Do I need more than 1 receiver?

[rph123]

I'm a total newbie when it comes to audio, and I'm adding home audio to my new construction. I'm not sure if I need 2 receivers or if everything can be hooked to one. My plan is to have:
Living room: 5.1, l/r/center in wall speakers, sub, 2 in ceiling back speakers
Kitchen: 1 dual voice in ceiling speaker
Back porch: 2 in ceiling speakers
Garage: 2 in ceiling speakers
Master bedroom: 4 in ceiling speakers, may add soundbar later
Master bath: 1 dual voice in ceiling speaker
I would like to be able to play music on all speakers, watch tv in living room on 5.1 and kitchen, watch tv in bedroom on bedroom speakers. Can all of this be done on same receiver or do I need multiple?
Thanks

 

[avengineer]

Best done with a receiver and a whole-house distributed audio system. That way you can have individual room volume controls, possibly even independent source selection, etc. I realize you don't think you need all of that, but an AVR is a really terrible way to handle distributed audio. You can, for the most part, ignore that "zone2 zone3" feature, it's half baked on most units. Even with multiple receivers, it's just not the best way.

I'm not really sure why so many who admit to being newbies hire a heating/air-conditioning contractor, a carpenter, roofer, or a plumber, but try to do whole-house audio by themselves. You're building a house. At least hire an expert consultant and get the audio right, even if you pull your own wires and install your own speakers.

 

[markw]

I'm not really sure why so many who admit to being newbies hire a heating/air-conditioning contractor, a carpenter, roofer, or a plumber, but try to do whole-house audio by themselves. You're building a house. At least hire an expert consultant and get the audio right, even if you pull your own wires and install your own speakers.

Well said. Professionals exist for a reason. If things were that simple, pros would starve.

People tend to oversimplify things when they think they know what they want but have no idea about the complexities involved. That's like expecting to be able to do a root canal with a Black & Decker 3/8" drive, some small drill bits, epoxy, and asking for directions on the internet.

 

[ImcLoud]

I'm a total newbie when it comes to audio, and I'm adding home audio to my new construction. I'm not sure if I need 2 receivers or if everything can be hooked to one. My plan is to have:
Living room: 5.1, l/r/center in wall speakers, sub, 2 in ceiling back speakers
Kitchen: 1 dual voice in ceiling speaker
Back porch: 2 in ceiling speakers
Garage: 2 in ceiling speakers
Master bedroom: 4 in ceiling speakers, may add soundbar later
Master bath: 1 dual voice in ceiling speaker
I would like to be able to play music on all speakers, watch tv in living room on 5.1 and kitchen, watch tv in bedroom on bedroom speakers. Can all of this be done on same receiver or do I need multiple?
Thanks

I used to build houses {when people were building houses around here} and I would have an electrician install the wiring {mostly because of codes and licencing}, but you can do it your self for much less money, what the above gentleman may not be considering is that some people building homes may be able to afford the materials but not the labor to install, and you are one step ahead IMO by asking questions on how....

OK, anyway, from my experience---
1-I don't mind the zone 2 and 3 features of AVR's, I wouldnt do it any other way...
2- I would put 2 speakers in each room
3-I would use a speaker selector box NOT a mulit ch. amp {like a 12ch} I had problems with them and so did a few other people... I like a 2 ch amp and a cheap impede matching box...

OK so for what you need...

first an AVR that does zone 2 and 3 would be nice this one is a steal Pioneer SC-1222-K 7.2-Channel Network Ready AV Receiver - Newegg.com {you decide if you want 2 zones or one, one for inside and one for outside is nice, but you will need 2 amps and 2 selector boxes} 4 ch will do 8 speakers Amazon.com: Monoprice 4-Channel Speaker Selector: Electronics 6 ch will do 12 speakers Amazon.com : Monoprice 6-Channel Speaker Selector : Electronics


then a decent 4 ohm stable 2 ch amplifier {I use the emotiva UPA200, but the dayton apa150 works well too} UPA-200 | 125W x 2 | Emotiva Audio | High-end audio components for audiophiles and videophiles, spanning 2-channel music systems, as well as 5.1 and 7.1 home theaters. Products include multichannel amplifiers, stereo amplifiers, and monoblock amplifi or Dayton Audio APA150 150W Power Amplifier 300-812

Then you will need volume controls Amazon.com : 100W In Wall Stereo Speaker Volume Control with Impedance Matching (White-Ivory-Almond) by Cave Controls : Speaker Volume Control Switch : Electronics Amazon.com: Pyle Home PVC1 Wall Mount Rotary Volume Control Knob: Electronics Amazon.com : OSD Audio VMS300 Decora Style 300-Watt In-Wall Slider Impedance Matching Volume Control (White, Ivory, Almond) : Home Audio Video Products : Electronics there are a lot to choose from, I paid $28 a piece for mine and hey have lasted 5 years so far with no issues...

