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Any entry level AV receivers with A/B speaker switching?

post #1 of 5
1/21/12 at 5:44am
Thread Starter 
I'm trying to get an entry level AV receiver that has A/B speaker switching. Right now I have an older receiver that has this but it's not AV and has no HDMI in/outputs.

It seems like now a days, most have "Zone 2" capabilities but my understanding is, and correct me if I'm wrong, the signal is a line level out and not really meant to be "just connect it to another pair of speakers".

I have no need to have different contents on A and B at the same time. I just the music to be switched to different areas. I can probably get a mechanical switch but was hoping to have a more elegant solution.

Brand name doesn't matter other than I would like to stay away from Sony.
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post #2 of 5
1/21/12 at 6:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingmeow View Post

I'm trying to get an entry level AV receiver that has A/B speaker switching. Right now I have an older receiver that has this but it's not AV and has no HDMI in/outputs.

It seems like now a days, most have "Zone 2" capabilities but my understanding is, and correct me if I'm wrong, the signal is a line level out and not really meant to be "just connect it to another pair of speakers".

I have no need to have different contents on A and B at the same time. I just the music to be switched to different areas. I can probably get a mechanical switch but was hoping to have a more elegant solution.

Brand name doesn't matter other than I would like to stay away from Sony.

Many budget receivers have this. Here is just one example:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...-Cat80&topnav=
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post #3 of 5
1/21/12 at 6:08am
Many 7.1 AVRs will allow for both a powered 5.1 and Zone 2 using the speaker post connections, however, Zone 2 for the vast majority (esp. lower level) is limited to analog only sources. If you don't need 3D, your best bet may be looking for a 2-3 year old HDMI 1.3 AVR that still meets your needs and has the separate Front B speaker posts so you can pass any source (HDMI or otherwise) to them. Note also that some 7.1 AVRs (w/o dedicated Front B speaker posts) in addition to allowing the Surr Back posts to be set to Zone 2, can also be set to Front B. In this instance the Front B are likely to be powered by a separate amp, while in cases where there are dedicated Front B speaker posts, they most likely share the same amp as the Front A speakers.

Good choices would be either the Denon 1610 (HDMI 1.3) or Denon 1612 (HDMI 1.4). Also check out refurb items for lower costs.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make...eceiver/1.html
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post #4 of 5
2/24/12 at 5:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdsmoothie View Post

Many 7.1 AVRs will allow for both a powered 5.1 and Zone 2 using the speaker post connections, however, Zone 2 for the vast majority (esp. lower level) is limited to analog only sources. If you don't need 3D, your best bet may be looking for a 2-3 year old HDMI 1.3 AVR that still meets your needs and has the separate Front B speaker posts so you can pass any source (HDMI or otherwise) to them. Note also that some 7.1 AVRs (w/o dedicated Front B speaker posts) in addition to allowing the Surr Back posts to be set to Zone 2, can also be set to Front B. In this instance the Front B are likely to be powered by a separate amp, while in cases where there are dedicated Front B speaker posts, they most likely share the same amp as the Front A speakers.

Good choices would be either the Denon 1610 (HDMI 1.3) or Denon 1612 (HDMI 1.4). Also check out refurb items for lower costs.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make...eceiver/1.html

I am also interested in a receiver with front A/B speaker possibilities or alternately your suggestion of a 7.1 system where the surround posts can be set to Front B. Can you elaborate a little more on that and possible provide some additional examples of receivers to consider in the low to mid price range or even older discontinued or refurb units.
Thanks, Don
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post #5 of 5
2/24/12 at 6:40pm
^^
The Denon HDMI 1.3 (1610, 1910, 2310CI) and HDMI 1.4 (1911, 2311CI, 1612, 1712, 1912) would all be lower/mid level Denon models that offer the feature of setting the Surr Back speaker posts to Front B powered by a separate amp still allowing you to run 5.1 in the main zone. Doing so will then allow you to place those speakers in another room and pass the same source audio (HDMI or otherwise) and at the same volume as are being played by the main FL/FR speakers. A good refurb source is the link I provided in my previous post with the refurbs having a 1 year warranty.
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