Advice for patio sound

[blk00ss]

We have a fairly good size patio. If I had to guess I'd say its 20ft by 10ft. I need some sound out there. Nothing crazy, just really would like to have some music, but I'm not sure how to go about powering them as I didn't wanna take up a lot of patio floor space with an outdoor cabinet for AV equipment (unless I just have to). Speaker wise I was looking at the Polk Atrium 6 and even the Atrium 8. I do have a Denon AVR-x1200w with 2 zone (no clue how to use it), but that would require me to run wire in the most difficult part of my house. I'm not even sure I can get to that part of my attic or that particular wall. I also have an old Denon AVR-683 (5.1) receiver that if I absolutely had to, I could use, but of course I'd have to get a cabinet and find a way for it to do Bluetooth since its so old. But looking for other options, ideas. I even thought about buying one of those small 2 channel amps with Bluetooth and maybe mounting it up under the eve of our patio as well, but wasn't sure how well those work.

Also, if I did use the old 683...what is the best setup when using a 5.1 receiver with only 2 speakers?

 

[SithZedi]

Had a similar issue when my kid wanted to put music on our patio for a party she was hosting. Did not want to over complicate and run wires nor spend a good deal of money on anything that would be used outdoors. Ended up getting an under $100 soundbar on Amazon with bluetooth and use my wife's Iphone to stream Spotify to it. It was made by a HK company called Chialstar and measures 21 inches with surprisingly good sound and it is still working after 4 years. I was probably lucky it worked/lasted this long but for outdoor use and price it might be a simple solution.

 

[highfigh]

We have a fairly good size patio. If I had to guess I'd say its 20ft by 10ft. I need some sound out there. Nothing crazy, just really would like to have some music, but I'm not sure how to go about powering them as I didn't wanna take up a lot of patio floor space with an outdoor cabinet for AV equipment (unless I just have to). Speaker wise I was looking at the Polk Atrium 6 and even the Atrium 8. I do have a Denon AVR-x1200w with 2 zone (no clue how to use it), but that would require me to run wire in the most difficult part of my house. I'm not even sure I can get to that part of my attic or that particular wall. I also have an old Denon AVR-683 (5.1) receiver that if I absolutely had to, I could use, but of course I'd have to get a cabinet and find a way for it to do Bluetooth since its so old. But looking for other options, ideas. I even thought about buying one of those small 2 channel amps with Bluetooth and maybe mounting it up under the eve of our patio as well, but wasn't sure how well those work.

Also, if I did use the old 683...what is the best setup when using a 5.1 receiver with only 2 speakers?

If you don't know how to use Zone 2, read the manual. Learn what you can and if you still have problems dealing with it, come back and ask questions. The setup and methods of operation won't just come to you.

Use Airplay- it's built into most AVRs and if your WiFi is good, it will be stable, you won't need to use all of your cellular data and it usually sounds better.

Aim the speakers toward the house, not out toward the yard. This reduces the power needed to achieve a higher level by using the building to reinforce the sound. Aiming them out is only useful if people will be out there and if you need to do that, just add a pair with a volume control so you don't piss off the neighbors (assuming you have neighbors). Those amps aren't designed to be mounted outside- if you decide to go that way, you could mount it inside of the garage if it's adjacent to the patio but you still want to make sure insects can't get in.

Multi-channel AVRs usually have a setting called 'Party Mode' or '5 channel stereo'- I know most Denons have this- go into the Audio menu.

 

[blk00ss]

If you don't know how to use Zone 2, read the manual. Learn what you can and if you still have problems dealing with it, come back and ask questions. The setup and methods of operation won't just come to you.

Use Airplay- it's built into most AVRs and if your WiFi is good, it will be stable, you won't need to use all of your cellular data and it usually sounds better.

