limiting factors in the number of speakers you can run

jgoodman05

What are the limiting factors in the number of speakers you can run off a system?

Homer

Impedance of the speakers and impedance of the speaker terminals is the main one, but also how you actually wire the speakers. i.e. in series or in parallel, if you are running more than one pair from terminals that were designed to run a single pair of speakers.
I take it that is what you are trying to do? If so give us as much info on what equipment you have and it will help!
Or just curious!

Cheers

jgoodman05

I was hoping to buy one of these http://www.richersounds.ie/asp/product.asp?ObjectID=938&Mode=0&CategoryID=48&SUB=49&ProductID=688 and attach 4 speakers to it , and wondered what would be the loss of sound as compared to running two speakers. And what would be the best way to do it?

Cheers

Homer

Two ways to do it..

1. Speaker switch. Use something like this
This uses capacitors and resistors inside to handle the impedance difference and will allow you to have either both pairs of speakers on at the same time, or to select to have just one pair on at a time by using the selector switches at the front.

2. Parallel Wiring.
Using the parallel method the setup would look something like this

However, this is based on two pairs of 8 ohm speakers wired into an amplifier that can handle from 4 - 16 ohms!
Be very careful, as you could not wire two pairs of 4 ohm speakers into this amplifier!

I personally would go with the speaker switch method if you are unsure.
It does mention that the system is 6 ohm rated? If this is the case then by parallel wiring two pairs of 8 ohm speakers into the back of the amplifier you are effectively left with 4 ohms, and although it would work, it would not work for very long I would guess!

Cheers

jgoodman05

Thanks Industria , Thats really helpful , I think I'd definitely go for the speaker switch method as I'd like to be able to turn two of them off for most of the time. So if I got a speaker switch and hooked up 4 speakers to this

http://www.richersounds.ie/asp/product.asp?ObjectID=938&Mode=0&CategoryID=48&SUB=49&ProductID=688

would I lose much sound quality when having the 4 on as compared with having only two speakers on.

Thanks a million, John

b318isp

industria wrote: »

If this is the case then by parallel wiring two pairs of 8 ohm speakers into the back of the amplifier you are effectively left with 4 ohms, and although it would work, it would not work for very long I would guess!

But remember that 8 ohms is only the nominal impedence. The actual impedence at a particular frequency could drop well below that...

b318isp

jgoodman05 wrote: »

would I lose much sound quality when having the 4 on as compared with having only two speakers on.

Why do you think you need 4 speakers? At 25W, you do not have a huge amount of power. I'd advise staying with 2 speakers.

jgoodman05

Two in the siiting room and two in a room i work in , and don't have a huge amount of cash and like that model

b318isp

Then go with the switcher.