Heathkit AA-1214 Amplifier

[Nichrobe33789]

The restaurant I work at has a vintage Heathkit AA-1214 Amplifier in the ceiling that is connected to three Bose free space speakers out front. I am trying to connect two Bose Redline cube satellite speakers with the red and black wire for our back dining room but I am honestly clueless which terminal I should screw the wires into. The back of the amp has four screws that say R C L C and they all have something connected to them. If anyone knows what those letters mean better yet where I can screw in the speaker wire your help would be appreciated.

This is a picture I found on google of the same amp but ours has something plugged in the R C L C spots and we have have a Bluetooth receiver in the aux plug.

 

[carlthess40]

The letter L is the + and the C is the ground or -
The R is the + and C is the ground or the -
L is left speaker and R is right speaker

 

[Nichrobe33789]

The letter L is the + and the C is the ground or -
The R is the + and C is the ground or the -
L is left speaker and R is right speaker

thanks g means a lot

 

[lovinthehd]

Sounds like a mess, a two channel amp with three speakers now and you want to add two more speakers? Might work at low volumes, tho.

 

[Nichrobe33789]

Sounds like a mess, a two channel amp with three speakers now and you want to add two more speakers? Might work at low volumes, tho.

I mean the speakers are just used for background music but do you think it would lower the audio quality or fry the amp because it might just be easier to get a newer amp that is meant to handle that

 

[lovinthehd]

I mean the speakers are just used for background music but do you think it would lower the audio quality or fry the amp because it might just be easier to get a newer amp that is meant to handle that

It's about the impedance load primarily...and adding multiple speakers to a 2ch amp depends how you wire them as well (series or parallel). So more details are needed. Sounds sort of guerilla audio setup so far

 

[Nichrobe33789]

It's about the impedance load primarily...and adding multiple speakers to a 2ch amp depends how you wire them as well (series or parallel). So more details are needed. Sounds sort of guerilla audio setup so far

Yeah I don't even know how they're wired im just gonna try to put these speakers on and if it dosent work im gonna get a better amp.

 

[lovinthehd]

You need to know what is more suitable rather than "better"

 

[Nichrobe33789]

You need to know what is more suitable rather than "better"

I was going to get one that has built in bluetooth and has 4 channels. Specifically I was looking at the Pyle PTA44BT it seems to have good reviews and has the features I need and isn't to pricey.

 

[slipperybidness]

I was going to get one that has built in bluetooth and has 4 channels. Specifically I was looking at the Pyle PTA44BT it seems to have good reviews and has the features I need and isn't to pricey.

yeah, Pyle.....complete crap and fake specs. Look for something better.

Pyle.....it sure is a Pile of "something"

 

[highfigh]

The restaurant I work at has a vintage Heathkit AA-1214 Amplifier in the ceiling that is connected to three Bose free space speakers out front. I am trying to connect two Bose Redline cube satellite speakers with the red and black wire for our back dining room but I am honestly clueless which terminal I should screw the wires into. The back of the amp has four screws that say R C L C and they all have something connected to them. If anyone knows what those letters mean better yet where I can screw in the speaker wire your help would be appreciated.

This is a picture I found on google of the same amp but ours has something plugged in the R C L C spots and we have have a Bluetooth receiver in the aux plug.View attachment 53326

You can try to connect more speakers and blow up the amp, but I don't think I would- Reverb.com has one for sale and the asking price is $499.

If nobody has any emotional attachment to it, I would sell that and look for something that can connect to more speakers, safely.

How loudly does this need to play? If it's ONLY for background, you could find some kind of integrated amplifier or multi-channel power amplifier and add a small mixer that would accept the signal from a few sources, like a Bluetooth receiver, other streaming device, etc.