Aim the speakers toward the house, not out toward the yard. This reduces the power needed to achieve a higher level by using the building to reinforce the sound. Aiming them out is only useful if people will be out there and if you need to do that, just add a pair with a volume control so you don't piss off the neighbors (assuming you have neighbors). Those amps aren't designed to be mounted outside- if you decide to go that way, you could mount it inside of the garage if it's adjacent to the patio but you still want to make sure insects can't get in.

Multi-channel AVRs usually have a setting called 'Party Mode' or '5 channel stereo'- I know most Denons have this- go into the Audio menu.

I'm not concerned with learning how to use zone 2. Honestly, I'd rather use what I already have access to. But I am concerned with how I'm going to get to the receiver given the way the house is built. I may have to revisit this to see if I can find a clean way to get wiring to the patio, especially since I already have all of our wires run through the walls currently.

As for mounting a small 2 channel amp...I wasn't planning to leave it outside all the time. With some of those being so small I figured I could have a mount for it outside when I wanted music and would just disconnect and bring inside once done.

 

[highfigh]

I'm not concerned with learning how to use zone 2. Honestly, I'd rather use what I already have access to. But I am concerned with how I'm going to get to the receiver given the way the house is built. I may have to revisit this to see if I can find a clean way to get wiring to the patio, especially since I already have all of our wires run through the walls currently.

As for mounting a small 2 channel amp...I wasn't planning to leave it outside all the time. With some of those being so small I figured I could have a mount for it outside when I wanted music and would just disconnect and bring inside once done.

Very hard to make recommendations without knowing how your home was built.

Making & breaking connections frequently creates points of failure. Use some kind of plastic connector if you plan to do this.

 

[lovinthehd]

Another consideration is portable bluetooth self-powered speakers (if your insist on bluetooth, I'd also prefer a wifi based solution, altho some portable speakers may also support that now....not something I've particularly looked for).

 

[blk00ss]

Another consideration is portable bluetooth self-powered speakers (if your insist on bluetooth, I'd also prefer a wifi based solution, altho some portable speakers may also support that now....not something I've particularly looked for).

I did consider this option. The issue I found while researching many popular Bluetooth outdoor speakers was the reviews are "iffy". I've seen some reviews that say they're great, but then others talking about how Bluetooth drops often, they're hard to connect etc. It seems one of the popular ones are made by Pyle, but I'm not a huge Pyle fan. And the other brands, I've never heard of. So I kind of backed away from this option. I guess I feel more comfortable with a Yamaha, Polk, Klipsch, or even Dayton audio option and none of them to my knowledge make a Bluetooth powered speaker option. I also worry about sound quality from a Bluetooth speaker seeing as how you have no real way of setting any type of EQ without an amp or receiver pushing them.

 

[lovinthehd]

Bluetooth isn't quite as high fidelity nor has quite the range of wifi....and many music apps can easily accommodate wifi as well as bluetooth. Just how important is audio quality outside? Is this a covered/enclosed type patio? True, most bluetooth speakers won't be the highest fidelity. You could get some wireless active speakers of better quality from more well known audio brands like you've mentioned, and you can always easily add a bluetooth receiver to such....

ps I wouldn't buy Pyle either.

 

[blk00ss]

Bluetooth isn't quite as high fidelity nor has quite the range of wifi....and many music apps can easily accommodate wifi as well as bluetooth. Just how important is audio quality outside? Is this a covered/enclosed type patio? True, most bluetooth speakers won't be the highest fidelity. You could get some wireless active speakers of better quality from more well known audio brands like you've mentioned, and you can always easily add a bluetooth receiver to such....

ps I wouldn't buy Pyle either.

It is covered. My placement for the speakers are totally out of the weather because they would be placed up and inside of our covered patio area. How do "wifi" speakers differ from Bluetooth? Do wifi speakers connect to me receiver?

I guess part of my issue is I'm old school and typically find that a wired connections is always better than a wifi or bluetooth option .

 

[lovinthehd]

It is covered. My placement for the speakers are totally out of the weather because they would be placed up and inside of our covered patio area. How do "wifi" speakers differ from Bluetooth? Do wifi speakers connect to me receiver?

