Stereo Distribution Panel

[MDS]

I was browsing the Parts-Express catalog I received with my order and came across this wall plate: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-541&CFID=8484193&CFTOKEN=53267021

There is also a double gang 10-way panel: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-542&CFID=8484193&CFTOKEN=53267021

I have never seen anything like it and thought I'd post it just to see what people think about it.

I have done a bit of work lately to get the wiring in my house set up the way I want it now and trying to plan a bit for the future. I have wires and speaker cutouts in the master bathroom as well as the patio. Without cutting out new holes for additional mud rings the 4-way panel looks like it could be used to drive both the patio and bathroom speakers from the single Zone 2 speaker outputs of a receiver (although they would both play the same source).

I just thought it was a pretty cool solution...

 

[avaserfi]

It certainly does look like an elegant solution that would keep someone who wants everything looking extremely clean. Probably the type of thing I will search for when I have a house and want to wire it.

 

[BMXTRIX]

It is what it is - which means you will have to have impedence matching volume controls and you will have to have an amplifier powerful enough to properly drive the speakers that you have connected. But, it definitely is a straightfoward way to do things.

The biggest drawback is that it does limit you to a single source in all the rooms that are connected to it. I mean, basically it's the same as trying 4 sets of speaker wires together and running them to the output of an amplifier. So, while it is clean, it isn't anything fancy for sure.

 

[MDS]

There are plenty of similar wall plates that are speaker selectors but with the plate near the floor and behind the AV stand, that would not be practical or even useful in my situation.

I now have a two gang decora wall plate with 4 binding posts on one side (for patio) and a single RF connector on the other on the wall behind the AV stand. I could replace the 4 binding posts with that distribution panel since it is the same decora style and voila I could use the master bath speakers too.

I know you'd need IM volume controls and could only play the same source to both pairs of speakers, but nonetheless it is a solution to a problem that I've never seen before. I spent all night searching for similar solutions from other companies and have found none.

 

[BMXTRIX]

There are plenty of similar wall plates that are speaker selectors but with the plate near the floor and behind the AV stand, that would not be practical or even useful in my situation.

I now have a two gang decora wall plate with 4 binding posts on one side (for patio) and a single RF connector on the other on the wall behind the AV stand. I could replace the 4 binding posts with that distribution panel since it is the same decora style and voila I could use the master bath speakers too.

I know you'd need IM volume controls and could only play the same source to both pairs of speakers, but nonetheless it is a solution to a problem that I've never seen before. I spent all night searching for similar solutions from other companies and have found none.

There are no other similar devices because the other way to accomplish a very similar look is to take a standard wall binding post set and on the back side run a single jumper out of it. Then, take all your speakers in your distributed setup and just wire nut them together... Obviously each +/- individually and L/R individually. So, four wire nuts, and one short jumper cable and you've got basically the exact same thing. Not as elegant for sure, but not many people dig behind their walls once it is installed.

 

[Warpdrv]

Yeah... In my new house, wiring behind my HT setup, was nothing short of a pain in the @ss... I ended up with bringing 2 new boxes, which I had to mount in the floor, one has 2-cat6's, 2-RJ6's and 4 speaker wires (1 for surround and 1 for second zone) and the other box has 2 new dedicated 120v circuits, 1 for sub and 1 for amp, while the rest of the system power is/was existing.

Not sure if there was any clean simple way of doing it other then what I did.

Was a complete nightmare under hardwood floor, and above hardwood ceiling below that room... YUK...

 

[MDS]

There are no other similar devices because the other way to accomplish a very similar look is to take a standard wall binding post set and on the back side run a single jumper out of it. Then, take all your speakers in your distributed setup and just wire nut them together... Obviously each +/- individually and L/R individually. So, four wire nuts, and one short jumper cable and you've got basically the exact same thing. Not as elegant for sure, but not many people dig behind their walls once it is installed.

So you're not as easily impressed as I am. You are saying that the distribution panel is basically wired internally the way you describe, correct?

But wouldn't you need 4 jumper wires? If I have 4 binding posts (+/- for left and right speakers), I'd need a short wire connected to each binding post and then the corresponding wires for each speaker wire nutted together - so a short wire from say the Left speaker + binding post on the back of the plate and then Left + wires from the patio and bathroom speakers wire nutted to it and likewise for the Left -, Right -, and Right +.

There would still be a need for IM volume controls too, right?

 

[BMXTRIX]

So you're not as easily impressed as I am. You are saying that the distribution panel is basically wired internally the way you describe, correct?

But wouldn't you need 4 jumper wires? If I have 4 binding posts (+/- for left and right speakers), I'd need a short wire connected to each binding post and then the corresponding wires for each speaker wire nutted together - so a short wire from say the Left speaker + binding post on the back of the plate and then Left + wires from the patio and bathroom speakers wire nutted to it and likewise for the Left -, Right -, and Right +.

There would still be a need for IM volume controls too, right?

You got it. When I say "one jumper" I'm going with the concept that all the distributed audio wiring is 14/4 or 16/4 type wiring and that you would jumper with a piece of 14/4 or 16/4 wiring. But, the end result is the same. A bunch of speakers being run in parallel.

 

[MDS]

Thanks BMXTRIX. I get it now.

I could save $25 by just using the wall plate I already have and buying IM volume controls for the two rooms.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Thanks BMXTRIX. I get it now.

I could save $25 by just using the wall plate I already have and buying IM volume controls for the two rooms.

That's correct.

Quite often when gear is hidden in a rack or some other location the speaker wires won't even terminate to wall plates and intead I would just take them directly from the volume controls to the amplifier that is in use. I currently have a location where it is a couple pairs of speakers tied together so I just take the 14/4 wiring from two speakers (2 wires each), stick it into a banana jack, then stick in into the ampliifer.

Since I am using an amplifier that is stable to 4 ohms, I have no need for impedence matching volume controls since the speakers are 8 ohms normally. 2 8-ohm speakers wired in parallel = 4 ohm impedence, so if you have a decent 4-ohm stable amplifier, you don't even need IM volume controls.