Need Advice on Budget-Friendly Ceiling Speaker Setup for Pre-Wired Airbnb
Hey everyone! I could use a little guidance from the home audio crowd here. I’ve got an cabin in the Smokies that came pre-wired with ceiling speaker holes. I'm going to be putting the place on airbnb. I’m trying to do this as cost-effectively as possible because the cabin is small, and I don’t need a super high-end system. Honestly, I wouldn't even put speakers in if there weren't holes cut into my ceiling already.
I had the guy who installed the previous system come out, and he's quoting me really high prices ($15K-$20K) and trying to sell me gear from dealer-only sites like SnapAV. I feel like he's upselling me on stuff I might not need like running ethernet cables through a router and switch to every TV when I have wifi that has 250mb download speed at the furthest location.
My main questions for the community:
- The ceiling has speaker rings for episode speakers. Does anyone know if Sonance speakers from Best Buy will fit those rings? It seems like a simple question, but the installer won’t give me a straight answer.
- Is it realistic to do this as a DIY project? Everything is pre-wired, and it feels like I could just install the speakers and amps myself. I've gotten a quote from the guy that installed the system for the previous owner so I know exactly what was in the system.
- Any tips on where to get this kind of gear without the dealer markup? Everything in the previous system is from snapAV. I’d love to know if I can just buy the equipment myself and not deal with hidden pricing.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Posted Nov 1, 2025, 11:56 PM UTC