2 receiver question

Mike Allan New member Username: Mmaudio61 Post Number: 1 Registered: Dec-08	Posted on Friday, December 05, 2008 - 16:59 GMT Hello, I have been lurking on this forum and I just became a member, you guys have some great advice. Newbie question here. I have a old Marantz receiver model 2238b 38@8 ohms, 48 @ 4 ohms. I just picked up a pair of Bose 10.2 4 ohm speakers and I also have a pair of Omega 300 ( these are a generic DLK version made in the 70s) The Omegas are 8 ohms. I know I cannot power them both off the Marantz because of 8 ohms/4 ohms but, I do have a cheap Kenwood receiver that I would like to power the Omegas separately. I am only using this for music and the only component is a CD player. Can I just run a RCA splitter from the CD player to each receiver? Or does anyone have any suggestions. I do not want to buy another receiver.
Jan Vigne Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigne Dallas, TX Post Number: 13160 Registered: May-04	Posted on Friday, December 05, 2008 - 18:18 GMT . Do you intend to have all four speakers in the same room and playing at the same time? If not, the Marantz should have an "A-B" speaker switch. Play "A" when you want one pair of speakers and "B" when you want the other.
Mike Allan New member Username: Mmaudio61 Post Number: 2 Registered: Dec-08	Posted on Friday, December 05, 2008 - 21:19 GMT I want to use all 4 at the same time.
Nick K Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10 Post Number: 2132 Registered: Jun-07	Posted on Friday, December 05, 2008 - 21:37 GMT Mike- As long as the Marantz has A/B speaker switching and the signal is in Stereo the unit should be able to play the A/B speakers at the same time. Not always is this the case though. So perhaps double check to see if you can have speakers A and B turned on at the same time.
Nick K Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10 Post Number: 2133 Registered: Jun-07	Posted on Friday, December 05, 2008 - 21:39 GMT Also, if your Marantz does have A/B speaker switching, there should be no problem with hooking up an 8ohm speaker and a 4ohm speaker to it. That should be fine wouldn't it be Jan?
Jan Vigne Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigne Dallas, TX Post Number: 13161 Registered: May-04	Posted on Friday, December 05, 2008 - 22:37 GMT . It still comes down to the actual (not stated) impedance loads of any speaker at any frequency and how able is the amplifier when dealing with increased current demand as the load decreases. The 2238 was not a famous amplifier for Marantz and it appeared in the SuperScope management of the brand. It was a good but not great product. The only way to know whether this amplifier can handle both sets of speakers is to try it and keep an eye out for signs of distress. The Marantz switching should allow both speakers to play at the same time so the question is whether the Marantz will actually play both sets at the same time. Have as much air flow around the reciever as possible and switch in both speakers. Slowly raise the volume until you're at the highest level you would consider playing. If the receiver case begins to feel hot, turn down the volume and consider whether you want to keep both speakers connected to one receiver. Eight Ohm speakers can dip to four Ohms or less at some point and four Ohm speakers can stay above four Ohms for most of their range, it is their total combined current draw that matters. "Four Ohms" and "Eight Ohms" will not be an accurate way of judging what might happen. You can only try the combination without intentionally allowing damage to occur to the receiver. The highest current demand typically occurs in the bass region so music with more bass content or more percussive bass content will typically stress the amplifier more. The receiver might deal with some music more capably than others due to the variance of actual current demand. If you want to play both speakers from the Marantz as safely as possible, install an inline fuse holder in the "+" leg of each speaker cable at the back of the receiver. You can buy an insulated fuse holder and fuses at Radio Shack. Try an assortment of fast blow fuses ranging from about 1.5 amp to 3 amp (fast blow) and when the lower value blows before you reach the desired level, insert the next highest level. Keep doing this until the fuse doesn't blow at all when you play as loudly as you desire. Then drop back down to the last fuse that blew when you pushed the amplifier. This should give you a safety net and avoid most chances of damaging either the receiver or the speakers. If the Marantz completely fails to drive both sets of speakers satisfactorily, then you can use a "Y" splitter from the CD to both receivers. Each receiver, of course, would be driving one set of the two pairs of speakers. .
Mike Allan New member Username: Mmaudio61 Post Number: 3 Registered: Dec-08	Posted on Friday, December 05, 2008 - 23:30 GMT Thank you for the reply. AND DON'T TRASH MY MARANTZ! just kidding I bought it with paper route money in the late 70s so it's never going away. I have A/B speaker switching but, I do not plan on ever running all 4 off the same receiver. I have the Marantz/Bose together and it sounds good, it's just that I have a big odd shaped room and I have the Kenwood/Omega combo that I thought could help fill it out. So it's O.K. to use the "Y" splitter then? I had a strange thought that I would have some kind of sound loss.
Nuck Platinum Member Username: Nuck Post Number: 11219 Registered: Dec-04	Posted on Friday, December 05, 2008 - 23:55 GMT Mike, yes you can use the 'Y' splitter. Say thanks for the high quality response and info, eh? Good stuff.
Jan Vigne Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigne Dallas, TX Post Number: 13164 Registered: May-04	Posted on Saturday, December 06, 2008 - 00:38 GMT . "Thank you for the reply. AND DON'T TRASH MY MARANTZ!" It wasn't Marantz at the time you made the purchahse, it was SuperScope and they are the entity I feel need to be trashed. They drove Marantz into the ground and then tossed the dirt on top and walked away. I sold a fair number of 2238's and I have a 2225 around here somewhere. Mine needs dial lamps. .
Nuck Platinum Member Username: Nuck Post Number: 11223 Registered: Dec-04	Posted on Saturday, December 06, 2008 - 01:02 GMT And Jan has some stuff hidden, for sure. JV, it's behind the pickles.
Stu Pitt Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt Irvington, New York USA Post Number: 3109 Registered: May-05	Posted on Tuesday, December 09, 2008 - 00:43 GMT My old man has a 2220B in a box somewhere in his basement. It only comes out about once every other year. It sounds pretty good to my ears, but then again I haven't listened to it with a good good source nor with good speakers properly set up in a good room. I keep telling him its worse for it to sit in a box and get used once every other year rather than on a semi-regular basis. Being a mechanic and having very good electrical knowledge, he knows, yet it doesn't change anything. Maybe one day when I have enough room for a second system I can finally get him to part with it. Probably not.

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