Multi Room Home Media Video & Audio System - Advice Needed

torrestorres

Hi

I need help in getting my multiroom home media system going.

At the moment all i have is the house wired for the following.

• Internet
• Audio
• Video
• Wall Control Panels
• Ceiling Speakers

I'm a total noobie at this thing, but looking for advice on the most cost effective system to get up and running, im only interest in going the wall control panels, speakers in ceiling multiroom system in zones.

I know its gonna cost and i don't have alot of money.

I kinda have an idea of what i need, but can people point me in the right way to getting all the right equipment best suppliers at a reasonable price.

I think i need the following.

• Audio Wall Panels
• Internet Wall Panels
• Video Wall Panels
• Wall Control Panels
• Ceiling Speakers (2 for each room, proparbly 6 Zones)
• Media system (The the brains of the operation for the 1 billion wires under the stairs to connect to).

I know its not gonna be an easy task but any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers torrestorres

Idleater

torrestorres wrote: »

At the moment all i have is the house wired for the following.

• Internet
• Audio
• Video
• Wall Control Panels
• Ceiling Speakers

The way the house is wired is definitely lined up for the "expensive" route. If you specified this yourself, without consulting some installers, then your best bet is to talk to some installers now such as Cloney Audio, smarthomes, or sevenoaks as they have the know-how to make the most of what you have got. You would have to outline to them whether you wish them to estimate the costs for a full install, supply parts or just suggest solutions.

If you got the house in that condition you have a choice on whether to use it (in which case I suggest the above steps), or if you want to deploy a simpler separate system, such as Sonos, and ignore or part use the wiring and panels etc.

In short, you are looking at an expense to do it right, and the only way of getting some sort of idea on which of the above solutions to go for is to give the custom installers a call. The other solutions may be cheaper, but may not be as sleek or functional as you envisaged.

torrestorres

nereid wrote: »

The way the house is wired is definitely lined up for the "expensive" route. If you specified this yourself, without consulting some installers, then your best bet is to talk to some installers now such as Cloney Audio, smarthomes, or sevenoaks as they have the know-how to make the most of what you have got. You would have to outline to them whether you wish them to estimate the costs for a full install, supply parts or just suggest solutions.

If you got the house in that condition you have a choice on whether to use it (in which case I suggest the above steps), or if you want to deploy a simpler separate system, such as Sonos, and ignore or part use the wiring and panels etc.

In short, you are looking at an expense to do it right, and the only way of getting some sort of idea on which of the above solutions to go for is to give the custom installers a call. The other solutions may be cheaper, but may not be as sleek or functional as you envisaged.

Hi thanks very much for the reply, i always thought it was gonna cost a few bob all right, the house was wired for all this stuff when we bought last year, we could have got the system in but they said it would cost €16k :eek:

Couldn't afford that as moving house is costy enough so i said i'd do it bit by bit over time, maybe start with 1 zone, complete that and move to the next zone until its complete.

Do you know anywhere to pick up resonably priced audio/video keypads, Ceiling Speakers and zone controlled amps (is this the brains?)

thanks again for taking the time to answer

rob_

Seeing as you already have cabled for keypads, I would recommend either Russound (audio and video) or Nuvo (audio only).
Although by the time you add the associated source equipment for feedback on the keypads,this pushes the price up, you would be better off going with an all in system like Control4.
I got a price on a Control4 system for 6 rooms of audio and video for about €5k

torrestorres

rob_ wrote: »

Seeing as you already have cabled for keypads, I would recommend either Russound (audio and video) or Nuvo (audio only).
Although by the time you add the associated source equipment for feedback on the keypads,this pushes the price up, you would be better off going with an all in system like Control4.
I got a price on a Control4 system for 6 rooms of audio and video for about €5k

5K :eek: is pricey, i'd be looking at doing it room by room tbh as i couldn't afford to do the lot at once, maybe the living room/kitchen for the moment and expanding from there, hopefully when the wife see's how impressive the kit is she will have no hesitation in doing the other rooms.

All the cables are under my stairs (central hub) so what would i need to get started??

4 ceiling speakers Living room/kitchen
Keypad for Wall
Sockets for wall for Audio/Video/Network
Also a Zone 4/6 Amp to distribute the sound/audio

This could a a totally stupid question but do i need to place my PC under the stairs to connect everything (4-6 zone amp?) any good/reasonably priced ones around (zone amps)? even second hand?

rob_

Speakers can vary in price, but a reasonable pair will cost you about €160-€200.
The problem with doing it room by room is that these av kits come as a full kit, breaking them up gets expensive.
I have a mate who I think has a second hand systemline audio system, I will ask him for you.