Now for wiring, I would go to mono price for the wire too...
you will need to decide where to mount you d box and amplifier, I mounted my amplifier in my Home theater rack with my avr and the d box in the basement, so I had to run 14-4 in wall wire from the amplifier to the D box For only $97.75 each when QTY 50+ purchased - 250ft 14AWG CL2 Rated 4-Conductor Loud Speaker Cable (For In-Wall Installation) that 14-4 wire is also going to get ran from the D box to each volume control...
then run 2 conductor from the volume control to each speaker For only $51.91 each when QTY 50+ purchased - 250ft 14AWG CL2 Rated 2-Conductor Loud Speaker Cable (For In-Wall Installation) unless you are indeed going to run the DVC speakers then you will need 4 wire to them since they are like wiring 2 speakers...


Then for connecting the amps to the avr just rca cables from zone 2 or 3 to the inputs on the amps, then the amps speaker outputs get wired to the D boxes inputs, then each volume control gets wired to the d boxes output, then each speaker gets wired to each volume controls outputs.. Its pretty easy...

I picked yamaha in ceiling speakers and went with dual speakers because I found the dvc speakers needed to be played much louder to get sound, where the 2 speakers on separate sides of the rooms could be played much lower and get an even better sound and effect....

We use our system often and it works great, I have 6 sets in the house and 6 sets outside the house... The volume controls are nice because you just turn the zones you want on up or down at the room you are in...

The entire system will only cost around what a 12 channel amp would cost you and in my opinion is will last longer and work better...

Now one other thing to consider is if you want different material played in all the rooms, there are systems out there that will take care of that, in our case almost every room in the house has a tv or sound system of some sort so this wasnt needed... But if I were to do that, I would not go with a "smart system" I would install a small box in every rooms closet that held a APA150 amplifier and had an input plug next to it, then who ever is in that room can just play what they want through the speakers while also wiring every amp into a switching board so I could play the same material over them all if I wanted... I figured it out it would cost around $300 per room with the amp and speakers plus extra work of boxing it in nice with plaster and wiring power in each box...

I never cared about separate room control because we use it for ambiance and not really serious listening, like I said I have a sound system in every room, tube amp in my bedroom, 2.2 in the front parlor, theater in the rear parlor, tv with sound bar in the kitchen, both my sons rooms have surround sound and tvs, the guest suite has a sound system and theater with a tv in each bedroom, the gym has a sound system the garage has a sound system, my office has a 2.1.. so it just didnt make sense to go crazy with the whole house system....

Good luck... and if its the choice between doing it yourself or not doing it with a pro, do it yourself, if you have the funds to hire a pro, thats a nice option too...

 

[slipperybidness]

Personally, I like a receiver or even separates for EACH system and steer away from the whole-home route.

 

[Cliff_is]

Well said. Professionals exist for a reason. If things were that simple, pros would starve.

People tend to oversimplify things when they think they know what they want but have no idea about the complexities involved. That's like expecting to be able to do a root canal with a Black & Decker 3/8" drive, some small drill bits, epoxy, and asking for directions on the internet.

I cannot tell you how many homes I have been in where people had their electrician (great at what they do, not AV. I wouldn't claim to be able to do all the electrical in a home either) do all of the LV and AV work and the home was a complete disaster.

I was at one guy's house where all of the speakers for his 5.1 system were wired with a single 16/2 daisy chained. I told him I could do a nice 5 speaker 70v mono system

Had another client where I did all of the wiring, programming controls, and installing in-ceiling speakers, but he wanted to mount to 60" plasma on a full motion mount above the fireplace by himself (not a problem, except it was in a tricky spot in a corner).....and used the wrong bolts to attach the bracket to the back of the TV and ruined the TV.

Stepping off my soap box.

 

[Cliff_is]

I'm a total newbie when it comes to audio, and I'm adding home audio to my new construction. I'm not sure if I need 2 receivers or if everything can be hooked to one. My plan is to have:
Living room: 5.1, l/r/center in wall speakers, sub, 2 in ceiling back speakers
Kitchen: 1 dual voice in ceiling speaker
Back porch: 2 in ceiling speakers
Garage: 2 in ceiling speakers
Master bedroom: 4 in ceiling speakers, may add soundbar later
Master bath: 1 dual voice in ceiling speaker
I would like to be able to play music on all speakers, watch tv in living room on 5.1 and kitchen, watch tv in bedroom on bedroom speakers. Can all of this be done on same receiver or do I need multiple?
Thanks

IMCLoud gave a lot of good advice I would take to heart.

