multizone configuration question

[eblantz]

Hi all. I'm finishing up a home remodel and finally getting to the fun part. here's the basic situation:

Zone 1 - main room - home theater with 5.1 surround
Zone 2 - kitchen + living room (mostly 1 big room) - speakers A/B + sub
Zone 3 - patio/outdoors - A speakers only

I'm currently using an older denon avr-1082 for Zone 1 (which i got "thrown in" when I bought the speakers for zone 1). my plan is to buy a new, network receiver for zone 1 so I can control source/zone playback in all zones from ipad, iphone, web interface or some combo thereof. I need something that lets me play separate sources (audio only) into zones 2 and 3, or each separately, while the kids are playing games or watching movies in zone 1. inputs include squeezebox, ps3 blueray/DVD networked, older CD player and an infrant network storage device with mp3s (mostly) and pics/videos.

so....

is there any reasonable role for the older Denon? i see from other posts that it can support a second zone or I could use it just for zone 2 and get a smaller/cheaper network receiver for the rest. not sure if it can be switched on automatically from the main/source AVR. it might be nice to have some sort of input device in zone 2 as well, since zone 1 is actually pretty far away.

Advice about the best option for zone 1?

Thanks in advance!

 

[MDS]

Zone 1 - main room - home theater with 5.1 surround
Zone 2 - kitchen + living room (mostly 1 big room) - speakers A/B + sub
Zone 3 - patio/outdoors - A speakers only

I'm currently using an older denon avr-1082 for Zone 1 (which i got "thrown in" when I bought the speakers for zone 1). my plan is to buy a new, network receiver for zone 1 so I can control source/zone playback in all zones from ipad, iphone, web interface or some combo thereof. I need something that lets me play separate sources (audio only) into zones 2 and 3, or each separately, while the kids are playing games or watching movies in zone 1. inputs include squeezebox, ps3 blueray/DVD networked, older CD player and an infrant network storage device with mp3s (mostly) and pics/videos.

so....

is there any reasonable role for the older Denon? !

In order to drive 'zone 2' (which in your case is the combination of zone 2 and zone 3 you listed) with a single receiver, you need either a speaker selector or impedance matching volume controls BUT both zone 2 and zone 3 that are actually driven by the single 'zone 2' of the receiver will play the same source (although you can still have 5.1 in zone 1 at the same time, playing a different source).

If you want your zone 2 and zone 3 to be separate and play different stereo sources while zone 1 is playing yet another 5.1 source, then you will need two receivers unless you want to spend big bucks for a whole home audio distribution setup.

Your best bet is to buy another zone 2 capable receiver that has zone 2 pre-outs and connect the current Denon to those zone 2 pre-outs. Connect your zone 2 and zone 3 (as listed above) to the Denon - zone 2 as zone 1 of the Denon and zone 3 as zone 2 of the Denon. Then when you select zone 2 on the new receiver it will send whatever source you have selected for zone 2 to the Denon (just as if you had connected say a cd player directly to the Denon) and the Denon will play it as its 'zone 1'. You'd have to connect your zone 3 speakers to the Denon's zone 2 outputs and control the selection from the Denon.

It's kind of a kludge to get 3 zones using two receivers but it is far cheaper than buying a purpose built solution and you can automate source selection and such using a good programmable universal remote control.

 

[eblantz]

thanks! advice on best option?

In order to drive 'zone 2' (which in your case is the combination of zone 2 and zone 3 you listed) with a single receiver, you need either a speaker selector or impedance matching volume controls BUT both zone 2 and zone 3 that are actually driven by the single 'zone 2' of the receiver will play the same source (although you can still have 5.1 in zone 1 at the same time, playing a different source).

If you want your zone 2 and zone 3 to be separate and play different stereo sources while zone 1 is playing yet another 5.1 source, then you will need two receivers unless you want to spend big bucks for a whole home audio distribution setup.

Your best bet is to buy another zone 2 capable receiver that has zone 2 pre-outs and connect the current Denon to those zone 2 pre-outs. Connect your zone 2 and zone 3 (as listed above) to the Denon - zone 2 as zone 1 of the Denon and zone 3 as zone 2 of the Denon. Then when you select zone 2 on the new receiver it will send whatever source you have selected for zone 2 to the Denon (just as if you had connected say a cd player directly to the Denon) and the Denon will play it as its 'zone 1'. You'd have to connect your zone 3 speakers to the Denon's zone 2 outputs and control the selection from the Denon.

It's kind of a kludge to get 3 zones using two receivers but it is far cheaper than buying a purpose built solution and you can automate source selection and such using a good programmable universal remote control.

Thanks! any advice about the best option for the new receiver? I want something that has a good iphone app, which many claim to have, but it's hard to test if you don't have the receiver in hand.

Cheers,
Eric

 

[timoteo]

My Yamaha RX-A2000 Aventage is a Network avr & i have /use the app for controling it. Its awesome. I can be in my backyard or anywhere i get my wifi signal for that matter & turn on/off any zone, volume & all settings etc. I love it , very easy to use with the best GUI IMO!!

 

[eblantz]

thanks timoteo. can you also select different inputs for each zone from within the app?