Receiver Help for Whole Home Audio (1 Viewer)

Hi! I need some help choosing the proper receiver for my application. I have a home that is pre-wired with whole house sound. There are 6 sets (2 per room) of 6.5 inch ceiling speakers rated at 100 watts(max) @ 8 ohms and 89db sensitivity. Each are connected to a wall mounted volume control (not impedence matching) rated at 60W max. These are all existing in the home at purchase. I have just ordered a Niles SS-6 Impedence Matching speaker selector rated at 100 watt RMS. There will be NO surround sound needed but I would need to plug in the TV simply for the music channels from satellite. One MUST is a phono input for a turntable. Mostly just background music is desired. No interest in multi-zoning to have different music in each room. Any suggestions on a receiver to power this system or things to look for in a receiver for this? Thanks in advance!!!

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I found that there here are very few mass market 2 channel stereo integrated amps made these days, so it is hard to get a deal on them. So, I use a Yamaha RX-V995 receiver for this type of use. I would recommend getting last year's model of a high quality mass-market receiver, like the RX-V3300 which can be purchased for under $1,000. The main thing you need is good power, so the bigger the power supply the better. Having the AV receiver lets you use both analog and digital inputs, even though you are going to downmix the digital ones to stereo. I find this important because for one of my signals (digital music on Comcast cable) the analog signal is very much weaker than the digital signal. THe HK 7200 would also be a great option, except I do not think it has a phono input. You can also find older or used high power receivers at some pretty good prices. Don't look so much at the rated power, but at the power supply.The alternative is a multichannel whole house amp, but the price goes up substantially.

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Mike SJ -There is an phono input on the Yamaha receivers like the 2300 and 3300.

Thanks for the responses! I have found the receiver I need for my setup. I spoke to several companies that design and install whole house audio and they all recommended the EXACT same receiver. And the winner is.........

ONKYO TX-8511

Yes, it has phono inputs as do several other models. It's also designed to run a constant 4-ohm load that I need since I'm using the Niles SS-6 speaker selector to connect all 6 sets of speakers. I got lucky and found it at Crutchfields.com on sale with free shipping! It's designed to handle quite a load and keep cool. Check out it's specs.

crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=580tx8511
(site won't let me hyperlink till I hit 15 posts)

There was one other model mentioned that would suit my needs that also had a phono input and that is the Harmon Kardon AVR-3380. It looks cooler but isn't designed as specifically to carry a low-impedance for any duration. I had no idea 2 channel amps were so cheap these day. I was fearing a much more expensive endeavor.

Thanks again!

Looks like a great choice. I have a friend who is looking for something like this and the Onkyo looks like a great option, especially given the response from the installers. I wasn't aware of it. Thanks for the info.

NaD 314 on ebay.

Rogo

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*scratches head* Ok......

Glad you found that Onkyo. I was going to suggest something along the same lines.