Designing an Installation Plan
Using Passive Speakers
If you are using passive (un-powered) speakers you need
to first decide where you will place your power amplifier.
If the speakers in a particular sound zone are less than 100
feet away you can locate your power amplifier in the same
rack as the S zone and wire the speaker wires from the
amplifier to your sound zone.
NOTE: This type of wiring is known as "home-run wiring" since
you are making direct connection from the amplifiers in the
equipment rack to the speakers loicated in the sound zone
room.
In this case, you would connect the S zone's Zone Output
to the power amplifier input and the run the speaker wires
to the passive speakers. If the speakers in a particular
sound zone are further than 100 feet, you should consider
placing the amplifier in the same room as the sound zone.
In this case you will run balanced line level signal from the
S zone's Zone Output over the long wire run to the input of
the power amplifier located in the sound zone.
Using Active Speakers
If you are going more than 100 feet you can also consider
using active speakers (speakers with built in power). When
using active speakers you can connect the S zone's outputs
using the balanced line level signals. In this case you will
run line level signal from the S zone's Zone Output over
the long wire run to the input of the powered speaker
located in the sound zone. For more information on wiring
for balanced signals see the wire guide on page 20 of this
manual.
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