If it is only the audio from the PC you need, you can connect it using a cat5 cable, simply solder on a 3.5mm jack at one ond, and male rca leads at the other. Unless I am completely mis-understanding you.

torrestorres

rob_ wrote: »

Speakers can vary in price, but a reasonable pair will cost you about €160-€200.
The problem with doing it room by room is that these av kits come as a full kit, breaking them up gets expensive.
I have a mate who I think has a second hand systemline audio system, I will ask him for you.

If it is only the audio from the PC you need, you can connect it using a cat5 cable, simply solder on a 3.5mm jack at one ond, and male rca leads at the other. Unless I am completely mis-understanding you.

cheers for the replys rob appreciate the advice, what i want to do is have all my media/internet/audio going throughout the house to the sitting room, bedrooms, playroom, main bathroom etc, using keypads in each room or remotes (for Key Pads) bit flashy i know but i'm a bit of a gadget (geek) man.

Im not looking for the most expensive system as my budget is tight, but something thats decent (not crap but not top of the range either).

€150 for a pair of speakers would be max to be honest or maybe im been totaly tight .

Getting a kit is out of the question at the moment as they will set me back €1500/€2000 see the link below is this what you mean by AV kit??
http://www.connectedhomes.ie/acatalog/Multi-Room_Multi-Zone_Audio.html#a5

what will it cost me to get the 1 room going
Say 4 speakers, wall AV control Panel, And Wall Sockets/Plugs and i'll have to buy a zone amp to start or it won't work correct??

rob_

Sounds like a pretty simple setup, why not pickup a sonos zp120, and use your iphone or ipod touch as the touchscreen controller?
The zp120 has a line in,where you can connect your pc or device to stream through your ceiling speakers, and also you willhave intenet radio, and your stored network music.

Zp120 €499
speakers €300(2 pairs)

torrestorres

rob_ wrote: »

Sounds like a pretty simple setup, why not pickup a sonos zp120, and use your iphone or ipod touch as the touchscreen controller?
The zp120 has a line in,where you can connect your pc or device to stream through your ceiling speakers, and also you willhave intenet radio, and your stored network music.

Zp120 €499
speakers €300(2 pairs)

But i also wanna have Video Sonos is music only right??

i think im gonna have to stop kidding myself thinking im gonna get this done cheap, its gonna cost €1,500 to €2,000 in the end so i might aswell face it.

Can you tell me what zone control box / software would be best for my use?? sorry to be a pest , what type speakers etc

rob_

There really are only two quality audio and video systems on the market in my eyes, the Russound CAV and the AMC(dont like their keypads though).

Both of these are standard definition.

I will throw another option at you, why not fit an AV reciever (€200-€900) and use a programmable remote with RF (€350)

knx

Hi torres,
Can I ask how many video and audio sources you are talking about and when you say you have wired for video, what cabling have you run exactly ?

Also what exactly are you hoping to achieve with €2k. You might be better off going for audio right now and adding the video switcher later.

Also you don't necessarily need to be lookin for systems that do both audio and video. Spend the money now on a good audio system and when you have the cash get a decent video matrix. Between rs232 and ir passthrough there is always a way to integrate the two.

I would also add that I install both russound and nuvo systems and I cannot buy a 6 zone controller at trade for €2k in this country. You might be better off checking ebay and buying in from the states. I have had experience with systemline as well and all I'll say is stay away..

torrestorres

knx wrote: »

Hi torres,
Can I ask how many video and audio sources you are talking about and when you say you have wired for video, what cabling have you run exactly ?

Broadband
Multi-media and Internet wired
Cable TV/Sky (there are 4 cables in the attic Black and 2 grey. (i messed up myself when sky were installing, i should have got them to connect the Dish to the 4 black cables in the attic) so i'll have to get them back to reinstall.

Also what exactly are you hoping to achieve with €2k. You might be better off going for audio right now and adding the video switcher later.

Get the complete system hopefully to get it running, Speakers, Zone Controller Amp, Wall Keypads, Wall Sockets, im proparbly kidding myself but no harm in dreaming

I have had experience with systemline as well and all I'll say is stay away..

