compoint/russound opinion on wiring

[english_1969]

In my basement common area (pool table, living, kitchenette), I am planning on having 8 speakers to cover the area (this may be too many??).

I am using compoint and a russound cav66.

My question is this, should I home run the speaker wires (16/2) and also home run the loop wires (16/4 * 2) needed to integrate the compoint and make the connections in the mech room instead of trying to integrate this into the jbox.

I was hoping to have 2 keypads in this area, but in looks like that will be touch.

Can the compoint keypads be shared in one zone in any way?

WE

 

[pkoslow]

It's really difficult to add more than 1 pair of speakers onto a ComPoint keypad. Adding multiple ComPoint keypads to a single area will cause feedback between the units so is not an option either.

How large is this common area? 8 speakers does seem like a lot...

Cheers,
Paul

 

[english_1969]

It is approximately 40x40 with a 10x10 stairwall (somewhat circular) in the middle. There is a 15x15 living area, 15x20 pool table area, 15x15 kitchenette and 12x15 bar/sitting.

I was going to put a stero pair in each area.

Maybe that could be reduced.

WE

 

[Ripper99]

I installed a Compoint in the kitchen area and it is wired to a pair of In-Ceiling Speakers SP-H6TT(I believe thats them) and they are powered by an Abus keypad, I can clearly hear the Compoint broadcast over the whole area which is at least 30x20 and thats at about 75%..in fact I probably don't even need it that loud.

In this same area where the great room is off the kitchen I also have a pair of 8" in-wall speakers but they are not connected to the compoint..if I turn them up and the Abus subzone which is the volume for the kitchen speakers I have plenty of volume in that area..I have no external amp and the 8" are only being driven with 20 watts and the kitchen speakers by the Abus keypad which I think is 7 watts..I'd have to say I was amazed 7 watts went that loud

If that area is all open I would say 8 speakers is too many..I also think one Compoint unit would work fine in a area that size from my experience so far with it...the mic is *very* sensitive and when I listen in on my office with the Compoint set at 75% volume I can hear a fan that is pretty well whisper quiet when I am in the actual office as clear as a bell.

I'm just speaking from my experience the past few days with Compoint and agree with Paul if you have multiple Compoint's in an area that big your bound to get feedback.

I wish I could somehow post a demo showing how clear and loud the compoint is in my kitchen/Great Room area but it wouldn't be easy to accurately show how well they perform...all I know is I'm adding two more in the new year for the master wash and the garage and I'm totally impressed with the product.

 

[english_1969]

Ripper,

Thanks a LOT for the advice.

In putting that many speakers, I was trying to ensure that I had a stereo setup in each area. I think if I went away from that thought, I could spread it out to 4 speakers.

That then make me wonder if I should do, say 4, dual-voice-coil speakers in the area.

I have a little experience with some commercial/auditorium speaker setups and in those, we attempted to have a lot of coverage with lower volume. I think for a home setup, I need to re-think that

WE

 

[pkoslow]

WE,

In your commercial setups you were probably running all the speakers in mono? In this area of your home, maybe you should consider doing the same???

Depending on the size, shape and layout of these rooms, you'll likely not get a good stereo image in any of the areas anyway. The single stereo speakers are an option, but I'll usually only install them in small rooms like baths, laundry rooms, etc. where a stereo pair just aren't practical due to small room size.

In larger or odd shaped rooms regular speakers spaced evenly playing audio in "mono" seem to work better and will be more cost effective. The added advantage with Compoint and running the speakers mono is that you could connect the intercom to a speaker on one side of the area, and then to a second speaker on the other side to provide better coverage.

How are you driving these speakers? Is this area a single zone on the CAV with an external amp, or multiple CAV zones? You won't be able to run mono out of CAV's internal amps...

If you can post a floor plan and a little more info about the Russound config in this area, maybe some of us can offer suggestions???

Cheers,
Paul