Question 1. I have a network/computer background so I know the do's and dont's with running cat6 cable and figure spk cable would be about the same?
I know the route and have some clear paths through the ceiling and attaic so I'm ready from that perspective.
Yes, should be fine.
Question 2: I'm wiring a 5bd two story home and I'm almost done with the cat6 and I'm ready to start with spk wire. Ive got a broom closet that leads into space under stairwell which is center to the house, so thats becoming my media closet. I want spks in six rooms between both floors (2 of 6 r bathrooms). The longest pull Ive estimated to be 75ft max. However I'm not sure what awg I need. Advice?
Quote offered the following:
- 2313 receiver (decided on a 3313)
- Not sure about brand spks yet, quote was for Niles 6.5 in most rms - I read some reviews and Niles didn't seem that great. Looking to stay <= $100 a pair.
- 12 zone Niles speaker switcher - Not sure how this ties into denon yet
- Niles volume ctrls
House:
- 5bd two story house
- 1 rm with 5.2 surround (large loft 15 x 15 x 17 with vaulted ceiling)
- 5 rms with just a pair of 6.5" (abt 10x10 rms)
- Longest spk run 75ft
Outcome:
- 7.1 or 5.2 ss in one room (loft)
- Have ability to watch/listen in two other rooms simultaneously
- Control most all audio/video functions from IPad turning on whatever video/music I want on whatever TV i want.
On the assumption that all speakers outside of the main room (loft) are for background music, 14ga wire would be fine for all runs. But you've fallen into the trap: attempting to use an AVR as the complete distributed audio solution. It's not going to work well. You can connect all the extra speakers to the Niles box and use their volume controls, that's not a problem except for the maximum volume you can get that way. The problem is with the fine print in the Denon manual regarding Zone 2 and Zone 3. These are analog only outputs. If you're playing a digital source, like your BD player via HDMI (pretty much required), you won't get any of that audio to play to Zone 2 or Zone 3. It has to come from an analog source, not HDMI or optical/coaxial. The reason is simple when you think of what you're asking the AVR to do. You're playing a digital soundtrack with 5.1 channels to the main room, but you want a 2.0 channel mixdown to go to the distributed speakers (assuming they're all stereo pairs). The AVR will decode one mix only, and will favor the 5.1 in the main room.
There are work-arounds to this, but none are exactly elegant or cheap. One is to find a source with both HDMI and analog outputs that can be set up to play 2.0 analog and 5.1 digital. Not every source device can do that. The other way is to involve HDMI matrix switching and two AVRs. You essentially split each HDMI source to two different AVRs, one for the main room, one for the distributed system set up for 2.0 channels. Lastly, you can resign yourself to limiting distributed audio to analog music only, which is probably how you'll really use it anyway. Define your music sources that way and the problems mostly go away.
There are other distributed audio solutions besides Niles, some less expensive, many of them more expensive. When I design systems like this for clients, the first step is to get inside their heads with a long conversation to see what they're expecting, how they plan to use the system, and how important each feature is. Then I try to pull their expectations to reality, and we agree on the best system design. Cost is always a factor, most companies have a go-to system they can just have their installers drop in and wire, but they usually are not exactly what the customer wanted. A big cost factor is the exact number of zones, and if they are actual individual zones with independent source and volume controls. It makes a huge difference in cost. Being able to route any source to any zone and control that zone's volume is the most expensive solution. Limiting your sources and zones while retaining room volume control saves a ton of cash.