Thanks for the tip off

Answered in bold

here is a bad drawing of the type of set up in my house. speakers are wired to the ceiling forgot to add them



Another noobie question for you guys, if the TV cable is running straight from attic to rooms direct how would I can the speakers from audio to tv when they are not connected through the same source??

knx

The area under your stairs to which you have all the cabling ran, in custom install lingo is known as "node 0". So at present you have a cable from each tv point to the attic, yes. What have you run from node 0 to the tv points? Ideally all cabling, including the satellite feeds and incoming broadband should be run directly to node 0. The idea being that all services are brought to one location and then distributed throughout the house. My initial thoughts here are that the wiring is incorrect. The sky boxes need to be installed in node 0 in order to incorporate them into the multiroom setup.

What is the current sky setup. Where is the box.

torrestorres

knx wrote: »

The area under your stairs to which you have all the cabling ran, in custom install lingo is known as "node 0". So at present you have a cable from each tv point to the attic, yes. What have you run from node 0 to the tv points? Ideally all cabling, including the satellite feeds and incoming broadband should be run directly to node 0. The idea being that all services are brought to one location and then distributed throughout the house. My initial thoughts here are that the wiring is incorrect. The sky boxes need to be installed in node 0 in order to incorporate them into the multiroom setup.

What is the current sky setup. Where is the box.

Yeah when the sky guy installed the dish/decoder etc i was in work, my wife was at home so the sky guy just mounted the dish on the back of the house and brought the cable down behind the drainpipe and in through the wall into the skyxbox.

He should really have connected the wires from the dish into the cables in the attic. Maybe the TV cables are running to node 0 and to all the tv points also, im no bright spark on these things.

But when sky installed the builder how lives in front of him said that i was stupid that it should have been run to the node 0 area and also the home phone. (yes eircom also came and installed phone in stupid place. (my wife has alot to answer for lol )

I'm not sure what all the cables are running from Node 0 but im sure they are for the speakers, internet, keypads, at the moment there are just 2 double banks on the walls covering the cables, so i could when i get home take one off and see what cables are running to the rooms.

Im sure the cabling is correctly installed as the builder had a perfessional company install them.

So if have to put my sky box under the stairs?? then how can i change channel lol??, or can the keypads do that on the walls, or is it done through the tv?? that would require special software no?? running from a PC?? also when im checking for a 6/8 zone ampilfier what should i be looking for in the spec so i know it will be suitable?

Told you im clueless

Idleater

torrestorres wrote: »

Told you im clueless

Seriously, you need to decide either to research this a lot or pay a professional to come out and do a consultation with you for an hour or two. This would be the easiest, as they would be able to answer your questions relative to your current infrastructure.

Googling home automation returns a lot of informative articles. A bit of research into some ideas that you want to achieve would be better than the wide scope of your current questions that is effectively impossible to answer given your budgetary, knowledge and descriptive restrictions. Something has to give.

torrestorres

nereid wrote: »

Seriously, you need to decide either to research this a lot or pay a professional to come out and do a consultation with you for an hour or two. This would be the easiest, as they would be able to answer your questions relative to your current infrastructure.

Googling home automation returns a lot of informative articles. A bit of research into some ideas that you want to achieve would be better than the wide scope of your current questions that is effectively impossible to answer given your budgetary, knowledge and descriptive restrictions. Something has to give.

your probarbly right Sir, thanks for the advice though, i suppose getting someone out to give me quote can't hurt and then pestering him with questions while he's there.

torrestorres

so i went home and took a few pics of what cables at at the points in the rooms behind the blanks and at node 0.





maybe someone can tell me from the pics of the wires what i'm wired for.

Idleater

Firstly apologies for being perhaps a bit blunt before, i know that inheriting all that cable can be a bit overwhelming especially if you don't even know what the original design was supposed to be?
Anyway, from a brief look, in the first pic, the white two core is speaker cable, and the other looks like sat tv cable.
In the second pic, the blue looks like ethernet.
The final pic shows a much neater loom than my mess

torrestorres

nereid wrote: »

Firstly apologies for being perhaps a bit blunt before, i know that inheriting all that cable can be a bit overwhelming especially if you don't even know what the original design was supposed to be?
Anyway, from a brief look, in the first pic, the white two core is speaker cable, and the other looks like sat tv cable.
In the second pic, the blue looks like ethernet.
The final pic shows a much neater loom than my mess

No need to apologies mate, thanks for taking the time and effort to reply its appreciated.

