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Denon 2805 - using the stereo with multiple zones


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I have the 2805 setup for 2 zones and when the stereo was last played in the "house" zone and I turn the tv on in the "den" zone, it turns the stereo back on in the house. If I last listened to Rhapsody for instance in the "house" zone and turn the tv on in the "den" zone, this does not happen.

Anyone experience anything like this before or have a suggestion?

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  • 3 weeks later...

I haven't been on here in awhile so I'm not sure if others suggest differently. We never use multiple zone receivers except for the primary zone. You would be better off using separate equipment!

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Some can even be confused *with* two-way communication from the receiver.

Zone 2/3/X on receivers is something that most dealers avoid, as it adds a surprising amount of complexity to a system, although not using it does seem like throwing money down the drain.

RyanE

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Jon's got a point, it's not recommended by C4 to use multiple zones on receivers as most use IR and can get confused without two-way communication from the receiver.

Just to make sure I understand this, the point is to use a proper matrix component with two-way serial comm when using multiple zones?

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No, the point is to use a receiver for one zone, or a channel from an amp per zone. Use receivers if your zone needs to be surround sound, use the multichannel amp if you just need stereo in the zone. Do not use zone 2/3 on a receiver to power zones of stereo audio.

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No, the point is to use a receiver for one zone, or a channel from an amp per zone. Use receivers if your zone needs to be surround sound, use the multichannel amp if you just need stereo in the zone. Do not use zone 2/3 on a receiver to power zones of stereo audio.

So I have two zones Living room and Den. In the Den, I have a TV and surround sound. When the TV is off, I chose to have the speakers play what is playing in the living room. Of course when the tv is on, the surround sound should play what's on the TV.

I used to have two receivers configured and one amp. After I installed C4, I began to get a very large pop so we eliminated one of the receivers along with the niles (something or other).

The problem I have now is that when the radio (FM) is playing in the living room and TV in the Den, if I turn both off and then just turn on the Den TV, the stereo in the living room goes on too. If rhapsody or some other digital service were last playing in the living room, then everything works fine. So, in order to eliminate the living room audio from going on when I turn on the tv, I have to make sure that the last thing to play in the living room is anything but the radio, such as rhapsody.

Any thoughts about work arounds? I wish I was more savvy to better explain my setup.

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In the Den, I have a TV and surround sound. When the TV is off, I chose to have the speakers play what is playing in the living room. Of course when the tv is on, the surround sound should play what's on the TV.

There is an audio sensing switch that allows you to run 2 audio sources to the same speaker. It gives priority to one source (in your case the Den TV).

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/50-8390.

Not all den speakers would need to have this, since you could get your living room music into the den using just the 2 front speakers (or maybe the 2 rear speakers as well).

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Some can even be confused *with* two-way communication from the receiver.

Zone 2/3/X on receivers is something that most dealers avoid, as it adds a surprising amount of complexity to a system, although not using it does seem like throwing money down the drain.

RyanE

Would this mean not to use something like the Niles ZR 6 multi-zone receiver? What is the prefered way to achieve multi zone audio distribution to minimize complexity?

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Well, as you are on a C4 forum, I think most of us will recommend the C4 4zone or 8 zone amplifiers

The issue of brand is not really what I'm inquiring about - I only brought up the Niles as a point of reference for what it can do functionally. What I'm actually trying to understand is what configuration of components is recommended for multi-zone audio and why.

I see three general configurations for multi-zone audio distribution:

1. A single receiver with integrated tuner, signal processor, pre-amp/switch and amplifier:

[various sources] -- line level --> [integrated receiver] -- speaker level--> [speakers]

2. A receiver with a separate combination switch/amp:

[various sources] -- line level --> [switch/amp] -- speaker level --> [speakers]

3. Separate receiver, switch and amp:

[various sources] -- line level --> [switch] -- line level --> [amp] -- speaker level--> [speakers]

From what I gather, this thread has cautioned against the first option because it leads to unnecessary complexity. I'm trying to understand why that complexity is greater than, for example, the second option where the only difference I see is whether the component acting as the switch/amp happens also to have the tuner and signal processor onboard

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You kind of did ask about brand, when you said:

What is the prefered way to achieve multi zone audio distribution to minimize complexity?

The preferred way to minimize complexity is to do a 'traditional' multi-room audio with Control4 audio switch and Control4 audio amps.

RyanE

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Understood,

The complexity can come from several areas, but it is usually in the controlling of the second or third zone. Most receivers that offer switching to other zones require other amps to power the speakers. So allowing a controller and a switcher to operate these functions allows for more flexibility and control of the different scenarios.

I have personally experienced that when I just wanted music in zone 2 the main zone would turn on at the same time. I never could get around this problem, so I stopped using receivers to do my switching.

Hope this helps

Brent

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