Our house has eight rooms with ceiling stereo speakers installed (PyleDriver 8", probably 20 years old). Each room has a volume control. Original installation has all 16 channels coming down to two RCA sockets (left and right). The rooms' wires come together in inaccessible areas. One group has four rooms coming together before running to the RCA jack, another group has three rooms merged, and then a single room (each room having L & R stereo). So I have six wires disappearing into the wall at the Jack. I have just gotten a Niles SI-1230, 12 channel amp rated @ 30 watts per channel RMS into 8 ohms and 37 watts RMS into 4 ohms. I know that I cannot power all eight rooms together, but can I power the four room group safely with this amp? Three rooms? This Niles amp can bridge output channels for up to 80 watts. Is this called for? There are conditions and cautions involved in bridging. i.e. Do not bridge with speaker load of less than 8 ohms. I do not know the ohm rating or wattage of these speakers. I have not heard back from Pyle Audio. Can I use this amp safely to power this house audio system with the above conditions? Thank you for your attention.
"Original installation has all 16 channels coming down to two RCA sockets (left and right)."
I don't understand this. Are these high level lines running out to the speakers or are these lines running to the line level input of the amplifier? In other words, are these inputs or outputs?
Your problem is one of how the speakers are connected together (in this inaccessible space). If they are simply parlleled together, you have problems. If they are series/parallel connected, you have more options. Do you have any idea how the speakers cables are joined together? How are the volume controls wired if the speakers are bundled together?
"One group has four rooms coming together before running to the RCA jack, another group has three rooms merged, and then a single room (each room having L & R stereo)."
A single RCA connection cannot provide stereo. It can be left or it can be right but it can't be both.
"So I have six wires disappearing into the wall at the Jack."
Sorry, I can't visualize what happens here.
"I have just gotten a Niles SI-1230, 12 channel amp ... "
Why did you buy 12 channels if you only have two jacks?
"I know that I cannot power all eight rooms together, but can I power the four room group safely with this amp? Three rooms?"
Not until you can find out how the speakers are tied together. If you try running all the speakers in one group off one channel, you will very likely have poor if not disastrous results.
If you put an ohmmeter across the speaker connections, what do you get? If you turn off the volume in each room, what do you get? If you open the volume controls in each room, what is the brand and type of volume control?
Gentlemen, I'm not well versed in audiophilia, so please bear with me. These are input lines, running out to the speakers. The original wall plug has just two RCA sockets, left and right. On the right channel socket there are three wires attached, and fortunately labeled. One wires' label lists four rooms, another wire lists three rooms, and the third wire comes up from the basement, so it serves just one room. The left channel socket wires have the same labels and set up. By looking at the volume controls' wiring, I am deducing that that they are wired in series. I have never hooked an amp up to this before. My wife bought this (expensive) amp for me as a gift, thinking it would automatically work. (She understands even less than I do) The individual room volume controls seem to be branded: Volet, model L-80. Again, all this is twenty years old. Each room has its own volume control, with left and right channel wires running through it. Each Input terminal has two wires attached (on the multi-room circuits) leading me to believe the series wiring theory. I will get an Ohmmeter and read across a speaker's terminals. If indeed, they are wired in series, am I safe to hook up this amp for a least a test? Jan's comment about disastrous results has me completely spooked. I would take the wires off the two RCA jacks and connect them directly to the amp, each wire getting its own 30 watt channel. One channel would be driving four speakers, one three, and one one. And I do have the bridging option. I deeply appreciate the time and effort you have already expended on me. I travel with the NASCAR circuit. If you are near a Cup event, I will certainly buy you a drink (no, I can't get tickets). Jhay
JH - I'm sorry, your description just doesn't allow enough that I can advise you about how your current system operates. You've been very complete but this is something I would have to see before I proceeded to give advice.
I would say you have two options. One is to trace all the speaker wires down and run them as individual pairs back to the 12 channel amplifier. You can parallel or series connect two pairs of speakers in any one room to provide enough output channels for the amount of speakers you have. If you feel unable to do this tracing, the other solution would be the next best option. Hire someone to come out and do a visual inspection of the system. There are probably several shops in your location that do home theater installations and any of those shops should either be able to do the work or send you to someone who can.
I'm sorry but any information I provide will not be based on an accurate understanding of your system. In this case, it's better, IMO, to get things sorted out before making any connections that could possibly damage your new amplifier.