Is this a bad idea? (wiring help)

Well my opinion is that you should worry about the final load you're putting on the amp. Whats the lowest impedance the amp can take? If you go bellow what it can take you can fry that amp. So i would check that out first and then decide.

My 0.02 cents.

Three 8 ohm speakers in parallel is 2.66 ohms, not 4. You might consider getting a receiver that has 4 main channel outputs.

I'm not sure how that single "stereo" speaker in the bathroom works. Does that mean that it has two connections, R+L, each being 8ohms, and will present the same load to an amp as two individual speakers would? Presuming it does, then wiring it in parallel to the bedroom speakers would, as you state, present a 4ohm load to the amp. Can the amp handle 4ohm loads? Even if it is not spec'd to, it may be able to handle it just fine, especially since you probably won't be playing Zone2 too loudly. If you are worried about the load, you could try wiring the speakers in series.



This is another question altogether. There is nothing you can do about this no matter how you wire the speakers if they are connected to the same 2-channel amp. If you used 2 separate amps, and one had a gain control (or an integrated amp would work), you could adjust the volumes independently. This would also allow you to turn off the speakers independently. I don't know what sort of quality you are looking for in the Zone2 amps, but HERE is an inexpensive one that would probably work fine for both your needs.

Where would there be 3 speakers on one of his channels? He has a single bedroom speaker on each channel. If the single-unit "stereo" bathroom speaker is connected to only one of his bedroom speakers, there would only be 2 speakers on that channel and one on the other. If it's connected to both channels via individual R+L 8ohm connections (As I suspect it is), there would be two 8ohm speakers per channel = 4ohms per channel.

And what does "4 main channel outputs" mean? He's going to use his receiver's Zone2 pre-outs. Do you mean additional Zone3 pre-outs? Provided he used 2 amps, this would work very well, and give him independent control of each Zone. But he can also either simply split his Zone2 outputs to 2 different amps or daisy chain 2 different amps.

Not trying to 'bust your balls" here. Just looking for some clarification.

Good point. I didn't recognize that he would be putting a speaker on each channel. In that case, it depends on what amp he gets. He can certainly use the Zone 2 preouts to give the signal to the amp. If I were doing it, I would get an amp that has 4 channels, both that are left and right mains. I assume this is always going to be a stereo application and you don't mind if the speaker in the bathroom is always going to be on when the bedroom speakers are on.

4 ohms per channel. For general background use this will most likely not present any problems for the amp.

You are correct that volume levels could be different - or that you might not want the volumes always at the same level. An impedance-matching volume control could fix that.

Yes, you were correct in your original post; 4ohms.

Did you see the small amp that I linked you to?

Does your receiver have Zone3 outputs as well?

He could do this if he is worried about the load. However, finding a 4-channel amp is going to be difficult and probably more expensive than what he wishes to spend. Two of the small amps I linked him to would give him 4 channels of amplification, inexpensively, with independent power-on and volume capability. They could both be located in the same spot that he plans to put a 2-channel amp, or they could even be located independently giving him 'on-the-pot' control over the bathroom unit.

My gosh, what receiver is this? It doesn't have PLII? Does it also lack DD/DTS 5.1?