New HTD Amp Looks Perfect for Homeseer Announcements

[upstatemike]

I see HTD has a new amplifier that looks like it would be perfect to use for Homeseer announcements. The DMA-1240ADS has a priority input that can be used for security or home automation announcements. The input will override all other programs and there are dip switches to control which zones participate and which do not. There are also priority inputs for local devices like TVs or Amazon Echos that will take over the shared program and then go back automatically when finished. The combination of these two features look like the perfect way to integrate music and automation if your budget will allow.

https://www.htd.com/DMA-1240ADS

[Pete]

Very nice Mike.

Here still using the Russound system.

I do have one Amazon DOT connected to it with microphone off and managed as a media device here for TTS and other stuff...mixing the audio with HS SAPI multiple voice fonts and speaker instances from another box..

[S-F]

I think most hole house amps have a page feature these days. The problem with that is that you can't target specific zones. If you have an incoming phone call announced the folks in the back yard are going to hear about it as well.

[upstatemike]

I think most hole house amps have a page feature these days. The problem with that is that you can't target specific zones. If you have an incoming phone call announced the folks in the back yard are going to hear about it as well.

That's why the dip switches to include or exclude zones is so handy. There is also a priority input on each zone which was designed to be used with a voice assistant like Echo Dot but could actually be used for anything you want, You basically have three levels of priority: basic shared inputs, per zone local override, and a master override with the option to exempt zones using the dip switches.

[S-F]

Yeah, but let's say you want an announcement in the kitchen if you're in the kitchen but want it outside if you're outside. You'd have to go to your amp and manually flip switches for every announcement.

[upstatemike]

Lots of ways to skin that cat. One option is to use HA controlled relays to disconnect speakers in zones that are not occupied so a "page all" effectively only pages where you are. Another is to track what zones are in use and only direct announcements to the local override for those zones. The method really depends on what criteria you want to use to decide where the announcements should go.

[S-F]

That sounds like a lot of work and expense to go through. Why not just get a Russound amp that offers full control of the zones and everything else through HS? Coupling it with BLSpeech you can direct announcements to any single or combination of zones and then have said zone return to it's original state. Maybe the HTD system is a little cheaper to begin with but once you start adding relays and other gizmos you might end up with the same cost and a less cohesive product with questionable reliability due to the increased number of components.

[upstatemike]

My problem with Russound is that their configuration options are limited since they stopped offering controllers separate from the amps. For example, I don't see how you can have an Echo Spot in each room that takes priority over the program playing on a group of zones and then switches back to the group music when you are done interacting with the local Echo. Maybe I just don't know enough about Russound but I don't see any clean way to do that with their products.

[S-F]

I'm not understanding what you're proposing. There is really not much difference between a Russound and an HTD system. The real difference I see is that there is a fine level of integration for Russound that the HTD systems lack. They seems to be priced similarly as well.

[upstatemike]

I'm not trying to endorse one system over the other. I put this post in the HTD plugin area because I figured folks here are probably already invested in HTD hardware and would be interested in a new offering from them.

You might be able to do the same things using either system as far as Homeseer integration is concerned . I just find having the zone controller and power amp as separate units like HTD does gives me more ways to address my particular requirements than does a system where the zone controller (aka source matrix, aka preamp) is in the same box as the power amp.