How to Use A Speaker Selector for Multi-Room Audio

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Seriously, I have no life.
Revel's speaker wire size list is a joke... they say 12 ga is only good for 22 feet... 14ga and 12 ga are standard for residential single phase electrical runs... 12 ga can handle 2,200 watts at 110V, that is overkill for a home audio system, now prosound is a different beast.
Power handling at 110V is completely irrelevant- the issue is voltage loss with a reactive load and the fact that the speakers are all sharing the output from the amplifier and each volume control is not independent of the others.

Here's a link- scroll down to see speaker wire size-

https://www.the12volt.com/wiring/recommended-car-stereo-wire-sizes.asp
 
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Why does someone need a speaker selector switch in a home? I wouldn't use a speaker selector box.
How would you use one amplifier to power more than a couple of pairs of speakers? Not all homeowners can afford a separate amp for each pair and a control system.

This thread isn't a question of "I would/I wouldn't", it's "How WOULD you?".
 
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I'm currently looking at my options for whole house audio and am considering a speaker selector as a solution.

I will have all A/V equipment in a central closet in the house so my biggest issue is with remote control. I'll be running a dual zone AVR with the 2nd zone connected to a speaker selector.

I figure my options are:

1. Go with the Monoprice no frills speaker selector and manually push the button when I want sound in a different room. That'll only run about $40.

2. Go with a speaker selector that has an IR remote and use irule to control it via my smart phone.

The cheapest speaker selector with IR I've found is this one at $147: Amazon.com : OSD Audio ATM-7 7 Zone Speaker Selector with Remote Control : Audio Video Selectors : Electronics

The irule software/hardware will set me back about $150. So you're talking $300 for whole house audio selection with smart phone control. Not too bad when you compare it to Sonos and other whole home solutions.
I saw a power rating and to be honest, I seriously doubt that it's accurate. The piece you linked to is rated for 400W but that doesn't specify long-term, short-term, one time before fire, etc, so it's a useless spec. Niles selectors, which are really the same as many other brands, are rated for 200W max, less if it's continuous. Even the $45 selector is rated for 400W and that's almost laughable.

Cheap selectors are worth every penny, good ones are worth every dollar. If this piece fails at the input, it could very well take your amp with it.
 
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FYI I have this speaker selector



and this receiver



So you can see I have the one port on the left that needs to connect to the receiver.
FYI I have this speaker selector



and this receiver



So you can see I have the one port on the left that needs to connect to the receiver.
That AVR doesn't have a Zone 2 output, which would be preferable. More preferable to Zone 2 speaker output is Zone 2 line output, which allows you to use any amp that would connect to the RCA jacks.

One thing you didn't mention- do you want to control the volume in each room, or just live with whatever you get? Most speaker selector brands are available with level controls, or you can install a level control in each room, somewhere between them, in a closet, etc.

You need to realize that whatever the output of the amp- the speakers are sharing it unless you use an amplifier that has separate channels for each speaker and if you want the system to get up and go, you need power. Not twice as much, not three times as much, you need to determine the level you want and find out how much is needed, based on the speakers you plan to use. You may find that each speaker needs 50W and with four pairs, that's a total of 400W, which that selector IS NOT going to handle for long, if at all.

If you do decide to buy an amp with a channel for each speaker, I would look at Parts Express, for their Dayton amplifiers. They turn on when the signal reaches the input, the channel pairs are bridgeable and it's reliable. I have installed two and one went into a house 9 years ago; the other was originally in a bar and eventually, to a fitness facility.

BTW- don't assume that you need the distributed sound to be in stereo- it doesn't. You're not doing critical listening in those areas, so mono will get the sound there and you won't have to listen to ping-pong vocals, which is apparent if you listen to the first Beatles stereo records. If the amp or AVR has a mono setting for the extra zone(s), use it.

If you really want the best sound in multiple locations, it's best to have a separate system with better speakers in each, with some way of sending the audio from the source end to each. You can use many methods- Cat5e with an audio distribution amp is a fairly reasonably priced way- jacks are available that allow terminating Cat5e on the back and connecting RCA cables on the front. Belden 8451 and Belden 9451 are thin shielded cable and will work for analog audio feeds- jacks are available for properly terminating this type, too. Parts Express has the cable and jacks.
 
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T

TheMaestro

Audiophyte
Thanks, very detailed info. But I want to be sure about which connections to use on the rear of my Yamaha A S700 amp and what kind of wire. My amp does not have a zone 2 option on the rear. Do I simply use a line in? I don’t want to ruin anything. Thanks.BD0B928B-E79D-4BD9-B22F-4A005AF9CD13.jpeg3D5E994E-1F81-4131-91B8-FF30583A91D3.png
 
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