I've done some searching and reading so many thanks to those that contribute to the knowledge base here.
High-level:
I'm building a fairly simple wired multi-room audio system. All of the speaker pairs (Monoprice), across 4 intended "zones" are installed with wires originating from built-in shelves next to the kitchen fireplace. Based on research here, I'm looking at the HTD DMA 1240 (htd.com/DMA-1240) to amp and distribute signal to all speaker pairs. My question is- what do I put in front of that?
I'd like to keep a dedicated iPad mini on the kitchen counter as our streaming controller for Spotify, our streaming source of choice. It would be great to control other things from the iPad- like turning zones on and off for example, but not completely necessary. Buying a traditional receiver does not seem necessary- should I be looking at some smaller, dedicated device that can connect via Airplay and has a pre-amp line-out to connect to the DMA 1240?
My wife is not technical so I'm interested in keeping things pretty simple operationally.
Some additional details:
(All speakers ~80 watts RMS)
Zone 1: Kitchen – 1 Pair of 3-way panel speakers (8”)
Zone 2: Den + Front Hallway – 1 pair of 2-way (8”), 1 pair of 3-way (6.5”)
Zone 3: Deck – Outdoor speakers to be purchased
Zone 4: Parking pad – Outdoor speakers to be purchased
Requirements:
- Separate zone control including volume. Would like to be able to control from an iOS app.
- Would be great if multiple sources could be selected, for example different Spotify playlists playing on the deck vs. the kitchen (no more than 2).
- Would prefer Airplay comparability I think. I’d like to keep an iPad mini on the kitchen counter as a “remote” to control as many receiver/zone/source controls as possible.
- Equipment size is an issue. All speaker wires originate at built-in shelving next to kitchen fireplace. The challenge- these built-in shelves are only 17.25” wide.
Thanks in advance for any input!
