Amp or Switcher for multi-room sound

[rolyasm]

Here is the setup. 6 rooms with 2 speakers in each room, so 12 speakers total. Each room has a simple volume control. This was the setep from the previous owner.
If I am thinking correctly, if I use a simple speaker switcher, I can only have one channel on at at time, maybe two. I couldn't use the second zone from a receiver to power all six channels at once, even if the speakers had very low power consumption, because it probably wouldn't handle the Ohm load. Is this correct?
If I get a 12 channel amp, or 6 channel stereo amp, I could power all the speakers at once and use the volume control in each room. Is this correct?
Also, dumb question, but how do the simple volume controls work. Do the speaker wires from the amp go to the volume controller and then to the speaker? Thanks for any replies.

Roly

 

[Tetonmtnbiker]

Here is the setup. 6 rooms with 2 speakers in each room, so 12 speakers total. Each room has a simple volume control. This was the setep from the previous owner.
If I am thinking correctly, if I use a simple speaker switcher, I can only have one channel on at at time, maybe two. I couldn't use the second zone from a receiver to power all six channels at once, even if the speakers had very low power consumption, because it probably wouldn't handle the Ohm load. Is this correct?
If I get a 12 channel amp, or 6 channel stereo amp, I could power all the speakers at once and use the volume control in each room. Is this correct?
Also, dumb question, but how do the simple volume controls work. Do the speaker wires from the amp go to the volume controller and then to the speaker? Thanks for any replies.

Roly

Running 12 speakers on a single "zone 2" speaker channel out on your reciever would not give you the results you are looking for. You would not have near the power you would need. I don't know the science behind why, but the smarter people in here may respond.

You could use the zone 2 pre out on the reciever to be the "source" for a 12 channel amp like you mention.

The volume controls essentially diminish the power from the amp and then go to the speaker (You are right Amp -> volume control -> speaker)

Here is a sample of an amp you could use. http://www.htd.com/12-Channel-Amplifier?gclid=CLfJi5H25YoCFR2vSQoduB2V0Q . I personally have a speakercraft (running 3 rooms + outside, and like it) I have heard Sonance and like them. I dont really know if it is worth going high end considering in wall and in ceiling speakers are Usually not intended for critical listening.

By the way in the link above if you look at the owners manual PDF, page 6 shows a schematic of how your system would / could be connected using the zone 2 pre out.

Good Luck!

Teton

 

[jcPanny]

House speaker system

Royalism,
I wouldn't recomend a speaker selector connected to your current receiver. If more than one room is selected, the receiver will see a 4 ohm or less impedance and could overheat and shutdown.

An inexpenisve option to power all the house speakers is a couple descent stereo amps and impedance matching volume contros in each room. The impedance matching speaker allows you to connect more than 1 speaker to each amp channel and maintains an 8-ohm load to the amp so it wont overheat and go into shutdown. Pull the coverplates off the VC in a couple rooms. If they have a jumper that says, 1x, 2x, 4x, then they are already the impdance matching type.

A couple of Behringer A500's ($180 each) should be enough power. You devide the amp power by the number of speakers so 200 watts connected to 6 speakers would be about 35 watts per speaker.