# dual ,multi or 2 zone receivers



## pberm1962 (Nov 11, 2010)

i am considering a dual zone receiver which would feed my living room one source such as the 
wii system, and my patio another source such as the output from my cable box to feed a music channel out to the patio speakers. i am not overly concerned about power output and my speakers arent top of the line. do only some dual zone receivers provide direct connection AND power output to the 2nd set of speakers or do none provide the power, forcing you to provide another amp(which i dont want to do) off of the zone 2 preamp outputs? please bear with me as i havent looked into a new receiver in 20 years. also any suggestions on a dual zone receiver which does provide power to the second zone at a reasonable price of about 400 dollars tops. i looked at the good reviews on the onkyo tx 8555 but cannot for the life of me find out if it provides power to the 2nd zone.please ask if you need clarification on my questions please ask and thanks for the great forum. paul


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Most all provide powered dual zone. However the max channels is the max channels, meaning 7.1 in zone 1 may be reduced to 5.1 if zone 2 (2 channel) is powered on...make sense? Otherwise powered multiple zones at the same time, each with a different source is pretty common in the new receivers, just remember zones dont stack


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## pberm1962 (Nov 11, 2010)

thank you for the reply,,,can anyone else give me an opinion or thought ? i think my wording must be wrong and not inciting a responce? i am not concerned about what specific model you recommend as much as to know details aout dual ,2 or multi zone receivers... just what wording in the specs which tells me the second zone is powered and maybe how to connect my patio speakers to the receiver, through the b speaker input, etc..once again great forum,,,,, i havent paid anything and great advise should always be rewarded so i would not take it for granted.


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

> ... just what wording in the specs which tells me the second zone is powered and maybe how to connect my patio speakers to the receiver, through the b speaker input, etc..


You probably won’t find anything in the specs. That kind of info would be in the list of features, if anywhere. 

But typically you just have to review the owner’s manual, which can be found at any manufacturer’s web site, to find out how the second zone actually functions. Often 7.1 receivers can have two of the amp channels designated or re-assigned for powering the second zone speakers (leaving 5 channels for the main HT system). If that’s the case, the manual will show where in the menu system that is accomplished. Same thing with the second-zone source capability: If the second zone can simultaneously play a different source from what’s being used in the primary zone, the manual will show if and how that is accomplished.

Just keep in mind that the second-zone features and flexibility you’re looking for might not be available on bottom-of-the-line receivers. They are usually the ones that require an outboard amp and have no different-source capability.

Regards,
Wayne


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