A question of the Monoprice Multi-zone 6 and CQC integration

[ghurty]

Before going out and buying it, I just want to confirm what the Monoprice Multi-zone 6 driver can do.
The only Audio driver I have played around with so far on CQC was the simulator. Would the monoprice one be able to do all of that?
For example, would I be able to set up different audio sources (Radio, CD player, Data repository on a NAS) and the be able to select using CQC what gets played on which zone?

I know the monoprice device itself can do it, but would all that be able to be controlled from CQC?

Thank you

[Dean Roddey]

All the MP unit can do is switch inputs to outputs and control the volume and mute of each one. The driver can control that stuff and it's V2 compliant. It implements Audio, Matrix Switcher and Power device classes, one instance for each zone. So you can power zones off/on, control their mute state and volume, and you can switch each one to a particular input.

[ghurty]

So it's very limited. I was hoping on having it act as a Concerto. I'm assuming it would be possible to have a dedicated 6 audio outs hooked up via seperate drivers on the CQC and use instead a media browser to output different audio to the different zones using that instead. Rather then using the monoprice device to change the audio source.

[Dean Roddey]

I dunno, I think you may be overthinking it. You can hook up any sources you want to the inputs of the MP unit. Any of the outputs can be switched to pass any of the inputs. As long as you have CQC control over the sources in one way or another, then you have control over what the sources are doing. That seems to me to meet your requirements mentioned above, right?

[ghurty]

Yes, I guess that would do it the best. Can you suggest a device that can output to the Monoprice that can browse a NAS for the music library (preferably with multiple outputs so multiple zones can listen to different items)?

Thanks

[jkmonroe]

multiple Sonos Connects? maybe squeezeboxes on Pi if you like to tinker. multiple output sound card (check out audioscience) or multiple USB sound cards.

how likely is it you'll run more than 2 audio sources simultaneously? id give a long hard look at Sonos. you can probably source them on eBay cheap enough.

so maybe 2 Sonos:Connects, throw in the sound card from your master server for a random third listening zone but also TTS, a normal radio (yes, seriously), and 2 extras to do whatever with.

[Dean Roddey]

You could use our headless player, in combination with some music repository that we support, using the appropriate management tool for that repository. Use a multi-output audio card and install one instance of our player for each. You get very fast response to commands because the driver is the player.

As mentioned, set up one of the outputs for TTS as well and point our Speech II driver at that one. You can share it with an audio player instance if you want to, just have the logic to mute the player when you want to do speech.

[ghurty]

I did pickup a long time ago the Delta 1010LT, I can probably try to use that.

Thanks

[zra]

ghurty,

I have the monoprice mz6. It works very well. In fact, I have 2 now.

There are 6 25 watt per channel outputs or if you do what I did you can use use two mz6's and effectively quadruple that power 100 watts per channel.

As was mentioned above, you just need a player that can be controlled with CQC and then output that to one of the MZ6 inputs(both stereo and digital spdif- though only one spdif). I have one sonos connect and one logitech touch connected for music. I also have a radio scanner and an AM/FM radio.