Current receiver overheating, do I need an amp?

[Rainman127]

I had links of all products, but don't have enough posts for links ... I had to remove, sorry! I'll "try" to keep this short.

My house is wired with in-ceiling speakers (RBH A-815) in seven rooms; six rooms are all wired to independent 100W wall controllers, the final room is our living room and the two in-ceiling speakers are used as rear speakers in a 5.1 setup. All of the wiring runs to a "home run" in our living room's built in cabinets.

I'm using a Pioneer VSX-43 7.1 (2-zone) system to power everything. The 5.1 setup is connected to Zone 1, the two unused channels from the Pioneer run to a speaker selector (Pyle PSS8 - which is where I think my problem lies) and then to each of the rooms, this is all Zone 2. I've only turned on TWO of the eight channels on the speaker selector, because it's the only two areas that we really use (outside and kitchen). The outside speakers are Yamaha outdoor speakers, in case you need the info (only one pair).

The 5.1 system uses the front three speakers and sub from an old HTIB setup (the receiver overheated and died in the same setup). Again, the rear speakers are the in-ceilings and they run straight to the receiver (no wall controller).

When using Zone 1, the system can overheat if I go past 53 on the knob (max 70), which also makes the dialogue in some movies too low. When using Zone 2, everything is MUCH louder (I'm guessing because of the wall controllers?), but I can't go past 30 without overheating. When I use both Zones together, same max of 30, which is fine for Zone 2, but the speakers in Zone 1 are whispering in comparison. I'm able to balance everything with the wall controllers.

I have a feeling that my overheating issues stem primarily from the Pyle Selector. With each set of speakers that I turn on, the impedance of the speakers is lowered (1 selected - 8ohms, 2 - 4ohms, 3 - 3ohms, etc), but my knowledge isn't sufficient enough to understand what that does to the receiver and how it could potentially cause it to overheat. Any ideas or suggestions? I have checked every speaker to ensure there aren't any swapped wires (all positives run to positives, and negatives to negatives). Hey, I tried to keep it short.

Thanks so much, any help is appreciated.

On a side note, A possible solution ... I was given a Marantz AV7005, which requires an amp (which I don't have). If I were to buy an amp and replace the Pioneer with the combo, would this potentially correct my overheating issues? Even if it won't, what amp would you recommend (I'm confused by all of the choices - 5 channel, 7 channel, etc.)?

Funny, I was excited about the Marantz until I got it home, then I spent an hour trying to figure out how to connect my speakers. Live and learn, I finally learned the difference between a receiver and a pre-amp.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

A lot of HTIB speakers have a nominal impedance rating of only 3 ohms. If that’s the case with yours, then there’s your overheating problem. Most receivers are happiest with speakers in the 6-8 ohm range.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[fmw]

It is easy enough to troubleshoot. If the problem doesn't occur in zone 1 then you know the speakers are the problem.

 

[BERNARD JUAN]

I feel the problem lies with your Amp not having enough ventilation ..if this is the case please place it in an open place where there is free flow of air , if possible place it in such a manner where it receives FAN/AC breeze. Speakers in no way overheat the AV. Infact when the AV is heated the quality takes a Hit exactly as you mentioned. Irrespective of whichever brand you buy lack of ventilation will effect the AV receiver

 

[TLS Guy]

I had links of all products, but don't have enough posts for links ... I had to remove, sorry! I'll "try" to keep this short.

My house is wired with in-ceiling speakers (RBH A-815) in seven rooms; six rooms are all wired to independent 100W wall controllers, the final room is our living room and the two in-ceiling speakers are used as rear speakers in a 5.1 setup. All of the wiring runs to a "home run" in our living room's built in cabinets.

I'm using a Pioneer VSX-43 7.1 (2-zone) system to power everything. The 5.1 setup is connected to Zone 1, the two unused channels from the Pioneer run to a speaker selector (Pyle PSS8 - which is where I think my problem lies) and then to each of the rooms, this is all Zone 2. I've only turned on TWO of the eight channels on the speaker selector, because it's the only two areas that we really use (outside and kitchen). The outside speakers are Yamaha outdoor speakers, in case you need the info (only one pair).

