Audio for two rooms

[Gil]

Dear all,
I am a newbe in hi-fi. The main piece of my house is separeted in two zones, say 1 and 2, I'd like to configure an audio system with two pairs of speakers, one for each zone, that allows me to exclude one or the other. For exemple, if I watch a movie in zone 1, I would like to mute the speakers of zone 2. But I would like to be able to listen to music in both zones at the same time (the same music). How I do that ?
I wanted to buy a small all-in-one system (probably the Denon D-M41), but I don't know if I would need also an amplifier to do what I want or if there are alternatives.
Thank you for your help.

 

[Cork]

You can do this with an receiver that has, literally, the Zones capability. What you really want (because it's easier than turning on and off zones) is the old school A/B switch. A/Bs are still around, but less common that zones.

You probably won't find the capability in an all-in-one system, as it requires two amps, and all-in-ones usually try to show a small form factor. The least expensive Denon I (quickly) found it in was the AVR-X1700H.

 

[Juzzie Wuzzie]

Agree with Cork - amplifier with A/B or alternative zone set up; and a source / your sources.

 

[Jasonovich]

Dear all,
I am a newbe in hi-fi. The main piece of my house is separeted in two zones, say 1 and 2, I'd like to configure an audio system with two pairs of speakers, one for each zone, that allows me to exclude one or the other. For exemple, if I watch a movie in zone 1, I would like to mute the speakers of zone 2. But I would like to be able to listen to music in both zones at the same time (the same music). How I do that ?
I wanted to buy a small all-in-one system (probably the Denon D-M41), but I don't know if I would need also an amplifier to do what I want or if there are alternatives.
Thank you for your help.

Hey Gil, a very warm welcome to the forum.
I believe my Denon AVR-2807 has this comprehensive Zone 1 and Zone 2 feature but far too complicated for my tiny brain to understand even with the manual.
I recall I can switch between either zone or run both zones simultaneously, it even allows you to adjust speaker size for either Zone, i.e. Large, Small, Rear, surround etc.
My personal setup is set without the Zones, just the basic 7:1 multi channels and on auto for Dolby or DTS or whatever compression technology it's able to handle.
The model I have is a little dated and most likely obsolete, I would check out the latest Denon AV's that have this feature.

 

[James105]

Dear all,
I am a newbe in hi-fi. The main piece of my house is separeted in two zones, say 1 and 2, I'd like to configure an audio system with two pairs of speakers, one for each zone, that allows me to exclude one or the other. For exemple, if I watch a movie in zone 1, I would like to mute the speakers of zone 2. But I would like to be able to listen to music in both zones at the same time (the same music). How I do that ?
I wanted to buy a small all-in-one system (probably the Denon D-M41), but I don't know if I would need also an amplifier to do what I want or if there are alternatives.
Thank you for your help.

Hi,

You need an amplifier with two sets of terminals that can be switch A or B or A+B, looking at the manual the Marantz PM6007 can do this and its a well respected brand, you can even get a matching CD player.

Beware though most if not all stereo amps will require 8ohm speakers or above when running two speaker outputs simultaneously.

 

[Al ears]

Hi,

You need an amplifier with two sets of terminals that can be switch A or B or A+B, looking at the manual the Marantz PM6007 can do this and its a well respected brand, you can even get a matching CD player.

Beware though most if not all stereo amps will require 8ohm speakers or above when running two speaker outputs simultaneously.

Agreed. It would depend on exactly how the OP intends to get sound from his TV/bluray player to that amp.
Most have suggested an AV Receiver but that's not necessary if he's only wanting stereo.

 

[twinkletoes]

@Gil all things Sonos would be the easiest way to achieve what you’re asking. Sound bar in one “room” play5s in another can be all told to play at once or just one zone. All controlled from your phone.

You just need to find homes for the power plugs

You’ll sacrifice a little sound quality for convenience but you don’t have the limitations such as ohm loading of stereo amp for example and the extreme runs of cables for speakers which can get expensive quickly even for budget cables.

Sonos gets a bad rap here but for things like this there nothing that really does it better.

Edit if you want more traditional sound systems with speakers look at the Sonos amps.

 

[SallyB]

Agreed. It would depend on exactly how the OP intends to get sound from his TV/bluray player to that amp.
Most have suggested an AV Receiver but that's not necessary if he's only wanting stereo.