I guess part of my issue is I'm old school and typically find that a wired connections is always better than a wifi or bluetooth option .

My outdoor speakers are under eaves and are wired indoor/outdoor speakers (running off an avr as zone 2 in my workshop/garage)....but no enclosed patio and no AC outlets on my rear deck so only way to go with my speakers at this time (and a convienent hole for an extension cord for outdoor string lights had been put in the wall by the previous owner). However, much of the music I send to my various avrs around the house is wireless, and no quality issues aside from normal internet/router issues but not something that gets in the way but once in a great while. My modem/router isn't convenient to any of my systems to be hard wired, and thought at one point I'd have to do that, but wifi has been fine. I don't use bluetooth for connectivity, just wifi; bluetooth is just a specific type of wireless connection, and I'd rather have the higher fidelity and range of wifi. I have a little bluetooth receiver with analog outputs that I can hook up in my truck (as my head unit doesn't have built in bluetooth), and have used that on my indoor gear just to see how well it worked, and it was acceptable (and their are better bluetooth protocols now than either my phone or that receiver have).

I'd have to dig as to what active speakers may have built in wifi, other than maybe Sonos or Denon's Heos. I was thinking more just active speakers primarily to avoid having a separate amp/avr to power them and move around in your case. I know some have both wifi and bluetooth, but not familiar with price points particularly vs just hooking up something more portable in the way of a streamer. Whether your patio is within good range for your wifi I suppose could be a consideration; wifi covers my house and deck quite well, and at shorter distances bluetooth shouldn't be an issue. Maybe start searching for articles like this for ideas https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-wireless-and-bluetooth-speakers

I have a pair of JBL LSR305 active speakers (used in a spare bedroom) and have used a Chromecast Audio unit to enable wifi streaming....maybe the larger version like the LSR308 might be an idea....

Some further thoughts, If out of the weather that opens up options I'd think, but you did mention bringing stuff inside at times, so maybe not completely out of the weather? Or security concerns? You have sufficient AC outlets out there as needed for various gear?

Just my .02....

 

[blk00ss]

My outdoor speakers are under eaves and are wired indoor/outdoor speakers (running off an avr as zone 2 in my workshop/garage)....but no enclosed patio and no AC outlets on my rear deck so only way to go with my speakers at this time (and a convienent hole for an extension cord for outdoor string lights had been put in the wall by the previous owner). However, much of the music I send to my various avrs around the house is wireless, and no quality issues aside from normal internet/router issues but not something that gets in the way but once in a great while. My modem/router isn't convenient to any of my systems to be hard wired, and thought at one point I'd have to do that, but wifi has been fine. I don't use bluetooth for connectivity, just wifi; bluetooth is just a specific type of wireless connection, and I'd rather have the higher fidelity and range of wifi. I have a little bluetooth receiver with analog outputs that I can hook up in my truck (as my head unit doesn't have built in bluetooth), and have used that on my indoor gear just to see how well it worked, and it was acceptable (and their are better bluetooth protocols now than either my phone or that receiver have).

I'd have to dig as to what active speakers may have built in wifi, other than maybe Sonos or Denon's Heos. I was thinking more just active speakers primarily to avoid having a separate amp/avr to power them and move around in your case. I know some have both wifi and bluetooth, but not familiar with price points particularly vs just hooking up something more portable in the way of a streamer. Whether your patio is within good range for your wifi I suppose could be a consideration; wifi covers my house and deck quite well, and at shorter distances bluetooth shouldn't be an issue. Maybe start searching for articles like this for ideas https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-wireless-and-bluetooth-speakers

I have a pair of JBL LSR305 active speakers (used in a spare bedroom) and have used a Chromecast Audio unit to enable wifi streaming....maybe the larger version like the LSR308 might be an idea....

Some further thoughts, If out of the weather that opens up options I'd think, but you did mention bringing stuff inside at times, so maybe not completely out of the weather? Or security concerns? You have sufficient AC outlets out there as needed for various gear?