The 5.1 system uses the front three speakers and sub from an old HTIB setup (the receiver overheated and died in the same setup). Again, the rear speakers are the in-ceilings and they run straight to the receiver (no wall controller).

When using Zone 1, the system can overheat if I go past 53 on the knob (max 70), which also makes the dialogue in some movies too low. When using Zone 2, everything is MUCH louder (I'm guessing because of the wall controllers?), but I can't go past 30 without overheating. When I use both Zones together, same max of 30, which is fine for Zone 2, but the speakers in Zone 1 are whispering in comparison. I'm able to balance everything with the wall controllers.

I have a feeling that my overheating issues stem primarily from the Pyle Selector. With each set of speakers that I turn on, the impedance of the speakers is lowered (1 selected - 8ohms, 2 - 4ohms, 3 - 3ohms, etc), but my knowledge isn't sufficient enough to understand what that does to the receiver and how it could potentially cause it to overheat. Any ideas or suggestions? I have checked every speaker to ensure there aren't any swapped wires (all positives run to positives, and negatives to negatives). Hey, I tried to keep it short.

Thanks so much, any help is appreciated.

On a side note, A possible solution ... I was given a Marantz AV7005, which requires an amp (which I don't have). If I were to buy an amp and replace the Pioneer with the combo, would this potentially correct my overheating issues? Even if it won't, what amp would you recommend (I'm confused by all of the choices - 5 channel, 7 channel, etc.)?

Funny, I was excited about the Marantz until I got it home, then I spent an hour trying to figure out how to connect my speakers. Live and learn, I finally learned the difference between a receiver and a pre-amp.

We really don't have enough information for a detailed analysis. However your system is obviously hazardous.

One HTIB systems are rarely compatible with other systems. Your 5.1 system needs starting from scratch.

Next to drive all those room ceiling systems you really need a distribution amp sourced from a zone out.

What we don't know is how the speakers are wired and if the controllers and your switcher are impedance matching types.

One thing we do know is that the system is presenting far too low an impedance to the power amplifiers, which will do them and any other amp permanent damage.

It seems to me that you do not have enough understanding to sort out what you have and what is going on.

You absolutely need a professional installer to find out what your system consists of and how it is strung together. Until that is done you can't get to square one and we can't help you.

 

[Rainman127]

I feel the problem lies with your Amp not having enough ventilation ..if this is the case please place it in an open place where there is free flow of air , if possible place it in such a manner where it receives FAN/AC breeze. Speakers in no way overheat the AV. Infact when the AV is heated the quality takes a Hit exactly as you mentioned. Irrespective of whichever brand you buy lack of ventilation will effect the AV receiver

The ventilation is fine where it is, I really think it's the speaker selector and the low resistance that is created when I turn on multiple rooms. Thanks for the help, though.

 

[Rainman127]

We really don't have enough information for a detailed analysis. However your system is obviously hazardous.

One HTIB systems are rarely compatible with other systems. Your 5.1 system needs starting from scratch.

Next to drive all those room ceiling systems you really need a distribution amp sourced from a zone out.

What we don't know is how the speakers are wired and if the controllers and your switcher are impedance matching types.

One thing we do know is that the system is presenting far too low an impedance to the power amplifiers, which will do them and any other amp permanent damage.

It seems to me that you do not have enough understanding to sort out what you have and what is going on.

You absolutely need a professional installer to find out what your system consists of and how it is strung together. Until that is done you can't get to square one and we can't help you.

Thanks so much for the feedback. After reading the posts here and reading elsewhere, it's apparent that I need to replace the HTIB speakers AND replace the speaker selector. The speaker selector drops the resistance as I add more and more speakers. From what I understand, I need a device that will keep the resistance at 8ohms, so as not to overheat the amplifier (lower resistance = more power needed, right?). This makes sense, because I have noticed that when I "select" more and more rooms on the selector, the receiver's amp overheats faster. Can you recommend a distribution amp that could handle six different rooms and would it balance the resistance?

