Small amplifier for multiroom audio

[YEG]

Hello: I have browsed through the excellent information on multiroom audio and have some questions.

I have moved to a new house with in-ceiling Polk speakers (probably MC80s) in 4 rooms + larger Polk speakers on the patio. Each of these 5 zones has a wall-mounted volume control. All of the speaker wires terminate in a custom glass/wood cabinet at a central location.

The volume controls look like these impedance matched units but I can't confirm the exact model:
http://www.parts-express.com/wired-home-csvc50-impedance-matching-rotary-speaker-volume-control-50w--300-560

I have a Niles SI 1230 series 2 amp and it works very well with the speakers, using a Sonos Connect as the input. I don't need a lot of control over what music is playing where: one audio source playing everywhere is fine, using the volume controls to turn off the music where it isn't needed.

My problem is that the Niles amp is too deep for the cabinet, which is 36" x 14" x 14", so it is now sitting on the floor. I can't find any other multichannel amps that will fit: all seem to be deeper than 14" (Dayton, Niles, Russound, Sonance, HTD).

I'm wondering what would be the best solution to drive these speakers: maybe I could buy another smaller amp instead, perhaps with a speaker selector. I have read the discussions on this board and understand that a speaker selector may not be needed in this situation -- but I'm willing to buy one if it will help to protect the amplifier.

Priorities:
I want everything to fit in the cabinet.
I don't want to blow up my amp and would rather be safe than sorry.
I'd like to be able to bridge two channels to the 1 set of outdoor speakers if this is easily possible.

Questions:
Any recommendations for a reasonably priced amp?
Do I need a speaker selector?
If I don't use a speaker selector, how do I connect the 5 pairs of speakers to the amp?

Thank you very much for any suggestions.

 

[TheWarrior]

Its gonna be a lot cheaper to build a new cabinet! Just in case, you anywhere near ATL? Cause I build them!

 

[agarwalro]

Most amps will be minimum 15" deep. You'll need a couple inches room for connections. Maybe you can you glue/screw a plank into the amp shelf to make a ledge that sticks out?

 

[highfigh]

What is behind the cabinet? If it's a closet, I would put the amplifier in there, rather than change to something small that won't be enough power, lower quality, etc. 14" deep shelves tend to be upper cabinets, lower cabinets tend to be deeper- can you move it to a lower position?

 

[YEG]

Thanks for your replies. Unfortunately there is no easy way to modify or extend the cabinet, which backs onto a concrete wall and has a fancy batwing glass door on the front. Even if cost wasn't an issue, my wife won't be keen on any changes.

Multiroom amps all seem to be >=15 inches deep but other types of amp (power amp etc) can be less deep. Unfortunately I don't know enough to choose the right type or what other components would be needed.

Could I put something like this Dayton amp in the cabinet? Then connect the wires to a speaker selector?

http://www.daytonaudio.com/index.php/home-audio-video/audio-amplifiers/apa150-150w-power-amplifier.html

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[highfigh]

Thanks for your replies. Unfortunately there is no easy way to modify or extend the cabinet, which backs onto a concrete wall and has a fancy batwing glass door on the front. Even if cost wasn't an issue, my wife won't be keen on any changes.

Multiroom amps all seem to be >=15 inches deep but other types of amp (power amp etc) can be less deep. Unfortunately I don't know enough to choose the right type or what other components would be needed.

Could I put something like this Dayton amp in the cabinet? Then connect the wires to a speaker selector?

http://www.daytonaudio.com/index.php/home-audio-video/audio-amplifiers/apa150-150w-power-amplifier.html

Any thoughts appreciated.

If your existing amp is used, how do you control the level for the individual speakers/pairs? If you have a volume control for each, the small Dayton, or any low-powered amp, isn't the best choice because whatever the output power, it must be shared by the speakers. That means, at max level, each speaker/pair receives about 6W (75W in stereo mode) minus any losses. As it stands, you have 30W/speaker/pair in stereo mode, or whatever the output comes to in bridged mode for the channels that are in that mode.

Do you have another cabinet nearby where you could relocate the amp? All things considered, what you have works well and any stereo amp you use would need to be much more powerful. At minimum, the outdoor speakers would need to be bridged using the Niles amp but there's really not a great way to accomplish the power output unless you use one of the Dayton amps just for those and possibly another for the rest of the rooms. Most speaker switch/volume controls are rated for 100W continuous, so using two amps in bridge mode might work, but at high SPL, it might be a problem for the switch/volume control unit.

 

[YEG]

Thanks. Each room/zone has an on-wall volume switch that looks like it is an impedance matched control.

All of the wires run through the walls from the various speakers to terminate in the cabinet. I think it would be a huge amount of work to run them somewhere else. Many of the walls are concrete.

It seems like it will be way easier and cheaper to spend money on an amp or two.

Would two Dayton amps work? I could connect the outdoor speakers + 1 room to one of them, and three rooms to the other?

Presumably the last folks that lived here had a working system. Too bad I can't get any info from them!

 

[agarwalro]

Check out the Parasound Zamp Quattro. Only 10" deep, but you'll need 3 of them.
http://www.parasound.com/zamp-quattro.php#