# Advice on Onkyo zones 2 & 3 setup



## treepmeyer (Dec 30, 2013)

I have an Onkyo TR-NX717, with a 5.1 setup in my main TV room. I purchased Dayton outdoor speakers for my deck, assuming I would run them on zone 2. So far so good. The wrinkle is that I would also like to have the option to pipe the same music to my dining room. I could simply buy two more speakers and run them on zone 3, but I have an old Harmon Kardon receiver there now driving a pair of bookshelf Mission speakers. I like them. Can I run a line out to the HK at the same time that I am using zone 2 for the deck Daytons? If I use zone 2 for the Daytons do I have to use zone 3 for the Missions (as opposed to the line out to the HK)? Or should I get an A/B speaker switch so I can drive the Missions from either the HK or the Onkyo? I would appreciate any advice. This is my first attempt at home theater. Really like the Onkyo. Thanks in advance.


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## gazoink (Apr 17, 2013)

The Zone 2 and Zone 3 features of just about every AVR is a bit of a tease. Yes, you can do zone speakers, but there's always some sort of trade-off, you have to give something up. In your case, if you want to drive the Zone 2 speakers directly from your AVR, you'll be limited to 5.1 in the main room. Even worse, if you want to drive your Zone 3 speakers directly from your AVR, you'll be down to 3.1 channels in the main zone. There are other compromises too, like certain EQ and surround mode settings won't work, auto shutoff is disabled when using zones, etc. Download your PDF manual and search for "Zone 2", most of that stuff will pop. Watch for issues with digital sources not wanting to play with zones (usually a Denon thing), etc. And don't expect controlling all this to be easy without a third-party control system.

The key is, don't drive the zone speakers directly from the AVR, use it's line outputs to feed other amplifiers. I always suggest using the main system as the "hub" for all your sources, which would mean feeding your HK from an Onkyo line output rather than the other way around. But either could work. Shipping line level signals between amps in different rooms is a possible cause for hum, so consider putting the HK right next to the Onk, or using some sort of balun system between the two units. Might want to extend IR control too.


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