I am in the process of having a new house built and want to have an audio distribution system installed. I am looking at an affordable system that supports six zones and four or more sources. My two major selling points is the quality of sound, which I realize has more to do with speakers than anything else, and the keypad. For the keypad I want something aesthetically pleasing and simply enough to you so that the whole family can take advantage of it.

A local installer has been pushing the SpeakerCraft MZC-66 system. It has a fairly sleek keypad that you can purchase called the MODE keypad. With it you can install software on your computer to set up and configure your whole system. I'd be pumped for this system except for one thing, I not able to find much user feedback on it. If you have any feedback regarding this system, or similar SpeakerCraft systems I'd really appreciate hearing your feedback.

The other systems that I'm looking at are the Russound CAM6.6 with the UNO-S2 keypads. Looks like a reasonable system but my SpeakerCraft guy says there just entry level systems that you can buy anywhere, which is why they are known.

I've also looked at the Elan System6, which has a very interesting new keypad out that offers the affordability of a regular keypad with the look of a touch screen.

The only other system is the NetStreams Musica system. They have a good keypad with amplification at the keypad level. They say this is an advantage as you have a digital signal going to the keypad so you have less chance for interference by electrical wiring. I have heard from one person, and only one person mind you, that the sound is not very good.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Any comments regarding SpeakerCraft would be of a great help, either good or bad.

AudioGuy1000

My personal opinion is that the Russound with the UNO-S2 keypads are superior to the Speakercraft system. It is definitely NOT an entry level system and you CANNOT buy it just anywhere.

I'm sure the Speakercraft is nice, but don't discount the Russound simply because the installer is not familiar with the product (find one that is if it interests you).

Ben

All of the systems mentioned are entry level IMO. And the Russound is the only one avaialable to anyone with an internet connection and a credit card. No you can't buy it anywhere if that means at any B&M store you choose, but you can buy it anyw

There really should be no material difference between any of the systems mentioned, choose the dealer/installer you feel best about and let them do their job.

And BTW, I would NOT put the Musica in the same category as the others, it is more comparable to an ABUS system IMO. The in-keypad amps are not my cup of tea at all.

Oops, somehow a sentence was erased in my previous post. I meant to say:

you can buy it anywhere since the internet is everywhere.

Thanks for the opinion Ben. Fletch, you mention all the systems are entry level, does this mean they are not going to sound great? I don't have $20,000 to drop on a new system. Utimately I'd like to do my six zones for around $8,000 total.

Would you group the Crestron Adagio in this same league or would you consider a step up? A local seller has a good special on them now as a package deal for are only include bottom of the line Boston speakers with the package.

AudioGuy1000

For just distributing audio, I would go with Sonos and have the installer put in Speakercraft speakers for you. It is a much simpler installation and the sound quality is very good. You can get sonos from the web or from Magnolia theater at best buy stores. The speakers would just be run to a location within the room and a zone player connected to it. However, one zone player would be hooked up to the your internet connection. If it is not in a room you wish to have music then you can use a wireless bridge or get a zp80 for a local connection without speakers. If you use digital music, CDs and downloads from the internet, then this is the way to go.

Entry level doesn't mean they sound bad, just not a lot of power, limited feature sets etc. Adagio is definatley a big step up. You basically are getting a full blown Crestron processor (albeit slower than a standalone) in their version of entry level. The cost of the Adagio, especially if you need any programming beyond the out of box functionality, will be higher than the others mentioned.

The Sonos is fine for a standalone system if all you will listen to is MP3 or internet radio. The zone controllers will not control any other sources (cd player, cable box etc).

You can always upgrade speakers later if you want to cut costs upfront. You can also upgrade the entire system later. Just make sure to have your installer design the infrastructure with the future in mind. Most of the above systems have a similar wiring scheme. Basically the keypad locations need cat5 and speaker wire, then speaker wire from keypad location to speakers.

