Help a Newbie! Need Suggestion on Home Theater that can push audio in 3 zones

[Mugs]

Ok, I tried to put it all in the title!

I am looking for a home theater system. I have a high def signal coming in with digital cable and all the music channels.

The main room for the home theater is our family room which blends into our kitchen. Total room size is 20x40.

I want to put the home theater in family room and a completely different set of speakers in the kitchen that can be played independently of the home theater if I so choose.

Last, we have a screen in porch that I would like to run off the same sound system.

So, three different zones of sound. I would like to be able to play them all independently or all at the same time driven off the same the sound system.

Perfect would be if I spent less than $1000 on the home theater/multi room system not including speakers. I dont need the fancy video touch panels, maybe just a remote. I am ok with pushing buttons to change the zones.

Thanks!

 

[MDS]

If you must have three indepenent zones (different sources to each zone) then you will have to shell out the big bucks for one of the top end receivers that actually offer 3 zones (like the Onkyo 875) or spend even more for a multi-room distribution system.

If you are willing to make a small compromise and only have two independent sources but played over 3 'zones' then you can get away much more cheaply. If you buy a receiver with zone 2 support, you could have zone 1 be the living room home theater and zone 2 be the kitchen and patio. You would wire the kitchen and patio speakers in parallel on zone 2 and use impedance matching volume controls. 'Zone 2' (kitchen and patio) would play the same source, but could be different than zone 1, and you'd retain independent volume control for the kitchen and patio.

 

[jimfitz]

Take a look at the Onkyo TX-SR805. It has three zones, but I don't know if you can use two or three at the same time. I bought mine for less than $900.

Edit: I just checked my owner's manual. You can use all 3 zones at the same time, but zone 3 requires a separate amp.

 

[Mugs]

When thinking about this more, two zones would do.

As you said MDS, I could do the kitchen and porch as one zone and the home theater as the other. I would want to be able to play both zones at the same time, same signal, or independently meaning different signals.

What should I look at on a 2 zone system?

 

[OttoMatic]

One thing that really annoyed me on my previous two-zone preamp was the inability to adjust Zone 2's volume and then immediately adjust Zone 1's volume. It would stay in "Zone 2" mode for about five seconds before reverting back to "normal" mode. Yes, for five seconds, it would adjust the Zone 2 volume even if I used the Zone 1 volume buttons. It's a very minor detail, but very annoying to both me and my wife. It'd be hard to know that without testing for it specifically, but it's something that drove me to buy a new preamp (well, one of a handful of things).

Another thing that I've not come across that would be nice is the ability to use a digital input for Zone 2. I only have direct access with three preamps (Outlaw 990, Maestro M2, Cary Cinema 11) and none of them will convert a digital signal for output on Zone 2; you must use an analog input. Normally, I wouldn't run analog L/R from my DVD player, PC, etc., but I do now because none of the Zone 2s that I've used have DACs on Zone 2. Unfortunately, I doubt you'll be able to find one that can get around this...

FWIW, I'm also using a two-zone preamp in a three-zone application (main, family room and patio). The patio is connected to the family room, and their volumes scale together. I have a volume knob on the patio that controls the levels out there. When no one's out there, we just turn it all the way down. Of course, if you want music on the patio, you're also going to get it in the family room, but they are adjacent, so there's no disparity in the program material. Now, if you want one to be loud and one to be quiet, you'd have a problem. But the way it is set up now works very well for us.

Good luck.

 

[jimfitz]

Take a look at the Onkyo TX-SR805. It has three zones, but I don't know if you can use two or three at the same time. I bought mine for less than $900.

Edit: I just checked my owner's manual. You can use all 3 zones at the same time, but zone 3 requires a separate amp.

check out this one.

 

[jcPanny]

Yamaha receivers

Check out the current (RX-V2700) or upcomming Yamaha receiver (RX-V3800 or RX-V1800). Their assignable amps will allow you to have a powered Zone 2 and Zone 3 speakers and 3.1 main HT (each with different source) and go back to 5.1 or 7.1 on the main HT when you turn the zone speakers off.

I have speakers in 5 rooms driven by a stereo amp with impdance matching VCs in each room but all the rooms have to play the same source. You can do this with a $300 receiver (Yamaha RX-V659, etc.) and a $200 amp (Behringer A500 or Audiosource).