Just my .02....

No security concerns. Yes, I would bring them in during winter most likely, but even when outside, they would never be exposed to rain given the placement I have in mind. I'm now leaning towards two different possibilities from Dayton audio. Been pretty pleased with what I've heard from them so far. I did go ahead and "test" my zone 2 on my Denon. I've had the receiver for quite a few years and have never once checked to see what zone 2 was all about. Seems to work pretty well. I'm just gonna have to get in the attic and see if I can punch my way over to the patio "attic space". If that works I'll probably start with a pair and then maybe add another pair if I feel its needed.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I'm a big fan of doing things wired. You can certainly go through the hassle of bringing a speaker in/out whenever you want to use it. But, that's just it. It is something else to store in your home, something else that must be charged and ready to go when you want to use it. You will want a unit that can work when plugged in when you want to charge it up, and ensure it has enough power to run it when it gets low on battery. It's not the end of the world if this is something you are prepared to deal with on a regular basis.

Personally, I ran wires outside. It does suck a bit to run the wires, but once the wires are in place, they are there forever and speaker wiring technology really hasn't changed in decades. So, you are likely good for the life of your home if you run some 14 gauge wiring out to some speaker locations. It is ONLY painful once, bringing speakers outside all the time and charging them, etc. is painful every time you want to use them.

I have done outdoor rock speakers for some clients, I've done speakers on stakes, but in patio areas I typically use traditional outdoor speakers and I've found very little difference in audio quality from those speakers made by Outdoor Speaker Depot and many of the name brands for a lot more money. I typically put them under awnings and such to help keep them out of direct weather. I have also put them under wooden decks to hide them completely while getting a reasonably decent sound for the people above.

Other considerations:
Your existing Denon receiver, if you are currently using it in a 5.1 audio setup, allows you to connect the speakers directly to the assignable Surround Back speaker terminals to power the outdoor speakers. No additional amplifier is required.
Your existing Denon receiver offers streaming capabilities for many services which you can use for playback of audio outside.
Your existing Denon SHOULD HAVE a app which allows you to control it from your phone and adjust volume outside easily.

If using a different AV receiver, you just set the receiver up, following the manual, and choose 'NONE' for surround speakers, center channel, and subwoofer. It will automatically adjust itself to know that you only have left/right speakers setup in stereo.

When I go ride my bike in circles for an hour, I take a bluetooth boombox with me. It's not heavy, but not really light, but it gets the job done when I am only riding for an hour, and I only need to charge it once every few riding sessions. I don't play it all that loud. But, it's not something I would want out on my deck, and it isn't something I would want to forget about, as I'm pretty sure it isn't waterproof. But, I could see using a waterproof bluetooth portable speaker outside if I didn't have wiring in place. But, I would still eventually run a wire and I would strongly lean towards using zone 2 of my AV receiver if at all possible as that will give you solid streaming potential.

 

[highfigh]

It is covered. My placement for the speakers are totally out of the weather because they would be placed up and inside of our covered patio area. How do "wifi" speakers differ from Bluetooth? Do wifi speakers connect to me receiver?

I guess part of my issue is I'm old school and typically find that a wired connections is always better than a wifi or bluetooth option .

WiFi speakers that share the network usually can receive the signal from a source, but most receivers do just that- receive, not transmit. The exception would Denon with HEOS, Yamaha with MusicCast or something like that.

Technically, wired is 'best', but Airplay, HEOS, MusicCast, etc are very good. I use MusicCast to stream and sometimes, to receive from my phone or computer and these are more flexible than just Bluetooth, but if you want to use BT, it can be done with very good results.