At Node 0 would i need to connect all the speaker cables to something like this? i know this is for 12 pairs of speakers but i couldn't find a pic for 8 pairs.



So the white cables are speakers, what type of wall plate would i need for them? something like this?



And finally there seems to be 3 black cables for TV/SAt does that mean they is 1 cable for HDMI/SAT/Cable TV? and the grey cable in the same socket must be for phone yes??

Is there a wall plate that has hdmi/sat/cable tv connections? or am i worng about the cables?

cheers

Idleater

torrestorres wrote: »

And finally there seems to be 3 black cables for TV/SAt does that mean they is 1 cable for HDMI/SAT/Cable TV? and the grey cable in the same socket must be for phone yes??

Is there a wall plate that has hdmi/sat/cable tv connections? or am i worng about the cables?

Wall plate for the speakers at node0 is correct. You can get similar ones for all the other connectors, video, line level audio, sat, hdmi, telephone etc. to make it all nice and neat.

As for what the other cables are, it is hard to tell from the pic, but the telephone is usually 8 core where each core is quite thin (sort of like a thin version of the ethernet cabling). I would doubt that they would have wired up hdmi, as it generally doesn't tolerate long runs without getting expensive. For video distribution, Composite or S-Video is probably as good as you are going to get without expense.

torrestorres

nereid wrote: »

Wall plate for the speakers at node0 is correct. You can get similar ones for all the other connectors, video, line level audio, sat, hdmi, telephone etc. to make it all nice and neat.

As for what the other cables are, it is hard to tell from the pic, but the telephone is usually 8 core where each core is quite thin (sort of like a thin version of the ethernet cabling). I would doubt that they would have wired up hdmi, as it generally doesn't tolerate long runs without getting expensive. For video distribution, Composite or S-Video is probably as good as you are going to get without expense.

ok cheers mate, do you kow a good online shop that i could pick these up cheap or would a local electrical shop be the best bet?

Whats line level audio? sorry

Would this product be good enough to power 6-8 zones??, what should i be looking for in the spec sheet that will let me know how many zones it can be used for.
Yamaha RX-V757 Black AV 7.1

Idleater

torrestorres wrote: »

Yamaha RX-V757 Black AV 7.1

In the specification tab there is

Zone Speaker Terminals •
Zone 2 Output • (Audio Only)
Zone 3 Output
Zone 4 Output
Zone Power Switching • Main/ Zone2 (Front Panel)
Zone Remote Control
RS-232C Interface

indicating that there is one powered audio zone and one line level zone, although I would have expected at least 3 and 4 zones to be enabled.
The Zone power switching will send a signal to a power amp in a zone to switch on, and the remote control is for your key pads. likewise with the rs232.

Whether all these features will work with a random other brand of keypad I have no idea, this is where an installer would know what brands work together.

No idea on the wall plates, but I have googled them for mysef before and never got around to buying. I use the brush strips instead.

knx

Hi,
Firstly that Yamaha reciever you have linked to is not what your looking for.

To answer you question on controlling your sky box, if you install a multiroom system the keypads in each of the zones will have IR recivers on them and the controller amplifier in node 0 will have IR blasters which you fix to the front of your equipment in order to control it.
So you would point your sky remote at the kepad to change channels etc.

In photo number 1 there is 4 speaker wires in one box and 3 co-ax in another. Is this correct. Where exactly is this outlet?

In photo 2 and 3 I think I'm lookin at blue and grey cat5 or 6, speaker wires and co-axs coming back to node 0. If this is the case I would suggest that one colour cat 5 has been used for network (broadband) points throughout the house and the others are goin to your TV locations for video dist. There are quiet a few co-axs so I would also imagine that these run to your tv points and and the cables from the attic also run back here. You said earlier there were 2 black cables and 2 grey in the attic I think. So these would be 2 co-ax and 2 cat 5 or 6. Have you got cat5 or 6 at your tv locations?

If this is all as I think then you are wired up for something like a russound or nuvo type multiroom system. So this brings me back to my original suggestion that for now you install an audio system and when you can afford it install a video matrix. You could install a multiroom system with audio and standard def video like the on you linked to in an earlier post but I would suggest you spend the money now on a decent audio only system and use RF distribution for your video. Your skybox already has RF outputs and you could buy an inexpensive modulator to distribute your dvd player.

