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    Distributed Audio

    I'm working on a large home that was wired back in the 90's with what I'm sure was 'state of the art' technology. It has 18 rooms with 2 8ohm speakers in the ceilings or walls.

    I'm putting in a HomeSeer system, but I'm not sure what to use to drive the audio. I have used Sonos on projects with fewer rooms, but even at two rooms per zone, Sonos Amps get quite expensive. And I'm not even sure they will provide sufficient power to drive 4 speakers each.

    The wiring also has analog volume controllers for every room, and a CAT-5 cable to many which was attached to controllers that could select from 6 different sources.

    What I want is to have a system that is easy for the family to operate that will provide enough power for all zones and that won't break the bank.

    I considered using Sonos Connect boxes with a multizone amplifier. Does anyone have any good suggestions for something that would be easy to use and work well?

    Thanks,
    Ed

    #2
    It sounds like it was made for a Russound system. New equipment may not fit your 'not break the bank' criteria, but you'll have to be the judge of that. The good news is that Russound makes really solid devices, and used multi-zone amplifiers are relatively inexpensive. Plus, Blade has an excellent plug-in for the CAV 6.6.
    Mike____________________________________________________________ __________________
    HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.548, NUC i3

    HW: Stargate | NX8e | CAV6.6 | Squeezebox | PCS | WGL 800RF | RFXCOM | Vantage Pro | Green-Eye | Edgeport/8 | Way2Call | Ecobee3 | EtherRain | Ubiquiti

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      #3
      Here originally wired cat5e / 16/4 to wall boxes in rooms with speakers. The 16/4 wires go to the 16/2 wires for the speakers. Started originally here with a Leviton Chopin system of digital volume controls (using the cat5e); then went to a Russound zoned system.

      Russound stuff is built to last a very long time. Many Homeseer users are using the box of a Sonos media mothership connected to the Russound zoned system. Many users also utilize Logitech or even KodiBuntu as their media motherships. There is a lot out there today.

      I utilize Russound keypads today mixed in with the Omnitouch and Homeseer controls for flexibility and speed. A micro powered serial server/autoswitcher is connected to the RS-232 for dual control of the Russound amps.

      While I do utilize Homeseer touch as an addendum but not a dependency to the zoned audio; it'll function by itself just fine.

      IE: music/audio here is prioritized over automation; but that is me. Homeseer text to speech today is used with streaming in multiple tasking touchscreen (it is hard to discern the two but there are no interruptions - historically would just shut off one and play back the other with interruptions)
      Last edited by Pete; June 16, 2016, 10:42 AM.
      - Pete

      Auto mator
      Homeseer 3 Pro - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e 64 bit Intel Haswell CPU 16Gb
      Homeseer Zee2 (Lite) - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e - CherryTrail x5-Z8350 BeeLink 4Gb BT3 Pro
      HS4 Lite - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenovo Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram

      HS4 Pro - V4.1.18.1 - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenova Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram
      HSTouch on Intel tabletop tablets (Jogglers) - Asus AIO - Windows 11

      X10, UPB, Zigbee, ZWave and Wifi MQTT automation-Tasmota-Espurna. OmniPro 2, Russound zoned audio, Alexa, Cheaper RFID, W800 and Home Assistant

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        #4
        Thanks for the information. Does anyone have any experience with these? http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=10761

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          #5
          Yep. There's a plugin for that system.
          Originally posted by rprade
          There is no rhyme or reason to the anarchy a defective Z-Wave device can cause

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            #6
            Have you used it? How is the quality?

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              #7
              http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=176027

              I've been using mine for about a year now and I'm very happy with it, it just works. I use it for playing music and making announcements.
              https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/de...plifier-plugin

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                #8
                I've been reading up on your plug-in, thanks for releasing it for free! Does it now support multiple amps, I am going to try to make this project work with two, but may need three.

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                  #9
                  One very big perk of Russound is BLSpeech. Depending on what you're planning on doing with your sound system BLSpeech could easily tip the scales in favor of Russound.
                  Originally posted by rprade
                  There is no rhyme or reason to the anarchy a defective Z-Wave device can cause

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