I am biased in that I am an Elan dealer, so take this how you will, but a System 6 will give you the ability yo use simple keypads (Zpads), the new Ole keypads (some feedback from the sources) up to full blown touchscreens (Via 64, Via40 Via Valet). Also incorporate doorbell and paging, 6 zones and six sources and upgradability. The others offer similar but I am not as familiar with them.

Again, the main point Iwould make is to go with the dealer/installer that makes you most comfortable and happy and follow their recommendations. You won't be unhappy with any of these systems if properly installed.

I had the MCZ-66 and it sounded very good and the 30w per channel were more than enough. Mine died 2 weeks ago because a pipe decided to break and leak on it. So, I filed a claim with homeowners insurance to get it covered and I think it will be covered. I'm leaning toward buying a Russound CAV6.6 for the next system. My only complaint about the MZC-66 was the stock keypads weren't very glamorous and it would cost a small fortune to upgrade to the MODE keypad in all 6 zones. With the Russound S2 keypad I get the LCD and I was planning on using the Jriver plugin to get metadata from MP3s on a computer. I forgot about the Elan system so I may take a look at that before I pull the trigger on the CAV. Again, in my opinion the Speakercraft was a very good system and I never realized how much I used it until I didn't have it anymore.

AudioGuy,

As you're finding, there are lots of opinions. This is due to the fact that there are now so many great systems in this space!

We sell and install lots of Russound mostly due to the fact that clients like the keypads so well because of the styling and ease of use. Many others are coming out with stylish new "higher-end" keypads, but the Russound CAV/CAM systems with the UNO-S2 keypads provide a great value that are hard to beat in my opinion.

As already stated... work with you local installer, but they will likely only sell/install one or two brands of systems. If you don't like what they have to offer, you may have to re-direct your efforts to another installer to come up with a system that meets all your needs.

Realize that that while these systems do sound great, the heart of each zone is a simple (and inexpensive) integrated amp chip. My point is while a quality speaker is important, no need to go overboard in this area... I feel that spending more than $350 or so a pair for whole-house audio speakers is money that can be better spent in another area.

Sonos is a neat system (based right here in Santa Barbara), but if your needs go beyond digital media, it's not a very good solution as you can't control other sources. Having said that, the Sonos ZP80 does make a good "source" to connect to a whole-house audio system for digital music playback.

Cheers,
Paul

I have the SpeakerCraft MZC-88 system, previously the MZC-66. I had originally speced my system with the 88 but it wasn't released on time so they gave me a 66 to use in the meantime. I had that for over a year before the 88 finally came out.

Overall I'm happy with the system. The only problem is the EZ-Tools software required to program the keypads is only available to dealers. You might be able to get a hold of it by some other means though. My dealer was nice enough and gave me a copy as I told them I wanted to program it myself. It's pretty easy to do. You're right upgrading to the MODE 3.1 keypads would be very expensive. I've bought one to play with but haven't hooked it up yet. The only other issue is I can't find anything published on their communication protocol for the MODE keypads. I use a computer with Media Center on it for my mp3 server and I want to create a plug-in to display info on the keypad but it's going to be hard without any documentation.

The other thing to contemplate is that some of those have RS232 inputs and can be controlled via your PC, so you could even have a GUI to pull up and control both your CD collection and the russound, setting input sources/volume/etc. You could use a PDA too, so you're not limited to just the keypads.

May not be a "right now" thing, but it always good to not take future options off the table.

If you're curious as to what this could look like, here's one screenshot of mine, two screenshots of folks who controls a Russound CAV66. You'd also want screens to select a CD/XM/FM/etc, so you'd have full control over your system from any location keypad or otherwise.

Check out the site in my sig for more.

http://www.myhometheaterpc.com/screenshots/VS20/menu_av.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b344/rsxer63/The%20Rack%20Series/RussoundVolume.jpg

http://www.ncrypt.net/touchscreen/cqc/russ800.jpg

I've had my CAV6.6 set up for a few weeks now and I have to admit that I like it a whole lot better than my MZC66. I'm using the JRiver media plugin by Hyslopc and the feedback to the keypads as well as the ability to control playlists on my computer is awesome. And, as IVB mentioned, the ability to control the CAV via the RS232 is nice to have. Last time I checked, there was nothing out there for the MZC to do the same thing.

