Paradigm ceiling speakers for music - need amp/receiver


I have 4 Paradigm  Pro P80-R ceiling speakers each separately wired to an amp location in my new office after a huge home addition. I also have 1 Rythmic A370PEQ3 subwoofer and am considering getting another. My office is 30' x 15' with cathedral ceiling reaching 10' 4" at it's peak.  Speakers need at least 80 W continuous with 92 dB sensitivity. I now need an amp/integrated amp or separates. I'm looking for warm, rich sound at low or high listening levels, with clear vocals. Do not care for "bright" sound since it's fatiguing to me, but don't want muddy bass either. This system is primarily for music, with inputs from my desktop computer, Kindle, iPhone and HD steaming music service. I may hook the audio from my TV up to this system, but am not interested in surround sound. From what I read, I need significant headroom over the 80 watt continuous for each of the 4 channels to get that rich, full sound at low listening levels.  After informing Grok of the above, I got the following suggestions:100-150W/ch (2ch driven); Prioritized Class A/B amps for warmth and low-volume finesse over efficient (but sometimes leaner) class D; HDMI ARC/eARC for TV, multiple digital/analog inputs, Bluetooth/Wi-Fi streaming; Dual pre-outs (or mono summed) for 1-2 Rythmiks; no high-pass needed as your mains handle mids well. Use speaker wire runs to treat the 4 speakers as 2 stereo pairs (e.g., front/rear zones) or a wide stereo array.  There is no place to look/hear equipment anywhere close - live on a farm in Iowa. Does anyone want to comment on the suggestions Grok gave me or give me your own recommendations along with specifics?  New/used makes no difference to me. Thank-You.

doggydaisy

Are those 4 ceiling speakers all the speakers you'll have in that room, or are they part of a larger system?

 

Who is going to be the person installing the speakers in the ceiling? If it was me doing a project like that, I would just have a home automation technician installer do the work. Buy whatever amplifier he is pushing and be done with it. 

I would use a Parasound new classic 2125 amp to run all four with the A&B speaker outputs and on the 4ohm output with whatever streaming equipment you like. I use Bluesound nodes. I have this setup in the house and for my outdoor speakers as well. sounds incredible. The Parasound, being class A/B will give the depth and warmth your looking for and the sub if you choose, will be a cherry on top. 

@doggydaisy 

There are inherent challenges in achieving good sound quality with just ceiling speakers. The Parasound amp is a good suggestion, still you may find yourself wanting front left and right speakers to achieve good soundstage and proper imaging.

In any event, you will need DSP and lots of it. Between that and the variety of inputs you are envisioning, you might be best served by an AV processor controlling discrete amps such as the Parasound, giving you options to upgrade sound quality in the future. 

As @gkelly noted, this is pro work and you may want to consider hiring it out. 

 

I wouldn’t overthink or overspend on this — we’re talking relatively inexpensive in-ceiling speakers fed by a computer, and I don’t care what Grok says these speakers are 92.5dB and listed at 8 Ohms so they’re an easy load and don’t require much power.  The Marantz Model 60n or 40n should be all you need including streaming and an HDMI ARC input for the TV, and the Marantz house sound leans warm so should work from that perspective as well.  They’re available refurbished at very good prices from this reputable seller, and that’s what I’d do.  Hope this helps, and best of luck. 

https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/category/integratedamp/home-audio/receivers-amps/integrated-amps/1.html

 

Completely agree with what Soix says about his comment on it being an easy thing to do. Only difference is that I would think a home theater receiver is the way to go. It gives you hdmi, 2 sub output. Plus, it gives the op the option for a surround sound if they choose to go that route. Have purchased from them before. 
https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/category/avreceiver/home-audio/receivers-amps/home-theater-receivers/1.html
 

When making the connections to the amp, wire them up joining the speakers that are diagonal from one another as the Left and Right pairs.  

The Parasound amp would be fine.  Another great all-in-one option would be this:

Cambridge Audio CXA81 MKII Integrated Amplifier – Skylabs  

Give them a call and I'm sure they can help you.

@parkergetdean Pops always said it’s you get to go to work, be grateful you can. He also said when the work is done crank up the Panasonic. 

I have been doing the in-home custom installation gig for the last 20 years of my 50 year audio career.  IMO, you don’t need that much power to achieve the sonic results you desire.
First, used extra thick blueboard or double laminate it for rigidity where you mount the speakers. Running the 2 pairs in parallel will draw double the current from your amp, but ceiling speakers are only secured by 4 plastic “dogs” that sandwich the frame to the ceiling, so their high amplitude sound integrity is at best a compromise compared to free-standing box speakers. 
My amp recommendation is a Yamaha R-N1000.  Its YPAO room correction processor will give you a baseline calibration and YPAO Volume will provide a proper loudness compensation for low volume listening. The MusicCast app allows playback from Airplay, a NAS, and several popular streaming services.  If you really want more power, it has preamp out, so an outboard amp can be appended…ideally one with input level trim. 

@dynacohum 

Can decent sound quality and imaging even be achieved by just 4 ceiling speakers and no ear-level, L/R speakers?

@devinplombier 

Architectural audio is entirely driven by interior designers and visually oriented consumers…not “audiophiles”. A less evolved version of this comment might mention gender.