Anyone??
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WHA receiver/distribution recommendations?
All,
I'm a newbie (let's put that right up front), so please be gentle with me. I've had pre-wiring done in my new home for whole house audio distribution (by an installer) and am now looking to purchase the appropriate receiver/distribution equipment. I've been reading about the solutions from Niles, Nuvo, Russound, etc., but to be honest, I'm confused about all the options and configurations.
I've had pre-wiring done in seven zones in the house (family room, office, master bedroom, master bath, front porch, rear patio, and game room), all with impedance matched volume controls. I intended to have all of these sourced by equipment in a cabinet in the family room, which also houses a (couple years old) Denon 2805. I had an A/B switch installed in the family room ceiling mounted Klipsches so I can switch the rear surround speakers into the WHA.
My question is what equipment would you suggest to distribute audio in this setup? As far as sources, I plan to deliver digital media files to this location over Cat5 from a home server (GigE throughout the house), probably with a media extender, and will add XM. We're also served by Comcast, which presumably allows me to deliver their music channels through the Denon, along with the AM/FM from the receiver.
VC's are simple analog controls throughout.
I have a separate media room in the lower level to house the HT and networked equipment, but it's all separate from the WHA.
Suggestions?
I'm a newbie (let's put that right up front), so please be gentle with me. I've had pre-wiring done in my new home for whole house audio distribution (by an installer) and am now looking to purchase the appropriate receiver/distribution equipment. I've been reading about the solutions from Niles, Nuvo, Russound, etc., but to be honest, I'm confused about all the options and configurations.
I've had pre-wiring done in seven zones in the house (family room, office, master bedroom, master bath, front porch, rear patio, and game room), all with impedance matched volume controls. I intended to have all of these sourced by equipment in a cabinet in the family room, which also houses a (couple years old) Denon 2805. I had an A/B switch installed in the family room ceiling mounted Klipsches so I can switch the rear surround speakers into the WHA.
My question is what equipment would you suggest to distribute audio in this setup? As far as sources, I plan to deliver digital media files to this location over Cat5 from a home server (GigE throughout the house), probably with a media extender, and will add XM. We're also served by Comcast, which presumably allows me to deliver their music channels through the Denon, along with the AM/FM from the receiver.
VC's are simple analog controls throughout.
I have a separate media room in the lower level to house the HT and networked equipment, but it's all separate from the WHA.
Suggestions?
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
First thing I noticed is the 7zones. I know the NuVo Concerto & Grand Concerto have 8z capability (6 powered, 2 unpowered); I know the Russound only has 6, but it does have subzone capability in case you want to partner 2 of those zones up.
The next thing to research is your desire to use keypads for control. If so, look at which one has keypads that you like.
Finally, think about whether you'd want to integrate with a PC for control via non-keypads (ie PC or PDA). If so, make sure you get one with an RS232 interface, such as the NuVo or Russound.
The next thing to research is your desire to use keypads for control. If so, look at which one has keypads that you like.
Finally, think about whether you'd want to integrate with a PC for control via non-keypads (ie PC or PDA). If so, make sure you get one with an RS232 interface, such as the NuVo or Russound.
Check out Russound. I personally use a CAV66. I would probably make the master bath a sub-zone of the master bedroom.
Thanks. This helps a lot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IVB /forum/post/0
First thing I noticed is the 7zones. I know the NuVo Concerto & Grand Concerto have 8z capability (6 powered, 2 unpowered); I know the Russound only has 6, but it does have subzone capability in case you want to partner 2 of those zones up.
The next thing to research is your desire to use keypads for control. If so, look at which one has keypads that you like.
Finally, think about whether you'd want to integrate with a PC for control via non-keypads (ie PC or PDA). If so, make sure you get one with an RS232 interface, such as the NuVo or Russound.
Thanks. This helps a lot.
Yes, the master bath and bedroom are probably close enough together. Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Boulanger /forum/post/0
Check out Russound. I personally use a CAV66. I would probably make the master bath a sub-zone of the master bedroom.
