I have a Russound CAV with 6 zones of in ceiling speakers. The unit has died. Speakers and wiring in place. I would like the best option to power these speakers and to run Roon + Tidal (we have this in the basement). Need to have independent volume and on/off control for each zone. I am totally confused as the best option. Can you suggest to me a set up that would give me the best sound? I would like it to integrate with a 2 channel system in the great room. What do I need?
Seems like the easiest thing to do is repair or replace the Russound. I donât know if you had Roon playing through the Russound before, but Roon core to DAC to Russound can put music to your six zones. Another Roon endpoint at your 2 channel system takes care of that.
The unit is 20 years old and has died. Russound will not fix. There are units used on the market, but local dealer will not install second-hand devices. Looking for a new solution.
Which device(s) would work to solve this problem?
Thank you for your help
Multiple raspberry Pis with Hi Fi Berry Amp Hats would be one possibility. (I have one ceiling speaker zone that used an AAMP60).
A multi channel amp with this is another possibility.
Seems to be a fair amount of multi channel amps out there. How about a Dayton Audio MA1240a?
Class D modules make high quality multi channel much easier than it used to be.
These guys are in the UK, but integrate to order.
https://nordacoustics.co.uk/product-category/hypex-ncxxxmp-multichannel/
I guess youâd want a 12 channel amp (which they can do).
In case it helps I do something similar with Ropieee. You can see my setup here:-
Multiple ways you can do this depending on budget, DIY vs Plug-n-Play, compactness of a single unit vs multiple devices.
But a couple of options:
1/ 6 x Stereo âRoon Readyâ streaming amps
Note: This is probably the simplest solution of all and lets you swap out one of the units if one ever fails.
For example the 6 x Power Node Edge units.
A similar but cheaper option would be 6 x WiiM amplifiers. But these arenât yet Roon Ready so youâd be âgamblingâ on them becoming Roon Ready like the rest of the WiiM range. In the short term (or in the unlikely event that Roon stops certifying WiiM products) you can use them with Roon via AirPlay.
2/ A 12 channel installation amp with 6 x Roon Ready streamers.
For the 12 channel amp Monitor Audio and B&W both make multi channel amps for the installation market.
But these are just âpassiveâ amps. To stream to them from youâd need to connect 6 x Roon ready streamers.
A relatively cost effective solution might be 6 x WiiM Pros (which unlike the WiiM amps above are Roon Ready today).
Monitor Audio also sell a 19â rack mountable multi-channel BluOS streamer (IMS-4) for connection to a multi-channel amp, I expect this is aimed at commercial installations like shops & restaurants. But itâs not clear if itâs Roon Ready like the consumer BluOS devices. Also, once you add on the cost of a multi-channel amp, it works out nearly as expensive as 6 x consumer BlueSound Edge units anyway. Plus it only handles 4 zones and you require 6.
3/ The DIY route (route a)
6 x Raspberry Piâs (running Roopiee) each with a HiFiBerry Amp Hat. To give you six sets of stereo outputs.
https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/bundles/hifiberry-amp2-bundle-4/
This would likely be the cheapest option.
3/ The DIY route (route b)
2 x Raspberry Pis (running Roopiee) connected via USB to 6 x Class D Amps with a USB DAC connection, something like a SMSL AD18.
3 x USB DAC/Amps per RPi (each RPi has 4 USB ports) would give you 6 sets of stereo outputs in total.
ââ-
As far as I know there isnât a single box multi-channel Roon Ready distribution amplifier out there.
The closest is the BlueOS supporting Monitor Audio IMS-4 unit paired with a MA 8 or 12 multi channel amp. But that only supports 4 x zones and Iâm not even sure if the BlueOS module on the IMS-4 is Roon Ready like the consumer BluOS units.
Iâd probably go with option 1, multiple BlueSound PowerNode Edge Amps, that way you can always replace the individual units / zones later on.
The RPi / HiFiBerry Amp2 Hat solution might be a nice, more cost effective option if youâre into some DIY. Certainly cheaper than 6 x PowerNode edges.
If you were so inclined you could house all six of them into a custom 19â rack case and run them all off one beefy PSU. But even as individual units theyâre pretty compact.
A bit of a curveball,
Probably more a general suggestion than one for the OP, who I am guessing is looking for as simple a replacement as possible for his current Russound unit.
But for those looking to handle multi room ceiling speakers âon the cheapâ and donât need each zone to be âRoon Readyâ (RAAT) then old Sonos Connect Amps make for a usable budget option.
