Probably a dumb question: 6.1 speaker setup on a 7.1 receiver?

[francisA]

Hi All,

Just finishing up my family room, smallish, roughly 12x14, so viewing distance can be between 10-12ft. When we did the rough in, we just wired 2 surround and 1 back speaker. I don't know why I did that but one reason I have is due to the layout of the entry into the room, only 1 back speaker can be placed on the back wall. That aside ...........

I'm thinking of getting the Onkyo HT-S6100 for simplicity and features that come with it. And it's within my price range. I've had a 5.1 Onkyo before which lasted 7yrs before it just did. It powered Infinity Minuettes then. And that's why I still want to go Onkyo.

Anyways, the HT-S6100 is a 7.1 system. Will it be ok to just wire one of the back speakers without any issues?

I still have the Infinity Minuette MPS but I don't think it can handle the output of the HT-667 as it's only rated up to 80W rms whereas the 667 can output 130w rms I believe.

Thanks in advance.
Francis

 

[PurdueRy]

As for your first question, yes you can wire only one back speaker and be just fine. You will tell the receiver which speakers are actually connected in the setup process.

In regards to the speaker power question, there is no issue with connecting a speaker rated to a lower power handling to a receiver with a higher power output. Simply because the receiver CAN output more power than the speaker can handle does not mean you'll ever get to that point. In fact, it would pretty darn painful getting up to those output power ratings to your ears.

 

[s44]

Output is nowhere near 130W -- that's the ridiculous 1khz/.9% distortion measurement. The HT667 is a slightly lesser SR606, which gets a more realistic 90W rating from Onkyo (and is really probably more like 75-80W with 5 channels driven). The extra watts won't damage the speakers -- and in fact, unless there's a REAL mismatch (250W on a 80W set), it's not that easy to overpower them.

Given that you already have speakers, why not just buy an Onkyo receiver instead? You can get a refurb 606 for $320+shipping. Spend the rest on a better subwoofer.

(on the other hand, the Minuettes only go down to 200hz, which makes matching with a single good sub somewhat tricky)

 

[francisA]

Wow! Thanks both for the quick response and sharing your insight. Extremely helpful, +reps to both of ya.

That's one of the main purposes of my post. The HT-S6100 comes with speakers and sub but since my Minuettes have 4 satellites, 1 center and 1 sub, I can save $$$ as you said and just buy the receiver. The Infinity sub works well to date. I got it connected to an audio-out of my 42" Pana and it sure still sounds good. Using my Infinity's for the meantime, I can save up for better speakers, Polks come to mind

And since I haven't had 5.1 for quite a while now, after my previous Onkyo gave up the ghost (RIP ), I'm sure the missing back speaker won't matter to me at all.

I think I'm going for a receiver for now but have to check the Minuettes if they indeed still work.

Thanks again

 

[s44]

Actually, you should put the savings towards blu-ray, if you don't have one.

 

[francisA]

You are so correct s44. I don't have a BD player yet Good catch.

 

[s44]

Well, if you don't have a player yet, you should also consider a cheaper receiver that doesn't decode the new audio formats but accepts them pre-decoded from the player as PCM over HDMI. (Because all new players decode everything, this shouldn't make much practical difference for you.)

refurb Onkyo 576 ($250+shipping); refurb Marantz 4002 ($300 free shipping)

 

[francisA]

Man, am I full of dumb questions today {guess that's what happens when you don't get to sleep finishing up the family room so it's ready for the electrician to hook the power up )

So I'm totally convinced to just get the receiver and now just deciding which one. Got DirecTV, DVD and soon BD player to hookup, plus Wii and my HD camcorder.

That's not the dumb question yet So I've had these Minuettes for a gazillion years now and not sure what their state really is. With the fear of hooking 'em up to a brand spanking new receiver and frying it, what would you suggest as a test to ensure the speaker is not shorted or anything and still works without running a signal through them? Will the multimeter (ohm/impedance) test give me some peace of mind?

576/606/4002 ---------- I'd be dreaming about those for the next few days

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: francisA
Man, am I full of dumb questions today {guess that's what happens when you don't get to sleep finishing up the family room so it's ready for the electrician to hook the power up )

So I'm totally convinced to just get the receiver and now just deciding which one. Got DirecTV, DVD and soon BD player to hookup, plus Wii and my HD camcorder.

That's not the dumb question yet So I've had these Minuettes for a gazillion years now and not sure what their state really is. With the fear of hooking 'em up to a brand spanking new receiver and frying it, what would you suggest as a test to ensure the speaker is not shorted or anything and still works without running a signal through them? Will the multimeter (ohm/impedance) test give me some peace of mind?

576/606/4002 ---------- I'd be dreaming about those for the next few days

Most receivers will go into protect mode if there is a short situation or its pulling too much current. I don't know what equipment you have but you can map out the impedance curve by using a known voltage source, a resistor and a multimeter to sense current. This is going a little above and beyond what I think is necessary though. Just measure the speakers at DC. They'll probably read along the lines of 6 ohms if the speakers are 8 ohm models. This won't check the high frequency range like the first method would.

I wouldn't worry too much, as I said, the receiver should protect itself if the speakers were bad.

 

[francisA]

Thanks PurdueRy. That's the last piece I'm worried about. The info you and s44 have provided have been very helpful.