Stereo or No Stereo?

[Swell-Tub]

So what is the feeling of tub owners on this forum. Is a stereo a worthwhile option or not. Can you use it while the jets are on or do they go un-used for the most part. It does add a lot to the cost of the tub if they are not worth it then maybe the money could be used for something better like a motor driven cover lift.

Scott  :

 

[Bonibelle]

Scott, we have transducers in our spa shell which allow us to connect our home stereo to the tub. My husband loves it..and claims he would not buy a spa without it (or some sort of music system).  For me, I like to talk to him in the tub, or listen to the birds or wildlife sounds in the night. So it is going to depend of your own personal preference. I can honestly say having the sound coming from the tub beats having speakers on the deck, if you want to listen with the jets on. We have both and when he puts the deck stereo on, you can not hear the music over the jets enough to enjoy it. The sound coming from the shell is clear however.

I think it is really hard to imagine just how you will use your tub. My husband loves music so when they showed him the sound option on our Epic, he had to have it. He loves having a glass of wine listening to Andrea Bocelli. I thought I would enjoy that too, but I have found (especially in the dead of the winter), I love the sounds of the outdoors. Maybe because I am not not normally relaxing outside when the temp is 30 and below.

About the motor on the cover lifter, now that's a waste of money in my opinion.  I would rather buy bird seed!! ;D ;D

 

[Spatech_tuo]

He loves having a glass of wine listening to Andrea Bocelli.

She's really good!! ;D

 

[Swell-Tub]

Scott, we have transducers in our spa shell which allow us to connect our home stereo to the tub.

About the motor on the cover lifter, now that's a waste of money in my opinion.  I would rather buy bird seed!! ;D ;D

I wish either of my choices had tranducers because I did like them better. The Arctic that I looked at had a transducer system. I was kidding about the motorized lift and I don't know if they even exist.

Scott  

 

[Zep]

i vote no on the stereo

 

[Jacuzzi_Jim]

I like stereos but I don't push em.  We don't have a lot of problems with them, but I also like peace and quiet when I soak.  20% of our spas go out with stereos, up here most have outdoor sound systems.

 

[Swell-Tub]

I would think that the transducers would add the the therapy because it makes the water vibrate.  ;D ;D ;D

 

[Spatini]

I'll vote for the stereo , and if you want peace and quite , just turn it off, but it will be nice with the floating remote to control stereo , lights , and pumps , to have it there when you want it.

 

[windsurfdog]

I wouldn't buy a spa with a built-in stereo just as I wouldn't buy a stereo with a built-in spa...

As much as I love music, I'm easily satisfied with separate devices...and maintenance on each I would guess to be much easier as separates.  And certainly one can get a LOT more quality for their music dollar considering the spa stereo add-ons are in the $1000 range...

But, that's why we have a choice.  Glad you asked, Swell.  

 

[Merlin]

I vote No.

Spend that $$$ that you would for the "stereo model" on a REAL sound system and have some external speakers wired up for your patio etc. much better IMO

 

[Bonibelle]

Funny, Scott..the speakers do kind of vibrate. My sister's kids are both hearing impaired and when they go in the tub, they have to take their hearing aids off. I can turn the music on for them and they can "hear" it through the vibrations in the shell...it's kind of cool!

 

[Yash]

    I wanted a stereo when I went looking for my spa. It just happen that the spa I liked the best comes with a stereo. I have the Caldera Aspire The radio reception is not the best but I use the CD player a lot. One of the things I like about it is that I can control the volume and track selection from my aux panel. I don't use it as much as I thought I would but it is nice to be able to pop in a CD and just sit back and relax with some good tunes and a cold drink.  ;D

 

[webboy]

Hey Swell-Tub,

It was great talking to you when you where in SLC. It's a little trippy meeting someone from the forum. I think we need to throw a party at the next Aqua show in Las Vegas and Swell-Tub can host it, that way we can put the faces to the names.

As for the stereo, my vote is with Merlin. I don't have speakers on my tub, don't miss it, but I plan on putting a nice system on the patio.

 

[hottbpete]

If the Gurus here say that they actually work long term....then I would get the option.  I love to listen to tunes in the tub....mostly Blues.  I did not get the option.  I have outdoor speakers and a volume control outside near the tub.

A few things:

outside speakers need to be turned up prety loud to be heard.....thus in the winter...you can hear the music down the street....no one is out anyway, but in the summer , even with the leaves on the trees...you can hear it.

