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Hi 

I have a SONOS CONNECT connected by RCA jacks into a NILES SI-2100 100 watt amplifier.  Both devices are in my detached garage and feed four Niles RS6 8 Ohm speakers that are around my pool.  In between the two pair of speakers and the amplifier i have TWO  impedance matching volume controls mounted on my external garage wall.   I can control the volume of the two pair of speakers while outside.  The configuration has worked well over the past 3 years though  i’ve had issues with heat and amplifier clipping at higher volumes - especially on hot days.  The sound quality is fair but acceptable for an outdoor landscape.   

The question i have:

I  just purchased two additional 8 Ohm speakers for a smaller patio next to my pool area and i’m trying to figure out the best way to supply power.   I was thinking of purchasing an additional NILES SI-2100 (they are running at ~ $350 now) and having that amplifier just run the new speakers using one of the impedance volume controls already mounted to just control those two new speakers.    I would  control the original  four speakers with the other impedance volume switch using the original amp.  I would have to rewire the configuration but i have no problem with that.    I would also have to split the RCA signal from the SONOS to the two amplifiers.    There is no optical in on those amps so not sure about the sound quality. 

Or is it better if i somehow daisy chain the two amplifiers and have them supply power to the now six speakers.    I can of like the idea of having independent volume control for the two new speakers and keep the 4 pool speakers by themselves.   

Planning on wall mounting a fan or perhaps purchasing an AIRCOM S7 component fan to help with the heat issues.

Any suggestions or guidance would be much appreciated

Thanks !!

Mark

 

Hello @Msapienza,

Welcome to the Sonos Community and thank you for reaching out to with your question about adding in additional speakers.

Your best bet here since your amplifiers don’t have an optical input port would be to split the analog signal between two amplifiers.

Alternatively, you could acquire a second Connect or even a Port and be able to control these two zones independently of each other. 

Perhaps someone with more practical experience with NILES equipment will be able to offer an alternative solution in this matter.    

Thank you for the reply

If I split the analog signal from Sonos into two individual amplifiers should I expect any discernible difference in sound quality ?    Again this is for outdoor listening not for an inside sound studio.

It looks like your Niles has analog output so that you can pass the audio on to a 2nd amp.  You shouldn’t need to split the analog signal if you’re going to get a second amp.  As far as wiring two speakers to a single volume switch, not sure if that would work.  You might want to check with the switch manufacturer, and of course, it’s going to depend on the speakers connected.

 

Although this is probably your cheapest option, it’s not really solving your heat or sound quality issue.  There are outdoor enclosures on the market that have built in fans designed for this sort of thing.  Might be worth looking into that.  I also think it might be a good idea to skip getting the second Niles amp and get a Sonos amp.  You would be able to control the two zones better, and volume from a phone/tablet.  

 

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