I’m looking for a simple single zone audio amplifier for use with openHAB. I have a couple of Onkyo amps in other parts of the house that work extremely well and support three zones each. However, for this application I just need to support a single zone and space is limited so a great big Onkyo amp wouldn’t be practical. I don’t need a lot of functionality, power on/off (low standby power would be good), a single zone and two of three audio inputs. Any suggestions?
I use a class d 3116 stereo amp… it’s not much bigger than a credit card, very powerful… 2 x 50w and just requires a laptop power supply. I can let you know my recommendation is it interested.
You can then use any iot relay to switch it on or off. I use esp8266 and relay and send it Mqtt msgs from openhab
The amp costs 15 dollars or 10gbp… the power supply is the same again and the iot relay is the same again
Stu
Sorry for highjacking, but which Onkyos are you using and what’s your “zone” approach?
Thanks for the advice, I’ve ordered one from China for £23. Cheap as chips!
I use an TX-NR818 and a RZ-900 with a chromecast audio and one or more DACs. I use a mini toslink cable from the chromecast to the DAC because I wasn’t overly impressed by the audio quality from the chromecasts. In the sitemap I have a list of internet radio stations that I listen to set up as a source, this triggers a rule that uses makes the relevant chromecast play a radio station URL:
rule AVGroundFloor_Radio_Station_Rule
when
Item AVGroundFloor_RadioStation received command
then
logDebug("AVGroundFloor_RadioStation", "AVGroundfloor radio station was set to ")
if (AVGroundFloor_RadioStation.state == "0") {
CCAGroundFloor_PlayURI.sendCommand( "http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_oneX.m3u8" )
CCAGroundFloor.sendCommand(STOP)
}
if (AVGroundFloor_RadioStation.state == "1") {
CCAGroundFloor_PlayURI.sendCommand( "http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_one.m3u8" )
CCAGroundFloor.sendCommand(PLAY)
}
if (AVGroundFloor_RadioStation.state == "2") {
CCAGroundFloor_PlayURI.sendCommand( "http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_two.m3u8" )
CCAGroundFloor.sendCommand(PLAY)
}
if (AVGroundFloor_RadioStation.state == "3") {
CCAGroundFloor_PlayURI.sendCommand( "http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_three.m3u8" )
CCAGroundFloor.sendCommand(PLAY)
}
if (AVGroundFloor_RadioStation.state == "4") {
CCAGroundFloor_PlayURI.sendCommand( "http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_fourfm.m3u8" )
CCAGroundFloor.sendCommand(PLAY)
}
if (AVGroundFloor_RadioStation.state == "5") {
CCAGroundFloor_PlayURI.sendCommand( "http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_five_live.m3u8" )
CCAGroundFloor.sendCommand(PLAY)
}
if (AVGroundFloor_RadioStation.state == "6") {
CCAGroundFloor_PlayURI.sendCommand( "http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_6music.m3u8" )
CCAGroundFloor.sendCommand(PLAY)
}
if (AVGroundFloor_RadioStation.state == "7") {
CCAGroundFloor_PlayURI.sendCommand( "http://ice1.somafm.com/secretagent-128-mp3" )
CCAGroundFloor.sendCommand(PLAY)
}
if (AVGroundFloor_RadioStation.state == "8") {
CCAGroundFloor_PlayURI.sendCommand( "http://ice1.somafm.com/groovesalad-256-mp3" )
CCAGroundFloor.sendCommand(PLAY)
}
if (AVGroundFloor_RadioStation.state == "9") {
CCAGroundFloor_PlayURI.sendCommand( "http://ice1.somafm.com/spacestation-128-mp3" )
CCAGroundFloor.sendCommand(PLAY)
}
if (AVGroundFloor_RadioStation.state == "10") {
CCAGroundFloor_PlayURI.sendCommand( "http://ice1.somafm.com/beatblender-128-mp3" )
CCAGroundFloor.sendCommand(PLAY)
}
if (AVGroundFloor_RadioStation.state == "11") {
CCAGroundFloor_PlayURI.sendCommand( "http://icy-e-bl-06-cr.sharp-stream.com:8000/key.mp3" )
CCAGroundFloor.sendCommand(PLAY)
}
if (AVGroundFloor_RadioStation.state == "12") {
CCAGroundFloor_PlayURI.sendCommand( "http://media-the.musicradio.com:80/CapitalManchesterMP3" )
CCAGroundFloor.sendCommand(PLAY)
}
end
In the above rule the value 0 is mapped to OFF in the sitemap.
2 Likes
Nice one @higgers. I also use an Onkyo TX-NR609 with Chromecast Audio for the ground floor and have a range of radio station URL presets that OH can push to the chromecast. Using the Onkyo’s built-in DAC seems to work well, however all 3 rooms have to be playing the same thing and there’s no separate volume control or ability to switch a room off.
I’m interested in separating out the zones, each with separate volume control ability to stream different things, now looking to leave the Onkyo for the living room and use other multi-channel amplifiers for the extra zones. The CCAudio looks like a good streaming solution based on its wide range of supported applications and relatively cheap price.
It’s hard to pick an amplifier solution that works here. An older AVR with separate channel inputs for fronts, surrounds, etc might work, however I’m leaning towards regular integrated amplifiers, like a multi-zone stereo amp. Volume control can be handled by the chromecast. Many DACs will be required for this solution for zones where quality matters (everywhere!) 
The problem with using Chromecast Audios now is that they’ve been discontinued. An alternative would be a chromecast TV with an HDMI splitter and optical DAC. It’s not exactly a cheap solution though: CCTV -> Splitter -> DAC -> Amp.
Yes, that’s a shame. Still, there are plenty of them available on eBay…