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New member Username: Dcs194Post Number: 1 Registered: Jan-09 | I recently placed 6 speakers in my ceiling. I have a Sony Surround sound amp which I used in my old house. The amp has the ability to handle 6 speakers. I have attempted to play all 6 speakers at the same time, but no matter what setting, they still play in "surround sound" mode, unless I put the option to 2 -way and I can get the front two speakers to play. The amp does not have a 6 way option so I decided I would try this... I purchased a speaker switch from radio Shack and hooked all 6 speakers to the speaker switch and just connecting wires to the amp. I kept my amp on the 2 way channel option but now I am getting no sound....any thoughts? Trying to avoid buying a new amp... plus the speakers in the ceiling are very cheap and just want them to play background music....thanks in advance! |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 13276 Registered: May-04 | . You'll have to find out whether the Sony likes paying each pair of speakers separately. First disconnect all the speakers from the switch box. Using a small 1.5 volt battery, test each pair of speakers for proper operation by touching the "+" and "-" legs of the speaker cables to the "+" and "-" terminals of the battery. You should hear a small click when you make the connection to the battery. If you don't hear this click, then there's a chance you have a wiring problem with the speakers. You'll have to sort out the wiring before the amplifier is connected to the speakers. If you hear a click from each individual speaker, then you can proceed with the system check. Turn the amplifier off and connect each pair of sepakers to the amplifier one set at a time before you power the amp back up. If the amp is happy with one pair, disconnect that pair and move to the next pair turning the amp off whenever you make or break a connection. If it will play all three pairs of speakers one set at a time, then it should play all three pair together. Be certain you are connecting each set of speakers in phase with "+" to "+" and "-" to "-". Carefully reconnect the three speaker sets to the switch box and try again switching in one set of speakers at a time while you switch off the previous pair. If the amplifier plays each pair of speakers individually through the switch box, then it should play all three sets at once. Observe any protection switches the speaker selector provides as a Sony surround amplifier won't last long driving three pairs of speakers even at low volumes without some sort of "protection" being added for the amplifier's safety. You've not mentioned any volume controls in this system so I assume there are none. . |
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New member Username: Dcs194Post Number: 2 Registered: Jan-09 | Thanks, Jan, for the checks. The speakers passed your first test. Last night I did not use the speaker switch. There is no mode on my Sony amp to play all 6 speakers at full strength to listen to the radio throughout the house? Seems crazy to me...I'll get the model of the amp later and try to post it. All 6 speakers work properly via the amp.I put a movie in last evening and the speakers worked in "surround sound" mode , when I turned the amp over to listen to the radio, the speakers were still in "surround sound" mode. The only option is to go to the 2 way channell option, but only two speakers play at full strength. The speaker switch from radio shack has no volume controls. The switch only has buttons to decide which speaker set to play. Here is the speaker switch I purchased: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062682 (although mine is only for 3 sets of speakers) |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 13277 Registered: May-04 | . The model number of your amp doesn't matter. From what you say you are using an AV receiver with surround capabilities. "All 6 speakers work properly via the amp." I don't understand this. Either the speakers work or they don't. What are you saying? To get the speakers to play "in surround mode" you would have to have the speakers connected to the "surround" speaker channels. If that's your connection and you switch to two channel operation, the speakers that aren't connected to the two front channel outputs won't work. If you don't have the switch box connected only to your two front channels, then you need to make that connection and forget the surround channels. When you want those six speakers connected, you'll have to listen in two channel mode which means you'll have to switch the receiver to "stereo" operation otherwise it wants to remain in surround mode. All I see on that switch box are switches to plug in speakers, there is no protection device visible. That isn't a brilliant solution to the problem. The switches are probably adding each set in parallel with the others and that will drop the total impedance load down to almost 0. No amplifier will operate into a non-existent load and, if it does work into a very low impedance load at medium volume, the amp will probably shut down for its own safety. I'm not trying to offend you but you are dealing with cheap cr@p in both the receiver and the switch and trying to force it to do something it wasn't designed to do. Try the connection I suggested above and if that works at all at low volume, get rid of the RS junk and go buy a decent switch box that has some sort of protection switch on it. Otherwise you risk blowing up your amplifier. Talk to someone in your area who sells home theater or home automation products. A good brand to start with is Russound. . |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfRaccoon City, MI USA Post Number: 12251 Registered: Dec-03 | are you running all 6 speakers from one pair of outputs on the amp? are all of the speakers 8 ohm loads? are they wired in parallel if they are all connected? If so, that's three 8-ohm speakers on each channel in parallel resulting in a 2.7 ohm load on an amp that's probably not even designed to handle a 4 ohm load. This could be your problem? |