Do I need a multi-channel amp or a Speaker Selector?

[Bostonbali]

Hi all,
Thanks for any help you may be able to provide!

I recently purchased an existing home that is already wired for surround sound. The living room is set up for Home Theater (which I will set up with a 5.1 speaker system). Additionally, the house has six zones (a pair of speakers in the dining room, kitchen, office, bathroom and 2 pair in the backyard). Each of the zones has a separate volume control, which I assume is also impedance matching.

I will be purchasing a multi-zone receiver, most likely the Denon 3808. My plan is to use zone 1 for the 5.1 Home Theater.

I am trying to figure out whether I can connect all six zones to an impedance-matching speaker selector and connect that to zone 2 of the receiver. Will that overwhelm/overload the receiver?

My other option would be to purchase a separate multi-channel amp, connect the six zones to that, and connect that amp to the Denon. Clearly, this is the better option, but a lot more costly. A Niles SI 1230 runs at about $800 or more. I found a company called HTD that makes a multi-channel amp called MA-1235 for $650 or so.

Which route would you choose, and which piece of equipment (amp or speaker selector) would you choose, keeping cost somewhat in check?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Pyrrho]

An impedance matching switcher, when properly used (see its manual), will ensure that you do not overwhelm your amplifier. In other words, you can do that. But as you have surmised, it may be better to use a separate multichannel amplifier. It is difficult to say whether that would be necessary or not, as it depends upon the efficiency of the speakers involved, the amplifier to be used, and how loud you want it all to be.

What I would probably do, is try the impedance matching switcher, purchased locally from a store with a good return policy. If you are satisfied with the results, that is great; you have saved money. If you are not satisfied with the results, then return it and buy a multichannel power amplifier, or several 2 channel amplifiers. You could also use a bunch of old receivers for amplification, which you may be able to pick up cheap on Craig's list or from local thrift stores.

 

[bandphan]

http://nilesaudio.com/product_detail.php?recordID=Multichannel Power Amplifiers&categoryID=System Integration Amplifiers&catcdID=4

 

[Bostonbali]

What I would probably do, is try the impedance matching switcher, purchased locally from a store with a good return policy. If you are satisfied with the results, that is great; you have saved money. If you are not satisfied with the results, then return it and buy a multichannel power amplifier, or several 2 channel amplifiers. You could also use a bunch of old receivers for amplification, which you may be able to pick up cheap on Craig's list or from local thrift stores.

OK, here is my quandary. Last night, I purchased a speaker selector to test my system. I connected the multiple rooms to the speaker selector, and connected the speaker selector to the receiver. The resulting sound was actually pretty decent – sound was pretty clear and loud enough.

So… I could live with this option (speaker selector connected to zone 2). The question is, will that harm the Denon 3808 receiver in any way??? The speaker selector does have an impedance-matching 'protection' button, so in theory, it won't send a signal lower than 8 ohms to the receiver. Am I safe going this route???

Thanks,
BB

 

[Pyrrho]

OK, here is my quandary. Last night, I purchased a speaker selector to test my system. I connected the multiple rooms to the speaker selector, and connected the speaker selector to the receiver. The resulting sound was actually pretty decent – sound was pretty clear and loud enough.

So… I could live with this option (speaker selector connected to zone 2). The question is, will that harm the Denon 3808 receiver in any way??? The speaker selector does have an impedance-matching 'protection' button, so in theory, it won't send a signal lower than 8 ohms to the receiver. Am I safe going this route???

Thanks,
BB

Since I have no idea what speaker selector you are using, or anything about any of the speakers you are using, nor do I know how any of it is hooked up, I cannot say. Read the manual for your speaker selector. It should tell you how to use it properly to avoid hurting your amplifier. If it is unclear, contact the company that made it and ask them for clarification.

What I can say is this: If you bought a unit properly made for impedance matching, and if you are using it properly, you will not harm your amplifier. Make sure you follow all of its recommendations regarding minimum impedances of speakers and how they should all be hooked up. If you don't hook it up properly, you could hurt your amplifier, depending upon the exact design of the unit and exactly how you have it hooked up.

 

[jcPanny]

Zone 2 speakers

It sounds like the setup you described is working fine. I would check one or all of the VCs to determine if they are the impedance matching variety. If they are, make sure they are all set to the 8x jumper setting and turn off the impedance matching switch on the speaker selector. If they are normal VCs, keep the impedance matching engaged on the selector.

With proper impedance matching, the main limitation of the receiver is power and how loud the zone 2 speakers will get. With the main HT running the receiver will probably only deliver 50-60 Watts per channel to Zone 2 or 8-10 Watts per speaker. If you want outdoor or other speaker to be louder, get a stereo an amp to drive the zone 2 system.

 

[cutter]

Fwiw

FWIW, I have a 125wpc Anthem 2 channel amp that powers 7 different zones from my "zone 2" on a Denon 3805. It works like a charm. I actually have a pair of Axiom M80's and an Aperion 12"sub in one of the zones, and they just sing away to clean, high volumes with this amp. I wasn't sure it would have enough power in 4ohms, but it seems to do the trick.