Adding an amplifier for even more whole-house power and flexibility

In a number of situations, it may make more sense to use a more powerful dedicated amplifier, rather than a stereo receiver, to power your system. If you opt for a multi-channel amplifier, you'll not only have plenty of power, but also a lot more flexibility in dividing that power according to the differing demands of your various listening areas.

Just like the previous examples that used stereo receivers, a multi-room amplifier would receive audio information from your main home theater receiver via its preamp inputs.

"How many channels of amplification do I need?"
The number of channels you'll want depends not only on how many pairs of speakers you want to power, but also on what kind of environment those speakers will be in, and how you'd like to listen to them.

For example, additional amplifier power comes in particularly handy for outdoor speakers, which tend to require a lot more power than indoor speakers to achieve comparable volume levels. With a 12-channel amplifier, you could "bridge" four channels to power a pair of stereo speakers in your backyard — that means that each of those speakers would receive two channels of power, enabling them to produce higher volume levels without straining the amp. For all but the largest of indoor areas, two channels of amplification per pair of stereo speakers should provide all the power you need. And for smaller or less-frequently occupied areas where you only want a single mono speaker for background listening, you could use a single amp channel set to a mono configuration.

Diagram F — Audio for multiple rooms using a multi-zone receiver and a multichannel amplifier

Pros:

• Versatility — you can easily distribute varying amounts of power to different areas of your home, as needed; many amps can be "daisy-chained" to accommodate more rooms.
• Plenty of power for every room, so you'll get great sound, and you won't strain the amp or underpower your speakers.
• You free up the receiver's amplifier section to deliver surround sound in the main room at any time.
• You can steer mono sound to small rooms and hallways while maintaining stereo in other rooms.

Cons:

• A relatively expensive solution, compared to other options.
• In most set ups, with the exception of your main room, you can't listen to different sources in each area — the same music will play through all speakers in most setups.

Tips:

• Volume limiters on the back panel of some multi-channel amps let you match the volume from one room to the next. Then, even if someone cranks the volume knob all the way up, it still won't reach floor-shaking levels.
• You'll need to find a well-ventilated space for the amplifier near your receiver.