Volume Control

[fmueller]

If I sister two speakers together, can I use a simple rheostat/potentiometer to reduce the volume of one in comparison to the other?

If yes, and I am using a 100W amp with two 100W speaker, what K value potentiometer should I use?

Total DIY newbie here, and just asking for a little fun learning project.

 

[newzealand]

hi there
how is the cold snap treating you up north?
taupo is very cold at the moment
its good to see another one of us here ,
good luck with your question as i have no idea ,just saying hi
mike

 

[fmueller]

Hi Mike!

Always glad to see another Kiwi! I was at the beach today with my dogs. Shorts and T-shirt weather! So far about the cold snap, but if you see some rain down there, please send it our way! The drought is killing my garden!

Cheers

 

[newzealand]

Hi Mike!

Always glad to see another Kiwi! I was at the beach today with my dogs. Shorts and T-shirt weather! So far about the cold snap, but if you see some rain down there, please send it our way! The drought is killing my garden!

Cheers

well we have a bit of regular rain at the moment, my garden is in prime form
i was at the lake today with my dogs ,
so do tell me what gear you are running in you system?
mike

 

[fmueller]

I've scaled the home system way down. Some old Yamaha amp, my trusty old Paradigm 11se MkII, and a Bluetooth receiver for music from the cell phone. I have sold oodles of stuff, mostly before I left Ohio for NZ. That's why you don't see me here very often these days.

I've just put a new system in my car:

Head Unit: Nakamichi NA3600M
Amplifier: Sansui SA-31504
Front doors: Rockford Fosgate R165x3 Prime Series 6.5"
Rear doors: Rockford Fosgate R165x3 Prime Series 6.5"
Dash board: Nakamichi 13mm tweeter pair with crossover
Subwoofer: Fusion CPAS1080 active 8" slim underseat subwoofer

 

[century tek]

Look up "L PAD".

Better yet..........

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L_pad

 

[newzealand]

nice car system ,
how long did you live in the states? i was there from 99 to 01 ,
i lived in Arkansas and Florida

 

[fmueller]

century tek - many thanks! Finally some useful info after all this

newzealand - I was in Colorado for one year 1996/1997. Then in Oz, and in Ohio from 2003 to 2014.

I am from Germany originally and my wife is from Dunedin. Naturally we ended up in beautiful Aotearoa in the end!

 

[fmueller]

Is this what I need?

 

[rothwellaudio]

Is this what I need?

No. Put 10k between an amp and a speaker and how much current to you think it will pass to an 8 ohm load?
Basically what you're proposing isn't impossible but it wouldn't be wise. The way you're trying to control the volume is turning power into heat instead of the power driving the speakers. The volume control would have to dissipate far too much heat.
If you just want to level match the different speakers you might get away with using an L pad, but the best way to do it would be to have separate amps for each pair of speakers and control the volume by controlling the signal sent to each amp.

 

[Binkman]

just asking for a little fun learning project.

G'day;
If you're not using your home system which would have balance control? and a mono switch.
------
If a project what would you be interested in doing?

 

[fmueller]

rothwellaudio - Yeah, that makes sense. I am a chemist, and sadly skipped physics. I need somebody else to figure out how much current will pass to an 8 ohm load if put 10k between an amp and a speaker. But if you have any chemistry related questions, I am here!

The sistered speakers were sort of an afterthought to the system and not worth the fuss with a separate amp. Unfortunately I drilled some holes to install them. The question now is, do I cover the holes up with a sticker, or do I disconnect the speakers but keep them for decorative purposes.

At any rate, many thanks for your assessment of my situation.




Binkman and Bigbeard - Thank you so much! The valuable advice of AK members can always be relied on. You too are true assets to this forum!

 

[Binkman]

The sistered speakers were sort of an afterthought to the system and not worth the fuss with a separate amp. Unfortunately I drilled some holes to install them. The question now is, do I cover the holes up with a sticker, or do I disconnect the speakers but keep them for decorative purposes

What ever rings your bell... if you like looking at them. if the wires add more clutter in the back roll up the wires to the speakers.. Keep your eyes open for an amp.
----------------
Many others deserve a trophy than I... lucky if I bat 0.500.

 

[fmueller]

If anybody is still interested, I ended up driving the tweeters with the amp of the head unit. That doesn't really make it possible to control the volume separately, but I figured I could kinda do this by playing with the gain of the separate amp that's driving the main speakers. Turns out I didn't have to touch the gain. The volume of the tweeters happened to be just perfect as soon as I hooked them up directly to the head unit. The result is exactly what I expected and was hoping for!

And for any fellow Kiwis, both the amp and sub I found are absolute bargains and worth well more than I paid. And that's saying something in NZ where everything costs an arm and a leg!

https://www.pepsiauto.co.nz/collect...ab-class-4-3-2-channel-amplifiers-japan-brand

https://drivingsound.co.nz/product/fusion-cpas1080-8inch-active-slim-sub

 

[Binkman]

thanks for the update... oft these threads just go off the radar.