Yes, the master bath and bedroom are probably close enough together. Thanks!
You Mention it was prewired for volume controls, do you even have the capability to use keypads?? most of the systems require a Cat5 phone wire as well as a speaker wire.
If all you have is speaker wire you are now limited to a Nexus audio or Matris audio distribution system
If all you have is speaker wire you are now limited to a Nexus audio or Matris audio distribution system
Yes, speaker wire only. The installer who did the design and installation didn't even offer the suggestion of keypad controls.
At the beginning of this project I was an admittedly uninformed consumer who relied on an installer recommended by the builder. I didn't know enough at the time to ask the right questions, and hadn't done enough research in advance. So, I have what I have, and am now trying to make it all work.
I did, fortunately, have a cat5 run to each room, but their termination points are probably not in the best locations, as most of them were intended to deliver streaming media to a media extender, or to connect some other network connected device.
PC or PDA controls are an interesting option, although the wife acceptance factor might be low.
Are there wireless controllers that could be utilized? I'll have a pretty robust wired and wireless network infrastructure in place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Glackowitz /forum/post/0
You Mention it was prewired for volume controls, do you even have the capability to use keypads?? most of the systems require a Cat5 phone wire as well as a speaker wire.
If all you have is speaker wire you are now limited to a Nexus audio or Matris audio distribution system
Yes, speaker wire only. The installer who did the design and installation didn't even offer the suggestion of keypad controls.
At the beginning of this project I was an admittedly uninformed consumer who relied on an installer recommended by the builder. I didn't know enough at the time to ask the right questions, and hadn't done enough research in advance. So, I have what I have, and am now trying to make it all work.
I did, fortunately, have a cat5 run to each room, but their termination points are probably not in the best locations, as most of them were intended to deliver streaming media to a media extender, or to connect some other network connected device.
PC or PDA controls are an interesting option, although the wife acceptance factor might be low.
Are there wireless controllers that could be utilized? I'll have a pretty robust wired and wireless network infrastructure in place.
If you're not wired for keypads and want solid control over digital music you should definitely consider a Sonos system.
Agreed. Go look at them online, that could be *huge* WAF. They seem to be very easy to use.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bdmac97 /forum/post/0
If you're not wired for keypads and want solid control over digital music you should definitely consider a Sonos system.
Agreed. Go look at them online, that could be *huge* WAF. They seem to be very easy to use.
Looks great, but could get pretty pricey to do several rooms/zones. If I read the literature right, you'd need a zp100 in each room, or at the zone speaker connection, plus one or more controllers.
Or am I misunderstanding the documentation?
Quote:
Originally Posted by IVB /forum/post/0
Agreed. Go look at them online, that could be *huge* WAF. They seem to be very easy to use.
Looks great, but could get pretty pricey to do several rooms/zones. If I read the literature right, you'd need a zp100 in each room, or at the zone speaker connection, plus one or more controllers.
Or am I misunderstanding the documentation?
No idea here, don't actually have one. I use a NuVo Concerto plus an HA/HTPC for my setup.
I have a similar setup. In-ceiling speakers in 7 rooms with volume controls in the walls, so only speaker wires go to each room. The wires lead back to our family room which is the 7th zone.
I have a Denon 3806 receiver which has 3 zones. Zone 1 is connected to speakers in our family room. I am planning for 5.1 speakers there (don't have them yet) so the channels for speakers 6 and 7 are switched to zone 3. Zone 3 drives 5 of our rooms. I have an Audioplex MS-10 10-speaker switch to split the signal to those rooms. It has switches on it to turn on or off the sound to the rooms and supports up to 10 rooms (Parts Express $ 360). This does impedance matching to allow driving multiple speakers.There are smaller versions for 6 or 8 rooms, but I bought this for future expansion. If you just had a single receiver then you could use the Audioplex speaker switch to distribute it to your entire house.
