Most people like the idea of having something playing quietly in the background as they go about their business, and every whole-house music system can do that with ease. Custom electronics (CE) professionals call this “sonic wallpaper.”
Ask yourself what kinds of music you want distributed throughout your house and how you’d like to control that music, says Scott Fuelling of Phoenix Unequaled Home Entertainment in Memphis. If you’d like to be able to play music from a few different sources—like a CD player, satellite receiver and iPod docking station—and be able to control the music from something slightly more sophisticated than a basic volume control knob, he recommends building your system around a distribution processor that has built-in amplification. 

Approximate cost (including equipment and labor): $10,000 to $12,000

SAMPLE SYSTEM (4 ZONES, 8 SOURCES)
Distribution/amplification processor: Control4 8AMP1-B 4-Zone Amplifier with Control4 C4-HC300-E-B Controller
Touchscreen (for primary listening area): Control4 C4-TSWM7-E-B
Rotary-style volume controls (one for each 3 remaining zones): Control4 KPZ-10B1-W
In-ceiling speakers (a pair for each zone): Jamo 8.5A2