In-Ceiling, Multiroom System - Recommendations

[shnooby]

Yo guys, my brother bought an old house that has an in-ceiling, multiroom audio system that he has put me in charge of changing. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to get speakers or a decent, but cheap(preferably less than 300 dollars) in-wall receiver?(I can't find them any cheaper) Right now we plan to go to Amazon, buy the in-ceiling speakers, and then hook them up to a regular home receiver that is on the shelf somewhere. And what gauge wire should I be using to run throughout the attic? We decided on 16 gauge right now, but if there are any objections, please let me know.

 

[americanaudiophile]

There are many brands of in ceiling speakers. Most of them are garbage. Stick with speakers from regular speaker companies such as Paradigm, Revel, Polk, etc or well known specialty speaker makers such as Sonance.
Don't know what you mean by in wall receiver? You can use a standard stereo receiver if it has enough power and stability. If you are using more speakers than the receiver has connections for you will need a speaker impedance selector box which will also allow you to turn individual pairs off and on. If you plan to use more than one pair at a time you may want a separate volume control for each pair. If you want the ability to zone the house you can get a surround sound receiver with this feature.
16ga will be fine. If the runs are greater than 35-50' then 14ga will be better for those.
You don't mention sources but I would suggest getting a Sonos Connect eventually. That will let you access internet radio, internet music services and all your music files and control it with your phone.