AV Design, Layout, Alexa, Multi-room & Amp for Kitchen Diner (!)

mjs2012

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Hi all

Looking for advice on a design for our new kitchen diner. I've attached an example layout of the kitchen diner. I'm reasonably technical, but not 100% on the features of the amps, so wondered if anyone could help with the following:

1. The room is reasonably large (11m x 5m), and I am looking at 4x ceiling speakers, 3x in wall speakers where TV is and a floor sub. I already have the 3x in wall speakers from old house (they are Monitor CP-WT240LCR).
Question: will this speaker layout provide enough coverage and volume to fill the room? Or would another 2x ceiling speakers be required in the kitchen side?

2. I am looking at having the speakers at the TV end configured as follows: 3 front speakers for LCR, and then Ceiling speakers 1 and 2 as the rear surrounds. This is mode "1" when watching TV (and ceiling speakers 3 and 4 remain inactive). Then, when we want to stream music, all 7 speakers would be active.
Question: is this possible, and how is this actually setup? I can wire in all 7 speakers to a 7.1 amp, but how do ceiling speakers 3 and 4 deactivate when watching TV HDMI Arc source? Then, in 'stream music' mode, how do we make it so that all speakers act as a big 'stereo(?)' system (as opposed to the amp digitally processing them as rear surround etc?). I hope that makes sense!

3. I am looking at something like a Denon with HEOS and Alexa support as I am planning another Denon HEOS amp in a living room, for a 5.1 TV home theatre setup. The kitchen diner will be Alexa controlled and I would like to be able to activate the following scenarios via Alexa:
(a) "Alexa, activate TV mode" (disables ceiling speakers 3 and 4, puts the AMP into 5.1 TV ARC mode)
(b) "Alexa, play music in kitchen diner" (enables ceiling speakers 3 and 4, puts the AMP in "music? stereo? party mode?)"
(c) "Alexa, play music on ground floor (does the above, and plays via multiroom HEOS to the living room amp as well)
Question: is anything above actually possible!?

Many thanks all in advance!

Kitchen Diner Layout:
Audio-Kitchen-Diner.png
 
Your question 2 is certainly possible with any Denon AVC-X model 1700 upwards.

You'd assign the amp to drive two speakers (ceiling speakers 3 and 4) as Zone 2.

For 5.1 TV viewing, Zone 2 would be switched off, with the "main zone" switched on.

For music in kitchen only, don't power in main zone, just power on zone 2. This mode will have, as far as I'm aware, no EQ for those two speakers and the subwoofer outputs would be inactive.

For music in all seven speakers, use "all zone stereo" and the same signal is sent to all seven speakers. I believe that subwoofer/s would be active as that is what it does for multi channel stereo mode but could promise. Also, not sure what EQ does in this mode.

If you would like to have 5.x.2 sound (i.e. put two ceiling speakers over the sofa somewhere for Atmos etc), you would need the x3700 model upwards that could do this and drive all nine speakers.

If you did that, I'd suggest you put floor level speakers for the surrounds roughly as shown below, these could be wall mounted, in wall or on stands:

1655386548798.png


If you want to "fill the room" with you low frequency and give a more consistent response around the room, I'd suggest at minimum two subwoofers.
 
Your question 2 is certainly possible with any Denon AVC-X model 1700 upwards.

You'd assign the amp to drive two speakers (ceiling speakers 3 and 4) as Zone 2.

For 5.1 TV viewing, Zone 2 would be switched off, with the "main zone" switched on.

For music in kitchen only, don't power in main zone, just power on zone 2. This mode will have, as far as I'm aware, no EQ for those two speakers and the subwoofer outputs would be inactive.

For music in all seven speakers, use "all zone stereo" and the same signal is sent to all seven speakers. I believe that subwoofer/s would be active as that is what it does for multi channel stereo mode but could promise. Also, not sure what EQ does in this mode.

If you would like to have 5.x.2 sound (i.e. put two ceiling speakers over the sofa somewhere for Atmos etc), you would need the x3700 model upwards that could do this and drive all nine speakers.

If you did that, I'd suggest you put floor level speakers for the surrounds roughly as shown below, these could be wall mounted, in wall or on stands:

View attachment 1711190

If you want to "fill the room" with you low frequency and give a more consistent response around the room, I'd suggest at minimum two subwoofers.
Thanks! I think I understand how this works now. And if I went for a 9.1 amp, could I add two outdoor speakers as well on a zone 3, and only activate that zone when needed?

Just out of interest, how does the HEOS multi room setup function with zones? Does it always activate all rooms? So say I wanted multi room in the living room, and in the kitchen diner on the "5.1 zone", "zone 2 (ceiling speakers 3 and 4)" but not zone 3 (outdoor speakers 1 and 2) - is that possible?
 
Thanks! I think I understand how this works now. And if I went for a 9.1 amp, could I add two outdoor speakers as well on a zone 3, and only activate that zone when needed?

Not with the x3700 no, you'd need the x4700 model or upwards that offers another independently switched and controlled Zone.

The x6700 model upwards could do you 5.x.2 (so Atmos etc in sofa area) and two extra zones - as it has 11 amps.

Just out of interest, how does the HEOS multi room setup function with zones? Does it always activate all rooms? So say I wanted multi room in the living room, and in the kitchen diner on the "5.1 zone", "zone 2 (ceiling speakers 3 and 4)" but not zone 3 (outdoor speakers 1 and 2) - is that possible?

I had to check the manual for that one! I read as saying yes you can do that but if I were you I would ask an x4700, 6700, 8500 or A110 owner the question of what the screen displays for the check boxes... i.e. can you just select which of the three zones you want:

1655388071796.png
 

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