With regard to the wall plates you have pictured, personally I dont see the point of a wall plate at node 0 as all your speaker cables have to be run to your amplifier anyway and I think a much tidier install is possible without the plate. It is un-necessary expense and really just a gimmick in my eyes. A rack for your equipment, positioned in front of where the cables come through the wall would be a much better use of a tight budget.

Having said all that, I agree with nereid that you do need at the very least a home consultation with someone in the know. Even if you sourced all the equipment yourself from ebay or what ever you need do someone to come have a look and offer some guidance.

torrestorres

Fantastic post KNX thanks very much, you answered everthing good and clearly much appreciated .

I think you and nereid are spot on that i really am going to need to perfessional advice when it comes to installation stage/recommended setup.

I think for the moment i'm gonna just concentrate on getting ceiling speakers for the whole house. get them installed and take it from there.

I'll up date with pic's as im progressing along

What is a good recommended ceiling speaker thats reasonably priced and good product max €150 per pair, or is that to tight??

these any good LINK

knx

Those speakers you have linked to are 100 volt line speakers and not what your after. I will PM you some suggestions and prices later. I would often suggest exactly what your gonna do. Get your speakers in place first and at least you don't have holes in your ceilings or have to ruin a ceiling later to find the cables. I've lost count of the amount of times the AV budget has suffered due to the little lady going out and spending €20k on floor tiles.Once the speakers are in any old hifi amp will get you some sound going in one room at least.

torrestorres

knx wrote: »

Those speakers you have linked to are 100 volt line speakers and not what your after. I will PM you some suggestions and prices later. I would often suggest exactly what your gonna do. Get your speakers in place first and at least you don't have holes in your ceilings or have to ruin a ceiling later to find the cables. I've lost count of the amount of times the AV budget has suffered due to the little lady going out and spending €20k on floor tiles.Once the speakers are in any old hifi amp will get you some sound going in one room at least.

Oh so what volt Speaker are what i need, i think getting the Speakers and wall fittings in place is best for the moment as i can't afford a good AV amp/receiver at the moment anyway. I've no holes in the ceilings anyway the cables were pushed back up into the ceilings/walls etc and filled in but you can still tell where they were pushed up.

Yeah if you could pm me some suggestions it would be great

Another thing thats confusing me is all the different systems on offer.
Whats a AV Receiver
Whats a AV Amp
Whats a AV Pre-Amp
Whats a Multiroom Controller

Do i need all this stuff?? can i just get a 2 in 1 AV receiver/amplifier for 6 to 8 zones, something that will do both jobs??

Idleater

torrestorres wrote: »

Another thing thats confusing me is all the different systems on offer.
Whats a AV Receiver
Whats a AV Amp
Whats a AV Pre-Amp
Whats a Multiroom Controller

Do i need all this stuff?? can i just get a 2 in 1 AV receiver/amplifier for 6 to 8 zones, something that will do both jobs??

Re ceiling speakers, I have installed B&W CCM's in my house. Probably over your budget, but ceiling speakers are generally poor for audio, and tending more towards audiophile my budget was larger.

As for your equipment list, Wikipedia explains each one better than I can. You really should google some of these terms to get some idea of what they are, your questions are so generic that any answer is more of a hindrance to you than a help!

AV Receiver (AVR): Collates, processes and switches between Audio Visual sources
AV Amp: same as AVR.
AV PreAmp: Also knows as a AVP or Processor is an AVR without the amp bits - ie only AV processing and switching.
MultiRoom Controller: An AVR/AVP that is designed to handle distribution to similar equipment for example Sonos. Most AVR/AVP handle from 2 to 4 zones.


You also need to google Power Amplifiers in conjunction with AVP's and Distribution Amplifiers in conjunction with AVP's and MRC's.

torrestorres

nereid wrote: »

Re ceiling speakers, I have installed B&W CCM's in my house. Probably over your budget, but ceiling speakers are generally poor for audio, and tending more towards audiophile my budget was larger.

As for your equipment list, Wikipedia explains each one better than I can. You really should google some of these terms to get some idea of what they are, your questions are so generic that any answer is more of a hindrance to you than a help!

AV Receiver (AVR): Collates, processes and switches between Audio Visual sources
AV Amp: same as AVR.
AV PreAmp: Also knows as a AVP or Processor is an AVR without the amp bits - ie only AV processing and switching.
MultiRoom Controller: An AVR/AVP that is designed to handle distribution to similar equipment for example Sonos. Most AVR/AVP handle from 2 to 4 zones.