Lastly, I'm going to replace the receiver. I haven't decided if I'm going to keep the Marantz pre amp (AV7002) and buy an amp to go with it OR just buy a better receiver (like the Marantz SR6010 and call it a day). Either way, I'm going to ultimately replace everything except for the speakers that are already in the ceiling!

Thanks again, I love your setup. I can't even fathom how much time you put into your build out! Very nicely done!

 

[TheWarrior]

Thanks so much for the feedback. After reading the posts here and reading elsewhere, it's apparent that I need to replace the HTIB speakers AND replace the speaker selector. The speaker selector drops the resistance as I add more and more speakers. From what I understand, I need a device that will keep the resistance at 8ohms, so as not to overheat the amplifier (lower resistance = more power needed, right?). This makes sense, because I have noticed that when I "select" more and more rooms on the selector, the receiver's amp overheats faster. Can you recommend a distribution amp that could handle six different rooms and would it balance the resistance?

Lastly, I'm going to replace the receiver. I haven't decided if I'm going to keep the Marantz pre amp (AV7002) and buy an amp to go with it OR just buy a better receiver (like the Marantz SR6010 and call it a day). Either way, I'm going to ultimately replace everything except for the speakers that are already in the ceiling!

Thanks again, I love your setup. I can't even fathom how much time you put into your build out! Very nicely done!

You cannot oversimplify this!

Re-read TLS' post, impedance is not the same as resistance. And unfortunately it does not appear that you have the understanding to answer his necessary questions.

Call a professional to evaluate the system and wiring. No amount of money spent on electronics can get around this because first you need to ensure that the speaker and controller installation was done correctly, and safely!

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks so much for the feedback. After reading the posts here and reading elsewhere, it's apparent that I need to replace the HTIB speakers AND replace the speaker selector. The speaker selector drops the resistance as I add more and more speakers. From what I understand, I need a device that will keep the resistance at 8ohms, so as not to overheat the amplifier (lower resistance = more power needed, right?). This makes sense, because I have noticed that when I "select" more and more rooms on the selector, the receiver's amp overheats faster. Can you recommend a distribution amp that could handle six different rooms and would it balance the resistance?

Lastly, I'm going to replace the receiver. I haven't decided if I'm going to keep the Marantz pre amp (AV7002) and buy an amp to go with it OR just buy a better receiver (like the Marantz SR6010 and call it a day). Either way, I'm going to ultimately replace everything except for the speakers that are already in the ceiling!

Thanks again, I love your setup. I can't even fathom how much time you put into your build out! Very nicely done!

Please forgive my tardy reply. My wife and I were busy yesterday. I will however admit to a degree of procrastination.

Warrior's post above is well taken. These type of posts do worry the more experienced members here.

Your situation is not uncommon. Someone like your self who is new to this and had very little experience who wants to sort a complex system and re engineer it.

Our problem is we do not know what you have and you don't have the equipment and experience to find out. So it becomes a serious safety issue, as we can not be there with you.

I will however make some general comments.

First is at least hire a professional to let us know what you have.

Your Pioneer receiver is useless for powering a complex system like this, as it has no pre outs, especially on the zones.

Next receivers are a poor choice for powering six rooms. It will be fine for the 5.1 home theater and you can use the two ceiling speakers for the surrounds.

So that leaves six rooms to power.

In those six rooms it is essential to know if those rooms are wired mono or stereo, and if the wall controllers are impedance compensating or not. If you can't determine that, then you need a professional to determine it. None of us can make specific recommendations until we know that.

I would recommend a receiver with preouts. It is essential they be on the zone outs. You really only need one set of zone pre outs.

