Help with Multi-room Setup (NEWB)

[CorpulentCoder]

Help. Seriously.
I'm out of my element when it comes to audio. The extent of my ability is probably being able to point to an object and identifying it as a speaker or not. That's it.

So now I've two goals. I want a decent 5.1 HT system for watching movies and playing the occasional CD. I then want a seperate speaker system for the game room where I can blast some music, play some pool, and the wife can sit and watch her god awful romantic comedies.

Currently I've managed to purchase a Denon AVR-3806. It was a toss up between that and the 2807 but the low refurb price of the 3806 beat it out.

The questions:
1) Will I be able to power zoneA (5.1 HT) and zoneB ( two overhead speakers) at the same time? If so, do I need to mind speaker impedance and am I shooting myself in the foot regarding speaker choices?

2) I've a fair grasp on the HT packages offered (AV123, Axiom, SVS, etc), but what should I look at for getting decent music to the second room from one pair of speakers? I'm leaning towards ceiling mounted but am open to suggestions.

3) I really want some type of volume control panel in the game room. What should I look at and how should I go about wiring it? I'd assume I drop a line(s) from the receiver to the panel and then from there run it to the speakers. Much like running a light switch no?

I'm sure I'll have tons more questions as the replies come floodin' in, hopefully.

 

[CorpulentCoder]

Did some more browsing and it appears Niles makes a good selection of controllers. ( Example on Crutchfield) Went to Niles' site and the setup looks pretty damned simple. I do have one concern however. On the documentation, it states that it can take 100W. Well the Receiver is rated at 120W per channel. Do I therefore have to put some resistance inline to lower the power rating or do I do that through the receiver?

 

[jcPanny]

HT system

Your are off to a good start with the receiver for your system. It should have plenty of power for the 5.1 HT and 2 speakers in the game room, just stick with speakers in the 6-8 ohm impedence range.

Here is an inexpensive volume control that can handle 120 Watts but I doubt the game room speakers will ever see that much:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001EMLRK/sr=8-14/qid=1147886220/ref=sr_1_14/102-1055522-2164167?%5Fencoding=UTF8
I would recommend running 14/4 (14 Gauge / 4 conductor) from the receiver to the game room VC and 2 x 14/2 from the VC to each speaker. Check the local Home Depot or Westlake Electornic Supply for Belden inwall speaker wire or equivalent.

If possible, you should consider bookshelf or on-wall speakers for the game room as they will perfrom better than most inceiling speakers. Av123.com, Axiom, and SVS all have some great options for speakers.

 

[AVRat]

You are right on target. Don't worry about the 100W rating on the VCs, you'll probably never push it to that level.

Regarding game room speakers, most will say go with bookshelfs but my inexpensive in-ceilings perform great.

 

[CorpulentCoder]

Thanks for the replies.

Ok, so here's where I stand now.

I went with 2 Ascend CBM-170's and a CBM-340 center for the front. For the sub I went with an SVS PB10-ISD. I'm holding off on the two rears until I can figure out just what it is I want. I'm considering Axiom QS4's or maybe something cheaper such as Klipsch SS.5 surrounds.

For the game room, I went with a pair of Polk Audio RC80i for the ceiling. In the end I just want background music for that room so I figured these would do just that.

For the volume control, I went with a Niles 4-pair hub and a Niles MVC100R. This will allow me to control volume and even mute the speakers. Impedance is also no longer an issue using this hub and it looks like, down the road, I might be able to add another pair to another room.

Now I just need to settle down on a pair of surround speakers...

 

[AVRat]

Everything sounds good. If you have a Def Tech dealer in your area, you might consider the BP1.2Xs: http://www.definitivetech.com/loudspeakers/surround/surround.html

 

[jcPanny]

Current setup

I think that the niles hub and VC is probably overkill for your current setup. I realized that some receiver will allow you to adjust the volume level for Zone 2 as well as turning it Off/On. However, an impedence matching VC or speaker selector will allow you to expand in the future.

 

[Lsimon]

I'm in the process of setting up something similar with the 3806; but to power outside speakers on the deck.

I've bought a universal remote that has a learning mode, and also works with RF and has an RF repeater. The cheapest I've found is the one-for-all URC 9910 which sells for under $50 at some web sites. I've used the "learn" on this to learn the zone 2 commands so it can control zone 2 from another room. Seems to work OK, although I'm not getting good distance outside - might be our house siding. This would allow you to change inputs, control radio through pre-sets, as well as volume and mute from your second room - although all are not intuitive since the remote doesn't have properly labeled buttons - but you can get creative with button selection for learning.