"Todd Carney" wrote in message
...
Folks,
I've Googled until I was blue in the face about this problem, and a
few times came close, but no cigar!
My problem:
1. I have an Aiwa receiver that came with two-way speakers and has
only two-way speaker connections--"low" and "high."
2. There are no one-way connections at all.
3. BUT, I want to have a couple of sets of remote speakers that I'd
switch to on demand.
4. I know how to do the switching, so I covered there.
5. I already have those speakers, and they are all one-way.
6. SO, my problem is how to recombine the "high" and "low" speaker
outputs and then switch them to the remotes.
7. I DON'T know how to safely combine the receiver speaker output.
A few details:
1. According to its manual, each frequency range has its own
amplifier.
2. I have no idea how isolated (or not) the amps are. I don't know if
they share a common return or not.
3. The unit has speaker outputs for "surround" sound. They are one-
way. I will not be using these.
Here's the solution I've come up with using my woefully-inadequate
savvy. Please see my sketch drawing here (Google Docs with shortened
URL): http://bit.ly/mRxzgB.
What do you all think? Will this work? Is it safe for the amps?
Your proposal is a disaster. You are basiaclly connecting the amps in
parallel which means that each amp will probably try to short the other amp
out. The transformers will reflect the short more effectively the better
quality they are, because that is what quality transformers do.
It might be possible for a similar system to work if you connected the
transformer secondaries in series. I project suboptimal performance even in
this case.
Your best solution is to obtain a separate power amp that receives its input
from the line outputs of the Aiwa receiver. You provided no details about
the Aiwa amp so I am only speculating that this output even exists.
Basically you bought a solution that is a closed box, and now you are trying
to open the box and make it into what it is not. Always a bad ideao.
You can buy a good stereo receiver (Sherwood( for about $80, and you could
easily spend more on the transformers if they even worked!