Now you need to decide if the six rooms are to be wired stereo or mono. I strongly recommend mono. In these sort of whole house system with those ceiling speakers there is no advantage to stereo and it will cost you a lot more. So if they are wired stereo, convert to mono wiring.

Then you need a volume controller in each room. If the impedance of the speakers can be wired in each room to come in a satisfactory range for the distribution amp, then ordinary controllers can be used, if not you need impedance matching types that contain auto transformers.

Get rid of the switch.

Now you need a distribution amp like one of those form Russound

So you place the distribution amp from the zone preouts to the speaker feed. If you wire the six rooms mono you will need a six channel distribution amp. If you wire for stereo you will need a 12 channel distribution amp.

Then you just use the wall room controllers to control the room volume and turn off the speakers.

That is basically the way you go about constructing a reliable safe system.

Honestly this is the limit to the advice we can give you at this time and may be more than we should have.

 

[Seth=L]

The Pyle switchbox does not do impedance matching, I know that is only a small part of the problem, but it's a problem none the less.

 

[Rainman127]

Thanks, I appreciate the explanations. I'll talk to an AV client of mine and have him come over to check things out. I was hoping to avoid that, he talks my ear off.

I was pretty sure that the switch was probably junk. The wall controls are all impedance matching, and the builder prewired each room in stereo. Thanks again!

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks, I appreciate the explanations. I'll talk to an AV client of mine and have him come over to check things out. I was hoping to avoid that, he talks my ear off.

I was pretty sure that the switch was probably junk. The wall controls are all impedance matching, and the builder prewired each room in stereo. Thanks again!

OK now we know that, I think you can sort this yourself.

You need to get a decent receiver with preouts. Make sure it has preouts for at least one zone.

Now buy a 12 channel distribution amp and connect it to a set of preouts on the receiver.

Deep six the Pyle switch. You don't need one.

Now connect the six rooms to each of the left and right speaker outputs of the 12 channel amp.

Use the normal speaker and LFE outputs of the receiver for your HT.

There is no harm in having stereo in those six rooms. Since it is wired for stereo, and we know the controls are impedance marching you are good to go. Using a 12 channel receiver will save a huge amount of rewiring expense, and more than pay the difference of the 12 channel amp over a six channel amp.

Here is the Russound amp.

Here is an audio source on Amazon.

I would strongly recommend the Russound over the audio source. This is Russounds core business and they are among the best for this sort of gear.

As for a receiver I would source either Denon, Marantz or Yamaha and skip the rest. Receivers with pre outs will get you at least to the midpoint of the range and up.

You will have this sorted in no time. Sooner than your client talking your ear off.

For speakers make sure you listen before you buy. Speakers are always the tricky part and determine more than anything else how the system will perform and sound.

 

[Rainman127]

The Russound looks perfect and for only $200 more, I might as well get it. I already have a Marantz AV7005 that I'm not currently using (a friend upgraded to the Marantz AV7702MKII and just gave the AV7005 to me), any recommendations on an amp to go with it?

I started out reading reviews on speakers and was going to go with the best cost/perf ratio. Then I went to a store to test them out, and I'm sure glad I didn't buy without testing! I'm comparing large bookshelf PAs and a center PA. I was originally considering Klipsch, but the sound was too high for my taste, the PAs had a better sound balance to me. At any rate, the living room is my wife's domain, so everything needs to be somewhat small and hidden. We had a theater built in the basement for the ... ahem ... "kids", so the living room is just for casual watching. The inability to hear dialogue in movies, and the overheating issue, is what caused this search. Thanks again!

 

[anamorphic96]

It should be noted that some of the Russound amplifiers are made by Audiosource. It look's to be primarily the 2 channel amps though.

 

[Rainman127]

That's interesting. While I was looking at the Audiosource amp, I read a review that said it's the exact same amp as a Dayton amp that's $150 cheaper (Audiosource AMP 1200 = Dayton Audio MA1240a). I suppose there are several agreements in place between the three companies.


