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Triad One Digital Input Limitation


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In planning out my system, my dealer and I ran into a limitation with the Triad One I'm looking for some workaround suggestions.  There was an incorrect assumption that since the Triad One has two digital audio inputs (S/PDIF or digital coax input), that both could be used for separate digital input sources.  This turned out to be wrong and not really discovered until everything was installed and setup.  The Triad digital inputs are "either or" not "both".

I have three audio sources I'd like to get into this Triad: 1) Sonos Connect 2) An analog compressor for use with live music and 3) A DirecTV set top box.

Right now, the Sonos Connect sends its signal to two destinations, an Integra DRX 4.2 AND the Triad One.

Once we discovered this limitation, my dealer gave me the choice of either 1) no sonos in the zone that the triad powers but I would get direcTV audio through the speakers, or 2) Use the TV's speakers for the directv audio signal, and connect the sonos into the triad.

This was a tough choice. Do I have any other options? Anything creative I can come up with to make this work?

Thanks

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Is all of this gear in the same location?  I feel like you could figure something out where the integra does the switching and you feed zone2 pre out to the triad one.  Might become complicated audio paths for Control4 to switch reliably but may be worth a look. 

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integra does the switching and you feed zone2 pre out to the triad one

Good idea. I had the same thought and posed it, dealer said it's a no go, something about chaining them together wouldn't work or isn't supported.

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1 hour ago, Cyknight said:

a $30 dollar IR controlled audio switch...

Another great idea, I thought of something similar and talked with my dealer about it. Right now the Integra is connected digitally to the Sonos Connect and he suspected that there would be audio sync issues if the same sonos connect was simultaneously sending a digital signal to to the integra and an analog signal to the triad.  But I suppose, if there's a free Integra analog input, we could split the analog signal from the sonos connect to go to both the triad and the integra?

Side note, didn't know there are IR controlled audio switches, cool! Got a link to one you've had success with in the past?

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Curious what is the point of even having a Sonos Connect when you have a T1.

Control4's music streaming services are great now. Except for really niche streaming services Control4 pretty much has it all.

With Shairbridge and perhaps a Chromecast you would be able to stream anything from any service off pretty much any type of smartphone.

At my own house I have uninstalled my SONOS Connect Amp and moved entirely to C4 streaming services and it has been great. Why not just a CONNECT AMP if your that adamant about SONOS?

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Curious what is the point of even having a Sonos Connect when you have a T1.

Before getting C4, I was already pretty deep in the sonos ecosystem in the rest of the house, so I want to be able to play what's on sonos also in the basement where I just setup C4.

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4 hours ago, ObuseMe said:

Good idea. I had the same thought and posed it, dealer said it's a no go, something about chaining them together wouldn't work or isn't supported.

He's talking about connecting a matrix switch to a matrix switch, which is not a good idea. The whole point and limitation you're seeing is that the Triad One is NOT a switching device, it only has 1 input. This solution would be as good as the zone 2 control on the AVR is (which can be spotty, but works great with some drivers).

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it only has 1 input

Actually it has two inputs, or at least he configured it that way - one for analog and one for digital (despite having two digital inputs), so could that be what he was referring to?

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yes, you're correct that it has 2 independent inputs if you count analog and digital, but it still avoids the matrix > matrix issue. A device with 2 inputs to 1 output avoids the matrix > matrix issue (and even further, each input is a distinctive type and can't be confused).

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4 hours ago, ObuseMe said:

Another great idea, I thought of something similar and talked with my dealer about it. Right now the Integra is connected digitally to the Sonos Connect and he suspected that there would be audio sync issues if the same sonos connect was simultaneously sending a digital signal to to the integra and an analog signal to the triad.  But I suppose, if there's a free Integra analog input, we could split the analog signal from the sonos connect to go to both the triad and the integra?

Side note, didn't know there are IR controlled audio switches, cool! Got a link to one you've had success with in the past?

Specifically no, bt honestly, you're talking avbout a very basic piece, either digital or analogue. Look on google, find one that has an IR remote and done. Just get a simple 4x1 unit....

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16 hours ago, Cyknight said:

Specifically no, bt honestly, you're talking avbout a very basic piece, either digital or analogue. Look on google, find one that has an IR remote and done. Just get a simple 4x1 unit....

Ok awesome, think I found a couple like this which I would plug the directTV box and Sonos into.

I'm assuming my dealer can then attach a IR emitter and figure out how to program the switching into C4?

 

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16 hours ago, Matt Lowe said:

why not feed the analog compressor into the sonos analog to the t1 and digital from directv?

Wow, this might be the easiest to implement idea yet cause the sonos connect sits right on top of the triad, so I literally could just move where the RCA cables from the compressor are plugged in.  I totally didn't realize that the sonos connect had a RCA input.

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52 minutes ago, ObuseMe said:

Ok awesome, think I found a couple like this which I would plug the directTV box and Sonos into.

I'm assuming my dealer can then attach a IR emitter and figure out how to program the switching into C4?

 

I would sure hope a dealer can program a 4 command IR driver...

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50 minutes ago, ObuseMe said:

Wow, this might be the easiest to implement idea yet cause the sonos connect sits right on top of the triad, so I literally could just move where the RCA cables from the compressor are plugged in.  I totally didn't realize that the sonos connect had a RCA input.

While there's nothing wrong with that idea in principal, you would create something of a hassle at the least because it'll become a selectable source whereever there is a Sonos.

On top of that, while Sonos encoding is FAST, it's not instant - so using it for an analogue compresser with the intend of live music use may cause a bit of an issue - ie what you play isn't heard quite instantly.

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While there's nothing wrong with that idea in principal, you would create something of a hassle at the least because it'll become a selectable source whereever there is a Sonos.

 

This is kind of a cool fringe benefit imo cause that means then the neighborhood dad band's music can stream throughout the whole house!!!

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Sonos encoding is FAST, it's not instant - so using it for an analogue compresser with the intend of live music use may cause a bit of an issue - ie what you play isn't heard quite instantly.

 

Oh good point, will have to run a test to see how it performs. Any perceptible delay would be a deal breaker.

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I would sure hope a dealer can program a 4 command IR driver...

I'm still a noob around here, so still trying to grasp the feasibility of this stuff.

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1 hour ago, Cyknight said:

While there's nothing wrong with that idea in principal, you would create something of a hassle at the least because it'll become a selectable source whereever there is a Sonos.

On top of that, while Sonos encoding is FAST, it's not instant - so using it for an analogue compresser with the intend of live music use may cause a bit of an issue - ie what you play isn't heard quite instantly.

can use the av path driver to limit the rooms its available to. If the compressor has an input could also run this in reverse sonos  >  Compressor > Triad. Or you could Y in the audio from each into the Triad. Just dont have more than 1 playing at a time.

 

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If the compressor has an input

Thanks for the reply. It has one input that's already in use

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Or you could Y in the audio from each into the Triad. Just dont have more than 1 playing at a time.

That's also a good idea.

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I think the idea I like best is using an optical audio splitter (directTV and Sonos into the splitter, splitter into Triad digital input) with IR that my dealer can program as part of the process of me selecting a source in this room.

I have plenty of other good suggestions in this thread too, thanks for all the help.  I'll update ya'll with how it turns out.

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