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need help on receiver ideas/way to power multiple zones

post #1 of 12
12/11/12 at 9:17am
Thread Starter 
Apologize for being super amateur at this...here is what I'd like to do:

I would like to run a 2 zone receiver where I can watch TV/etc in one zone and the second zone will be outdoor speakers (thinking 9 or 10 speakers). Thinking polk atrium 5 for outside (they will be all around the house, maybe 5 around the pool and 5 in other areas). The interior will just be something like a 5 speaker surround system (polk I'm guessing)....

for the receiver, I am thinking the Denon AVR-3313CI....

I think I set the outdoor speakers up to Zone 2 but I'm guessing I need both another amp and a speaker selector for the outdoor speakers?...I would like to be able to turn on/off outdoor zones so I think i need the speaker selector...I also dont think the Denon can power all the outdoor speakers on zone 2 as well?...Im guessing a basic amp for outdoor plugged into the zone 2 of the Denon?

I really appreciate any help/thoughts/ideas on all of this...

also...on the outdoor speakers, how do you set zone 2 to be "stereo" to all speakers? I dont think I will have "left" and "right" speakers outside??...

I have a basic idea of items needed but it is hard to conceptualize how this will work...

thanks so much for any help...sorry for the lack of knowledge!!!
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post #2 of 12
12/11/12 at 9:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by brodeur78 View Post

Apologize for being super amateur at this...here is what I'd like to do:
I would like to run a 2 zone receiver where I can watch TV/etc in one zone and the second zone will be outdoor speakers (thinking 9 or 10 speakers). Thinking polk atrium 5 for outside (they will be all around the house, maybe 5 around the pool and 5 in other areas). The interior will just be something like a 5 speaker surround system (polk I'm guessing)....
for the receiver, I am thinking the Denon AVR-3313CI....
I think I set the outdoor speakers up to Zone 2 but I'm guessing I need both another amp and a speaker selector for the outdoor speakers?...I would like to be able to turn on/off outdoor zones so I think i need the speaker selector...I also dont think the Denon can power all the outdoor speakers on zone 2 as well?...Im guessing a basic amp for outdoor plugged into the zone 2 of the Denon?
I really appreciate any help/thoughts/ideas on all of this...
also...on the outdoor speakers, how do you set zone 2 to be "stereo" to all speakers? I dont think I will have "left" and "right" speakers outside??...
I have a basic idea of items needed but it is hard to conceptualize how this will work...
thanks so much for any help...sorry for the lack of knowledge!!!

Yes, the Denon can send a stereo (2 channel) signal to your additional zone. I can even power that (2) channel zone.

But since you have many speakers, you have a variety of ways to accomplish this task.

The most simple is using a device like this:

http://www.abt.com/product/4099/Sonance-91368.html?utm_source=scfroogle&utm_medium=sc&utm_campaign=SS4&adtype=pla
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post #3 of 12
12/11/12 at 4:12pm
Thread Starter 
does the denon have the power to do a zone 1 (lets say 5.1) and 10 outdoor zone 2 speakers?.....I figured I would need another amp for zone 2 which will go in the pre-out zone2 on the denon with a speaker selector
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post #4 of 12
12/11/12 at 4:20pm
No, no receiver would have that capability to power 10 zone 2 speakers. You'll need some kind of speaker selector to deal with that many speakers.
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post #5 of 12
12/11/12 at 4:27pm
Thread Starter 
yeah but do i need a separate amp for zone2 which is connected to the zone 2 pre-out and the speaker selector? (so speakers ----> speaker selector ----> amp 2 ----> denon 3313) ?

if that's correct, any ideas on a speaker selector and the 2nd amp (brand/model?)....looking for maybe 4 zones of speakers outdoors for the speaker selector....
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post #6 of 12
12/11/12 at 4:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by brodeur78 View Post

yeah but do i need a separate amp for zone2 which is connected to the zone 2 pre-out and the speaker selector? (so speakers ----> speaker selector ----> amp 2 ----> denon 3313) ?
if that's correct, any ideas on a speaker selector and the 2nd amp (brand/model?)....looking for maybe 4 zones of speakers outdoors for the speaker selector....