The Marantz Stereo 70s might fit the bill.

 

[Al ears]

The Marantz Stereo 70s might fit the bill.

Ideal I would say...

 

[Messiah]

If you want an all-in-1 system then consider the Marantz Melody. All-in-1 with A&B outputs. Also allows you to stream Spotify etc where the DM41 does not. (This will also allow you to add further zones via the HEOS platform - similar to Sonus).

You mention watching movies so I would also certainly consider an AV receiver like those mentioned. This will give you the flexibility of the 2 zones PLUS you can go for a full surround set-up down the line if you want to really improve on the movie experience.

 

[SallyB]

Ideal I would say...

A sort of AV in stereo, two zones, all the connections you can eat, including HDMI arc. Persuaded a relative to get one, sounds great and in the UK at least, is often heavily discounted. Will be Roon ready soon if that’s yer thing! Bundle with a Marantz CD and there you go!

 

[Al ears]

A sort of AV in stereo, two zones, all the connections you can eat, including HDMI arc. Persuaded a relative to get one, sounds great and in the UK at least, is often heavily discounted. Will be Roon ready soon if that’s yer thing! Bundle with a Marantz CD and there you go!

Yes.
However the OP needs to decide whether or not stereo in each room is what he wants or whether, at some point, he may require full surround sound in one of them before he spends out cash.....

 

[Gil]

Dear all,
thank you very much for your answers. For what I understand, the best way is not to buy an all-in-one, but instead an amplifier (multizones or A/B) and a separate CD player. I hoped to avoid this since it is a more expensive solution than what I hoped.
What do you think of a solution like an all-in-one and a 2 zones speakers selector (with for exemple banana plugs) ? Would this be feasible? What about the sound quality?
Thank you very much

 

[Al ears]

Dear all,
thank you very much for your answers. For what I understand, the best way is not to buy an all-in-one, but instead an amplifier (multizones or A/B) and a separate CD player. I hoped to avoid this since it is a more expensive solution than what I hoped.
What do you think of a solution like an all-in-one and a 2 zones speakers selector (with for exemple banana plugs) ? Would this be feasible? What about the sound quality?
Thank you very much

I thought you wanted the ability to listen to music in both rooms simultaneously?
Most all in ones will not allow you to do this.
You could listen to one area of your choosing by swapping over speaker cables in the rear of the all in one but that's about it.
Why would you need to buy a separate CD player? Don't you own a bluray player?
You could, of course buy the Marantz Melody that has been suggested but not sure if this allows playing of A+B speakers.

 

[SallyB]

Dear all,
thank you very much for your answers. For what I understand, the best way is not to buy an all-in-one, but instead an amplifier (multizones or A/B) and a separate CD player. I hoped to avoid this since it is a more expensive solution than what I hoped.
What do you think of a solution like an all-in-one and a 2 zones speakers selector (with for exemple banana plugs) ? Would this be feasible? What about the sound quality?
Thank you very much

As Al ears says, provided you're happy with stereo for music and movies then, for eg, the Marantz stereo 70s could fit the bill. You would need a separate cd player, unlike

Dear all,
thank you very much for your answers. For what I understand, the best way is not to buy an all-in-one, but instead an amplifier (multizones or A/B) and a separate CD player. I hoped to avoid this since it is a more expensive solution than what I hoped.
What do you think of a solution like an all-in-one and a 2 zones speakers selector (with for exemple banana plugs) ? Would this be feasible? What about the sound quality?
Thank you very much

As Al ears says, provided a) you’re happy to listen to music and movies in stereo and b) not wanting to have both zones playing simultaneously, then something like the Marantz stereo 70s + separate cd player would sound great. The Marantz Melody mentioned would include a cd player and is cheaper, but I would be fairly sure that it would not sound as good and neither does it have the levels of connectivity (eg HDMI).

 

[Al ears]

As Al ears says, provided you're happy with stereo for music and movies then, for eg, the Marantz stereo 70s could fit the bill. You would need a separate cd player, unlike

As Al ears says, provided a) you’re happy to listen to music and movies in stereo and b) not wanting to have both zones playing simultaneously, then something like the Marantz stereo 70s + separate cd player would sound great. The Marantz Melody mentioned would include a cd player and is cheaper, but I would be fairly sure that it would not sound as good and neither does it have the levels of connectivity (eg HDMI).

