Suggestions for wireless speakers, one in each room (1 Viewer)

The title is misleading - after looking at everyone's suggestion, it seems the best option is to get 3 speaker systems, one for each room. A more appropriate thread title would be "What speaker system would you suggest that is iPod compatible?"
First off, I apologize if this is the wrong forum. Please let me know if this is the case!
Secondly, here is the crude blueprint of her business: [1] http://i.imgur.com/EiSn1.png
My friend is starting a massage spa business and I volunteered to help her with her audio setup. Here are her requirements:

• UPDATE1: She is okay with the music not playing at the same time in all 3 rooms.
• Each room is approximately 10x10 feet
• Music should only be for ambience
• She does not plan on mounting the speakers to the ceiling because she wishes to conceal them with furniture/decoration to create a seamless experience for the customer.
• She wants to limit the budget to $300.

Any feedback/recommendation is greatly appreciated!
UPDATE1:

Jason Charlton said:

If the system HAS to play the same thing in every room, then you really are looking at a wired system across all three rooms.  If you can relax the requirement that they all play the same thing at the same time, that opens up a lot more options, and will bring the cost down.

Click to expand...

She is okay with this
UPDATE2 - Music should only be for ambience as suggested by Jason Charlton
---- end of updates ---

If your friend has a drop ceiling, I would strongly consider using ceiling mounted speakers. Ceiling mounted speakers are not obtrusive , and blend into the ceiling. The room is small enough that you can get away with one speaker per room, but 2 speakers would fill the room and you would get the benefit of hearing the music in stereo. You would need a basic Audio receiver along with a speaker selector switch that you would run the speakers into. I have seen the speaker selector switches online for around $50 bucks. You can add a volume control in each room if you desired as well if your friend ever wanted/needed different volume levels in each of the rooms

Originally Posted by nexus14 /t/322756/suggestions-for-wireless-speakers-one-in-each-room#post_3957215
I am having difficulty finding what it is that I am looking for. I type in "wireless speakers" in Amazon but it doesn't appear to help

Click to expand...

You can't find anything because there aren't any wireless systems that are any good. Especially in a "commercial" environment (the rooms may be constructed using aluminum studs, not wood), you're going to get interference and static - hardly what you want for a "relaxing" atmosphere. Heck, I tried a pair of wireless headphones at work, and even though I was less than 2 feet away from the transmitter, the reception was terrible.

$300 is pushing it, no matter how you slice it. I would think that getting extra iPods and a dock/speaker like this might actually be the cheapest approach. True, the same music won't necessarily be playing in every room at the same time, but who will notice?

What you were trying to look for is a distributed audio system - here's a package from Parts-Express - it includes four pairs of speakers, 4 volume controls, and an amplifier that can power the whole thing. Honestly, I think that's a pretty good deal ($730) for what you get - but that was the first place I looked and just grabbed that as an example - more searching might yield better results.

If the system HAS to play the same thing in every room, then you really are looking at a wired system across all three rooms. If you can relax the requirement that they all play the same thing at the same time, that opens up a lot more options, and will bring the cost down.

The problem I'm having is trying to fit this in under $300.
Rocketfish(Best Buy brand) has the RBAUX. You'd need four of them, but they cover your budget by themselves...
In short...
Run some wire...or raise the budget.
Even if you bought three RF-RBREC, you still need a sender and speakers. That won't fit a $300 budget either.
This can be done for $500.

Jason Charlton said:

If the system HAS to play the same thing in every room, then you really are looking at a wired system across all three rooms.  If you can relax the requirement that they all play the same thing at the same time, that opens up a lot more options, and will bring the cost down.

Click to expand...

I have texted her your suggestions and you have convinced her that it is no longer necessary to play the same music at the same time. However, I am unsure what sort of options open up for me
I will update the original post as well

Well...
How many ipods does she have?
There are a SLEW of other options out there now that "the same audio" is off the table.
The $300 total tally is still a tad daunting though.
Does "she" want control of what people are listening to...or is she comfortable with the person doing to massage playing their own music?
Lastly, this is the BIG PART...
Are all three rooms set with an electrical outlet?