I installed a Miccus Bluetooth receiver in a school gym when I upgraded the audio system and it has worked extremely well. It will be four years in August since installation and I have received zero trouble calls. The range is far better than I had heard of at that time, before I learned that BT had been greatly improved (it was at BT 5.0 at the time) and it also sounded better than I had experienced, even from a $250 BT receiver that, when directly compared with Airplay, sounded like crap. I tested the range and checked the sound quality of the Miccus the night before I installed it and found that it sounded good, but the big one for that project was the range- I was over 150' away from the receiver and the signal never dropped out. This was important because it needs to work in a school gym that's the size of a full basketball court with a 15' border on all sides, with the signal passing through two concrete block walls, with one at a low angle to the signal path.

Anyway, there are many ways to accomplish what you want- if you can provide a diagram of the area, it would be easier to get this done. If you would want to make it portable, as you mentioned, that's not difficult, either. You would need an outlet and the right equipment- that's all. We can expand on this if you want to go into more detail.

If you want to make it totally portable and not dependent on AC power, that can be done fairly easily, too.

 

[blk00ss]

I'm a big fan of doing things wired. You can certainly go through the hassle of bringing a speaker in/out whenever you want to use it. But, that's just it. It is something else to store in your home, something else that must be charged and ready to go when you want to use it. You will want a unit that can work when plugged in when you want to charge it up, and ensure it has enough power to run it when it gets low on battery. It's not the end of the world if this is something you are prepared to deal with on a regular basis.

Personally, I ran wires outside. It does suck a bit to run the wires, but once the wires are in place, they are there forever and speaker wiring technology really hasn't changed in decades. So, you are likely good for the life of your home if you run some 14 gauge wiring out to some speaker locations. It is ONLY painful once, bringing speakers outside all the time and charging them, etc. is painful every time you want to use them.

I have done outdoor rock speakers for some clients, I've done speakers on stakes, but in patio areas I typically use traditional outdoor speakers and I've found very little difference in audio quality from those speakers made by Outdoor Speaker Depot and many of the name brands for a lot more money. I typically put them under awnings and such to help keep them out of direct weather. I have also put them under wooden decks to hide them completely while getting a reasonably decent sound for the people above.

Other considerations:
Your existing Denon receiver, if you are currently using it in a 5.1 audio setup, allows you to connect the speakers directly to the assignable Surround Back speaker terminals to power the outdoor speakers. No additional amplifier is required.
Your existing Denon receiver offers streaming capabilities for many services which you can use for playback of audio outside.
Your existing Denon SHOULD HAVE a app which allows you to control it from your phone and adjust volume outside easily.

If using a different AV receiver, you just set the receiver up, following the manual, and choose 'NONE' for surround speakers, center channel, and subwoofer. It will automatically adjust itself to know that you only have left/right speakers setup in stereo.

When I go ride my bike in circles for an hour, I take a bluetooth boombox with me. It's not heavy, but not really light, but it gets the job done when I am only riding for an hour, and I only need to charge it once every few riding sessions. I don't play it all that loud. But, it's not something I would want out on my deck, and it isn't something I would want to forget about, as I'm pretty sure it isn't waterproof. But, I could see using a waterproof bluetooth portable speaker outside if I didn't have wiring in place. But, I would still eventually run a wire and I would strongly lean towards using zone 2 of my AV receiver if at all possible as that will give you solid streaming potential.

I am of the same thought. I'd much rather a wired solution. I'm even that way when it comes to our home wifi and our game consoles. We pretty much use wifi for phone, ipad etc. But all of our gaming consoles are hardwired. Anything that might be considered a "data hog", I run cable up through the walls and over to our wifi router ports

I already have our living room 5.1 setup wired through the walls. I did it myself many years ago. Wasn't horrible, but it wasn't that complicated either. My only issue here is in the next day or two I'm gonna have to get in the attic and see what (if any) access do I have from where the wires drop to the receiver, over to the patio space. But this is definitely the route I plan to go.

As far as the receiver itself, I tested the Zone 2. I simply connected my current rear speakers over to the zone 2 terminals. Works great, however...when doing this my tv screen was being utilized for zone 2. So maybe my receiver doesn't allow zone 2 to play while also allowing zone 1 to play? Not sure, I'll have to read up on that part.