I've had my CAV6.6 set up for a few weeks now and I have to admit that I like it a whole lot better than my MZC66. I'm using the JRiver media plugin by Hyslopc and the feedback to the keypads as well as the ability to control playlists on my computer is awesome. And, as IVB mentioned, the ability to control the CAV via the RS232 is nice to have. Last time I checked, there was nothing out there for the MZC to do the same thing.

Are there other things you like better besides the integration with Media Centre and the feedback at the keypads? The 88 has an RS-232 I/O port and you can get the RSA 1.0 Interface Kit to add it for the 66 the issue is lack of documentation. Right now I use Girder with Media center to control it with the MZC but I want to build a plug-in, how were you doing it?

Thanks.

As I have been navigating the "equipment" options, this quote from Fletch has been my biggest concern:

"..... Just make sure to have your installer design the infrastructure with the future in mind. Most of the above systems have a similar wiring scheme. Basically the keypad locations need cat5 and speaker wire, then speaker wire from keypad location to speakers. "

I say this, as the Russound solution appears to break the basic wiring scheme. Specifically, not requiring speaker wire to the control pad, just Cat5 for the UNO pads. (I realize that the A-BUS option is an exception to this).

Does someone have a recommended wire infrastructure for whole house Audio/Video (assume HD) that can ensure that I am prepared regardless of what equipment I decide on?

Also, I use AV SNap (Thanks IVB this ROCS!!!) if you have a .amt file.

For the record, I was/am leaning toward the Cav6.6./ELK solution.

I was seriously considering OmniPro but my experience with this is material for a separate thread.

My recommendaton for that wiring scheme simply runs the speaker wire through the keypad location, it doesn't touch the keypad in an Elan, Russound or some other systems. You could just as well run the speaker wire directly to the speakers from the amp location, it is just one way of doing it.

Here is what I would run:

To each keypad/touchscreen location: 1 cat5e, 1 18/2, 1 RG6/59, 1 16/4.
cat5e for keypad control, 16/4 for stereo speaker pair. The 18/2 and Rg for a touchscreen, 18/2 for power, RG for video.

From the keypad/touchscreen location, 16/2 to each speaker.

For tv locations: 1 Audioquest Mac6 mini coax cable (6 mini coax and 1 cat5e in a jacket) You could use most any other mini coax bundle. Also, at least one more and probably two more cat5e. (This assumes a distributed video system. If Using local cable/sat receivers, you could get away with 2 RG6 and 2 cat5e).

There are a zillion combinations that you could use. Figure out what you want to do now and in the future and go from there. To me it is better to plan for what I want done, than to wire for a specific system.

Fletch;
Thanks much.

...For the record, I was/am leaning toward the Cav6.6./ELK solution.

I was seriously considering OmniPro but my experience with this is material for a separate thread.

Not to take the thread off topic, but I would be interested in a thread with your experiences in the Elk vs OmniPro decision. I have been looking for a good review
on the relative capabilities and pro and cons of the two systems. I have seen advice to search CocoonTech for this and I have tried but not found the information, especially on the Omni. Mostly I have seen the arguement that the Elk is more DIY friendly, but not what capability one has that the other doesn't.

The in-keypad amps are not my cup of tea at all.

This solution (A-BUS and others) makes me nervous as well but it is a cheap and great solution if you don't require a lot of power (volume). I have also notice more manufacturers including A-BUS functionality in their receivers.

Has anyone seen any reviews on these products?

Kayemsi;
Nice to hear from you again (after IVB's conf. earlier this month). I will browse this forum for another hour or so to ensure an ELK/OmniPro discussion has not already occurred. Assuming it has not, I will launch a specific thread later today.

- Ed

.ps: I will post this thread under the Home Automation Forum , not here.