Denon zone 2 just has preamp outputs, so I have an old amplifier hooked up to drive the speakers. Denon channel 2 goes through a Russound WB-1 transformer to allow driving two sets of speakers. I have my master bedroom and master bath zones connected to this.
I use a Harmony 890 RF remote to control everything. It allows selecting zones, sources, and changing radio stations etc, but is one-way so I cannot specifically see what station I am selecting unless I am in the room. I do have favorite stations programmed into the Denon rcvr, so I can switch between favorites or program them into the remote and use the remote to select them explicitly.The 890 can control the overall volume for each zone and I use the in-wall volume controls to fine-tune sometimes.
I have a Squeezebox hooked up as a streaming audio source with a server in the basement. I use my palm pda with wifi to control the Squeezebox remotely. I can see what is playing on the pda and select songs or internet radio stations by name with it.
Zone 1 is the family room. I can listen to music there or watch tv and listen to the video over the stereo, soon to be 5.1 surround in that room.
Zone 2 is my master bedroom and bathroom. I listen to music up there in the morning, eithe radio or music streamed from the squeezeboz, which contains music from all of the cds that I own.
I use zone 3, which covers rooms on our first floor and basement when entertaining or when I am downstairs and want some music.
This system works ok, but I am always interested in seeing what others have done. The main disadvantage is not being able to see a remote display of the radio stations, but since most of my music is on the Squeezebox which I can access remotely, that gets around that problem.
I have never used a system with keypads, but my system is probably a little more awkward to use than one of those.
I have a Denon 3806 receiver which has 3 zones. Zone 1 is connected to speakers in our family room. I am planning for 5.1 speakers there (don't have them yet) so the channels for speakers 6 and 7 are switched to zone 3. Zone 3 drives 5 of our rooms. I have an Audioplex MS-10 10-speaker switch to split the signal to those rooms. It has switches on it to turn on or off the sound to the rooms and supports up to 10 rooms (Parts Express $ 360). This does impedance matching to allow driving multiple speakers.There are smaller versions for 6 or 8 rooms, but I bought this for future expansion. If you just had a single receiver then you could use the Audioplex speaker switch to distribute it to your entire house.
Denon zone 2 just has preamp outputs, so I have an old amplifier hooked up to drive the speakers. Denon channel 2 goes through a Russound WB-1 transformer to allow driving two sets of speakers. I have my master bedroom and master bath zones connected to this.
I use a Harmony 890 RF remote to control everything. It allows selecting zones, sources, and changing radio stations etc, but is one-way so I cannot specifically see what station I am selecting unless I am in the room. I do have favorite stations programmed into the Denon rcvr, so I can switch between favorites or program them into the remote and use the remote to select them explicitly.The 890 can control the overall volume for each zone and I use the in-wall volume controls to fine-tune sometimes.
I have a Squeezebox hooked up as a streaming audio source with a server in the basement. I use my palm pda with wifi to control the Squeezebox remotely. I can see what is playing on the pda and select songs or internet radio stations by name with it.
Zone 1 is the family room. I can listen to music there or watch tv and listen to the video over the stereo, soon to be 5.1 surround in that room.
Zone 2 is my master bedroom and bathroom. I listen to music up there in the morning, eithe radio or music streamed from the squeezeboz, which contains music from all of the cds that I own.
I use zone 3, which covers rooms on our first floor and basement when entertaining or when I am downstairs and want some music.
This system works ok, but I am always interested in seeing what others have done. The main disadvantage is not being able to see a remote display of the radio stations, but since most of my music is on the Squeezebox which I can access remotely, that gets around that problem.
I have never used a system with keypads, but my system is probably a little more awkward to use than one of those.
Sounds very similar. My Denon 2806 has only 2 zones. Searching around today I found an Audio Controls Architect 861 multi channel distribution amplifier which has a bussed input that can distribute the zone 2 source from the Denon to all zones at once. With this setup I only have volume control in each room, of course, but the Denon is controlled with an MX-800 with an RF extender, which works from anywhere in the house.
