In .com, on 04/10/05

at 11:08 PM, "New At This" said:

I have a set-up with some very small speakers, including a pair of
Infinity wall-mounts, because of severe space limitations; and one
very big speaker, an old James B. Lansing Signature, which still gives
such wonderful sound that I can't let it go. I also have some other
small speakers that I have room to use, including three very old
Sansui SP-30's, a pair of Teac LS-MC85's, and some other odds and
ends. I have a receiver that has A and B speaker outlets, for a total
of four intended speakers.

Other than from the Lansing, I'm getting very, very little bass.

A general rule of thumb is that larger speakers have more bass.

However, I also have an AudioSource SW 6.5 subwoofer, and a Yamaha
YST-SW100 subwoofer, neither of which I've actually ever used, but
either of which I could hook up. I'm wondering about a number of
different hookups using more than four total speakers/subwoofers, by
running MORE THAN ONE CABLE out of one or more of the receiver's
"speaker out" connectors.

Beyond the second pair of speakers, most receivers will get into
trouble (smoke) when you pile on the speakers. Don't try to take this
analogy too far, but you can think of it as piling lead into a small
truck. While, it may look like there is not much "stuff" inside, the
truck is easily overloaded.

(I know that the Yamaha has through
capability for one set of speakers; but I might want to try for more,
or to try the AudioSource, which has no throughput capability.)

Not a good idea. It's like piling more lead under the driver's seat or
adding a trailer and thinking that, because the lead is not in the
cargo bay, it doesn't count as part of the load.

Is this "doubling out" of the speaker cables somehow fatal to any
parts of the system, or to the output? (I have the feeling that I did
it years ago, and didn't generate any noticeable problems; but I'm not
sure...)

You were lucky the first time. Don't count on your luck holding out the
next time.

If not, what kinds of results can I expect, and what kinds
of side effects should I watch out for?

Smoke from the receiver. Unfortunately, the smoke will not be a warning
sign -- it will be notification that your receiver has given up the
ghost and is no longer with us. Even if you somehow get lucky and don't
kill it, your receiver's long term reliability will be reduced.

Would the wattage (or
whatever) to the speakers just be cut in half for each speaker? (That
might be a good idea for the Sansui's, which have a listed maximum
power of 20 watts.) Do speaker-pairs have to be balanced somehow in
terms of the juice they are pulling through the cables? Etc....

It doesn't quite work that way. Even if the airplane is half full, you
don't get anymore leg room at your seat.

---

In general, adding a pile of speakers in a room does not result in
better sound. Certainly there might be sound in more places, but it
will lack overall focus. It's somewhat like having a large group of
people clean a small room. It looks impressive, but by the time
everyone gets done bumping into everyone, else you'll probably find the
lamp was knocked over and someone broke the mirror.

You may enjoy the results of using one pair of the smaller speakers
with one of the subwoofers.

If you really want to pile on all of your speakers, purchase a "speaker
selector" box that will safely expand the number of speakers that your
receiver can operate. Be sure to connect *ALL* of your speakers through
that box. Also, don't gang up speakers on that box. Connect only one
speaker per set of terminals. For example, if you want to connect four
pairs of speakers, purchase four pair expansion box.

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