What's my best HTPC receiver/amp option?
October 19, 2016 4:52 PM
What should I use to send sound from my HTPC to my speakers in two separate rooms?
I have an HTPC, which needs to feed two sets of speakers independently, one in my living room and one in my bedroom. I used to do this with a Sony stereo receiver, which was able to route sound to one or both of these speaker zones. That receiver died. What is my best option to replace it?
I don't need any bells an whistles. I don't need to take sound from any other sources besides the HTPC. The HTPC can output sound via HDMI, optical SPDIF, or individual (non amplified) speaker outs. I would also like the solution to be as economical as possible on space and power consumption. Also, one zone has a subwoofer in addition to the two speakers. The existing speakers sets are traditional wired speakers. Replacing these is something I don't want to do.
I have looked at integrated amplifiers, but I can't find any that can do a subwoofer and multiple zones. I can find plenty of receivers that can do these things, but they also have many features that I don't need, and they are pretty big and bulky.
Do I have a better option than a receiver that does lots of things I don't need it to do?
I have an HTPC, which needs to feed two sets of speakers independently, one in my living room and one in my bedroom. I used to do this with a Sony stereo receiver, which was able to route sound to one or both of these speaker zones. That receiver died. What is my best option to replace it?
I don't need any bells an whistles. I don't need to take sound from any other sources besides the HTPC. The HTPC can output sound via HDMI, optical SPDIF, or individual (non amplified) speaker outs. I would also like the solution to be as economical as possible on space and power consumption. Also, one zone has a subwoofer in addition to the two speakers. The existing speakers sets are traditional wired speakers. Replacing these is something I don't want to do.
I have looked at integrated amplifiers, but I can't find any that can do a subwoofer and multiple zones. I can find plenty of receivers that can do these things, but they also have many features that I don't need, and they are pretty big and bulky.
Do I have a better option than a receiver that does lots of things I don't need it to do?
How much smaller than "standard receiver size" do you need/want? (I would suggest that you just ignore unneeded features instead of regarding them as a negative)
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:59 AM on October 20, 2016
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:59 AM on October 20, 2016
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Total cost would be around $210.
Multi-zone receivers are tough to find in the non-audiophile market in new receivers.
You could also get on craigslist and get a vintage "quadraphonic" receiver from Pioneer or Marantz or Rotel.....
posted by lattiboy at 5:28 PM on October 19, 2016