Whole home audio set-up/system

[Sgratien]

After searching through multiple posts on this subject, I decided to fire up a new thread. A friend I'm mine has a home that the previous owner wired for what appears to be 6 stereo zones- I haven't run down all the wiring yet. He wishes to put this to whole home use and came to me for some install help. I'm trying to figure out the most cost effective way to set this up, probably $500-$1,000 still unsure. I'm thinking avr with a manual imp. Matched speaker switch. He's looking to use airplay and maybe cd, am/fm. Are there any other multichannel systems that might fit in this price range. What have you guys used/installed, etc. I'm open to suggestions.

 

[ImcLoud]

I use zone 2 on my HT's AVR, so if he is getting a ht system, just make sure the avr is zone 2 capable... then get an amplifier for the multi room system I use an $300 Emotiva UPA200 with a $40 monoprice selector box, mine works awesome, I use zone 2 from my Emotiva upa200 preamp processor for the signal....

Now, PE has a decent looking 12 ch amplifier too Dayton Audio MA1240 Multi-Zone 12 Channel Amplifier for Distributed Whole House Audio Systems 300-815

Also if you go the selector box 2 ch amplifier route, the dayton apa150 works good for that...

Does he already have speakers? Your budget seems reasonable to get the job done either way...

 

[BMXTRIX]

Does he currently have volume controls in all the rooms?

Are there currently speakers in all of the rooms?

If there are volume controls in place, you will want to find out if they are impedence matching, they may be.

A single amp and a speaker selector (not an A/V receiver) is generally a very solid solution for not a lot of cash.

There are also multi-channel amps out there for about $500 for 12 channels (6 speaker pairs). This works really well for multiple rooms/zones which have volume controls in place already.

An A/V receiver may work, but it won't provide a lot of power across 6 speaker pairs, and is more likely to have long term issues as it will be running a heavy load most of the time. But, it can offer multiple source selection and perhaps built in remote smartphone access which may be nice.

Still, I would hope there are volume controls in the rooms and I would just add something like this:

SpeakerCraft BB1235 12X35W Amplifier 664254000348 | eBay

Gives you discrete amplification across a full 6 pairs of speakers. But, you will need volume controls or some sort of preamp to help ensure things work properly.

 

[Sgratien]

there are speakers in place- appear to be jbl. unfortunately, no volume controls. iwas thinking avr- for source selection- and maybe a speaker switch like this
Niles Audio Corporation Selectors with Volume Controls&categoryID=Speaker Selectors&catcdID=7&prdcdID=FG01044

to give me volume controls and impedence matching. the other possibilty would be an older avr with pre-outs (to keep price down) to an external amp and selector switch with volume controls. then i can add an apple tv or similar to get airplay, streaming, etc. i have an old sony strda333es laying around that would work perfectly