Amp recommendation for multi-room use (1 Viewer)

[Jonas Pearson]

Hi all, I've been a frequent lurker on this forum and appreciate all of the tips and advice picked up so far. I need some help with an amp recommendation for a multi-room set up. I have a Marantz SR7200 and the Klipsch Reference Series speakers for my HT. I have an AtlasSound ASL-6 impedance-matching speaker switcher connected to several sets of speakers throughout the house (bedroom, deck, etc.) These are wired with 12G wire.
My issue is this: My old Denon DRA-335 receiver (it finally crapped out, I had it since high school) put a fair amount of sound through the Atlas switcher/multi-room speakers. When I hooked up the Atlas to the Marantz "B" speaker outputs - very, very weak sound in the other rooms. I'm thrilled with the HT and music capabilities of the SR7200, and am resigned to the fact that I'll need a 2-channel amp to get enough sound out of the multi-room speakers. I called Atlas for their advice and spoke to a nice gentleman - but he was reading from the ASL-6 spec sheet, I can and did do that. The ASL-6 specs state that the unit can handle 6 pairs of speakers in any combination of 4, 8, or 16 ohm impedances and has a power handing capability of "70 WPC RMS* (210 WPC audio) *Per channel, 8 ohm load, single room (measured @ 50Hz continuous)" Atlas specs available at http://www.atlassound.com/techLib/slsheets/SL4.1572.PDF
So...Do I need a high current amp? How many WPC should I get? Should the amp be comfortable with different impedances? Recommendations for amp model? (I probably would want to spend $300-500) Any advice is appreciated!
Thanks

 

[Bill Lucas]

Jonas,

Look for something like a Niles SI-275 (2 channels at 75 watts each). It's stable to 2 ohms and is made to work with speaker selectors. Is your speaker selector impedance matching? List on the Niles is $499. Regards.

 

[Rob Rodier]

The SI-275 is my reccomendation as well. It can probably be had for less than $500. I am a former employee of Niles and those amps are designed exactly for situations like yours. It also has adjustable gain for both channels if you feel the 75 watts might be too much. Good luck.


-rob

 

[Jonas Pearson]

Thank you both for the recommnedation.

Bill: Yes, my selector is impedance-matching.

Any suggestions as to where to buy? I have no problem with an online dealer as long as they are authorized by Niles. I checked the Niles website, they list the nearest representative as being in Piscataway, NJ - a bit of a hike for me.

 

[Kevin. W]

You may want to look at the Rotel RMB-1066. It can be configured from 6x60, 5x70... to 3x150(bridged). Should be aroung $500.

Kevin

 

[Todd Hochard]

I've been using the AudioSource Amp Two for two years. This thing is a clean-sounding workhorse of an amp. I drive four sets of speakers with it, via a Niles speaker selector box.
I just added the 4th set last week (three sets have been on it and I'm able to drive all four at high levels (above 80db music in each room) for extended periods, without the protection engaged! Mind you, I don't normally do that, but I had to try with the new speakers. Over an hour at near reference level (with a 2 ohm load), and no issues. It has front panel meters, and can be set to auto-sense the input to power on and off (that's how I use it).
It was $249 at www.jandr.com.
Todd

 

[Bill Lucas]

Jonas,

Niles has a very strict policy regarding online sales. I'm not saying you can't *find* it online, just that they will come down like the hammer of Thor on online dealers. Good luck.