Unfortunately, I'm still researching this project. I've decided to break the wired rooms into three separate zones (I simply would not have any need of playing every room from the same source). So, I'm planning to wire the living room's 5.1 into Zone 1, the other rooms on the main house level to Zone 2 (four rooms, including a pair of outside speakers), and the upstairs to Zone 3 (two rooms). The big questions are:

1) What's the best way to control Zone 3 from the room (Z3 is upstairs after all)?
2) Which bookshelf and center speakers to purchase for the 5.1? I'm currently considering the PA RTiA3 for bookshelf speakers and the PA CsiA4 or A6 for the center. Also looking at prior year models to save some money (RTi6 mainly).
3) Which amplifier to buy for my Marantz AV7003?

After you throw in a very large "honey do" list for Thanksgiving prep, I really haven't had too much time for this project lately. I really want this all setup, done, and working properly.

 

[Rainman127]

I apologize for resurrecting such an old thread, but I wanted to give an update and conclude the thread.

I really appreciate all of the advice in this thread and thank everyone that took their time to help me!

As TLS Guy suggested, I junked the HTiB speakers, then went to a store to listen to several different speakers I was considering (my ears really loved the PAs). I bought two bookshelf PAs for the front left/right, a new center speaker (which was easily four times larger than the one it replaced), and I purchased a new PA Sub as well. The in-ceiling speakers that came with the house always sounded great and they are 8ohms, so I kept them. I purchased a Dayton Audio MA1260, 12 channel amp, to drive everything (wow, what a difference over the Pyle speaker splitter/selector). Unfortunately, the first DA unit would lose all of the right channels after an hour or so of use, but the replacement seems to be working just fine. I hooked up a Logitech Squeezebox that I had lying around to one of the BUS INPUTS on the DA. I ran my receiver to the 2nd BUS INPUT but we rarely use that option. I can now control the Logitech from my phone; I simply turn on the wall volume of a particular room, the amp then turns on the appropriate zone (well, sometimes), and I then have music. So, I now have five zones controlled from the same amp and everything is, pretty much, working great.

I did have some weird feedback coming from the amp on my kitchen speakers (you could hear the sound vibrating from the amp). After painstakingly tracing lines to make sure everything was hooked up properly, I finally replaced the impedance matching wall volume control and everything worked as it should. Very strange, but it works now.

I plan on adding a couple of Sonos units to the mix, eventually nixing the Logitech Squeezetouch, because I really love the Sonos interface! The amp's auto on/off setting doesn't always come on, so I will probably add a trigger eventually (I've read online that a 12v trigger has alleviated this issue for others).

That's pretty much it, so, once again, thanks so much for all of the great advice. It took forever for me to finally get around to the project, and then even longer to complete all of the wiring and wrap up everything, but it appears to all be done ... for now anyway, I do plan on completing a similar project in our basement eventually.

SO, once again, thanks to all, you guys are awesome - Rainman



One after thought question, the outside speakers are 6ohms (Yamaha NS-AW150BL), and the 12 channel amp (DA MA1260) states the following:

Specifications • Rated power output per channel: 65 watts RMS into 8 ohms, 89 watts into 4 ohms • Bridged output: 130 watts RMS into 8 ohms (8 ohm minimum) • THD (20 Hz-20 kHz): 0.032% @ 65W (4 ohm stereo); 0.080% @ 130W (8 ohm bridged) • Circuit topology: Class D • Signal to noise ratio: 115 dB A-weighted • Efficiency: 93% • Frequency response: 7.5 Hz to 48 kHz.

Should I replace the outside speakers with 8ohm speakers or do you think my DA unit will be ok? The outside Yamahas were barely audible with the Pyle selector, but they sound amazing now and I didn't even need to bridge the zones (which I originally thought I'd need to do). Still, if there's a chance that they'll do damage to the amp if running at 6ohms, then I'll spend the money on new 8ohm speakers. What do you think?

 

[TLS Guy]

Don't worry about the six ohm speakers they will be fine.

