[Hardware] Recommendations for video/sound setup to use with OSMC

Hi!

I used to have a Philips soundbar which died after two years (arghh), which was connected to my Raspberry Pi 3 and then connected to my TV using ARC.

Since the soundbar is no more, I’ve decided I would try to improve my setup, also replacing my TV by a nice projector. Then, my requirements would be:

  • Minimal cabling: Ideally, the raspberry would be close to the projector, which (I think) means the sound system should be wireless, since the projector will be sitting behind my couch.
  • Sound: I’m happy with 2.1 right now, although I would like to keep myself open to upgrading this in the future.
  • I would also like to add the possibility of playing music from my raspberry pi to my bedroom, using some kind of wireless system.
  • Price: Below 1000$, but I should be able to spend more if needed. My point is I don’t need super high end sound, so I’m willing to pay for features but not for super incredible sound quality.
  • Nice to have: bluetooth sound, so I can use headphones when I want to be quiet. Independent “play zones” would be nice, but very low in the list of priorities.
  • Coding: I don’t mind if I need to code a bit to make some things work (I am reasonably proficient in python).

I’ve done quite a bit of research and I’ve arrived at the conclusion that things like Sonos are a no go, since I think I need an AV receiver. Then I saw the Denon HEOS and Yamaha MusicCast, which look quite promising (but quite expensive!). Are these the best options or could/should I go more “custom” or simple?

All recommendations/experiences are very welcome!

Thanks a lot in advance,
Albert

Hellow Albert
What has your project evolved?

I am thinking about sth similar, but being new to raspberry and the like I am keen on getting feedback and advice.
I want to run my home music server with Vero 4k+ with a HDD/SSD attached so that this is a noisless, fanless alternative to a fullscale NAS.
I don’t want to connect the Vero 4k+ directly to a TV but via ethernet my home network that inculdes a couple of Yamaha loudspeakers (MusicCast multiroom enabeled).

Now I am mainly concerned about one issue:
Can MusicCast recognize the Vero 4k+ media server and readout the tags properly? As a quick and dirty alternative I have connected an HDD to my Fritz!Box (wifi hub with some media server functionality). MusicCast can read out the files but not tags on flac-files. That makes it very clumsy to use. Will Vero 4k+ remmedy that? Does anybody have experience with Vero 4k+ & MusicCast or an alternative suggestion?

Thanks for your support and advice.
Cheers LeDoc