Polk Audio makes a single stereo in ceiling speaker for like $75 bucks. Thats $225 for the speakers, another $50 for the speaker selector and you can find a basic audio receiver for around $100-129. n So for around $350-400 you can get her set up. 100 feet of 16/4 speaker cable will run you about .35-.45 cents per foot

schan1269 said:

Well...
How many ipods does she have?
There are a SLEW of other options out there now that "the same audio" is off the table.
The $300 total tally is still a tad daunting though.
Does "she" want control of what people are listening to...or is she comfortable with the person doing to massage playing their own music?
Lastly, this is the BIG PART...
Are all three rooms set with an electrical outlet?

Click to expand...

She has only 1 iPod touch from my understanding. I told her that there are other MP3 players out there that are cheaper (Sansa comes to mind)
I told her the $300 is very low but she can up her budget if it's REALLY necessary
She is willing to give her employees access to play their own music..... in which case, this does indeed open up a lot of options. I know there are music players that allow you to plug in a USB drive with .mp3 files on them but not sure how popular they are. In any case, it seems her best option is to buy 3 separate systems.
And yes, each room is set with an electrical outlet

Here is my thought...
Three of these...
http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-F8Z492TTP-Bluetooth-Music-Receiver/dp/B0047T79VS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343931100&sr=1-1&keywords=bluetooth+music+receiver
However, I don't know if you can use three(of the same one) at the same time. I have one, sounds fine. I also have a Miccus Blubridge. You can use more than one bluetooth device at once...I've just never tried the same brand at the same time(meaning you may need one Belkin, a Miccus...and then a third different brand...etc)
And three of "this" (just an example)
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-S220-Speaker-System-Subwoofer/dp/B000RQSGYO/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343931267&sr=1-2&keywords=computer+speaker%22
Pair an audio device to each Bluetooth Music Receiver(your Amazon/Ebay search) and hook it up to a pair of speakers...
In this day and age all smartphones have bluetooth, so do Ipad/Ipod. Even the computer at work itself can be set-up with a bluetooth enumerator and antenna.
So, in a nutshell...
If she wants control of the music...she needs the Bluetooth Music Receivers. Then the "audio devices" sit either at the desk...or somewhere in the hall.

With a 10'x10' room you won't need much - the music should just be for ambience, really.

The Altec iPod dock/speaker thing I linked to on Amazon is only $55 and not only will it work with apple products, but it also includes an external jack so you can hook up any mp3 player to it. Combine that with a new iPod shuffle for only $49 and you've got something that will work at just over $100/room.

I like what Jason came up with...
The only difference between his way and mine is...
My way allows her(if she wants it) to centrally locate all the actual sources of the music in one spot(locked desk drawer). Maybe she doesn't want an Ipod in a place it could be stolen???
Most people have no clue what a Bluetooth Music Receiver is.

Jason Charlton said:

With a 10'x10' room you won't need much - the music should just be for ambience, really.
The Altec iPod dock/speaker thinghttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hometheaterforum-20&l=ur2&o=1
I linked to on Amazon is only $55 and not only will it work with apple products, but it also includes an external jack so you can hook up any mp3 player to it.  Combine that with a new iPod shuffle for only $49 and you've got something that will work at just over $100/room.

Click to expand...

I agree with your point about ambiance - the music is only there to supplement the massage experience. That was why she specifically told me that only 1 speaker would be necessary for each room. Because of that, I will update the original post to remove the 'ceiling speaker' idea
The item you linked me seems pretty good. I have forwarded her the Amazon listing. What sort of cable would I need to connect another mp3 player with 3.5mm headphone jack to that particular device?

schan1269 said:

I like what Jason came up with...
The only difference between his way and mine is...
My way allows her(if she wants it) to centrally locate all the actual sources of the music in one spot(locked desk drawer). Maybe she doesn't want an Ipod in a place it could be stolen???
Most people have no clue what a Bluetooth Music Receiver is.