It's very costly and time consuming to run all the neccessary cables.  You can weigh that against the cost of the option.

I say ....get the tunes...I wish I had done it.  I was afraid that with all the steam and the cold....that the speakers would fail and would really be a pain to replace.

Oh well....

If you do plan to run the outdoor line, come visit me at my site for great prices on cable...  www.showmecables.com

 

[Richs100]

Swell-Tub

I've got a Hot Spring Envoy with the SpAudio II system installed.  I didn't have any music system with my old tub.  

In comparing with/without, I find I really enjoy the new system and turn it on about 90% of the time.  It's a transducer system with additional external speakers for the patio area.  Very nice system.  The sound is great.  In fact, I was in the tub last evening and was noticing that the sound even got better if I relaxed and put my head against a pillow.  It only took about a year and a half to notice this.  Kinda neat!

The other thing I like about the transducer system is that it is plenty loud when you're in the tub, but does not project a lot of sound outside of the tub.  (the external speakers do that if you want)  So I think it's a good system if you're concerned about disturbing close neighbors.

And yes, the sound is very good even with both pumps on high.

Rich

 

[aquatub]

Scott,

I really think this comes down to a personal decision.  For the most part, the stereos you see out there now work pretty good.  Early on, a lot of them had issues, but I think most things have been worked out.  

There are multiple choices for stereos out there.  Most seem to be factory installed and that has its benefits.  Some are after-market.  The nice thing about that is you can buy the spa now and the stereo later if you decide you'd like it.  

The early transducers were a cool idea, but the sound quality was lacking.  I think a lot of that has cleared up now, especially when those systems add external speakers.

The cost for a stereo is pretty high when you compare to home stereo systems.  The home systems typically sound better.  But, when you want to change the volume, track, whatever, you really don't want to have to get out of the spa to do that.  That's the advantage of spa stereos.  They usually have some kind of remote that will control a number of stereo features.

Well, that's my two cents worth.  Again, it comes down to a personal decision.  

I do have a stereo on my spa and I like it.  I typically play soft music such as jazz and really enjoy that in the background.  

Good luck with your decisions.

 

[aquatub]

Hey Swell-Tub,

It was great talking to you when you where in SLC. It's a little trippy meeting someone from the forum. I think we need to throw a party at the next Aqua show in Las Vegas and Swell-Tub can host it, that way we can put the faces to the names.

As for the stereo, my vote is with Merlin. I don't have speakers on my tub, don't miss it, but I plan on putting a nice system on the patio.

The Aqua Show is no more.  Hanley-Woods, who bought the show a couple of years ago, and owns the International Pool & Spa Expo, has decided to merge the shows.  They also are combining another outdoor living show to create one show.  

Thank goodness.  There are far too many trade shows in this industry.

 

[wewannahottub]

Scott,



The cost for a stereo is pretty high when you compare to home stereo systems.  The home systems typically sound better.  But, when you want to change the volume, track, whatever, you really don't want to have to get out of the spa to do that.  That's the advantage of spa stereos.  They usually have some kind of remote that will control a number of stereo features.

Well, that's my two cents worth.  Again, it comes down to a personal decision.  

I do have a stereo on my spa and I like it.  I typically play soft music such as jazz and really enjoy that in the background.  

Good luck with your decisions.

Vanguard--that has been my argument the whole time-yes we have an awesome house sound system, but how would we be able to change the station/cd/etc when we wouldnt be able to use a remote??

We personally want the stereo system regardless of WHAT brand!!

chrisi

 

[Tailhooker]

I am personally a fan of the IPOD setup on a few of the brands.  Wondering if the spa remotes work for the IPOD setup too, I don't think the MP3 jacks are controllable from inside the tub.  $1000+ is pretty expensive but it is nice to have the tunes right at your fingertips.  On the other hand a $1K could go to making a nice outdoor setup.

 

[aquatub]

The iPod set up for the Watkins' spas is a wireless system.  You plug your iPod onto the SpaCast unit in your house.  I don't think you can control all the features of the iPod from the remote that is included with the system, but you can change volume and other stuff.  One of the Watkins' dealers would be able to tell you for sure.  The other cool thing is you can use the system to listen to your home stereo, TV, etc.  

I like the one on the Sundance and Jacuzzi spas as well.  You just plug the iPod into the docking station right there on the spa.  It has a cover so the iPod doesn't get wet.