I'll have to re-download the Denon app. To be honest, I got rid of it a few different times because I have found the app kind of sucks...or maybe its the receiver. To be honest, I don't like this Denon. My old Denon that I replaced was awesome and still worked fine when I replaced it, but this x1200 is not my favorite. It suffers from connectivity issues all the time and requires the power to be disconnected in order to correct itself. I have even found that before a power down, many times the front panel USB doesn't recognize something is plugged into it. But when you pull the power cable, let it sit for a minute or so and then power it back on...voila, suddenly Bluetooth and USB port work wonderfully...until the next time you need it.

Probably won't be buying another Denon when the time comes. What really sucks is I guess they now also own Pioneer which I was a big fan of

 

[highfigh]

I am of the same thought. I'd much rather a wired solution. I'm even that way when it comes to our home wifi and our game consoles. We pretty much use wifi for phone, ipad etc. But all of our gaming consoles are hardwired. Anything that might be considered a "data hog", I run cable up through the walls and over to our wifi router ports

I already have our living room 5.1 setup wired through the walls. I did it myself many years ago. Wasn't horrible, but it wasn't that complicated either. My only issue here is in the next day or two I'm gonna have to get in the attic and see what (if any) access do I have from where the wires drop to the receiver, over to the patio space. But this is definitely the route I plan to go.

As far as the receiver itself, I tested the Zone 2. I simply connected my current rear speakers over to the zone 2 terminals. Works great, however...when doing this my tv screen was being utilized for zone 2. So maybe my receiver doesn't allow zone 2 to play while also allowing zone 1 to play? Not sure, I'll have to read up on that part.

I'll have to re-download the Denon app. To be honest, I got rid of it a few different times because I have found the app kind of sucks...or maybe its the receiver. To be honest, I don't like this Denon. My old Denon that I replaced was awesome and still worked fine when I replaced it, but this x1200 is not my favorite. It suffers from connectivity issues all the time and requires the power to be disconnected in order to correct itself. I have even found that before a power down, many times the front panel USB doesn't recognize something is plugged into it. But when you pull the power cable, let it sit for a minute or so and then power it back on...voila, suddenly Bluetooth and USB port work wonderfully...until the next time you need it.

Probably won't be buying another Denon when the time comes. What really sucks is I guess they now also own Pioneer which I was a big fan of

Is this AVR that has connectivity issues hardwired? I didn't see anything about you using a network switch for multiple local connections, so I thought I would ask. If it'snot hardwired, change that.

If the USB and network issues continue, I would reset the network. This isn't a hard reset, but a hard reset would include resetting the network.

 

[BMXTRIX]

...
As far as the receiver itself, I tested the Zone 2. I simply connected my current rear speakers over to the zone 2 terminals. Works great, however...when doing this my tv screen was being utilized for zone 2. So maybe my receiver doesn't allow zone 2 to play while also allowing zone 1 to play? Not sure, I'll have to read up on that part.

I'll have to re-download the Denon app. To be honest, I got rid of it a few different times because I have found the app kind of sucks...or maybe its the receiver. To be honest, I don't like this Denon. My old Denon that I replaced was awesome and still worked fine when I replaced it, but this x1200 is not my favorite. It suffers from connectivity issues all the time and requires the power to be disconnected in order to correct itself. I have even found that before a power down, many times the front panel USB doesn't recognize something is plugged into it. But when you pull the power cable, let it sit for a minute or so and then power it back on...voila, suddenly Bluetooth and USB port work wonderfully...until the next time you need it.

Probably won't be buying another Denon when the time comes. What really sucks is I guess they now also own Pioneer which I was a big fan of

If you can get wires to the outside, then you can use any product inside to run it that you want and that makes sense.

