Yamaha AS-801 "Impedance Switch": Confused and Frustrated

[Phantom dc]

thanks for the reply. No just for 1 room Its a 20x20 size room wanted to put them in 4 corners just to be immersed in the sound so if i chose not to sit in that sweet spot i can get up and walk around to do things while listening from all angles. I get the volume thing and see no need to turn it up to more than half. What would be the purpose of having an A+B switch?

 

[Phantom dc]

thanks for the reply. No just for 1 room Its a 20x20 size room wanted to put them in 4 corners just to be immersed in the sound so if i chose not to sit in that sweet spot i can get up and walk around to do things while listening from all angles. I get the volume thing and see no need to turn it up to more than half. What would be the purpose of having an A+B switch?

 

[lovinthehd]

thanks for the reply. No just for 1 room Its a 20x20 size room wanted to put them in 4 corners just to be immersed in the sound so if i chose not to sit in that sweet spot i can get up and walk around to do things while listening from all angles. I get the volume thing and see no need to turn it up to more than half. What would be the purpose of having an A+B switch?

For two pairs of speakers in different rooms primarily. Running two stereo pairs isn't surround sound....and not something I'd do at all myself. Some do like the additional fill/volume but don't care about the stereo imaging...YMMV. OTOH even turning it up to "half" way on the volume dial could be too much depending on the actual impedance/power load all four speakers present....there's only two channels of amp in the 801.

 

[Phantom dc]

I get what your saying. I have a tv room with surround sound . It was just confusing having an A+B switch that gives you the option to play 2 sets of speakers at the same time, but from what I am now understanding is useless because it won’t be able to handle it. Thanks again. Music receivers, amps and speakers have come along way since the 70’s and I have had my share of the brands that were out then and wish I kept a few, and since finding my large collection of lp’s buried away I decided to dive in again for another round. Guess I need better speakers the 500’s don’t seem to cut it. They are short on the bass for my listening.

 

[lovinthehd]

I get what your saying. I have a tv room with surround sound . It was just confusing having an A+B switch that gives you the option to play 2 sets of speakers at the same time, but from what I am now understanding is useless because it won’t be able to handle it. Thanks again. Music receivers, amps and speakers have come along way since the 70’s and I have had my share of the brands that were out then and wish I kept a few, and since finding my large collection of lp’s buried away I decided to dive in again for another round. Guess I need better speakers the 500’s don’t seem to cut it. They are short on the bass for my listening.

More capable speakers would be better than doubling up on lesser speakers....and perhaps a subwoofer would be in order (altho much of the 2ch units don't provide bass management, like your 801 only provides a cutoff frequency of 100hz on the sub pre-out). These have decent bass and the sale price is quite good https://www.jbl.com/loudspeakers/STUDIO+590.html

 

[Phantom dc]

Thanks for the link. I was looking at the wharfedale linton , and I tried a sub that really didn’t help much as it would have had to been placed in the center of the room and even then not good enough, I would need 2 and placement is everything so that was a no go unless I went with a svs 2000 wireless??? like I said this is all new to me. Am I putting the carriage before the horse? Should I have went in another direction with the amp???? I can spend that much on either the speakers or the amp but not both. So will the 801 be worth the purchase of the wharfedales??? Or the svs? I know in the end the decision is all up to me but the suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[lovinthehd]

Why would a sub have to go in the middle of the room? What sort of room is it? Where is the seating, if any? Speakers can only go in corners? That actually could help bass-wise by corner loading, but may sound a bit bloaty, too.

I just think one capable pair of speakers can do quite well, and would create a better stereo image, and since you already have the amp, I'd use it, even with a sub (you can make some adjustments depending on which sub, generally at least with the sub's low pass filter, some even provide a high pass filter for speakers). Same goes for the four speakers, if you have them you can try A+B if it suits your purposes, shouldn't be a particular issue for lower volume use.

 

[Phantom dc]

The reason for the sub was that its about the only place in the room that really barely blended with the speakers. The room isn’t a dedicated room for music I have furniture, display case and a bed against walls. I don’t want the questions that I asked to make for a platform for heated opinions. This thread seems to be controversial, I believed it started over 6 months ago and just came across it today. I have been searching for days about this topic with the same amp and I have heard some technical ( above my pay grade)and valid points and some fly by the seat of my pants opinions, to me everyone’s opinions helped and when I restarted the thread I was thinking that by chance someone with the same problem or someone that had replied in the past had come up with a solution. So far it seems that opinions are where they were 6 months ago so I will go by what has been posted as I recall someone saying he left the settings on 8 with both sets of speakers playing and it sounded great without any problems. I wish he did a recent follow up to see if everything is still good. If I should burn something up I have a garbage can out front and I will start over again with more research and help from this forum to maybe start me off with the horse in front of the buggy this time then take it from there. So Im gonna throw caution to the wind and hope everything works perfectly. So far there have only been theories, no one has put it to the test. I’ll keep my fingers crossed and let you know what happens. Thanks again for the input.

 

[lovinthehd]

I wouldn't call this a controversial thread particularly. The impedance switch thing is somewhat misunderstood, as is actual impedance of a given nominally rated 8 ohm speaker....

Try this article on setting the switch if you haven't already https://www.audioholics.com/audio-amplifier/impedance-selector-switch-1

 

[Phantom dc]

Yes i did read it, it was one of many articles I read while searching the web about this subject. I just read it again, I grasp the concept , but if you were to ask me to explain it to someone I don’t believe at this point; I’m still to green, that I would be able to put it into words. He sure has it right as to why so many people are confused by it better yet perplexed by it. So I feel better knowing that it’s not me asking a stupid question, it seems to be a huge misunderstood or better yet a very under explained bit of information . So what I take away from this meaning from this article and your insight and other excerpts along my way searching the web is to go by the sound coming out of your speakers, listen for any clipping make sure you have good airflow around the amp and feel the amp for any overheating. Oh and some luck that what you have in place is happy playing in the sandbox together. This has been a very insightful Discussion thanks for being patient and staying with me on this topic. For those about to rock…….

 

[Gobiltygoo]

The low impedance setting is for a single pair of 4 ohm speakers OR a pair of 8 ohm speakers playing at the same time. A pair of 8 ohm speakers have an impedance of 4 ohms when in a parallel configuration (8*8/8+8 = 64/16 = 4). That’s what the A+B means, and that’s why they suggest the lower impedance setting for a pair of 8 ohm speakers. In your case, you’re running a single set of speakers with an impedance over 4 ohms, so do not use this setting.

 

[lovinthehd]

The low impedance setting is for a single pair of 4 ohm speakers OR a pair of 8 ohm speakers playing at the same time. A pair of 8 ohm speakers have an impedance of 4 ohms when in a parallel configuration (8*8/8+8 = 64/16 = 4). That’s what the A+B means, and that’s whybthey suggest the lower impedance setting for a pair of 8 ohm speakers. In your case, you’re running a single set of speakers with an impedance over 4 ohms, so do not use this setting.

It's more a warning of the limitations if you use A+B type situations....the switch still makes only a limitation, not a particular enabling for 4 ohm speakers. Using 2ch of amp for 4 speakers isn't a great proposition in the first place unless the amp is sufficiently capable, and generally they're not all that capable, altho at reasonably moderate volume levels perhaps would work fine....so depends on specific use. You can use the switch if you want some sort of automatic help without just reasonable use of the volume control....