Thanks for the feedback. It is nice to see someone actually takes our advice now and again and that it works out.

I know initially you got a lot of information you did not want to hear.

We get quite a few post about multi room installations. So please stay around and now give expert advice to these posters. You have walked the walk, and be more help than I who can not stand the thought of having ceiling speakers all over the house!

 

[highfigh]

I apologize for resurrecting such an old thread, but I wanted to give an update and conclude the thread.

I really appreciate all of the advice in this thread and thank everyone that took their time to help me!

As TLS Guy suggested, I junked the HTiB speakers, then went to a store to listen to several different speakers I was considering (my ears really loved the PAs). I bought two bookshelf PAs for the front left/right, a new center speaker (which was easily four times larger than the one it replaced), and I purchased a new PA Sub as well. The in-ceiling speakers that came with the house always sounded great and they are 8ohms, so I kept them. I purchased a Dayton Audio MA1260, 12 channel amp, to drive everything (wow, what a difference over the Pyle speaker splitter/selector). Unfortunately, the first DA unit would lose all of the right channels after an hour or so of use, but the replacement seems to be working just fine. I hooked up a Logitech Squeezebox that I had lying around to one of the BUS INPUTS on the DA. I ran my receiver to the 2nd BUS INPUT but we rarely use that option. I can now control the Logitech from my phone; I simply turn on the wall volume of a particular room, the amp then turns on the appropriate zone (well, sometimes), and I then have music. So, I now have five zones controlled from the same amp and everything is, pretty much, working great.

I did have some weird feedback coming from the amp on my kitchen speakers (you could hear the sound vibrating from the amp). After painstakingly tracing lines to make sure everything was hooked up properly, I finally replaced the impedance matching wall volume control and everything worked as it should. Very strange, but it works now.

I plan on adding a couple of Sonos units to the mix, eventually nixing the Logitech Squeezetouch, because I really love the Sonos interface! The amp's auto on/off setting doesn't always come on, so I will probably add a trigger eventually (I've read online that a 12v trigger has alleviated this issue for others).

That's pretty much it, so, once again, thanks so much for all of the great advice. It took forever for me to finally get around to the project, and then even longer to complete all of the wiring and wrap up everything, but it appears to all be done ... for now anyway, I do plan on completing a similar project in our basement eventually.

SO, once again, thanks to all, you guys are awesome - Rainman



One after thought question, the outside speakers are 6ohms (Yamaha NS-AW150BL), and the 12 channel amp (DA MA1260) states the following:

Specifications • Rated power output per channel: 65 watts RMS into 8 ohms, 89 watts into 4 ohms • Bridged output: 130 watts RMS into 8 ohms (8 ohm minimum) • THD (20 Hz-20 kHz): 0.032% @ 65W (4 ohm stereo); 0.080% @ 130W (8 ohm bridged) • Circuit topology: Class D • Signal to noise ratio: 115 dB A-weighted • Efficiency: 93% • Frequency response: 7.5 Hz to 48 kHz.

Should I replace the outside speakers with 8ohm speakers or do you think my DA unit will be ok? The outside Yamahas were barely audible with the Pyle selector, but they sound amazing now and I didn't even need to bridge the zones (which I originally thought I'd need to do). Still, if there's a chance that they'll do damage to the amp if running at 6ohms, then I'll spend the money on new 8ohm speakers. What do you think?

The fact that the amp is rated for 4 Ohms means that it will be fine with 6 Ohm speakers. If it had been rated for 6 Ohms and you were using 4 Ohm speakers, it might be a different story.

