Powering nine home speakers

Best to have each speaker with its dedicated amplification so you can adjust each channel level for evenly distribution.

No they’re two dedicated amps. Would I be better putting 5 speakers on one amp and four on the other to more evenly equalize the power?

I thought you have a HT setup using the onkyo in a dedicated theater room and want to switch the music to your living room?

Great idea! How’d I miss that? ;)

What is the point of the switch in this case? I’ll always want all 9 playing at the same time so is a switch necessary?

Since you have the onkyo receiver with 7 channel of power amp, and a stereo amp (Yamaha R-S202), why not make full use of all 9 channel of amplification!
Just connect 7 of the ceiling speakers to the onkyo speaker terminals via a/b speaker switcher on each speaker:
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/attachments/newbie-audio-engineering-production-question-zone/421582...

connect the Yamaha line in to onkyo front R/L out, and use the Yamaha to power two more ceiling speakers.

Select Full mono or Neo 6 music playback mode on your onkyo for room filling music listening.

Hifiman, can I ask how you would recommend wiring the 9th speaker? It seems like I could run 3 in parallel which would be 2.66 ohm. My onkyo amp specs are 8/4/3 ohm. Is the difference significant enough?

i also just received a second amp that is 100w x 2 (Yamaha R-S202) which is 8 ohm.

I would prefer to keep them in stereo as the layout of the room works well even with the odd speaker due to the seating. 

Your parents raised your parents raised a considerate and compassionate son Tim. They should be proud. 

     jj91709,

     Unfortunately, you seem to have no desire or interest in a good quality music reproduction system for your room and, as a result, I find I've lost interest in your system, myself.
    Just hire a company that installs background music systems in restaurants and businesses and be be done with it.  You'll be listening to Yanni 24/7 via glorious mono in no time.

Later,
 Tim
    

I helped my friend wiring 8 speakers for his 2000sq ft. restaurant dinning room powered by a 80Wx2 receiver with satisfactory volume level.

Try connect 4 speakers as a group follow the wiring diagram, one group for right channel and one for left channel, leave the last speaker unconnected and see what’s the result.
http://www.colomar.com/Shavano/4ps-spkr.gif
https://www.amplifiedparts.com/tech-corner/speaker-impedance-power-handling-and-wiring
Please refer to ’Example 4’

Thanks again hifiman. Currently everything is home runned back to the atm7. So each output from the atm7 connects directly to the speaker. So with nine speakers does that mean I’m somewhere around the 1-2 ohm load? I’m going to study impedance ohms now. 

Can I ask what’s the risk if the impedance doesn’t match (ie using the current speaker selector and a second amp)? Harm to the equipment or just uneven sound?

Not too many power amp can handle 2 ohms or less load, Some amp protection circuitry will lower the output or shut itself down, some will over heated and caused damage! That’s the reason for impedance protection circuitry.
If you want to use the ATM7, wire the speakers close to 8 ohms:
http://www.colomar.com/Shavano/4ps-spkr.gif

     Okay, understood.  Then, you plan to run and listen to your music in mono, right?
     Seems like it'd be hard to perceive any of the benefits of stereo sound with 9 in-ceiling speakers.  I guess you could try by running one side of the room  as the 'left' channel and the other half or so of the speakers as 'right' channel speakers. However, I have no experience in doing this and the results are unknown to me.  For example, people would likely predominately just hear the sound from the speaker they're closest to which could be a left or right configured speaker.  So, it seems most of a scattered group of people in the room would be listening to just a right or left channel of the music and this perspective would change as they moved around within the room. 
    Off the top of my head, running all speakers in mono may be the best solution.

