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Special Receiver Suggestion?

Th A/B selectors on all receivers means two pairs of speakers share the power. It's just a switch that lets you select one or the other, or both. Its like when you're towing a car, there are two cars, but only one engine. Either one speaker gets 160w, or both share 160w. Well the overall impedance matters too, and can effect power output, but that's a different topic in a sense.
 
89grand said:
Th A/B selectors on all receivers means two pairs of speakers share the power. It's just a switch that lets you select one or the other, or both. Its like when you're towing a car, there are two cars, but only one engine. Either one speaker gets 160w, or both share 160w. Well the overall impedance matters too, and can effect power output, but that's a different topic in a sense.
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So on the 8050 with 4 8 ohm speakers connected it would be 40x4? 160w shared by the 4 speakers? or 80x2 on A and 80x2 on B for a total of 160w?
 
I didn't read the specs of the specific receiver you're referring too, but lets say an amplifier can produce a maximum of 100 watts per channel, and it's a two channel amp with an A/B speaker selector, and to make things even more simple, lets say it can do 100 watts at 4 or 8 ohms. If you have 1 pair of speakers connected to it, you have a maximum of 100 watts possible to each speaker, if you have 2 pairs connected, you have the same maximum of power, but now it's driving 2 sets instead of one.

Again, to keep things simple, because things like each speakers impedance could effect this, and I don't want to side track this with a bunch of what ifs, so we'll just assume 4 identical speakers of equal impedance, if you run 4 speakers instead of two, they would get half as much power at any given volume level than just two would.

Another example, say you and your wife were going to go out for a night, and you had $200 to spend, but then your friend and his wife show up and have no money, but want to go with you, you now have twice as many people sharing the $200. You may not even spend it all, so it wouldn't matter, but still, you didn't get twice as much money because there are twice as many people, you'd still just have $200.

An amplifier may be capable of producing say 100 watts, but that is the maximum it can produce, not the steady power it produces at all times, so it's not as simple as saying 40x4 or 80x2. Like a car engine, it can be rated to do 300hp, but idling in your driveway, or putting along through your neighborhood, the motor isn't putting out anywhere near it's maximum. Amplifiers are just like that. They only produce maximum power under certain circumstances, but generally, the are operating no where near their limits.
 
Although the sub is a great idea, I would try the Infi. first and see if they have enough bass (wth 15 inch woofers, bass will be there most likely), 'coz you don't want heavy bass blasting at full in your house - it can get irritating. Your son can turn up the bass on the receiver, and that might be enough for him.

2 speakers ought to be enough - will be more quality than adding the Technics, if you ask me.
 
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Whoa - you didn't read the specs and then go on about how to hook it up ...

These AV receivers have separate amps for each speaker. No shared load. You do hook your most difficult speakers to the front and the easier to drive to the rear. But, the whole point of the A/V-HT experience is that the speakers are controlled individually so that the machine can move the audio around the listening environment as it decodes the HT signal. They do not share amps. If they did, they could not make the train run across the screen, or whatever ...

You do not need to use the A-B speaker switch if you have FRONT and REAR wired correctly and selected in the menu. They are each running their own amp section. That's the point of using a 5.1 receiver vs a traditional receiver. Individual amp sections :)

The 5 is the center feed which you are not going to use so it will be idling - no harm, no foul. The .1 is the sub feed and if your son really wants to knock the plaster loose (and most kids do :D), he'll be scrounging for a powered sub. But I'd let him do that as his part of the project :)
 
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The Onkyo is stereo and the Denon is 5.1 - you got me there in part :D I was off into multichannel mode in thinking how to deal with the speaker requirements :smoke:

So for the Onkyo - yeah it'll see the total speaker load on two amplifier channels - prolly not good in this scenario :(

The Denon will handle each speaker independently, but I'd want a bigger model if I could afford it :D
 
Now I'm thoroughly confused. Thought you wanted a stereo receiver, not HT. If you plan to use it two-channel then I think your better choice is a stereo model.
 
The Yamaha is rated down to 2 ohms. It will handle any speaker that you throw at it very well. If you can get it at a good deal, it would make a fine 4 speaker receiver.

"LOW IMPEDANCE DRIVE CAPABILITY AND IMPEDANCE SWITCHING

Yamaha's famed low impedance drive circuitry is included in this receiver so that it can handle virtually all loads and a wide variety of speakers. For further speaker matching, the amplifier can be set for either 4 or 8-ohm speakers.

A/B SPEAKER SELECTOR

Allows selection of either a first set of speakers or a second -- or both. "

I added the italics - but that seems to be the ideal receiver for your situation. The manual will take some digging to get it to the right configuration (I'd start in 2-channel with the selector set to both) , but I'm sure it will do very nicely when it's all set up :thmbsp:

Now, if they would only make it in silver - I'd consider one for one of my rooms :)
 
musichal said:
Now I'm thoroughly confused. Thought you wanted a stereo receiver, not HT. If you plan to use it two-channel then I think your better choice is a stereo model.
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you are confused? what about me, hehe? :drool:

This exact verbiage from a post by BrocLuno is found in the rx-v995 and allows a+b. So your saying it will not do?

LOW IMPEDANCE DRIVE CAPABILITY AND IMPEDANCE SWITCHING

Yamaha's famed low impedance drive circuitry is included in this receiver so that it can handle virtually all loads and a wide variety of speakers. For further speaker matching, the amplifier can be set for either 4 or 8-ohm speakers.

A/B SPEAKER SELECTOR

Allows selection of either a first set of speakers or a second -- or both.
 
I'm saying that, in general, I prefer a stereo receiver to a HT model. However, if BrocLuno thinks that particular HT receiver is a better choice, then perhaps that may be the case; I'm not familiar with that model. It at least claims to be able to handle lower impedances, which is an attribute often MIA in many HT receivers and is but one of the reasons why I prefer a good stereo model, which I still believe to be the best approach for two-channel applications for other reasons.
 
I understand the talk of "stereo" here - I really do. But, it seems to me that what lestat1019 wants to really run a pseudo "quad" system. That is four speakers. And he's having trouble doing it because too many "stereo" receivers are really only using two amplifier sections - one for each channel. And those amp sections must handle all the additive loads.

If he wants to run four speakers that represent modest to complex loads (and even small Infinities can go there) in a purely vintage setting and equipment, we really need to get him a Quad Receiver from the late 1970's or something. But, those are not easily come by, have their own sets of issues and, IMHO, would not be appropriate for young person to be playing with. Yeah, there were some elegant Quad Receivers and a few with enough power, but they are now quite pricey. All just so we can balance the front-back and left-right signals :scratch2:

We don't have matched speakers or matched loads. So how is a plain-Jane stereo going to work well here?

I'm still back to a 5.1 device with some real audio credentials as being the workingman's Quad of today with some real control of differing speaker loads :)

I don't disagree that the H-K 3490 is a good receiver, but how to balance wildly different speaker loads on two shared amp sections ... If he wants to jettison a pair of speakers, you'all are right on the money. But, if he keeps the two pair of pretty different speakers, we need the Yamaha, or another solution ...

The missing bit for me is what model Infinities? He says 15" woofer so they are substantial. If they also have dual voice coil woofers (?), they are most certainly 4 ohm nominal and down in the 2.9 ohm range on some frequencies. What we really need are the speaker specs so that we can calculate loads for whatever amp section(s) we offer ...
 
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Thanks for clearing that up, BrocLuno. Your reasoning is valid, and while not a direction I would choose myself, it may well be an appropriate one for the OP. I'd suggest that he'd get better sound quality sticking with one pair at a time and buying two-channel, but he may disagree with that answer.
 
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