I've read a number of guides/forums/etc, and spent 40 minutes on the phone with Crutchfield, but I'm at a bit of a loss on how to achieve what I'm looking for.
I have a family room, kitchen (which, when sitting on the couch, is behind me open concept), and a back patio. I currently have:
2 GoldenEar Aon 2 Bookshelf Speakers
1 GoldenEar ForceField 3 sub
1 Pioneer Elite A-20 Integrated Amp
2 kitchen ceiling speakers
2 back patio ceiling speakers
I want to purchase a center speaker for movies as the dialogue in my current setup is brutal. Here's where the pickle comes in. I need a new receiver because there aren't enough channels to connect the center when I get it, and not enough currently even to connect the outdoor. Ideally, I want to be able to watch tv/listen to music (I have a record player) with the front/left/right, and also the kitchen speakers but NOT use the kitchen speakers as rear surround - I just want them to be true left/right stereo because when I'm in there I like to hear the tv or music. I want the outdoor speakers to function as a separate zone where I can listen to music off my phone.
Everything I see would allow me to do this only if I use the kitchen speakers as rear surround, which I don't want to do. I had considered connecting my amp to a receiver as "zone 2" but I'm not sure that I'd get the desired result.
I'm not an audio guy by any means, so would truly appreciate a solution that I can understand to make this work! Thanks!
