It really just depends on how "hidden" you want the electronics to be, whether or not you want a housewide system that controls other features, too, e.g. the thermostat, motorized shades, and how much of an audiophile you are.

If bluetooth speakers and/or home assistant speakers like Alexa or Google are fine with you and you're satisfied with the sound, there's probably no reason to spend the additional money.

Remember, "wireless" speakers need power, and locating a receptacle with it's wall wart may be more unsightly. I would hard-wire all potential locations. Audio experts recommend fairly thick wire, but unless you are blasting the sound, 16 Ga wire should be plenty. By code, it has to be rated for in-wall installation (CL2 or CL3).

We have sonos speakers in kitchen and living room (plus a sonos bar for the TV and sonos subwoofer). It's connected to our wifi, so only has to be plugged in to electric. Works great- can play the same spotify, pandora, etc. on both simultaneously or on just one or the other. I believe they work with Alexa though we don't use it. And you can just add more speakers for other rooms at will. They do have to sit out in the open, so it's not as neat as a tucked away wired system. But the flexibility and ease of not having to install anything is great.

Is your goal to play the same music through the entire house? I think you can do that with smart speakers. I like how they look and it's not all that hard to conceal the power cords. We have a couple of the bigger ones for our living room and it sounds really good.

Then again, committing to one type of smart device everywhere can be fraught. They could become outdated / need replacement sooner than traditional speakers. Or what if you decide you want to update but hate the way the newest ones look?

Analog speakers and copper wiring last a really long time if they're good quality (we have vintage Sansui speakers from the 70s in our basement and they are honestly our best sounding ones). When it's time to update, if the speakers still sound good, then all you'd need is to upgrade the control panel.

We have Sonos in our kitchen and dining room, but vintage Allison One speakers in our family room along with our records, CDs, etc.

We just use Alexa for full house music , built in peakers for surround sound did that 15 yrs ago and we use Alexa outside too in the summer all are controlled to play everywhere or just in one place . My hubby does that MR gadget that he is. Yes we also use it as an intercom.

Sound quality would be reason number 1. If you're happy with with what you get from digital streaming then it probably doesn't matter.

I'm jealous of all y'all that have any kind of compatible system. We have Apple home pods in the living room and my office, Echoes everywhere else, and in our basement den: a Fire TV Cube hooked up to a tuner and vintage speakers. (The reason: my husband works in tech and keeps getting things for testing, LOL. It's chaos, but hey.... free stuff!)

I like the in ceiling speaker look for our next house. We currently have a traditional sonos countertop that has fantastic sound quality. My one disappointment with these is they don’t offer PoE. I would love to tie this back to my switch that all other ethernet ports are connected to.

I'm lone woman out. Possibly age related. But whole house sound drives me nuts.

Put it with Alexa in the kitchen and great room, and call it a day. Unless you are thirty? Picture a room full of guests, wanting ( gasp ) to talk.

There is no escaping what gets labeled "music "these days. A bleating calf follows me everywhere. Supermarket, every restaurant, Home Depot et al. including all other retail. Some days it is so bad, I abandon a cart and leave. It's right up there with relentless ads for what will kill you next, if the side effects of the remedy do not kill you first.

LOL..not what you asked, huh?

@JAN MOYER, exactly why I carry really good ear plugs!

Sometimes the desired "look" conflicts with the desire for excellent sound.

@JAN MOYER, I remember working in retail as a teen - the same CD (maybe 10 songs?) over and over and over again for 8 hours straight. Until the holiday season- the change to carols is a relief for all of three shifts.

@CYNTHIA JONES I used to work at Lerner clothing, and they would give us one mix tape to play for the entire month. some songs would be good, but it was mostly new pop drivel that I just could not stand. either way, it was torture! we were not able to put in our own tapes, so after closing time we would just shut the store down in silence.

but as a customer moving from store to store, I don't mind the music. large stores without any kind of sound is actually very unsettling.

when stores play something I enjoy, I find myself quietly singing or dancing a little as I shop. or I giggle when they play "muzak" versions of 90s rock. I'm like, did they seriously just turn Nirvana into elevator music? it's sooooo funny to me.

YES, definitely run speaker wire while you can. Nothing is better than a direct connection. You can run the Cat6a to ceiling mounted wifi routers called access points as well. Camera's and TV's too. I ran everything to a closet under my stairs. No more routers, cable boxes, stereo's, DVR's laying around.

ALSO, flush iPad to control everything and answer video intercom at the front gate.

I had the opportunity to have the hidden speakers but I prefer for my speakers to be seen if they going to cost an arm and leg. I'm old school that way.

Bose "Virtually Invisible" ceiling speakers.

What is a good hard wired speaker for inside and outside that can play off of blue tooth?