But, I think we need more detail to make any concrete recommendations. The equipment you need is completely dependent on the capabilities you want.

How do you want to control the system?----do you want to be able to sit outside and control the tunes with a smart phone? Volume controls in each room?
What do you want to be able to listen to in each area?---radio, Pandora, cable, CDs?
Where do you want to store the equipment?---Do you want a single equipment rack?
Who is going to be using this system? ---You, you and a spouse, kids?
Budget?-- this is probably the most important.

Finally, take a look at SONOS and see if you like the type of control they offer. It's really easy to mate SONOS with other amps and AV receivers to make an affordable yet capable system. They also make a soundbar that could pull double duty in the bedroom.

 

[avengineer]

Good luck... and if its the choice between doing it yourself or not doing it with a pro, do it yourself, if you have the funds to hire a pro, thats a nice option too...

Didn't bother with quoting the entire post. The post is anecdotal, it's one case where that method worked for one person. The answer also seems polarized, in that it's either "do it yourself" or "hire an expensive pro", also it assumed a pro would use a multi-channel amp solution.

There is lots of room between those two positions. You can hire a pro as a consultant, who will do the analysis and suggest solutions, even a few options including your AVR solution, but done right. You could still buy all your own stuff finding amazing deals on discontinued stuff, pick your own speakers (and over-pay, by the way), and do all the work saving the labor cost.

The Sonos solution also works, it's a rather high cost per room, but very little labor, and can be all home-owner provided. There are also other solutions that offer most of the Sonos capabilities, fractional cost, full modularity, etc.

You need the pro because he knows about hardware most people don't that can make the job easier, less expensive, better operationally and what gear works best in what location. He knows the pitfalls, tricks, and valid shortcuts that can save you money. He knows how to analyze peoples needs, wants, and potential future needs. And none of that involves him driving in one screw, and might cost you a couple hundred in consulting fee. Not much in the total cost of the house.

 

[ImcLoud]

Didn't bother with quoting the entire post. The post is anecdotal, it's one case where that method worked for one person. The answer also seems polarized, in that it's either "do it yourself" or "hire an expensive pro", also it assumed a pro would use a multi-channel amp solution.

As I said I built houses, I know what people were satisfied with, the whole house system is something that some use all the time and others regret ever bothering with... Kind of like the in ground pool, some love having it, others regret the purchase after the newness wears off. BUT, AVengineer, I wouldn't call it anecdotal, since I know of at least 9 plus myself that are satisfied with the method I have used, and Im usre there are hundreds more, like I said in my post it depends on what you want to do, and these are my experiences.

I CAN also tell you this, I have heard A LOT of people that went with much more expensive whole house control systems that have run into all types of service problems, and incurred massive bills updating equipment that is no longer made or can not be serviced, there are a few posts on this board that also reflect this...

IN MY EXPERIENCE, the KISS method is best with whole house sound systems, just simple and direct, get the minimum system that will do the job. The OP doesnt state anything fancy in his post, he actually only wants one speaker in some rooms, so I got the idea that multi zoning, smart phone controls, ect weren't even on the radar... And when building a house, I would try to stay away from permanent installation of stuff that gets replaced as fast as AV equipment, its never a good idea, just ask all them people that installed blenders in their counters in the 70s just to get them ripped out and replace the counter tops a couple years later.... Or them poor guys who cut their tube TV's into their plastered walls in the 90's....

And one more thing, all pros are expensive, I am averaging $186 per man hour this year (HVAC work)... If the OP wanted to hire a pro he wouldn't be on here asking questions, sure its a good option, but with the whole house system it is so easy why spend the money on a pro. Now if he was asking how to operate on his dogs broken leg, yes hire a pro... But some simple lv wiring a couple hundred dollars of equipment, and maybe 10 hours of labor, why spend $1500 {thats what my guy gets from me and I feed him work constantly, so most likely it will be much higher for calling someone out of the phone book}...

 

[avengineer]

And one more thing, all pros are expensive, I am averaging $186 per man hour this year (HVAC work)... If the OP wanted to hire a pro he wouldn't be on here asking questions, sure its a good option, but with the whole house system it is so easy why spend the money on a pro. Now if he was asking how to operate on his dogs broken leg, yes hire a pro... But some simple lv wiring a couple hundred dollars of equipment, and maybe 10 hours of labor, why spend $1500 {thats what my guy gets from me and I feed him work constantly, so most likely it will be much higher for calling someone out of the phone book}...

OK, I'm raising my rates today!