The 861 can also be controlled via an ethernet connection, which at least allows muting of any or all the zones via a PC or PDA.
Like you say, it's pretty clunky, but I think it will work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsw12 /forum/post/0
I have a similar setup. In-ceiling speakers in 7 rooms with volume controls in the walls, so only speaker wires go to each room. The wires lead back to our family room which is the 7th zone.
I have a Denon 3806 receiver which has 3 zones. Zone 1 is connected to speakers in our family room. I am planning for 5.1 speakers there (don't have them yet) so the channels for speakers 6 and 7 are switched to zone 3. Zone 3 drives 5 of our rooms. I have an Audioplex MS-10 10-speaker switch to split the signal to those rooms. It has switches on it to turn on or off the sound to the rooms and supports up to 10 rooms (Parts Express $ 360). This does impedance matching to allow driving multiple speakers.There are smaller versions for 6 or 8 rooms, but I bought this for future expansion. If you just had a single receiver then you could use the Audioplex speaker switch to distribute it to your entire house.
Denon zone 2 just has preamp outputs, so I have an old amplifier hooked up to drive the speakers. Denon channel 2 goes through a Russound WB-1 transformer to allow driving two sets of speakers. I have my master bedroom and master bath zones connected to this.
I use a Harmony 890 RF remote to control everything. It allows selecting zones, sources, and changing radio stations etc, but is one-way so I cannot specifically see what station I am selecting unless I am in the room. I do have favorite stations programmed into the Denon rcvr, so I can switch between favorites or program them into the remote and use the remote to select them explicitly.The 890 can control the overall volume for each zone and I use the in-wall volume controls to fine-tune sometimes.
I have a Squeezebox hooked up as a streaming audio source with a server in the basement. I use my palm pda with wifi to control the Squeezebox remotely. I can see what is playing on the pda and select songs or internet radio stations by name with it.
Zone 1 is the family room. I can listen to music there or watch tv and listen to the video over the stereo, soon to be 5.1 surround in that room.
Zone 2 is my master bedroom and bathroom. I listen to music up there in the morning, eithe radio or music streamed from the squeezeboz, which contains music from all of the cds that I own.
I use zone 3, which covers rooms on our first floor and basement when entertaining or when I am downstairs and want some music.
This system works ok, but I am always interested in seeing what others have done. The main disadvantage is not being able to see a remote display of the radio stations, but since most of my music is on the Squeezebox which I can access remotely, that gets around that problem.
I have never used a system with keypads, but my system is probably a little more awkward to use than one of those.
Sounds very similar. My Denon 2806 has only 2 zones. Searching around today I found an Audio Controls Architect 861 multi channel distribution amplifier which has a bussed input that can distribute the zone 2 source from the Denon to all zones at once. With this setup I only have volume control in each room, of course, but the Denon is controlled with an MX-800 with an RF extender, which works from anywhere in the house.
The 861 can also be controlled via an ethernet connection, which at least allows muting of any or all the zones via a PC or PDA.
Like you say, it's pretty clunky, but I think it will work.
You may want to consider the Niles ICS system. You are able to use the iRemote to control all of the zones and can of course have more than one. No need to have keypads in the rooms, unless of course you had a cat5 at that location.
Thanks. The Niles is nice. I think, though, that I should be able to use any audio distribution amplifier that is controlled by IR. I can control it from anywhere in the house with the MX-800 with the RF extender. Of course, it wouldn't display metadata, but I could have control of source, volume, etc.
Now to find the right distribution amp.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RRichmond /forum/post/0
You may want to consider the Niles ICS system. You are able to use the iRemote to control all of the zones and can of course have more than one. No need to have keypads in the rooms, unless of course you had a cat5 at that location.
Thanks. The Niles is nice. I think, though, that I should be able to use any audio distribution amplifier that is controlled by IR. I can control it from anywhere in the house with the MX-800 with the RF extender. Of course, it wouldn't display metadata, but I could have control of source, volume, etc.
Now to find the right distribution amp.
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
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