I've got a "home theater" receiver/amp with an A-B speaker switch. The
"A" speakers are in my listening room, the "B" speakers are on the patio
in the backyard. When I have them both switched on, the B speakers are
much louder than the A speakers. If I want to listen to music in the
house at a moderately loud level, my wife runs in from outside and tells
me to turn it down before the neighbors complain.

So I bought an L-pad for the B speakers, thinking that would enable me
to turn them down...

(Here's where it gets weird...)

When I turn down the L-pad, the B speakers go down in volume, BUT SO DO
THE A SPEAKERS!

I'm totally confused. Does this mean the A speakers and the B speakers
are connected in parallel or something?

Do I need to put an L-pad on the A speakers as well? Will that get them
working independently?

Further complication: This is a "home theater" amp, with separate
outputs for a subwoofer, center channel, and two rear channel speakers.
Will putting an L-pad in the A speakers (which also serve as the front
channel speakers for the home theater setup) screw up the balance of my
home theater system?

I thought I had a pretty good handle on all this stuff until today!

TIA for any help!

Chip