Denon 3802 multizone question

[jonathan rubin]

Does the 3802 have enough speaker terminals for a 6.1 home theater setup, plus a pair of speakers in another zone?

From what I've read here, the speakers in the other room can be connected directly to the 3802, but I can't tell if those speakers take the place of the 3rd surround.

 

[Luke_Y]

Jonathan, You can have 5.1 in the main room with powered speaker level outputs to the second zone, or you can have 6.1 (with 2 rears) in the main room with non powered pre amp level output to the second zone.

Hope this helps.

 

[Brian Treinen]

You can have both, but you would need an extra amplifier. The 3802 has pre-outs for either the surround back channel(s) and the multizone stuff. You could (as I have) get an outboard amp and power one or the other giving you the use of BOTH.

 

[jonathan rubin]

thanks for the info---I now realize I'll need an outboard amp...any recommendations about a cheap one? (Just need it for a pair of outdoor speakers.)

Thanks for the help!

 

[Brian Treinen]

There are a couple of ways you could go. A great source for a good used amp is audiogon.com Tons of stuff - but much if it is pretty high end. You can check Ebay too. You could also go pick up a $100 receiver from Best Buy or CCity and use it - just plug the pre-outs into any receiver input but Phono and you'd be good to go.

Or you can do what I did. Picked up a 5 channel amp and use three of the amps for the front soundstage (L,R & Center) and then the remaining two for the multi-zone. That way the 3802 only has to power the side and rear surrounds. I was able to find a Sherwood Newcastle AM-9080 (125 wpc into 5) for a GREAT deal. Awesome amp and REALLY improved the stereo sound (as well as theater, TV, Satallite sound!!) So much so I went out and bought a better CD player - actually a single player to add to my Yamaha 5 disc changer because it got me back into redbook CDs!! MAN it sounds good!

 

[jonathan rubin]

If I only have one rear center, can I still run another zone without an outboard amp?