Tim 

Thanks Tim. This is just to fill the room. I have a dedicated theater already properly configured plus a recording studio so they’re very different goals. Take care

jj91709,

     I think it's important you realize something that has not been stated on this thread thus far.  Listening to music through 9 ceiling mounted speakers is the least enjoyable method I, and probably most members on this forum, can think of .
     Your audio system configuration is fine if your goal is background music but falls far short of the high quality music reproduction systems that most members here use or are striving to create.
     I'm assuming you're fairly new to this site and may not be familiar with how to configure a system so that a 3 dimensional illusion is created which credibly portrays the performers as being in the room.  
     My intention is not to demean but to convey that there are much better methods to enjoy recorded music that I believe almost all music lovers would choose once they personally experienced the difference between a background music system and a properly configured stereo system.
     The members here are generally very knowledgeable and willing to assist those with less experience and knowledge (a minimal number of 'audio snobs').  
     I'm sure you'd receive good advice either way, but I think you need to decide if just louder background music or a more involving audio system is your preference.

Tim

Thanks again. Can I ask what’s the risk if the impedance doesn’t match (ie using the current speaker selector and a second amp)? Harm to the equipment or just uneven sound? 

Happy thanksgiving. 

it references:
impedance protection circuitry
and
Impedance-Matching Autoformers safely distribute maximum power throughout your system.

The TSM8 and TSM12 come with autoformer and impedance protection circuitry, not on the ATM7!

I suggest you try this first:
Onkyo front left and right speaker outs --->  speaker selector with impedance matching ----> speakers 
Imo, when you parallel all speakers without impedance matching, it give a very low impedance for the Onkyo to handle! 

Actually it looks to me like the ost unit accommodates 2 amps 

OSD Audio ATM7 Automatic 7-Zone Speaker Selector w/ IR Remote Control IR Code https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004Y8MH3M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9XJ9BbP5GNFWK

it references:
impedance protection circuitry
and
Impedance-Matching Autoformers safely distribute maximum power throughout your system.

Have a pair of monos for sale if interested?
emotiva brand. 

Special amps, special instructions.
contac if interested.
500W@8
1000W@4

Thanks imhifiman and Erik.

In the case of the speaker distribution controller , in this arrangement would I get rid of the ost audio unit? And would I simultaneously run front I/r from the onkyo speakers to the controller and the pre-amp outs out from those same channels? I just can’t remember if those are mutually exclusive (you can do either pre-amp out or speaker level out for front l/r).

Look at the Parasound Zonemaster line.

The OSD Audio ATM7 7-zone speaker selector dose not provide impedance matching, try one speaker distribution selector with impedance matching, if still has insufficient music volume then add a higher power stereo amp connect to the Onkyo front R/L pre-out to drive those speakers.
https://www.amazon.com/5-Zone-Stereo-Speaker-Distribution-Controller/dp/B01G7TW8W0
Onkyo R/L pre-out ---> stereo power amp ---> speaker selector with impedance matching ----> speakers

No movies. Just music. What is a pro/distribution set up?

Well if this is a stereo set up, then your answer is to do more of a pro/distribution type setup.

If you are using this for movies, why oh why do you have 9 speakers in your ceiling??

Trade in the Onkyo and get this.
https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/amplifiers/MC8207

     Okay. 

     You can connect the left and right front outputs on your receiver to a separate multi-channel amp.  This allows you to connect some speakers to the speaker outputs on the Onkyo receiver and the remaining to the multi-ch amp's speaker outputs. Whatever source you select on the receiver will play through all speakers.

     You didn't state your budget and there are many types of multi-ch amps with a wide variety of channels (3 channels plus), a wide variety of watts per channel and a wide range of prices.  I'd recommend matching the watts per ch on your multi-ch amp to the watts per ch on your receiver.  If all your speakers are all the same brand and model, this means they'll all have the same efficiency rating (listed as decibels at 1 watt).   This means each speaker will be producing the same volume output at any setting your receiver's volume knob is set at.  

     Just google "multi-channel home audio amps" if you'd like to see the various amps available.
Tim

     

 

All 9 are installed in the ceiling. Goal is just more power going to the 9. The amp is 7.1 capable but the total wattage is insufficient to drive all 9.

jj91709,

     Do you have a 7 channel Onkyo amp or receiver? 

     Do you just want music that can be played louder through the 9 speakers in your room?

    Are these speakers stand alone regular speakers or are they mounted in the wall or ceiling?

    What is your budget?

   Tim