, under the spell of the same music. Sfar's little amp sounds perfect, but if the cd/receiver unit of a microsystem had a line-in, that would also work and would provide some added flexibility. Dekay's post reminds me my Tivoli radio does have a line-in, but I am going to want more boogie-ing power than that.

Assuming I go with mid-fi amplification and something on the order of Atoms or little B&Ws, can anyone suggest what to look for in a very long interconnect?

In my prior house, I ran a second set of speaker cables from my integrated amp to the kitchen speakers, through a Niles impedance multiplier and volume control. But I'm thinking I should do it differently this time.
danvetc
527 posts
 
Hey Jay,

In my vet clinic, I use the Niles box and volume control, as you describe, for background music in the reception area and for a little company during surgery. (It would help if the phone wrang in the kitchen during the heat of battle, no?) That would work if you decided to go with the present system you already have and pipe it into the kitchen.

If you went with long interconnects, it seems to me, (and I freely admit I am not a cable freak,) I might look for something from the catalogues of the DJ type suppliers. They alway have to make long runs, (as do recording engineers in many cases.) You could check a supplier like American Musical Supply:

http://www.americanmusical.com/home.asp?UID=2002091105525020

Good luck,

Charlie
mejames
986 posts
 
just crank up the volume on your main system and leave the doors between the system and kitchen opened.
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