2 zone new setup help please?

[Andzinck]

Hello,
I just bought a new house that has 4 outdoor polk speakers outside on the deck. It also has 2 speakers in the bedroom. All the wires are sent out to the main living room where there should be a receiver or an amp.

My question is this...what type of receiver do i need? I would like to run my ipad/phone for the remote and be able to run the outside speakers sometimes and the bedroom speakers sometimes, but usually never at the same time.

I've not received any good information on what system would work best...

There are no volume controls on the walls. I suppose this can be installed?

Thanks so much for your help.

Andrew

 

[ImcLoud]

You can do something very simple and inexpensive like...
on sale Dayton Audio APA150 150W Power Amplifier | 300-812
Amazon.com: Monoprice 109995 4-Channel Speaker Selector: Electronics
this would allow you to choose which speakers are on with the speaker selector and control the volume with the integrated amplifier, the amp is 4 ohm stable and the selector is impede matching so you wont have any amp failure issues...

so hook in your ipod /iphone you can do something simple like a cable to the headphone output Amazon.com: Mediabridge - 3.5mm Male To (2) RCA Stereo Audio Cable - (6 Feet) - Step Down Design accommodates iPhone, iTouch, SmartPhones & MP3 cases: Electronics or you can go with a dock {I use a dock, sq is better, it charges the device and is easier to use Amazon.com: Pure i-20 30-Pin iPod/iPhone Speaker Dock: MP3 Players & Accessories its my favorite dock to use....

 

[XEagleDriver]

Need to nail done a couple more specifications

Andrew,
A couple other thoughts/questions for your project:

I just bought a new house that has 4 outdoor polk speakers outside on the deck. It also has 2 speakers in the bedroom. All the wires are sent out to the main living room where there should be a receiver or an amp.

I believe you are actually talking about having music available in three zones;
the living room (aka Zone 1), the deck (aka Zone 2), and the bedroom (aka Zone 3).

My question is this...what type of receiver do i need? I would like to run my ipad/phone for the remote and be able to run the outside speakers sometimes and the bedroom speakers sometimes, but usually never at the same time.

It will depend on the answers to a few more questions:
1) What type of sources to you want to be able to tap into other than the ipad/iphone?
i.e. AM/FM/HD/SAT radio, over-the-air/cable/satellite/DVR broadcasts (like football games), game systems, or any disc media you might use like turntable albums or CDs.
- Which ever of these you want will need to be supported by the receiver you choose.
- Good news is almost any modern day receiver can support any/all of these.

2) Do you want to have different sound programs in different zones? (i.e. wife watching a chic flick in the living room at the same time you are listening to the game with a beer on the deck!)

3) What you want to have sound system wise in the primary zone (living room)?
i.e. a 2-speaker stereo (aka 2.0), or a stereo with a subwoofer (aka 2.1), or a home theater with between 3 and 7 speakers plus a subwoofer (aka 3.1 to 7.1)

a) To support the other zones the receiver will have to have one or two extra pair(s) of "assignable ampifliers" beyond the living room's requirement.
- For example, if you put a 3.1 system in the living room, the receiver would need to be 5.1 or more;
- Another example, if your living room is a full-blown 5.1 home theater, then the receiver would need to be 7.1 or greater. (PM me if you need more explanation of the underlying details in this)

b) The other method is for the receiver to have "Zone two ouputs" run to a separate amplifier and speaker selector as the other respondant already mentioned.

Each case above has its pros and cons which we can get into further if you would like.

There are no volume controls on the walls. I suppose this can be installed?

Yes, whether they are needed is dependent on the solution you choose from above. Some receivers allow separate volume control of the extra zones (Zone 2, Zone 3).

Hope that helps a bit.
Cheers,
XEagleDriver

 

[Andzinck]

Thanks very much fo your reply...i have a sound bar and sub for the living room...for the tv. I only need the receiver in the lr as that is where the speaker wires go. I have a separate room for most of the tv watching, so that wont be an issue.the bedroom and deck will never be played together and i would only like these two to be on the system. For the most part, the music will be run from my ipads and iphones. Perhaps even bluetooth once in a while...
I guess i assumed that there would be a receiver with 6 different speaker hookups of which 2 could be selected at once, and then if i was on the deck i could select the other 4.
Again, thanks very much for your help.
Andrew

 

[XEagleDriver]

Go with a amplifier/speaker selector in your case (KISS principle)

Thanks very much fo your reply...i have a sound bar and sub for the living room...for the tv. I only need the receiver in the lr as that is where the speaker wires go. I have a separate room for most of the tv watching, so that wont be an issue.the bedroom and deck will never be played together and i would only like these two to be on the system. For the most part, the music will be run from my ipads and iphones. Perhaps even bluetooth once in a while...

BLUF: In light of the above, the amplifier/speaker selector option appears to be the better/simpler solution to your requirements, but a receiver is a viable option with the caveats explained below.

. . . there would be a receiver with 6 different speaker hookups of which 2 could be selected at once, and then if i was on the deck i could select the other 4.

FYI: This is possible with the correct speaker connections and then toggling between a receivers "Stereo Only" and "All Channel Stereo" modes (called different things by different manufacturers).
- This implies the speakers connected to the "Front L/R" speaker outputs may always be on when the receiver is being used.
-- As an example; if "Front L/R" = bedroom, then your choices are bedroom only (Stereo mode) or bedroom and deck (All Channel Stereo mode). In this example, you would not be able to go "deck only".
-- Graudate Level Workaround: If the receiver has an "A/B" Front L/R speaker selection option, then there is a way to trick the system by selecting "unconnected" B speakers allowing a "deck only" ability. I have mine set-up this way, but my very intelligent spouse has never quite mastered (nor cares too) this sublty.
- Due to the four deck speakers, the receiver needs to be 7.1 to allow the "Surround L/R" and "Surround back L/R" speaker outputs to power four speakers with the Front L/R powering the bedroom speakers.

Cheers,
XEagleDriver

 

[Wynbnt]

You should use a receiver with airplay to play wireless iTunes. Also you need a receiver with a zone 2 output speaker level will work if you install an impedance matching speaker selector.
Russound speaker selector and Denon AVR X2000 would work. If you want to spend more you can . Marantz SR5008 and/or Get an additional amp to run the zone 2 speakers and use the RCA ( line level) instead of speaker level out for zone 2 .
I see you have 3 pair of zone 2 speakers? You would maybe want to go with an extra amplifier for zone 2 and a impedance speaker selector. Amp100 by audio source. get one that turns on automatic when a signal is sensed. Also the denon & marantz receiver will have a usb input in front. Both also have apps for control.