Onkyo Zone II

[bigbassdave]

This is more of a gripe really. I wanted to setup two speakers in my bathroom using the zone 2 feature on my HT-RC180. Currently that receiver is powering a 7.1 setup in my man room. I understood full well that when zone 2 was being powered I would only be able to listen to 5.1 in the other room. What I did not understand is that I can't CONNECT zone two speakers because they only hook up to the same binding post as the surround back speakers. This irks me. I've had cheap little Onkyos in the past that had their own separate spring clips for hooking up zone two speakers. I mean my RC180 has binding posts for Front Wide and front Height speakers. Why won't it let me use one of those for my zone two? Guess I should have checked before mounting my Polk's in the bathroom.

 

[MDS]

I mean my RC180 has binding posts for Front Wide and front Height speakers. Why won't it let me use one of those for my zone two? Guess I should have checked before mounting my Polk's in the bathroom.

I thought that was how the latest 6-series receivers worked but after looking at the manual for the RC180, it appears that is not the case with your receiver.

You'd have to use the zone 2 pre-out and connect to an additional amplifier.

 

[bigbassdave]

Yeah you're right. I'll do it that way. Still find it a little annoying that I have to use a separate amp. I used to have an onkyo 520 (basically a 502) that came with a htib that had its own separate clips for zone II. Oh well.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

If the Zone 2 speakers require a second amp, why is it that you’re relegated to 5.1 in the main room when using Zone 2?

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[MDS]

If the Zone 2 speakers require a second amp, why is it that you’re relegated to 5.1 in the main room when using Zone 2?

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

If you were to use the zone 2 pre-outs to an additional amp you would not be relegated to 5.1 in the main zone - you'd still have 7.1. His problem is that the design of this model of receiver uses the surround back terminals for zone 2 which are necessary to use for 7.1. So it's either 7.1 or zone 2 and not both.

I'm pretty sure the 607 and up models behave the way bigbassdave wants his receiver to behave. They allow you to use either the surround back or the height terminals for zone 2. So at least with that setup you could do 7.1 in the main zone (without additional height speakers) and zone 2 OR you could do 5.1 in the main zone with additional height speakers and zone 2.


But, I guess something had to give since that receiver also adds the 'wide' speakers.