Niles SS-6
Calvin from Belfair, WA on 8/8/2022
0 of 0 found this helpful
Exactly what I wanted.
Lonnie M from Orlando, FL on 5/17/2022
I may be old fashioned by using hard-wired speakers, but they sound great. The Niles SS-6 was a good choice when I replaced my old five-pair multi-switch. I called Crutchfield for advice on two switches. Ivy answered and advised me to buy the Niles. She was right. Hookup was easy with removable snap-open / snap-closed connectors. Press the protection switch on the front when only one set of speakers are active so that impedance remains in spec. Rated at 100w per channel. Each set of speakers sounds good whether one set or all five sets are active. Still have room for one more set. I can't tell any reduction in volume or quality when more than one set are active. The unit looks great. Color and size like most other components. Soft pads keep it from sliding. Preprinted adhesive labels identify each speaker location and look like they are printed on the unit. Blank labels are also included. Advice: Tag your speaker wires and photograph the old switch with wires attached before you disconnect and hook up the new switch. A diagram helps, too.
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1 of 1 found this helpful
Paul
Paul from Briarcliff, NY on 4/27/2022
Shave down the wire so the clip will accept a "shaved down gauge wire" and cut down the bare speaker wire to 1/4 inch to avoid cross over shorts.
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1 of 1 found this helpful
Niles SS-6
Robert from Rossville, IN on 1/25/2022
The Niles SS-6 is a very easy unit to hook up.We'll labeled.Accepts 14gage wire or smaller, just fine. You can play two pair of 8 ohm speakers at a time, safely. Great quality and price.Exactly what I needed and expected. Thanks Crutchfield, for your help !!
Pros: Nice looking and nice size.
Cons: None
0 of 0 found this helpful
Just what i needed
Thomas from RIDGECREST, CA on 12/19/2021
Perfect for what I needed, had an old 4 channel but house was wired for 6. A little tech help had it overnighted BaBam home stereo on point
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0 of 0 found this helpful
Niles SS-6
Crutchfield customer from Stockbridge, GA on 6/20/2021
0 of 0 found this helpful
Excellent Product
Jeffrey from Hollywood,s.c. on 2/13/2021
This product could not be easier to install nor operate. Built well and small enough to take up little space. Great piece.
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1 of 1 found this helpful
Easy to set-up & easy to use - great product.
William J. from Stevensville, MD on 10/25/2020
Easy to set-up and easy to use! I had no issues with the speaker connections - they work as you would expect and provide a good, firm contact. Great product.
Pros: Easy to set-up and to operate. Wide variety of labels. Nice small size.
Cons: None!
1 of 1 found this helpful
Niles SS-6
Crutchfield customer from Massillon, OH on 10/13/2020
Very nice unit. Took a little while to hook up but is worth it when you are finished. Is working great and we are using all 6 lines.
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0 of 0 found this helpful
Niles SS-6
Crutchfield customer from Charlotte, NC on 7/5/2020
0 of 0 found this helpful
Wonderful product!
Alex from Casa Grande, AZ on 7/1/2018
Very simple to install and use with great benefits .
Pros: Easy and simple to use product that works wonders for my home theater system!
Cons: None!
0 of 0 found this helpful
Niles SS-6
Ed B from North Carolina on 7/1/2015
If you have elected wired technology for your home sound system, this component is required. It allows you to connect multiple speakers to a single amplifier. Without it you will burn up the amplifier.
Pros: It works well
Cons: None
3 of 3 found this helpful
Niles SS-6 Speaker Selector
Henry from Florida on 6/4/2015
Did not know this type of product exhisted in today's market, but after speaking to Hunter who is the Crutchfield rep who answered all my questions. I'm glad I purchased the product!
Pros: Ease of use and made in America!
Cons: None
3 of 3 found this helpful
Niles SS-6
Crutchfield customer from Titusville. Fl on 7/9/2014
Works as promised. Easy to install. No fuss no muss. Sound quality is if it is not even there and original equipment is at optimum. Very happy with purchase.