Click to expand...

My only concern with Bluetooth is its range. I am not sure if it will work if the music source is located, say, by the reception desk, and the speakers are all the way in the 3 rooms. However, I am solely basing this on my experience with Bluetooth headsets. I have wore them on occasion and their range is pretty small, 10 feet max I'll say

The Belkin works up to 30ft. Granted, even in the manual it states "open air 30ft".
That is why I suggested putting the devices for the back two rooms in the hallway. I assume there will be a kiosk somewhere for towels...or dirty laundry...
The computer itself(if it is modern, all it needs is a bluetooth antenna...$5) can run the front room. It is her Ipod and "another device" that would need to placed closer to the back two rooms.

Originally Posted by nexus14 /t/322756/suggestions-for-wireless-speakers-one-in-each-room#post_3957279
What sort of cable would I need to connect another mp3 player with 3.5mm headphone jack to that particular device?

Click to expand...

Any 3.5 mm "male to male" connector should work just fine (like these). You can get them anywhere.

One minor addendum to my suggestion: The iPod shuffle ($49) does not include a dock connector. To use them with the Altec dock would require using the headphone jack (see above).

The iPod nano is the cheapest model that includes a dock and they start at $129. The nano is the cheapest model that allows you to easily select a specific track (due to having a screen).

Sorry about that - I'm not terribly familiar with Apple products. So still not quite as cheap as we had hoped...

@schan1269 and @Jason Charlton -
Thanks you two for your ideas.
Now it seems just deciding between the two: (1) A speaker system with a dock of some sort or (2) Bluetooth speaker system.
She may opt for the docking option since it charges the device while it is being played. She tends to me forgetful so I won't be surprised if she forgets to charge the device every now and then. However, getting those iPods would be pricey............ too bad there's no dock that supports charging of other mp3 players (microUSB compatible anyone?)
Nevertheless, I have forwarded her the 2 recommendations.
Thank you both and everyone involved!

The Nano and Shuffle limitations(when it comes to docks and Bluetooth) are why I suggested the Bluetooth. Granted I'm not "up on all things Apple" either.
We have a new touch and an Ipad 1and 2.
There are workarounds on the Ipod Shuffle. There are "pairs" of Bluetooth devices(that basically connect to the headphone jack) and send to the other end...
As an example of what she could do...
http://www.amazon.com/Altec-Lansing-BXR1220-Speaker-System/dp/B0025VKUPW/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343934594&sr=1-10&keywords=computer+speaker (three of these)
http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Mini-Surge-Protector-Charger/dp/B0015DYMVO/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343934683&sr=1-6&keywords=usb+wall+plug (three of these as the Altec are USB powered, but I don't consider this part of the $300 either...)
http://www.amazon.com/Azeca-BTT005-Stereo-Bluetooth-Transmitter/dp/B005LLBIJ0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343934745&sr=1-1&keywords=bluetooth+sender (three of these)
Three Bluetooth music receivers...
and...two of these...to split the single headphone jack on her Ipod to connect the three Azeca...
http://www.amazon.com/Stereo-3-5mm-Y-Splitter-Male-Female/dp/B0012IYLMM/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343934850&sr=1-1&keywords=1%2F8th+splitter
I assume that the middle room could be used with a small corner desk and hold the Ipod and the Azeca. And if she did that(as in put her Ipod in the middle room) then she could do away with one of the Azeca and one Bluetooth music receiver...IE, one set of those Altec are just running off the Ipod...using the doubled up 1/8th splitters.
Edit:
Does her Ipod have Bluetooth? And if it does Bluetooth, does the headphone jack still work? I've not tried with the Ipads we have or the Touch(the latest one) to see if Bluetooth disables the headphone jack.
Essentially if the headphone jack and Bluetooth both work at the same time...
One Azeca and one 1/8th splitter and two Bluetooth receivers.