You also need to google Power Amplifiers in conjunction with AVP's and Distribution Amplifiers in conjunction with AVP's and MRC's.

Ha see this is what i mean, i don't understand any of that, i had googled and wiki'd before i posted but i was all double dutch to me.

I was hoping someone could explain it in idiot proof terms

so what your saying is an AV amp is the same as a AV receiver?? do i need all the other equipment?

So a good 8 zone AV receiver will do the job for me then ? act as an amp aswell?

The Ritz

torrestorres wrote: »

Ha see this is what i mean, i don't understand any of that, i had googled and wiki'd before i posted but i was all double dutch to me.

I was hoping someone could explain it in idiot proof terms

so what your saying is an AV amp is the same as a AV receiver?? do i need all the other equipment?

So a good 8 zone AV receiver will do the job for me then ? act as an amp aswell?

torrestorrres,

Based on your responses and repeated questions here, I would like to very strongly endorse the advice you have already received - i.e.

Having said all that, I agree with nereid that you do need at the very least a home consultation with someone in the know. Even if you sourced all the equipment yourself from ebay or what ever you need do someone to come have a look and offer some guidance.

I genuinely don't believe that it is possible to guide you through the process of doing what you want to do, you need a professional to help you sort this one out.

Cheers,

Ritz.

knx

nereid wrote: »

Re ceiling speakers, I have installed B&W CCM's in my house.

I have to say these are seriously good speakers. Have installed them and replaced others with them and have heard first hand the difference. And what a difference..Saucy saucy though..

Now look fellows I don't wanna step on any toes here but with the greatest respect I feel torres is being led on a bit of a wild goose chase.

Torres

An AVR, no matter how many zones, is not what you want for what you want to achieve here. Ultimately your looking for a multizone audio and video system. The type of thing you need to be looking at as a base system is this or this. Then you can add something like this or this .I'm not saying you have to buy any of these systems but this type of system. In order to successfully integrate multizone av systems you need things like rs232, ir passthrough and a controller/amplifier into which you can program macros (another one for google) to make it all work together.

Now having read and responded to this thread I realise all I have just said is probably going to sound like double dutch. But this is why you do need some professional help with all of this.

torrestorres

The Ritz wrote: »

torrestorrres,

Based on your responses and repeated questions here, I would likt to very strongly endorse the advice you have already received - i.e.

I genuinely don't believe that it is possible to guide you through the process of doing what you want to do, you need a professional to help you sort this one out.

Cheers,

Ritz.

sorry if ive got on people nerves deffo not intended, its just im new to this and don't wanna shell out money on the wrong products.

All wanted to know was for 6-8 zone multiroom audio/Video/broadband etc im going to need A,B,C,D etc and where in ireland the could be got at good prices.

knx wrote: »

I have to say these are seriously good speakers. Have installed them and replaced others with them and have heard first hand the difference. And what a difference..Saucy saucy though..

Now look fellows I don't wanna step on any toes here but with the greatest respect I feel torres is being led on a bit of a wild goose chase.

Torres

An AVR, no matter how many zones, is not what you want for what you want to achieve here. Ultimately your looking for a multizone audio and video system. The type of thing you need to be looking at as a base system is this or this. Then you can add something like this or this .I'm not saying you have to buy any of these systems but this type of system. In order to successfully integrate multizone av systems you need things like rs232, ir passthrough and a controller/amplifier into which you can program macros (another one for google) to make it all work together.

Now having read and responded to this thread I realise all I have just said is probably going to sound like double dutch. But this is why you do need some professional help with all of this.

Thank for the post knx very helpful, what do you think of this one, in your experience would you chance this one??

http://cgi.ebay.com/Complete-NUVO-Original-CONCERTO-NV-18DMS-System-/110544786091?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item19bcfb92ab

Complete Concerto NV-18DMS package; includes;
1 x NV-18DMS 6 source, 8 Zone amplifier.
6 x NV-18DDSP Display pads, with white, ivory and almond inserts.
6 x NV-VEC IR Emitters
1 NV-18EZP EZ Port connection hub
1 x Network Cable.

would this be everything i need for the moment less the speakers.

Also what about this one?
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Russound-CA4-KT1-Multiroom-Audio-Kit-MSRP-1100-/200431726001?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eaaa96db1