need help

[pascal244]

First...great site!!! very informative.
I am thinking of buying the yamaha863/6180 for my start into TH..
I think this has all I need to enjoy blu-ray and such...my main concern is about adding an external amp down the road.
I have speakers around my house and outside.I want to be able to play music for parties and such...Is this the "best" way to do this.I do not want to spend a fortune(so my wife tells me)..I'm just not sure if I'm understanding the amp option properly .the 863 fills my needs for decoding and easy to use features..If i need more power in the future can I just add an amp and swichter box to control the speakers I need on???Thanks in advance.

 

[XEagleDriver]

...my main concern is about adding an external amp down the road. I have speakers around my house and outside.I want to be able to play music for parties and such...Is this the "best" way to do this..

It depends. How many speakers do you have or plan to have around the house and outside? If no more than six, it can be accomplished (not necessarily "best") with a speaker selector switch, be sure the selector switch has an impedance protection circuit. ALso, do not connect to the 863's "B" Main speaker terminals.

I do not want to spend a fortune(so my wife tells me)..I'm just not sure if I'm understanding the amp option properly .the 863 fills my needs for decoding and easy to use features..If i need more power in the future can I just add an amp and swichter box to control the speakers I need on???Thanks in advance.

Yes, you can add an external amp to the 863. For "low cost" you can initially power your other room/outside speakers with a selector switch using your "assignable" Surround back/Bi-amp speaker output in bi-amp mode. If you need help on how, I can assist.

I did just that from a 563 to power a 5.1 system plus two additional sets of outdoor and one set of other room indoor speakers.

 

[pascal244]

Thanks...there are 5 sets in and around the house...not planning on running more than 3 at a time ..Can I watch tv in 5.1 in the house,while my wife is listening to the radio outside at the same time???
Would I get better sound with an upgrade in receiver or am I better off with adding an amp...I guess thats the main ??? Thanks again for advice...just have a low end Energy surround sound package for speakers for now...but will upgrade when I can..

ps..also thinking about sherwood newcastle 772 7.1 receiver...any thoughts???

 

[XEagleDriver]

Thanks...there are 5 sets in and around the house...not planning on running more than 3 at a time ..

With five sets, I would lean toward a separate multi-channel amp (does not need much power per channel--assuming most of these sets are for general background listening/party music, etc.)

Can I watch tv in 5.1 in the house,while my wife is listening to the radio outside at the same time???

Yes, by using the 863's Zone 2 preamp outputs to a separate amp or by "Connect(ing) the speakers in the second zone to the EXTRA SP speaker terminals and then set the "EXTRA SP ASSIGN" to "ZONE2". For five sets this would imply buying a six speaker set switch such as:

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-SS-6-Speaker-Switcher-Speakers/dp/B00004Y3UY

I use their four speaker switcher version, and have had good luck with it.

Would I get better sound with an upgrade in receiver or am I better off with adding an amp...I guess thats the main ???

No, the 863 is an excellent receiver (the 663 would accomplish same thing for a better price point). BOTTOMLINE: add the extra amp for your 5 other zones designed to support whole-house audio, there are many available.

ps..also thinking about sherwood newcastle 772 7.1 receiver...any thoughts???

Sorry, I am not familiar with Sherwood or that model. I am partial to Yamaha and Denon AVRs based on my experience (also do not recommend Sony for same reason). Others speak highly of Onkyo and Marantz--look around, enjoy the hunt.

 

[pascal244]

would the amp power only the house speakers?? or would you "add" to the av power??

 

[XEagleDriver]

Receiver should have plenty for your 5.1 portion

would the amp power only the house speakers?? or would you "add" to the av power??

The external amp we have been discussing is only for the 5 sets of house/outdoor speakers (vice the 5.1 BluRay movie viewing room speakers).

Here is one example with 12 amp "channels" (i.e. six stereo pairs) which could support your 5 speaker sets in stereo at 35 wpc (and have one extra pair for future growth) :

http://www.htd.com/amplifiers/12-Channel-Amplifier

The 863 with ~105 watts per channel should have more than enough power for your movie viewing room, unless it is very large (i.e. > ~2,500 - 3,000 cubic feet). Additionally, keep in mind, almost all subwoofers are "powered" - having a separate amp inside them just for the .1 part of your 5.1 system.

 

[XEagleDriver]

Summary

To summarize:

Least expensive option:
863 runs the 5.1 BluRay movie theater
863's extra two amplifiers assigned to Zone 2 and connected to a Six-Speaker-Switcher with amplifier protection circuit (like in the link provided earlier).
+ Gets job done at low cost (863 plus $50 speaker switch)
- The more Zone 2 speakers you use simultaneously with the speaker switch, the less volume available per set (remember all "house/outdoor" are connected to only one set of 863 amplifiers!)


More expensive option:
863 runs the 5.1 BluRay movie theater
863 Zone 2 preamp outs connected to external multi-channel amplifier (like in the link provided earlier).
+ Better sound
+ A design in-line with your desired requirement
- Increaseed cost (863 + several hundred dollar external amp)

 

[pascal244]

Thanks for all the help....not just the info,but explaining so I could understand!!! Thanks again to all.....I'm sure I'll talk to you all again,once I have to start hooking everything up!!