Pros: Works flawlessly
Cons: None
3 of 3 found this helpful
Niles SS-6
MikeS from Chicago, IL on 1/12/2014
I recently moved into a home with a whole-house audio system installed. This switch was exactly what we needed. I have five zones (this has six) so it couldn't have been more tailored for my needs. (I've noticed Niles has other models available, so there should be something for just about any in-home system). I especially like the protection feature...this is engaged when you're pushing output to three or more zones, to avoid frying the amp. (Not needed when using only one or two zones, but I leave it on anyway). If you read the other reviews you'll notice a lot of comments about the speaker connections being difficult to open/close. This wasn't a big negative for me, but when I was setting it up I could easily see why those comments were made. Opening and closing them IS a bit hard on the fingertips, but I figured you only set it up once in a great while so not a big deal. Overall very solid product--good sound, reasonably simle setup, attractive case, and the preprinted labels for the output zones are a nice touch (beats having to hand write all those). Would definitely recommend this as a low-cost way to feed your whole house audio system.
Pros: Price, amp protection logic, appearance
Cons: Balky speaker connections
11 of 12 found this helpful
Niles SS-6
Jim from New York on 3/25/2013
Using it in a whole house application. Does the job well for what I'm using it for. The connections for the individual speaker wires are difficult to close. Once connected it's fine but initial set up is for folks with tiny fingers.
Pros: Does the job.
Cons: Wire connections are difficult to lock.
2 of 5 found this helpful
Works great - speaker connections could be a little easier
I recently moved into a home that has ceiling-mounted speakers throughout, with volume controls in the various rooms/zones. This was my first experience with a multiple-zone speaker system, and my receiver didn't have built-in multi-zone support, so I purchased this unit to control the five zones. I opted for the Niles SS-6 over some less expensive units primarily for aesthetic reasons, and this controller does look great. It also works perfectly in controlling the audio to the different zones, as you'd expect. My one complaint -- and I would have taken off just a half-star for this, if that were an option -- is that I found the speaker connections on the back of the unit to be extremely difficult to open and close. It always felt like I was going to force them to a breaking point, although none of them broke. By the time I was done making the 20 connections (10 speakers, right and left for each) my hands and fingers were pretty sore. I also tried using a screwdriver to flip up the connectors but even that seemed more difficult than it should have. Obviously once the speakers are connected you don't have to go through that again, so it's not a huge issue overall but something to be prepared for.
Pros: Easy operation, controls speakers, looks good, included zone-name stickers are helpful.
Cons: Stiff speaker connectors.
11 of 11 found this helpful
Niles SS-6
Jeff from Greeneville,TN on 9/9/2011
0 of 1 found this helpful
Niles SS-6
Mike from Los Angeles, CA on 3/17/2011
The Niles SS-6 worked perfectly for my needs. It's very easy to hook up. It connected my speakers in several different rooms (which can be played separately or simultaneously). A great solution for my system since I didn't want to add a separate powered amplifier (someone in a store tried to convince me I needed an expensive one). I don't have a super high-end receiver, but the sound is still great. This model is good if you have volume controls in each room (otherwise, get the model with volume controls on the unit itself). The customer service rep from Crutchfield was very helpful in selecting this. Great price, delivery, and service.
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4 of 4 found this helpful
Works Great!
Joseph from Scranton, PA on 2/4/2009
The Niles SS-6 works as advertised. I was able to safely and easily hook up 5 pairs of in-ceiling speakers throughout the downstairs of my house (I'm saving the 6th speaker hook up for outside on the deck this Spring!). It's great to have the option of turning speakers on/off in each room without having to worry about overloading my amplifier. One last thing, since this is Crutchfield, a customer representative was able to look up the specs on my older receiver to ensure compatibility and give me the recommended setup within minutes. Crutchfield is top-notch when it comes to service.
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13 of 13 found this helpful
Niles SS-6
Jim from Southern Cal. on 6/25/2007
Small, compact size. Easy set-up, "plug & play" that I use every day. I have 6 wired speakers to the outside of the house, it adds another dimension to entertaining around the pool.
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12 of 14 found this helpful