Compoint & Music with 4 spekers per zone (22 zones)

[LinuxPoobah]

I'm right in the middle of wiring my new home. The insulation and drywall is going in in about 10 days. I'm just about done pulling 9000 feet of CAT6 and about 1000 feet of smurf tube for future proofing. Now I need to do the speaker wiring (which I haven't really done before). I've got 2000 feet of 14 gauge, CL2, 4 conductor wire that needs installing.

My Audio and Intercom needs are:

* 17 zones of audio+intercom
** 7 of these audio+intercom zones will have 4 speakers
** 1 of these audio+intercom zones will have 6 or 8 speakers
* 5 zones of intercom only

I'm planning on using Compoint plus some type of whole home audio. The whole home audio needs HA integration. I'm leaning towards the Russound CAV6.6 or the new MCA-C5.

Benefits of the MCA-C5:
* 4 ohm support on all powered zones
* Higher wattage
* No video (I don't need that)

Drawbacks of the MCA-C5:
* No A-BUS subzones
* No local source audio support?? (what takes the place of the A-LC2)?

Since I'm using Compoint and the ISK2 keypads are 2 watts with a min. load impedance of 6 ohms per channel I'm wondering what my options are for those zones with 4 speakers (and the one with 6 or 8).

Questions:

* Assuming I can get the ohms correct (6 or higher) for the 6 or 8 speaker zone, will the 2 watts of power the ISK2 pumps out be enough for those speakers?

* For the 4 speaker zones, I found some 16 ohm ceiling speakers (Bogen HFCS1, JBL Control 26C, Audio Source Dual Voice Coil ATC8DM ). If I wire these in parallel will it work?

* In two areas I going to have either a 5.1 or 6.1 speaker setup in the walls/ceiling with a receiver locally. How can I share some of those same speakers (the front L/R pair and the rear L/R pair) with the whole home audio and Compoint intercom?

Any comments or suggestions are very welcome.

Thanks!

 

[rbroders]

Hi L....,

I am also planning on using the Compoint intercom. I asked them how to handle 5.1 zones, and they were completely clueless, so using logic, I came up with the following circuit diagram for how to "extend" the on-board relay system. I asked them to look at my idea, and they didn't respond. Great. Anyway, I plan on using this technique when I install in ~6months.

Let me know if you have any questions, or how it works for you if you try it.

Thanks -- Bob

 

[LinuxPoobah]

Hi L....,

I am also planning on using the Compoint intercom. I asked them how to handle 5.1 zones, and they were completely clueless, so using logic, I came up with the following circuit diagram for how to "extend" the on-board relay system. I asked them to look at my idea, and they didn't respond. Great. Anyway, I plan on using this technique when I install in ~6months.

Let me know if you have any questions, or how it works for you if you try it.

Thanks -- Bob

Bob,
Thanks for the 5.1 wiring diagram. I'll try and decipher it. If I have any questions I'll let you know. Quick question though, does that diagram incorporate whole home audio?

 

[BryanE]

* For the 4 speaker zones, I found some 16 ohm ceiling speakers (Bogen HFCS1, JBL Control 26C, Audio Source Dual Voice Coil ATC8DM ). If I wire these in parallel will it work?

Just did a Compoint install with the entire house running 4 speakers per zone. Speakers were 4Ohms run in series for left and right channels, so the Compoint thinks the 4 speakers are just a pair of 8Ohm speakers. Works great... no issues.

 

[rbroders]

Quick question though, does that diagram incorporate whole home audio?

I think whole house audio through 5.1+ systems is best handled as a line level input to your amplifier.

--Bob