Ideas for a phone app controlled tuner / amp

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phonedave

Well-known member
May 30, 2012
1,971
Montville NJ
Pool Size
17000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
I have an outside audio set up. Wired speakers to a tuner/amp that is inside the house. I feed multiple sources through that tuner/amp - FM Stations, DVD player, FiOS music channels, and audio off of an old PC (iTunes, RadioParadise, local stations feeds etc).

Right now everthing is manual. If I want to change stations, sources, volume, etc I have to GET UP (oh the horror) and go into the garage to change it.

What I would like to do is replace the tuner/amp with one that can be controlled via an app. I'm not looking for anyting super high end either. Just something that will allow me to controll volume, FM Stations, and switch inputs via a smartphone (Android).

Anybody have any recommendations?

Thanks
 
While I do not have a recommendation for a new amp, I do use a Harmony remote and hub to control not only my amp, but TV. It has an app that you can download and use your phone from anywhere (wifi or cellular). It can be configured however you want and can even set up macros so that you can change multiple setting with one button push. You can also use an Amazon Echo to control things through voice command if you want (although functionality is currently a little limited). It would definitely be cheaper than upgrading your amp to one that has app controls (but I can understand if that is the route you want to go).
 
I use a Sonos Connect Amp. It is in the garage and I have 2 sets of speakers hooked up to it - one set in the garage and one by the pool. Controlled by smartphone app - play music, news, radio, etc from just about any source you can think of.
 
I also have a Denon AVR-S510W Amp - it has a couple of phone apps to control it.

The one I have is our main TV & surround sound amp. We got the lowest end unit with the new Dolby ATMOS surround mode. It was $199 on sale. Fry's seems to always have one of these on sale. Amazon has them for around $239

In another room we have a Grace Digital Bookshelf Internet Radio with Speaker Outputs - we can also control this via a smart phone.

----
As an aside I have some really nice outdoor speakers ready to install on our pergola, but once I put our TV up on the pergola I now just use a Roku stick for music from Pandora, TuneIn for Internet Radio etc...so I haven't taken the time to install our speakers or a amp/driver for the speakers.
 
Yamaha carries receivers that have ethernet ports so they can be connected to your LAN. They have an app called AV Controller that can then do everything you mentioned. I have a RX-V573 (had it for a few years) and it works great with that.
 
smankins said:
Yamaha carries receivers that have ethernet ports so they can be connected to your LAN. They have an app called AV Controller that can then do everything you mentioned. I have a RX-V573 (had it for a few years) and it works great with that.
Click to expand...

plus 1 on the yamaha, I have had the rx-675 (i think) for 4 years and love it... kid gets a little unhappy when I turn down the volume in our family room from my bedroom... mine is dual zoned so it connects to my outside speakers and I just hit my app on my phone to turn it on.
 
ok pretty much ever amp/ receiver out there has an app now, but a lot of them really aren't that great. if you are decent on a computer for a 50 dollar fee you can use iRule. to control everything u need a box hooked up to the internet called an iTach.

Global Cache iTach, IP to IR - Newegg.com

that is you brain to send commands from the app to the equipment.

you hook up IR emitters to each piece of equipment. they are cheap.

7ft Mono Male Cable Single IR Emitter to 3.5mm | CableWholesale

so pretty much you can connect up tot 6 pieces of equipment to one of those boxes. you program iRule on your computer and the app controls everything over wifi.

i control my whole house with iRule. it's great.


that solution is if you want to control everything, not just the receiver.

if you only want to control the receiver than yes like a lot of others said buy a internet controlled piece from denon, marantz, yammy, onkyo, so on. . .


but if you want some eye candy iRule is a beast and can be made to look as good or simple as you want cause you build it on your own.

jim
 

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jimim said:
ok pretty much ever amp/ receiver out there has an app now, but a lot of them really aren't that great. if you are decent on a computer for a 50 dollar fee you can use iRule. to control everything u need a box hooked up to the internet called an iTach.

Global Cache iTach, IP to IR - Newegg.com

that is you brain to send commands from the app to the equipment.

you hook up IR emitters to each piece of equipment. they are cheap.

7ft Mono Male Cable Single IR Emitter to 3.5mm | CableWholesale

so pretty much you can connect up tot 6 pieces of equipment to one of those boxes. you program iRule on your computer and the app controls everything over wifi.

i control my whole house with iRule. it's great.


that solution is if you want to control everything, not just the receiver.

if you only want to control the receiver than yes like a lot of others said buy a internet controlled piece from denon, marantz, yammy, onkyo, so on. . .


but if you want some eye candy iRule is a beast and can be made to look as good or simple as you want cause you build it on your own.

jim
Click to expand...

I think that may be the answer, as a app controlled receiver is not going to controll the sources themselves. I like that iTach, epseically since it also has options for IP to contact closures - i.e outside lights, and other assorted things. It looks like I do it all from an all in one app on my phone. Thats really what I am looking for, an all in one solution.

Thanks
 
phonedave said:
I think that may be the answer, as a app controlled receiver is not going to controll the sources themselves. I like that iTach, epseically since it also has options for IP to contact closures - i.e outside lights, and other assorted things. It looks like I do it all from an all in one app on my phone. Thats really what I am looking for, an all in one solution.

Thanks
Click to expand...

if you do this. PM me with questions. i can help you out. i am a beta tester for irule so i really know my way around the app.

biggest thing is using wired itch's vs the wireless ones. they stink. get good ir emitters. also remember you can get dual emitters and that allows u to actually control 6 things on 1 itach! there are 3 ins for the itach so you use 3 double emitters and u are in business.

if you buy the pro version of irule you get feedback also. they have a bunch of modules you can buy and then you will know what is going on wit the receiver from the app without seeing the receiver. you would have to buy a denon for this. that module works the best.

rule is endless. it is really an awesome app. yes it has a learning curve for building your remote but the library is huge for images and all the big time companies ir codes are in there.
 
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