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How Can I Get Great-Sounding Multiroom Music?

Al Griffin  |  Aug 13, 2015

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Q I have 6 pairs of speakers spread throughout my house that are powered by a Rotel RB-1080 stereo amp. I use a Rotel RSS-900 speaker selector box to feed each speaker pair, and there’s a wall-mounted volume control in each room. The setup works good overall, but doesn’t sound that great.

I’d like to upgrade my system with a multichannel amp, but can’t find one that A) has at least 100 watts per channel, and B) has banana plug connections. I’m willing to spend a few thousand on the upgrade, so price isn’t an issue. Do you have a few amps you can suggest that meet my requirements? —Rob Green via email

A After much poking around, I could only find one amp that even comes close to meeting all of your requirements: ADA’s PTM-1260 12 Channel—6 Zone Luxury Power Amplifier. The PTM-1260 has banana plug speaker outputs for each of its 12 amplifier channels. Each channel pair on the PTM-1260 can be individually triggered on via an external DC trigger source for one-touch power-up. Though power output is 75 watts per channel, ADA’s specs cite nearly double that amount into 4 Ohms with less than 0.1% THD, along with stability down to 2 Ohms. Given those specs, you’re likely to get all the power you want and then some.

I’m glad to hear that price isn’t an issue, because the PTM-1260 lists for $6,000. And that’s just the beginning. To complete your upgrade, you’ll need to invest in new electronics including a multiroom preamp and keypads to replace your speaker selector and wall-mounted volume controls. ADA makes that stuff as well, though you can also use the PTM-1260 with less pricey multiroom products from third-party manufacturers.

I’d be remiss here if I didn’t mention a wireless alternative that provides similar functionality, but with reduced cost and complexity. The BlueSound Digital multiroom audio system, for example, lets you stream CD-quality and high-res audio to multiple rooms, and features a wireless receiver called the PowerNode with a 2 x 50-watt amp you can connect to your existing speakers. And even if wireless audio isn’t your thing, it’s hard to dispute the appeal of an affordable, high-res-capable multiroom system that can be easily controlled by a smartphone or tablet app.

COMMENTS
SixOneTwo's picture
Submitted by SixOneTwo on August 14, 2015 - 6:15am

It doesn't meet your 100 watt per channel spec, but otherwise I would highly recommend several Sonos Connect: Amps. At $500 per unit you could do your whole house for $3k and that would be the end of it. No wall controls, preamps, or wiring to change out- just use the phone you're probably already carrying around anyways.

etrochez's picture
Submitted by etrochez on August 16, 2015 - 7:50pm

Banana plugs and 100 watts per channel for a distributed system? What a waste! Not to mention that you're options are very slim because there are not necessary for distribution. As mentioned above, the Sonos system sounds great for this purpose.

etrochez's picture
Submitted by etrochez on August 16, 2015 - 7:51pm

Apologies for my auto-correct typos.

TheJoBoo's picture
Submitted by TheJoBoo on August 18, 2015 - 12:00pm

ada makes amazing products for people accustomed to eating steak. Yes, the McD's crowd will knock it due to their own price sensitivities and lack of personal exposure to high performance products. The guys at ada know what they're doing. You will really enjoy it for a longgggg time! (We only go around once.)

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