These can be picked up super cheap nowadays off eBay and CEX as they no longer work with the new Sonos app, but are still supported by Roon.
They are also built like tanks and you can get 19â racks to house multiple units.
You do need to be aware of what youâre getting into here, as Roonâs Sonos support isnât as robust as its support for Roon Ready devices.
You also canât group these Sonos zones with native Roon RAAT zones.
But given you can pick up an old Gen 1 Sonos Connect Amp for around ÂŁ60 you could get six zones of networked amplification that works with Roon for ÂŁ360.
Which is less than the price of a single PowerNode Edge.
Thank you to all for taking the time to respond - very much appreciated. I wish I was more tech savvy or at least had time to learn, but too busy for DIY options.
I have researched Nord Acoustics and they measure really well with Amir. The two other multi channel zoned amps that have been suggested are:
The Parasound Zonemaster 12. $2499
https://parasound.com/12.php
Anthem MDX 16. $3499
https://www.anthemav.com/products-current/model=mdx-16/page=overview
Then I would still need to get 5 Bluesound
Node $499 = $2000
NodeX $749 = $3750
I was hoping there would be available, a one box Roon ready 12 channel multi-zone solution, but there is not?
Or perhaps a Roon server with 6 zones to go along with a multichannel amp. Does that exist?
Which Nord amp would provide the best sound quality? How would it compare and contrast with the Parasound and Anthem multi-zone amps?
Option 2:
6 x power node edge 40wpc = (649x 6) = $3900
6 x power node 80wpc = (949 x6) = $5700
What would be the performance differences between amp plus nodes versus getting six power nodes?
Is there a big performance difference between power node and power NodeX?
look at the NAD multiroom products. I think a CI 580, and an appropriate multi-zone amp, will give you what you seek
4 Likes
I considered oneof these a while back - but there are a few threads that scared me off - with a few reports of long standing unresolved issues.
another options would be six blue sound Powernode Edges. theyâre streamer, amp, Roon endpoint all in one. itâd still be $4k for six of them, but it may be your best option.
the other option would be six RiPie running Ropieee, or similar, running into the multichannel amp of your choice.
1 Like
Exactly as you say.
I ended up with multiple Ropieees with HATs, but thatâs probably a bit too DIY for the poster.
Multiple WiiM pro pluses is likely a good non DIY solution.
I think the whirlwind is expensive, but it is a single box with 4 roon zones.
I think the only official multi zone roon device is the whirlwind I linked above.
You can plug multiple USB DACs into a machine (such as a roon ROCK). I donât know how many would be reliable however.
Iâve certainly has a Pi4 running both a HAT and a USB dac with no issue.
Interesting, according to the manual the Monitor Audio IMS-4 supports Roon.
But the fact that âRoonâ is only mentioned once in a single line at the end of the manual makes me suspect it has the same issues as the NAD. I fact wonder if the IMS-4 is using their same innards as the NAD, the specs of both units seem remarkable similar.
Both units are also only 4 zones, so youâd need two of them.
1 Like
This thread might be interesting
In terms of the wider question about amplifiers, you donât mention what model / make / age your ceiling speakers are, but I canât imagine they need much power to drive them.
Really any modern amplifier, from any well regarded brand, will be absolutely fine and I would hazard a guess, fairly hard to differentiate blind when connected to your ceiling speakers.
If it wasnât for the issue Greg has raised with the NAD above. The 19" rack mountable CI (Custom Installation) route would be the way to go if you want to do this professionally and budget want a major issue. Two 4 x zone BluOS streamers and one or more multi-zone 19" amps aimed at the CI market. All wired up neatly in a 19" rack.
But other than not being such a nice solution in terms of rack mounting, the BlueSound Edges with their built in amps are more than capable of powering a set of regular ceiling speakers.
If you are fixed on a multi channel amp, then 6 x WiiM Pros comes in at $1200 and will give you 6 zones of Roon (RAAT) which you can connect up to your external multichannel amp. A lot chapter that 6 x Nodes for that same purpose.
1 Like
Roon do list the IMS-4 as Roon Ready but not much other information out there on it. I guess you could contact MA to see if they could arrange a demo for you somewhere. Paired with their 12 channel amp it would make a neat / tidy one vendor rack mountable solution. But the cynic in me does wonder if itâs simply a re-badged NAD CI580.
Could this be a simple solution ?
https://www.jukeaudio.com/product/juke-plus
Anyone have any experience with it?