Hi,
I am looking for advice and a crash course in whole house audio. I am building a house and decided to put speakers in several rooms at the last minute so I need help understanding speaker selectors and impedance matching volume controls - etc.
I understand how amps work and I understand impedance matching etc as I have installed several single room home theater systems and car audio systems so no need to explain how improper impedance will result in low volume or an overheating amp.
I said that to give you an idea of my level of understanding, I don’t want to sound like a know-it-all. I really don’t understand how “whole house” wiring works. I will explain what I think will work, you tell me what I am doing wrong if anything.
I want to use my Sony STR-SE391 to power speakers throughout my house. It is a 5.1 receiver/amp that has A/B front spkrs and rear/center outputs as well (of course as it is 5.1). My plan is to use a speaker selector at the source and feed all speakers using a Sima SWW-L6EX 6 spkr selector w/volume control per output. The SIMA has A/B inputs and all outputs are A/B selectable with volume.
I plan to use the Sony A speaker output for my front speakers in the room the unit is in, directly connected.
The Sony B output I will connect to the A input on the SIMA and use for most remote speakers. The rear output on the Sony will be connected to the B input on the SIMA. Using the A/B selection on the SIMA will give me the flexibility to use ceiling mounted speakers in my family room (where the TV is) as my rear speakers for surround or as primary for whole house music if I want. The rest of the house will use the A selection all the time (Sony B).
If I do this, do I still need impedance matched volume controls at each remote speaker location?
And if I don’t need them, can I still have them at some remote locations so I don’t have to go to the SIMA unit to adjust the volume or is there another type of vol control I can use if I have an impedance matched selector?
Will an impedance matched selector and an impedance matched remote vol control cause me problems?
Sorry for the long post but I wanted to make sure I explained exactly what I wanted to do so I could get quick feedback. I have to have the wiring completed in the next 4 days so I need to know if I should/can/need volume controls at each remote location as it affects my wire runs.
Thanks in advance,
Erin Crouse