BTW- the speaker terminals on that Heathkit are marked R/C, L/C and that stands for Right+/Right Common (-), Left+/Left Common (-), so connecting the two wires from one speaker to both Common terminals will result in absolutely no sound coming from that speaker. If you connect the wires from one speaker to the R and L terminals, it will sound like it has an echo and the volume will be weaker than the other two. While it probably won't hurt the amplifier, it might, so I wouldn't recommend doing that. I also wouldn't recommend connecting more than one speaker to each channel, just because A) the impedance (resistance) of the speakers hasn't been measured and that would be needed to determine how safe it would be for the amplifier. Since that amp is about 40 years old, I wouldn't push it too hard. OTOH, the Reverb.com listing has specs and that shows 16/8/4 Ohms as acceptable loads which means you can connect two speakers to each pair of terminals as long as they're each 8 Ohms.

Heathkit AA-1214 // Integrated Amplifier | Reverb

Plug and Play, circa 1973.In its simplicity and functionality, we detect notes of Bauhaus and Braun, and its clean lines place it at home in nearly any setting. Create the perfect minimalist system with this integrated amplifier, a pair of efficient speakers, and a turntable, or a Sonos Connect....

reverb.com

 

[Eppie]

Yeah I don't even know how they're wired im just gonna try to put these speakers on and if it dosent work im gonna get a better amp.

Do you have a multi-meter or know someone that can lend you one? The DC resistance (in ohms) on each individual channel should be around 8 ohms and not any lower than 4 ohms. If you connect two speakers in parallel, the resistance is halved, and if connected in series the resistance adds together (two 8 ohms in parallel is 4 ohms and two in series is 16 ohms). You need to check the resistance with all speakers connected and make sure it is not too low.

I would second selling the Heathkit as there is a market for vintage gear, although Reverb can be overpriced. Note that if you replace the Heathkit with another amp, you will still have the same wiring and resistance concerns as above. Note that those are not the proper speakers and amp for a commercial setting. A 70 volt commercial amp with 70 volt speakers would be more appropriate which is designed to have many speakers attached to a single source. If you ever go beyond 4 or 5 speakers you should replace the entire setup. For that matter, if you need to replace the Heathkit, you should consider doing this properly, but that would mean planning a complete speaker layout and replacing the speakers as well. If you can't afford that, there is always the used marketplace.

 

[Nichrobe33789]

Do you have a multi-meter or know someone that can lend you one? The DC resistance (in ohms) on each individual channel should be around 8 ohms and not any lower than 4 ohms. If you connect two speakers in parallel, the resistance is halved, and if connected in series the resistance adds together (two 8 ohms in parallel is 4 ohms and two in series is 16 ohms). You need to check the resistance with all speakers connected and make sure it is not too low.

I would second selling the Heathkit as there is a market for vintage gear, although Reverb can be overpriced. Note that if you replace the Heathkit with another amp, you will still have the same wiring and resistance concerns as above. Note that those are not the proper speakers and amp for a commercial setting. A 70 volt commercial amp with 70 volt speakers would be more appropriate which is designed to have many speakers attached to a single source. If you ever go beyond 4 or 5 speakers you should replace the entire setup. For that matter, if you need to replace the Heathkit, you should consider doing this properly, but that would mean planning a complete speaker layout and replacing the speakers as well. If you can't afford that, there is always the used marketplace.

I have my whole toolbox at work rn and my multimeter is there to so ill check it when I go in this afternoon im definitely just going to replace the entire amp with a commercial grade 70 volt one with different zones. But what you said about the speakers im pretty sure you can change the voltage and Bose does advertise them for commercial use. But yeah im just going to have to rewire the whole setup.

 

[Nichrobe33789]

You can try to connect more speakers and blow up the amp, but I don't think I would- Reverb.com has one for sale and the asking price is $499.

If nobody has any emotional attachment to it, I would sell that and look for something that can connect to more speakers, safely.

How loudly does this need to play? If it's ONLY for background, you could find some kind of integrated amplifier or multi-channel power amplifier and add a small mixer that would accept the signal from a few sources, like a Bluetooth receiver, other streaming device, etc.