FWIW, I'm using a Dayton Audio MA-1240 (it's the second one I have used) in a fitness facility that has a large room for the Boot Camp type workouts, spinning, TRX and other group activities and another room for Yoga. The Yoga room has one pair of Polk Atrium speakers using one pair of amplifier channels and the large room's roof has three I-beams, which divide it into four sections, each section has a pair of 8" in-ceiling speakers and I'm using an Art Head amp with four level controls so the trainers can adjust the level in each area. I'm not bridging any of the amplifier channels, but I did that with the first one I used, for the subwoofer. That amp has been is use for 6 years and the only problem they had was caused by the husband, who washed his aquariums in the same room with the amp and splashed water into it- this caused the sub to stop working and one pair of speakers to not work, intermittently. Once it was fully dry, the problems stopped because it was in the input section and not the output, where the current wasn't sufficient to cause any damage.

If the amp's signal sensing doesn't always turn it on, I'd like to know if you altered the input level control settings for each channel- if they're wide open, you won't need much signal to reach full output, but this also means the threshold won't be reached. If you don't need high SPL in those areas, I would set the output from the AVR or preamp so it ALWAYS triggers the amp and reduce the input level setting for each channel, so it will actually require higher input signal level. Leave the input to the amp fixed, or you'll constantly fiddle with the volume controls in all of the rooms.

BTW- if you find a need for a 12V trigger and you can't feed a wire from the AVR or preamp, the trigger output on the amplifier will send 12V from its output, even when the power switch is set to Auto- you don't need a 12V input in order to have a 12V output.

 

[mmulhern]

Beware of trying to integrate sonos with your wired system. Sonos implements a signal delay and it is impossible/spotty to get the audio in sync even when your receiver is in 'Pure Direct' mode (I have a
RX-A2030). In my experience it doesn't matter if you generate the audio signal from sonos or from the receiver.

Thankfully I only purchased one sonos speaker to play around with and ended up putting it in my basement where it is my pool table speaker and can do no damage.

If you intend on integrating sonos to get a party mode/whole house effect that includes your wired system you may find yourself disappointed and out of sync. The frustrating thing is that previous versions of the sonos software allowed for tuning the delay of individual speakers. This feature was removed from the software many years ago without explanation. Per my current knowledge it is still not available despite many requests.

 

[Rainman127]

The fact that the amp is rated for 4 Ohms means that it will be fine with 6 Ohm speakers. If it had been rated for 6 Ohms and you were using 4 Ohm speakers, it might be a different story.

FWIW, I'm using a Dayton Audio MA-1240 (it's the second one I have used) in a fitness facility that has a large room for the Boot Camp type workouts, spinning, TRX and other group activities and another room for Yoga. The Yoga room has one pair of Polk Atrium speakers using one pair of amplifier channels and the large room's roof has three I-beams, which divide it into four sections, each section has a pair of 8" in-ceiling speakers and I'm using an Art Head amp with four level controls so the trainers can adjust the level in each area. I'm not bridging any of the amplifier channels, but I did that with the first one I used, for the subwoofer. That amp has been is use for 6 years and the only problem they had was caused by the husband, who washed his aquariums in the same room with the amp and splashed water into it- this caused the sub to stop working and one pair of speakers to not work, intermittently. Once it was fully dry, the problems stopped because it was in the input section and not the output, where the current wasn't sufficient to cause any damage.

If the amp's signal sensing doesn't always turn it on, I'd like to know if you altered the input level control settings for each channel- if they're wide open, you won't need much signal to reach full output, but this also means the threshold won't be reached. If you don't need high SPL in those areas, I would set the output from the AVR or preamp so it ALWAYS triggers the amp and reduce the input level setting for each channel, so it will actually require higher input signal level. Leave the input to the amp fixed, or you'll constantly fiddle with the volume controls in all of the rooms.

BTW- if you find a need for a 12V trigger and you can't feed a wire from the AVR or preamp, the trigger output on the amplifier will send 12V from its output, even when the power switch is set to Auto- you don't need a 12V input in order to have a 12V output.

Thanks for the reply, the issue is with the volume controls in the regular position. I did mess with them a bit, but it didn't help. I ended up returning the amp and am awaiting a replacement. If it has issues as well, then I will go with another brand. I did look at the MA-1240a but I preferred the fanless design of the MA-1260. Hopefully I just got a lemon and the second one will be better.