I thought the Stereo 70 could play speakers A or B and A+B??

 

[Messiah]

Dear all,
thank you very much for your answers. For what I understand, the best way is not to buy an all-in-one, but instead an amplifier (multizones or A/B) and a separate CD player. I hoped to avoid this since it is a more expensive solution than what I hoped.
What do you think of a solution like an all-in-one and a 2 zones speakers selector (with for exemple banana plugs) ? Would this be feasible? What about the sound quality?
Thank you very much

I actually do use a Denon DM41 with a QED speaker switcher for my kitchen/garden BUT I would not use all 4 speakers (2 zones) at the same time (unless at pretty low levels) for fear of putting too much strain on the unit.

 

[Messiah]

The Marantz Melody mentioned would include a cd player and is cheaper, but I would be fairly sure that it would not sound as good.

I expect it wouldn’t BUT if they are new to HiFi (which the opening post suggests) I suspect it would sound pretty amazing to them, with some decent speakers. 😊

 

[SallyB]

I thought the Stereo 70 could play speakers A or B and A+B??

😀

 

[SallyB]

😀

Meant to type 🙄, I have only seen mention of switchable speakers not A+B

 

[Gil]

I actually do use a Denon DM41 with a QED speaker switcher for my kitchen/garden BUT I would not use all 4 speakers (2 zones) at the same time (unless at pretty low levels) for fear of putting too much strain on the unit.

This is what I thought to do and on internet I could find some switchers that allow to listen to both the two pairs of speakers at the same time, but I was indeed worried about the power. And what if I buy a CD more powerful CD player than the Denon (which has only 30W per channel at 8 ohms) ?

 

[Gil]

As Al ears says, provided you're happy with stereo for music and movies then, for eg, the Marantz stereo 70s could fit the bill. You would need a separate cd player, unlike

As Al ears says, provided a) you’re happy to listen to music and movies in stereo and b) not wanting to have both zones playing simultaneously, then something like the Marantz stereo 70s + separate cd player would sound great. The Marantz Melody mentioned would include a cd player and is cheaper, but I would be fairly sure that it would not sound as good and neither does it have the levels of connectivity (eg HDMI).

Indeed the HDMI connections are a problem of the solution I thought about. I would need some audio splitter but I suspect it would be not the best solution.
Another possible solution, as you guys said, is to buy a 2-zones AVR and a cheap cd-dvd player. In this case, what is the best way to connect the dvd player to the AVR to have the best sound? Do you have suggestions for the dvd (eventually blue ray) player? I would like it to be as good-looking as possible and with a display to read infos about the cd (track number, time, etc).
Thank you very much

 

[DCarmi]

As far as I know you can use a Wiim amp to stream audio from physical inputs to other Wiim devices. (Someone will shoot me down, if I am wrong.)

So, how about Wiim amp in the room with the TV and a DM-41 with a Wiim Min/Pro/Pro Plusi in the other room?

That way you could wirelessly stream music from the TV system or streaming service to the Denon or play music directly from the Denon whilst someone is watching TV. There is also a pretty clear upgrade path in either room.

The issue with a single unit in the TV room and wired speakers to the second room means you don't have an option to use both rooms independently. If this is not an issue for you and you don't mind dragging speaker cables, then an amp with A+B speakers would probably be better.

An idea of budget would be useful.

 

[ijohn]

An idea of budget would be useful.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What DCarmi said. Also, what are planning to put your system on? Will the speakers go on that cabinet (or whatever), be floorstanding, be mounted to the wall, etc. More details are better than less.

 

[Gil]

So, thinking about your answers I think the simplest solution would be 2 zones (or A+B) AVR + cd receiver + 4 speakers
Budget less than 800€ if possible.

A good solution would be a cheap cd receiver with bluetooth but wild digital in ordre to use the DAC of the AVR and spend most of the money on the AVR and the speakers. But I would like a CD receiver to be "nice" and with a display to read the track number and the time. I was looking for a relatively cheap (panasonic, phillips, sony, etc) all-in-one but I couldn't find one with a digital output.
Otherwise I could buy a simple bluray reader with digital out and display to read the tracks infos (hard to find and not so "nice").

Because of the configuration of the room, I would prefer to not have a subwoofer, so the speakers should have decent basses if possible. Also, the speakers will be mounted on the walls, but I can mount small shelfs to place them.

Thank you for your help.