BTW- the speaker terminals on that Heathkit are marked R/C, L/C and that stands for Right+/Right Common (-), Left+/Left Common (-), so connecting the two wires from one speaker to both Common terminals will result in absolutely no sound coming from that speaker. If you connect the wires from one speaker to the R and L terminals, it will sound like it has an echo and the volume will be weaker than the other two. While it probably won't hurt the amplifier, it might, so I wouldn't recommend doing that. I also wouldn't recommend connecting more than one speaker to each channel, just because A) the impedance (resistance) of the speakers hasn't been measured and that would be needed to determine how safe it would be for the amplifier. Since that amp is about 40 years old, I wouldn't push it too hard. OTOH, the Reverb.com listing has specs and that shows 16/8/4 Ohms as acceptable loads which means you can connect two speakers to each pair of terminals as long as they're each 8 Ohms.

Heathkit AA-1214 // Integrated Amplifier | Reverb

Plug and Play, circa 1973.In its simplicity and functionality, we detect notes of Bauhaus and Braun, and its clean lines place it at home in nearly any setting. Create the perfect minimalist system with this integrated amplifier, a pair of efficient speakers, and a turntable, or a Sonos Connect....

reverb.com

Yeah I don't know if anyone has any attachment to it but I still wouldn't want to break it im just going to replace the thing with something more suitable.

 

[Nichrobe33789]

yeah, Pyle.....complete crap and fake specs. Look for something better.

Pyle.....it sure is a Pile of "something"

lol yeah I did some research on it it definitely sounds like a shitbox. I think I'm just going to replace the whole thing with something like this vvv it seems more suitable has built in bluetooth and I can control the different zones separately. https://www.ebay.com/itm/303891257944?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=111001&algo=REC.SEED&ao=1&asc=20160908105057&meid=07aadbf36286487eb6d04dc19b03d27f&pid=100675&rk=1&rkt=15&sd=303891257944&itm=303891257944&pmt=1&noa=1&pg=2380057&brand=Rockville&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci:f1252db9-8074-11ec-8614-324dd0086cec|parentrq:a24663ca17e0a6e6ae5fb691ffff5b3e|iid:1

 

[lovinthehd]

I don't know if Rockville as a brand is any better than Pyle....I doubt it.

 

[Nichrobe33789]

I don't know if Rockville as a brand is any better than Pyle....I doubt it.

frl? well what would you recommend we need something that can handle 5 speakers has bluetooth and has multi zones so I can control the frond and back separately. I have no idea what brands are poop and which are decent im pretty new to this stuff

 

[lovinthehd]

Depends on your budget, which by your choices seems to be on the very low end, and goals beyond the current setup to an extent as well. Rockville/Pyle may work well enough for your purposes, but I'd worry more about longevity/reliability (and not expect particular fidelity from them). We are not a forum about this sort of audio in general, we're more a home audio/video based forum and we generally like to see good performance/reliability/cost options. What is heat/ventilation like for the amp location? Usually I'd look to more than a 2ch amp in your situation in the first place, so the Rockville is a bit better than the Heathkit in that respect. I'd generally stick to pro amp specialists for long term use, and they generally have fans for poor locations for ventilation, brands like QSC, Crown, Crest, etc.

 

[Verdinut]

lol yeah I did some research on it it definitely sounds like a shitbox. I think I'm just going to replace the whole thing with something like this vvv it seems more suitable has built in bluetooth and I can control the different zones separately. https://www.ebay.com/itm/303891257944?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=111001&algo=REC.SEED&ao=1&asc=20160908105057&meid=07aadbf36286487eb6d04dc19b03d27f&pid=100675&rk=1&rkt=15&sd=303891257944&itm=303891257944&pmt=1&noa=1&pg=2380057&brand=Rockville&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci:f1252db9-8074-11ec-8614-324dd0086cec|parentrq:a24663ca17e0a6e6ae5fb691ffff5b3e|iid:1

The situation is not that simple. If you use a 70 volt amplifier, your speakers wont work with it. You will have to get commercial speakers that work on a 70 volt line.

I suggest that you verify in a pro audio shop for a proper recommendation relating to your needs.

 

[lovinthehd]

The situation is not that simple. If you use a 70 volt amplifier, your speakers wont work with it. You will have to get commercial speakers that work on a 70 volt line.

I somewhat assumed the amp was capable of both, but didn't dig into it. I just would not look to these cheap brands as a solution for much of anything in general....