In your Denon, your Surround Back speakers must be assigned as Zone 2 instead of Surround Back. By default, they will be set as Surround Back, so there is a bit of setup that is needed. The HDMI video output will be for Zone 1 exclusively, and you will need to turn on zone 2 separately from zone 1 (your main room). As well, any HDMI only sources likely won't be available to zone 2 because the receiver only has a single DAC in it and can't convert digital HDMI to analog for zone 2, only zone 1. But, it can stream internet and should be able to play AirPlay or Bluetooth to zone 2 while zone 1 is playing something else without issue.

I honestly haven't played much with zone 2 of a Denon for a long time. I have a Yamaha at the moment, and haven't even played with that, but I have a client who is using zone 2 and thought the MusicCast app was really good. I went into the app, and setup the zone 2 output of her Yamaha. Named it "Outside", picked a photo for it, set the volume to static (multiple sets of speakers with a volume control), and then when I went to the main MusicCast page, all the available sources for "Outside" were available when I selected the outside zone from the main app. It literally just shows the 3 zones which were setup in MusicCast. This included a bedroom (the main zone from the AV receiver), Outside (the newly added space), and a additional dedicated MusicCast player for the family room. Worked well from what I can tell and the client was happy.

In honesty, I personally haven't played with any of it on a day to day basis.

 

[highfigh]

If you can get wires to the outside, then you can use any product inside to run it that you want and that makes sense.

In your Denon, your Surround Back speakers must be assigned as Zone 2 instead of Surround Back. By default, they will be set as Surround Back, so there is a bit of setup that is needed. The HDMI video output will be for Zone 1 exclusively, and you will need to turn on zone 2 separately from zone 1 (your main room). As well, any HDMI only sources likely won't be available to zone 2 because the receiver only has a single DAC in it and can't convert digital HDMI to analog for zone 2, only zone 1. But, it can stream internet and should be able to play AirPlay or Bluetooth to zone 2 while zone 1 is playing something else without issue.

I honestly haven't played much with zone 2 of a Denon for a long time. I have a Yamaha at the moment, and haven't even played with that, but I have a client who is using zone 2 and thought the MusicCast app was really good. I went into the app, and setup the zone 2 output of her Yamaha. Named it "Outside", picked a photo for it, set the volume to static (multiple sets of speakers with a volume control), and then when I went to the main MusicCast page, all the available sources for "Outside" were available when I selected the outside zone from the main app. It literally just shows the 3 zones which were setup in MusicCast. This included a bedroom (the main zone from the AV receiver), Outside (the newly added space), and a additional dedicated MusicCast player for the family room. Worked well from what I can tell and the client was happy.

In honesty, I personally haven't played with any of it on a day to day basis.

I have a customer who was looking for an AV system for the basement, streamer for the Kitchen/dining/living and Sun rooms- the first place quoted a Yamaha AVR for the basement and Sonos for streaming. When he asked if I could save some money, I started by saying that MusicCast was bult into the AVR and that he could stay with that for the other zones, so that's what we did. The only problem he has on a recurring basis is not seeing one of the MusicCast zones and depending on where he connected to the network, it might be the Sunroom or Playroom (basement system) that's missing, but he also hasn't given up on his AirPort network devices, so....I remind him often that Apple phones hang onto nodes for too long and that he should turn off WiFi, then turn it on again. So far, it has always worked.

The MusicCast app works great- it also functions extremely well in a computer's browser for normal operation as well as setup. I'm using my MusicCast piece as the preamp for my system (I don't have surround because the room doesn't lend itself to that very well).

 

[blk00ss]

Is this AVR that has connectivity issues hardwired? I didn't see anything about you using a network switch for multiple local connections, so I thought I would ask. If it'snot hardwired, change that.

If the USB and network issues continue, I would reset the network. This isn't a hard reset, but a hard reset would include resetting the network.

Its the the Denon. Its done this its whole life and has done it across the different 2 or 3 routers we've owned in its lifetime.

If you can get wires to the outside, then you can use any product inside to run it that you want and that makes sense.

