Multi Room Set Up

[dseven]

Can anyone help - i am settting up a multi-room home audio - (new build), and want to know if anyone thinks the setup as attached PDF link will work
The only part i'm not sure of is the link from Airport Express to the Amp
what and how?
any help would be great - thanks

http://www.fuda.co.uk/speaker_system.pdf

[simbarr1]

I think it will all depend on what the amp can do. There is a difference between commercial multi zone amps and residential multi zone amps. Usually when a commercial system calls itself multi-zone it means multichannel amp. In other words say 5 zones with independent volume controls but listening to the same thing. It doesn't mean you can listen to 5 different thing in five different rooms which is probably what you want to do. I may be wrong my experience is at least a decade out of date and things may have moved on; can you give us a link to the amp you have chosen? One plus of these PA amps is they often have intercom hook ups for whole house messaging type applications but they are normally not remote controlled and can only be adjusted form the amp itself. Fully functioning multi room amps seem very expensive for some reason. I am still researching but think I will go for a more straight forward setup using a few amps with zone a/b switches. Its not as good but you can link interconnecting rooms OK (bedroom/ensuite kitchen/lounge etc). Also if you use squeezebox you can still sync everything.

Hope that helps,

Simon

[i-Home]

Hi

I would never recommend a commercial type 100v line mono system in a home environment, as straight away you lose stereo sound. Also regarding your drawing/proposal how do you control the volume level? Can you vary the line level out from the airport express? If not and the mixer amp doesn't have remote volume options (hard-wired or web based) you'll probably need to go back to the amp to adjust the volume each time which is pants obviously.

IMO you are better using kit designed for home stereo sound reproduction and not 100/70v line mono systems. Cheap 100v line kit has pretty poor sound quality but is fine for very low volume levels in the likes of a shop or restaurant.

Lastly, if you were to use 100v line you sound be using 2 core mains rated cable instead of speaker cable, but either would still work, but with the mains 2 core having a 2nd shealth.

Stephen

[dseven]

I have a post in another forum which i just updated with more detail......thought this might explain a bit better


"Thanks for the post Adam, i should probably have explained a little better or in more detail - here goes.

So building a new house (from scratch, in the UK by the way !)
And i want a multi room audio system (not bothered about Video as i will buy Apple TV2's for each room i want them in.

In fact i will probably have 6 Zones (6 different rooms) these zones do not need to play different audio (i dont think i can afford that setup !)

All Audio source will come from 1 x iMac (iTunes)
this will talk to all those 6 x Airport Express's
this means i can have 6 zones on itunes, iphone, airplay, turn them on and off when i want.
so the router, switch amp and all airports will be in 1 plant room then wires distribute around the house to each zone and speakers.

i know this is not the best solution but i just can;t afford a sonos or similar !

Any more help / advice would be greatly appreciated

James"

[i-Home]

....
In fact i will probably have 6 Zones (6 different rooms) these zones do not need to play different audio (i dont think i can afford that setup !)
....

Have you considered using the one Sonos ZP90 feeding into a multi zone amp? With the sonos unit you can have control of the music whether the in-house library, online Napster/Spotify, LastFM, etc... using any PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad or Android unit. And you'd be able to add more Sonos zoneplayers over time if needed to have separate zone control.

Stephen

[dseven]

Ah ! So you mean use the Sonos ZP90 instead of all the 6 x Airports?
Good idea - i might look into that
Or will the Sonos only control 1 of my zones?

[i-Home]

Maybe use the Sonos ZP90 instead of the iMac and Airports but you'd need some way of turning the zones on/off if u didn't want to be going back to the head-end each time. Or maybe u'd consider using in-wall room speaker switchers similar to the QED WM17 to split and switch the speaker level -

http://www.cyberselect.co.uk/product/84
http://www.wirefreehomes.co.uk/qed-w...ch-p-1673.html

BTW I've no connection to either the above sites.

Stephen

[dseven]

I think it will all depend on what the amp can do. There is a difference between commercial multi zone amps and residential multi zone amps.

This is what i was thinking: AMP WISE....

http://avslgroup.com/cdn/manuals/900/952996.pdf

[i-Home]

This is what i was thinking: AMP WISE....

http://avslgroup.com/cdn/manuals/900/952996.pdf

I wouldn't use that for ur job. It's designed for mixing multiple inputs to 1 output, e.g. a number of microphones out to loads of mono 100v speakers.

[dseven]

I wouldn't use that for ur job. It's designed for mixing multiple inputs to 1 output, e.g. a number of microphones out to loads of mono 100v speakers.

Ummmm - back to the drawing board then !
Looks like i might have to save the pennies to buy the SONOS Solution

Or does anyone know about these - http://www.htd.com/Products/Lync