3 zone receiver and Sonos - Need recommendation

[jkseger]

Hi all,

I read the guides and did a search in this forum but I did not see any previous posts that deal with my situation, so I am hoping that someone can help me understand what I need (and need to do).

I am in the process of new construction, so all of the equipment I will talk about will need to be purchased. I am flexible with brand and price so whatever the best solution is, that's what I will consider, though I'd prefer to keep the cost of the receiver to less than $1500.

I have a media closet on the main floor where a receiver will be. I would like this receiver to have multiple zones.

Zone 1 will ouput 5.1 surround to the family room.

For Zone 2, I would like to hook up a Sonos box that would power ambient speakers in the living room, dining room, kitchen and patio. The LR, DR, and Kitchen speakers are Polk rci6s (in-ceiling dual-tweeter) and the patio speakers are Sonance Mariners. It would also be great if I could somehow use a couple of the speakers (Polk lci80) in the family room for ambient sound as well.

Zone 3 will also have a Sonos box and need to power Polk rci6s in-ceiling dual-tweeter speakers in the master bedroom and master bathroom.

Here are my questions...

What kind of receiver do I need?
What Sonos boxes should I buy (ZP80 or ZP100)?
Do I need any additional amplification? If so, what suggestions do you have?
What would be the best way to hook everything up to get the most out of all the equipment?

Thanks in advance for your help. I really appreciate (and need) it.

John

 

[zumbo]

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=451764&CTID=5000300

I chose the above model because it has speaker terminals for ZONE 2 & 3.

From what I can tell, the 80 is all you would need. The 100's are amplified. The receiver listed has speaker outputs for the zones, so it will handle the amplification. I have never studied Sonos, so I don't know if they are the best/only control option or not. Gonna look into that now.

Found another option.
http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=27190

 

[Nestor]

What sources do you wish to listen to in zone 2 and 3, and do want them all to be different? Also, that's a lot of speakers for zone 2. Impedance will be a big factor as you don't want to load down the receiver.

I'm currently using zone 2 in my garage and one squeezebox connected to my avr. I can listen to any source I like in the garage while gf can listen to what she likes or watches tv. Obviously, one has to share the squeezebox.

One thing to note, zone 2 and 3 on the yammy's share the same source, thus, switching one zone switches both.

Re: family room ambient speakers. The yammy has a 7 channel mode that sends regular music thru the surrounds. I'm assuming the 5.1 system and the ambient speakers are to be in the same room.

One thing about the sonos and squeezebox: with the wireless connectivity, many configs are possible!

 

[zumbo]

that's a lot of speakers for zone 2. Impedance will be a big factor as you don't want to load down the receiver.

Solution:
http://www.nilesaudio.com/product.php?prodID=SS-4&recordID=Speaker Selectors&categoryID=Speaker Selectors&catcdID=7&prdcdID=FG01039

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=22653

 

[Nestor]

Solution:
http://www.nilesaudio.com/product.php?prodID=SS-4&recordID=Speaker Selectors&categoryID=Speaker Selectors&catcdID=7&prdcdID=FG01039

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=22653

Not sure that's a good idea with the Yamaha. Yamaha warns against more than one set of speakers or the use of passive selector boxes.

I realize the box has a "impedance correction cct" but it would be very easy for someone to forget to switch in the protection when more speakers are used.

 

[zumbo]

Not sure that's a good idea with the Yamaha. Yamaha warns against more than one set of speakers or the use of passive selector boxes.

I realize the box has a "impedance correction cct" but it would be very easy for someone to forget to switch in the protection when more speakers are used.

OP could always series two sets for a 16ohm load.
Series two more sets for another 16ohm load.
Parallel those two sets for an 8ohm load.
Repeat for other side.

 

[Nestor]

OP could always series two sets for a 16ohm load.
Series two more sets for another 16ohm load.
Parallel those two sets for an 8ohm load.
Repeat for other side.

That'll work too.

 

[jkseger]

Thanks guys for your replies. Sorry for not getting back to my post in a while, I have been really sick and not at work.

I would like to be able to choose whatever source from the AV receiver (AVR)for the 3 speaker zones. Whether it be a dvd player, directv box, or the Sonos, I'd like for each zone to be able to choose any of them.

In saying that, I think I am beginning to understand the pitfalls of such a configuration, as there's no way that zone 2 is going to power that many speakers.

Could I get an amplifier that would take zone 2 out from the AVR and amplify it enough to power the ambient speakers for zone 2?

Or if the AVR has a powered zone 2, could I make zone 2 only power the two upstairs speakers and take the AVR zone 3 out into an amplifier which would power the ambient speakers?

The two Sonos's would then just be plugged into the AVR.

John

 

[jcPanny]

Amp for Zone 2/3

An amp like a Behringer A500 ($180) would have plenty of power for several pairs of speakers when wired with impedance matching volume controls.

I am not too familiar with the Sonos system, but my understanding is that it is a wireless system for distributiing audio to several rooms. I think you would normally use a powered receiver in each room to connect to and power the speakers. If you intention is to use a more traditional wired speakers and amp configuration, a SqueezeBox3 would work well to stream music from a PC to the receiver.

 

[brikelly]

I am not too familiar with the Sonos system, but my understanding is that it is a wireless system for distributiing audio to several rooms. I think you would normally use a powered receiver in each room to connect to and power the speakers.

Not quite, the Sonos ZP100 comes with it's own DAC and amplifier to power speakers in a room. In my house, I have many Sonos zones but no structured Ethernet wiring - all the Sonos box needs is a power supply and connections to your speakers, and you're all done. It's a wonderful system and the controller is superb.

 

[chrisw1]

Have you considered using both an A/V Receiver (for the 5.1 system) and a Multizone Amp and then having more than just 3 zones? Since you are wiring back to a central closet this would give you more zones with more flexibility. I don't know about what your needs are, but I don't know if you are going to want all speakers playing at once at night (especially the ones on the patio). The multizone amp would eliminate your impendence problems and give you control over which zones are on and off at any given time.

Marantz makes a 3-zone amp for about $700 and Niles makes a 6-zone amp for about $1,200. You can get a decent mid-level AVR for $500-800.

 

[chrisw1]

Removed due to double-post.

 

[jkseger]

Have you considered using both an A/V Receiver (for the 5.1 system) and a Multizone Amp and then having more than just 3 zones? Since you are wiring back to a central closet this would give you more zones with more flexibility. I don't know about what your needs are, but I don't know if you are going to want all speakers playing at once at night (especially the ones on the patio). The multizone amp would eliminate your impendence problems and give you control over which zones are on and off at any given time.

Marantz makes a 3-zone amp for about $700 and Niles makes a 6-zone amp for about $1,200. You can get a decent mid-level AVR for $500-800.

Thanks Chris.

Sorry everybody for not posting in a while.

I plan using the 2 speakers left from the 7.1 (only using 5.1 in the family room) for my AVR zone 2 option for the speakers in the master bed and bath.

I plan to use the AVR zone 3 out to an amp which will power the living and dining rooms, the kitchen and patio. Each of the ambient speakers has a volume control so we'll be able to control volume that way for now. (I think) we could always add the multi-zone amp for more flexibility later.

The 2 Sonos ZP80's will then go right into the receiver inputs.

Please let me know if I am way off base or I could do something more effeciently.

Thanks to everyone for all you help.

John

 

[moaudio]

Keep in mind that you have to be in a certain proximity of the Sonos box to be able to control it with the wireless handheld controller. If you have brick walls or heavy plaster walls, you might run into problems. The Sonos system works best if you have a zoneplayer at each speaker location. That way it creates a reliable wireless mesh throughout the house.