In your Denon, your Surround Back speakers must be assigned as Zone 2 instead of Surround Back. By default, they will be set as Surround Back, so there is a bit of setup that is needed. The HDMI video output will be for Zone 1 exclusively, and you will need to turn on zone 2 separately from zone 1 (your main room). As well, any HDMI only sources likely won't be available to zone 2 because the receiver only has a single DAC in it and can't convert digital HDMI to analog for zone 2, only zone 1. But, it can stream internet and should be able to play AirPlay or Bluetooth to zone 2 while zone 1 is playing something else without issue.

I honestly haven't played much with zone 2 of a Denon for a long time. I have a Yamaha at the moment, and haven't even played with that, but I have a client who is using zone 2 and thought the MusicCast app was really good. I went into the app, and setup the zone 2 output of her Yamaha. Named it "Outside", picked a photo for it, set the volume to static (multiple sets of speakers with a volume control), and then when I went to the main MusicCast page, all the available sources for "Outside" were available when I selected the outside zone from the main app. It literally just shows the 3 zones which were setup in MusicCast. This included a bedroom (the main zone from the AV receiver), Outside (the newly added space), and a additional dedicated MusicCast player for the family room. Worked well from what I can tell and the client was happy.

In honesty, I personally haven't played with any of it on a day to day basis.

This is good info. Thank You!

No need (at this time) for HDMI in zone 2 as I'm just trying to get some sound for my patio so when I'm enjoying my beer and I have a fire going, I also have music. When I tested the zone 2 yesterday I did notice my normal sources were there....Ipad/ Ipod, internet radio, bluetooth etc. So I think I'm good as far as sources for music. I'll have to test the zone 1 playing while using zone 2 concern. As far as connections go...the Denon does have "specific" terminals to plug my outdoor speakers into. I assume when connecting them and turning zone 2 on, I'll be good to go. At least that is what I discovered when messing around with it yesterday, but...

The musiccast app...is that a Yamaha thing, or can that be used across all brands? Currently with the Denon, I typically use Pandora as its "prebuilt" into the I guess it would be the apps section.

Not gonna lie, I'm kind of excited to get this done. We've lived here since 2005. Not sure why I never thought about this earlier.

 

[BMXTRIX]

The musiccast app...is that a Yamaha thing, or can that be used across all brands? Currently with the Denon, I typically use Pandora as its "prebuilt" into the I guess it would be the apps section.

MusicCast is Yamaha's version of 'Sonos'. It's what they call their multi-room music listening system. Because you can cast from room to room, stream, etc. it is music casting. Kinda nifty name. They have a nice app for it and they've invested some money into making it work well. More or less.

Not gonna lie, I'm kind of excited to get this done. We've lived here since 2005. Not sure why I never thought about this earlier.

I'm not sure why either! Of course, I have like 20+ zones of audio in my home, so I'm all about getting music to every single room I can, including my garage and outside behind the house. Wiring was a pain.

Denon offers HEOS, which is similar to MusicCast, but it seems like Yamaha may integrate this a bit more on their products while Denon may require the HEOS Link. Either way, the Denon Control App should allow you to run zone 2 without much headache from your phone.

 

[highfigh]

Denon offers HEOS, which is similar to MusicCast, but it seems like Yamaha may integrate this a bit more on their products while Denon may require the HEOS Link. Either way, the Denon Control App should allow you to run zone 2 without much headache from your phone.

You don't need the Link unless you want to use it as a source device or send its signal to a power amp and that make it & the MusicCast WXC-50 very similar and both have a device that's similar but with built-in amplification, AVRs/Stereo receivers, integrated amplifiers and amplified speakers with streaming ability. The Link has an IR out, but I don't think that would be a deal-breaker for most people. Both work well and sound very good. Both allow linking multiple HEOS or MusicCast zones in the app, to play the same program material and synch the audio, whether using the outboard pieces, AVR/Stereo receivers with HEOS or a mix of both.