You can make it work, we have faith. We've used Spaun exclusively for years, and never had a bad piece. But even Spaun will tell you the 16-way integrated switches are only the way to go if the runs to the receivers are all relatively short. Normally they recommend the standalone amp/power supply and the cascadable switches, which costs much more. But it works.

And whether Gerald was really messing with you or not, he's right. With 12 receivers, she HAS to spring for the right distribution gear. Experimenting with cheaper solutions, especially with satellite, will cost you more in troubleshooting labor in the end.