Home theater question for y'all...

[Entity]

I've got some spare speakers (been looking to sell them, but that's a different story...) that I'm not using right now. I'm considering setting them up in my kitchen and wiring them from the living room. Problem is this - my receiver, a Pioneer VSX-D457, doesn't have any more available channels to send out music to (it's got Speaker A & B & Center Channel in Use, and I don't use the surround speakers for anything since I use it for music 2x as much as Home theater). So I'd like to split Speaker A off into two separate speakers; one going to the kitchen and one into the living room. Is this possible?

To clarify, I'd have my Bose 201's and 301's both on the speaker A channel, but not both on at the same time. Any sort of splitter I could get from radio shack that would allow this?

thanks,
Rob

 

[djk]

dont do it!!! home speakers are usually 8 ohms (resistance). if you split them up, then the resistance will go down to 4 ohms. This will draw more current from your receiver, and less control over your speaker load.. If you really want a multiroom setup, you should get a multichannel (6 channel) amplifier.. and a mixer board, with up to 6 pre-outs (which goes to the amplifer). For multichannel amplifiers, look here, http://www.audioreview.com . Im not saying you cant split up the wires now, but it would adversely affect the sound quality and the workload of your receiver. If you dont intend on turning it very loud, than do it, but I will assure you the sound quality will not be as good as it is designed to be.

good luck on your journey

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Linkified

Great post, djk.

 

[djk]

I have no idea what I just said.. But it sounds pretty good doesnt it.





















j/k

 

[Ornery]

This isn't that difficult. Just add a speaker selector to channel A.

 

[Entity]

Ornery,

That's exactly what I was looking for. Now will this diminish the sound, if the speakers aren't both on at the same time?

Rob

 

[Ornery]

Not one little bit. The only thing I'm wondering is if it actually keeps the load at 8 ohms when it has all four running. Guess you could find that out at Radio Shack before you actually buy it. Or take it home, hook up the speakers and connect a VOM to the line input. Switch from one set to the other and then both. Ideally, it will stay at 8 ohms. It may drop to 4 ohms, so see if the reciever will be OK with that. I couldn't find any info about it on their site or the catalog.

PIONEER VSX-D457 A/V RECEIVER

 

[LED]

Most of the inexpensive Receivers nowadays play it safe and series the speakers (making 2pr of 8ohms into 16ohms when playing both the A&B together.

 

[djk]

you mean, 4 ohms, 8 and 8 ohms dont make 16, it makes 4.

 

[Ornery]

Two 8 ohm speakers in series is 16 ohms. Like I said, check it out at Radio Shack before you take the switch home. They have a VOM and speakers there to check it with. And if the reciever can handle 4 ohms, it doesn't matter anyway.

 

[Entity]

Ok - I picked up a speaker selector, and it sounds great when just A or just B is on, and the sound is only slightly diminished when using A+B (that should run at 16ohms, right?). Is there any risk involved in running A+B at the same time? I have it wired so one set of bookshelf speakers is in the kitchen and another here in the the living room. They're both rated "4-8 ohms" Bose 201/301.

thanks guys..
Rob