1. Unless your Receiver comes with a secondary Remote Control for use in a Second or Third Zone, you will have to go to the receiver in your main room to switch sources to supply to the second or third zone. Check out a photo of the type of main and secondary remote controls supplied with some Home Theater Receivers. Photo (c) Robert Silva, Licensed to About.com.
2. Even if a secondary remote control is supplied for Second and/or Third zone use, you will still have to install remote control extenders in the Second or Third Zone rooms in order to use the remote in those rooms to control the source you want to access from the main receiver.
3. Whether you are using the Home Theater Receiver to power your Second and/or Third Zone speakers or using the Preamp outputs of the Receiver to supply an additional amplifier in the Second or Third zone, you still have to have either speaker wires, or audio/video cables, running from the main Receiver to the Second or Third Zone locations.
The Home Theater receiver is being called on to do more and more, from simple connection to audio and video sources, to accessing satellite and Internet radio, to connecting iPods, and to provide access to audio and video sources in more than one location. Also, although this article explains Multi-Zone capability with reference to Home Theater receivers, there is also a growing number of Two-Channel Stereo Receivers that also incorporate Multi-Zone capability, either using additional built-in two-channel amplifiers or preamp outputs, that allow a source to be accessed using an additional amplifier in another location.
For a closer look at Multi-zone setup options, check out:
Photo Diagrams From Yamaha RX-V861 User Manual - (c) Yamaha Eletronics Coporation, Used by Permission.
Final Take
For full details on how a specific Home Theater or Stereo Receiver implements its own Multi-Zone capabilities, you should consult the user manual for that Receiver. Most user manuals can be downloaded directly from the manufacturer's website.
Lastly, it is important to note that Home Theater or Stereo Receivers that have Multi-Zone capability are intended to be used when only a second and/or third location for music listening to video viewing is needed. If you desire to install an extensive whole-house audio or audio/video system, then you need to consult a professional home theater or multi-room system installer to assess your needs and provide specific equipment suggestions (such as audio or audio/video server(s), distribution amplifiers, wiring, etc...) that will accomplish your goal.
