Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Receiver for multiple (non-surround) speakers?

A friend of mine wants to install area ceiling speakers for area stereo listening. To clarify that, he wants four speakers mounted in his ceiling for stereo listening, not surround. He also wants a second zone for his deck.

What is available that will drive two sets of speakers in one zone for stereo and an additional zone for his deck?? He also wants an LFE channel with bass management.

I have not researched this, so I'm clueless.

Mike, unless he wants something more complex than your description implies, the simplest thing is to just treat this as a variation of the all-channel stereo mode. Keep in mind that in that mode the left front channel is duplicated in the left side and back surrounds and likewise for the right side(if a center speaker is present, it gets the combined L/R channels). So, using any 7.1 receiver that offers that mode(most or all)the ceiling speakers(not enthusiastic about that placement)would use the front and side surround channels, while the deck speakers would be connected to the back surround terminals. When the deck speakers weren't needed, the back surrounds would be set to "None" on the remote. The usual suspects have fine receivers from about $200 up that'll do the job.

Another possibility is to use a receiver(e.g. some Onkyos)that has an A/B provision that uses the back surround channels for the B speakers, instead of just being a parallel connection to the front channels. The A/B switching would then be used, of course, to select the speakers in use.

"All channel Stereo Mode"???

I had no idea this was an option. I don't recall ever seeing it, but I haven't ever had a need to look.... Huuu... I'll experiment with my Marantz tonight.

For the ceiling speakers, I recommended that he look at Axiom's built in speakers. I already tried to talk him out of ceiling, but didn't get very far. I think I've talked him out of going with Bose though, maybe.

thanks John...

On H/K and Onkyo, that mode is called 5 channel stereo.