No...

Zone2 speaker outputs ---> speaker selector ---> speakers

Any quality speaker selector will manage the load of the speakers connected to it, so that it doesn't demand more from your amp than it should.

The selector I linked above does this.

Alternatively, you could go a different route:

Zone2 rca outputs ---> amplifier ----> speakers

There are amps made for this type of installation. They're made to work with very low ohm loads, and are very rugged. Here's an example: http://sonance.com/products/electronics/detail/233

Or even:

Zone2 rca outputs ----> amplifier with built in speaker selector ----> speakers

This amp is 3 separate sets of speaker terminals, with 3 speaker selectors: http://sonance.com/products/electronics/detail/234
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post #7 of 12
12/11/12 at 4:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by brodeur78 View Post

yeah but do i need a separate amp for zone2 which is connected to the zone 2 pre-out and the speaker selector? (so speakers ----> speaker selector ----> amp 2 ----> denon 3313) ?
if that's correct, any ideas on a speaker selector and the 2nd amp (brand/model?)....looking for maybe 4 zones of speakers outdoors for the speaker selector....

Yes, you will indeed require an external map for the Zone 2 speakers. Consider the following amp (background music volume level only) and speaker selector.

http://www.amazon.com/AudioSource-Amp-200-High-Current-Amplifier/dp/B0006VHZHO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1355273571&sr=1-1&keywords=AMP-200

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?seq=1&format=2&p_id=8232&CAWELAID=1329456295&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CLOcsfTTk7QCFQGFnQodeHcAzA
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post #8 of 12
12/11/12 at 5:15pm
Thread Starter 
thank you guys very much for the help - sorry, new to some of this stuff....have just had basic home theater items before
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post #9 of 12
12/11/12 at 5:18pm
Thread Starter 
one last ? --- are there any electronic speaker selectors that would work with a universal remote? (click one button to turn on music only at the pool, etc)....or are they all mechanical push button
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post #10 of 12
12/13/12 at 9:05am
Thread Starter 
so if the external speakers are attached to this speaker selector for instance:
http://www.outdoorspeakerdepot.com/7-pair-speaker-selector-with-remote-control.html

How would they go from the speaker selector to the Denon 3313CI? is it speaker wire out to speaker wire in on the 3313CI? zone 2 on the 3313ci is just hdmi or rca out for zone 2, no??

and last question (I promise, I think)

does the 3313ci have sufficient power to power all 9 exterior speakers as well as the 5-6 interior speakers on zone1

thanks guys....
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post #11 of 12
12/13/12 at 9:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by brodeur78 View Post

so if the external speakers are attached to this speaker selector for instance:
http://www.outdoorspeakerdepot.com/7-pair-speaker-selector-with-remote-control.html
How would they go from the speaker selector to the Denon 3313CI? is it speaker wire out to speaker wire in on the 3313CI? zone 2 on the 3313ci is just hdmi or rca out for zone 2, no??
and last question (I promise, I think)
does the 3313ci have sufficient power to power all 9 exterior speakers as well as the 5-6 interior speakers on zone1
thanks guys....

That selector is fine, if you're only going to run 1 set of speakers at a time.

The challenge with running multiple sets of speakers off the same speaker-level connection is - Impedance. 2 8ohm speakers = 8 ohm impedance. 4 8ohm speakers = 4ohm impedance. 6 8ohm speakers = 2ohm impedance.

Your receiver isn't going to be happy pushing anything less than 4-6ohms, especially when driving an additional 5+ speakers in your main listening room.

Honestly, home-distributed audio is something that should be left to experienced DIY-ers, or professionals. You might want to contact a custom installer in your area.
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post #12 of 12
12/13/12 at 9:46am
Thread Starter 
sorry...trying to do it for relatively cheap (~2-3k for the outdoor speakers and receiver setup)....maybe I will call someone, fair enough..
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