New at this and would appreciate any help

[jimnewatthis]

Hi-

I'm a novice and would really appreciate any advice!

I just bought a house with in-ceiling speakers, but a very old control system which I’ve replaced with an amp and receiver for 5.1 surround and connection to a SONOS Connect. Nothing is hooked up yet.

I also own 3 NILES VCS100k volume controllers to add volume control to some rooms. I have clean access because it’s a drop ceiling.

Can you please tell me how I need to run wires to make the following work?

1 pair of Polk audio RC60i using 1 Niles VCS100k in an exercise room

3 individual stereo speakers Polk Audio RC6s connected to a second Niles VCS100k, 1 in a bathroom and 2 in a hall

The 5 surround sound speakers (Polk MC65 and SC-C center) using a third Niles VCS100k

I have a Denon 7.1 AVR x3000 receiver and a Sonance 1230 Amp 12 channel

If it’s not necessary to hook the surround sound up to the Niles VCS100k, then I can have the set up be:

1 volume control for 1 pair in exercise

1 volume control in bathroom for single stereo speaker

1 volume control in hall for the 2 individual stereo speakers

I’m a novice and would really appreciate your guidance on where I need to run the wires. Also, when connecting to my amp do I need any "banana plugs"? I know how silly I must look!

Thanks a bunch!
Jim

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

For starters, there’s no good reason to connect the surround speakers through the Niles, and I doubt it’s even a viable possibility.

Didn’t the Niles come with a wiring diagram? Without one it’s going to be difficult for us to figure out what its capabilities are. The only thing relevant I can find at Niles site mentions that it’s a stereo unit, which means it can only control one pair of speakers at a time. If that’s the case you will need one for each pair of speakers you intend to use.

Banana plugs for the amps are nice in that they allow for quick connections, which is good if you need to plug in and unplug the speakers all the time. For more permanent situations they are not needed.

As far as wiring, the Denon’s Zone 2 output will go to the Sonance amp. From there you’ll run two speaker wires to the location where the in-wall volume control will be, then from there out to the speaker locations. Repeat for each speaker pair. Be sure and use in-wall speaker wire like this, not the in-room variety like this.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt