Adding a pair - Optimus STAV 3000 - Advent Maestro - Bose 301 IV

[hanick]

Help! How do I Wire a second pair of Maestros?

I have exausted my research skills. How do I add/wire a second pair of Advent Maestro speakers in my living room for a total of six speakers (3pair)? I have one pair of Advents in the living room on channel A and a pair of Bose in the kitchen on channel B. No problems. I want to add the second pair of Advent Maestros in the living room and be able to use all six. Do I wire the four Advents in parellel, series or a combo of both. Do I need another amp or preamp?
Thank you.
H
Here is what I have:
1) Optimus STAV-3000 AM/FM Stereo Receiver: 100 watts per channel, minimum RMS into 8 Ohms from 20-20,000 Hz, with no
more than 0.05% total harmonic distortion. Total Harmonic Distortion (80 Watts)

2) Advent Maestro (two sets) in my living room.
Drivers: 10" woofer, 4.75" dome midrange, 1 1/2" dome tweet. Power Handling : 750 watts Peak (max), 150watts RMS
Frequency Response: 42-23,000Khz +/- 3 DB, 6ohms impedance

3) Bose® 301® Series IV Direct/Reflecting® Speakers two (one pair) in the kitchen. Compatible with amplifiers and receivers rated from 10 to 150 watts per channel.
Rated 8 ohms

4) From the amp manual:
"Connect no more than two pairs of speakers to your receiver.
If you connect only one pair of speakers to the receiver or use only one
pair of speakers at a time, you can use speakers with an impedance of 4
Ohms or more.
If you use two pairs of speakers at the same time, all speakers must have
an impedance of at least 8 Ohms. If any of the four speakers you use has
an impedance of less than 8 Ohms, the speakers might overload the ampli-
fier and activate the protection (shut-off) circuits.

The speaker buttons - SPEAKERS [A], , AND [SURROUND] - let you select
various speaker combinations.

If you have connected speakers only to the A terminals, press in [A] to
turn on those speakers for a two-speaker stereo effect.

If you have connected speakers to the A and B SPEAKERS terminals:

Press in [A] or to turn on either pair of speakers for a two-speaker
stereo effect.

Press in [A] and to turn on both pairs of speakers for a four-speaker
stereo effect.

Press in [A] and [SURROUND] for an enhanced four-speaker stereo effect.
Press [A] to out and leave [SURROUND] in to monitor the B speakers in the
surround-sound mode.

Press [A], and [SURROUND] a second time (out) to silence all speakers
and listen privately with optional headphones.

 

[hanick]

Any help wpould be apprecaited.
H

 

[hanick]

Help! How do I Wire a second pair of Maestros?

I have exausted my research skills. How do I add/wire a second pair of Advent Maestro speakers in my living room for a total of six speakers (3pair)? I have one pair of Advents in the living room on channel A and a pair of Bose in the kitchen on channel B. No problems. I want to add the second pair of Advent Maestros in the living room and be able to use all six. Do I wire the four Advents in parellel, series or a combo of both. Do I need another amp or preamp?
Thank you.
H

Details above

 

[CoogarXR]

I would connect the advent pairs in series, for a total of 12 ohms, on the "A Speaker" jacks. Then run the Bose alone on the "B Speakers" at 8 ohms. When you run A+B the total load would be 10 ohms. That should be pretty safe.

The usual disclaimers apply, heh.

 

[nick12345]

^^Ditto.

 

[hanick]

Thank you.

 

[johnr66]

I have an issue with wiring speakers in series.

First of all, just try it to see how it sounds. However:

Placing the two speakers in series will reduce the power by 1/2 or down to 1/4 for each speaker. Your receiver will love the reduced load, but you will have to turn up the volume a bit to compensate.

The series impedance may affect the woofer dampening and the crossover points.

If you place the speakers next to each other, you may have issues with tweeters canceling and adding to the sound as you move about the room.

 

[hanick]

What other choices do I have? Can I add another preamp. Is there a different brand amp (vintage) I should consider?
H

 

[stereofanboy]

If your receiver has preamp outputs, you can get a pair of splitters (y cord) and run the Bose off your receiver and buy a separate power amp for the two pairs of Maestros. Make certain it is rated for the load because two pairs of six ohm (four ohm nominal) speakers is a tough load to handle.

I guess I have to ask, what is the purpose in having three pairs of speakers playing at once? Are you trying to provide sound in an auditorium?

 

[hanick]

The bose are in the kitchen (my wife likes the tunes in there), my living room is long and narrow 30' x 12' with seating in the corners - there is always a speaker in your ear- I thought I would get fuller sound with four Maestros and I happen to have the extra pair.
H

 

[stereofanboy]

I guess I should have read your original post a little more carefully. If you don't need to run them simultaneously, get a speaker selector switch box, like they used to sell at Radio Shack.

If you want to run them all at the same time, then three separate power amps would really be the ticket. You don't have to spend a huge amount. Go to e-Bay and look up Kenwood KM amplifier and you will find some inexpensive amps that will do the trick and sound pretty good. I have run Maestros off a KM-894 and a KM-208 in the past with good results.

If you are after SPLs and like Radio Shack, consider a couple of pairs of Mach Ones or Twos could run off your receiver and make a lot of sound.

Those Maestros are nice speakers, I love the midrange, but I wouldn't use them to try to deafen the neighbors. That is why they make Cerwin Vegas.

That seating arrangement does sound problematic. Maybe a switch box and turn off the set that is closest to you at the time.

 

[hanick]

One problem I should have mentioned. My floor is a cement slab. To run the new speaker on the long run I will have to go outside of the house and back in. That is why a parrallel or series approach is interesting. Do they make amps for three sets of speakers? D I need three separate amps?
H

 

[hanick]

Would this series/parallel combination work for me?

Maybe I should just get the Sonos system$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$