Speaker Wiring + Volume Control

[Iamsith]

Hi everyone, I am stumped on the safe and quality way to add 2 more speakers to my ceiling speaker setup and still use my volume wall control for 4 speakers.

I now have 2x Martin Logan Helos 12 (4 ohms max 100 watts) that run from an amplifier to an in-wall volume control. I bought 2 more of the same speaker but soon after realized that my volume control could only accept a pair of speakers as an input and output. All speakers are in the same room, I don't want to have to add a separate in-wall volume controller and have to deal with matching their volume level.

I would like to have all 4 speakers run safely off the one volume controller, I am confused about paralleled and series wiring configurations and if the ohm change of either configuration would be dangerous to the speaker, amplifier, and volume controller.

My setup is as follows:

Amplifier: Nad ci-980
(rated 4,8 ohm)
https://nadelectronics.com/product/ci-980-multi-channel-amplifier/

Speakers: Martin Logan Helos 12
(Rated 4 ohms and Can be used with 4,6 and 8-ohm amp)
https://www.martinlogan.com/en/product/helos-12

Volume control: OSD VMS-300
https://www.osdaudio.com/vms-300-300w-slide-in-wall-volume-control-outdoor-speaker-depot.html

I am hoping to get this all figured out and installed correctly over the Christmas holidays, any and all help is so much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi everyone, I am stumped on the safe and quality way to add 2 more speakers to my ceiling speaker setup and still use my volume wall control for 4 speakers.

I now have 2x Martin Logan Helos 12 (4 ohms max 100 watts) that run from an amplifier to an in-wall volume control. I bought 2 more of the same speaker but soon after realized that my volume control could only accept a pair of speakers as an input and output. All speakers are in the same room, I don't want to have to add a separate in-wall volume controller and have to deal with matching their volume level.

I would like to have all 4 speakers run safely off the one volume controller, I am confused about paralleled and series wiring configurations and if the ohm change of either configuration would be dangerous to the speaker, amplifier, and volume controller.

My setup is as follows:

Amplifier: Nad ci-980
(rated 4,8 ohm)
https://nadelectronics.com/product/ci-980-multi-channel-amplifier/

Speakers: Martin Logan Helos 12
(Rated 4 ohms and Can be used with 4,6 and 8-ohm amp)
https://www.martinlogan.com/en/product/helos-12

Volume control: OSD VMS-300
https://www.osdaudio.com/vms-300-300w-slide-in-wall-volume-control-outdoor-speaker-depot.html

I am hoping to get this all figured out and installed correctly over the Christmas holidays, any and all help is so much appreciated.

Thanks

You are going to have to change your impedance matching volume control. The current one as you say will only control one pair of speakers.

Now your amp has 8 channels. So I assume you are just using two channels at present.

So you have two options. You can use an impedance matching volume control that will control two pairs of speakers from two channels. Or, if you can run two extra pairs of wires from you amp and use an impedance matching volume control that will control two pairs of speakers from four of those amp channels. If the latter is possible, then that is the better option.

 

[Iamsith]

You are going to have to change your impedance matching volume control. The current one as you say will only control one pair of speakers.

Now your amp has 8 channels. So I assume you are just using two channels at present.

So you have two options. You can use an impedance matching volume control that will control two pairs of speakers from two channels. Or, if you can run two extra pairs of wires from you amp and use an impedance matching volume control that will control two pairs of speakers from four of those amp channels. If the latter is possible, then that is the better option.

Amazing, thank you so much for the info. I can run extra pair of speaker wires. Could you please confirm if the link I am providing with this reply is the type of volume control you are referring too?
https://www.sonance.com/electronics/speakers-selectors-volume-controls/impedance-matching-volume-controls

 

[TLS Guy]

Amazing, thank you so much for the info. I can run extra pair of speaker wires. Could you please confirm if the link I am providing with this reply is the type of volume control you are referring too?
https://www.sonance.com/electronics/speakers-selectors-volume-controls/impedance-matching-volume-controls

No, you need a volume control with two independent two channel inputs and two outputs from each channel.

If you can easily run wires by far your best option is to run each speakers from an independent amp channel. That would put to good use of four amp channels of the eight you have paid for.

 

[Iamsith]

No, you need a volume control with two independent two channel inputs and two outputs from each channel.

If you can easily run wires by far your best option is to run each speakers from an independent amp channel. That would put to good use all of the 8 amp channels you have paid for.

I think I get what you are saying. I will run the 2 extra cables and look for a volume control that has
two independent two-channel inputs and two outputs from each channel.

Again, thanks for the help!

 

[TLS Guy]

Amazing, thank you so much for the info. I can run extra pair of speaker wires. Could you please confirm if the link I am providing with this reply is the type of volume control you are referring too?
https://www.sonance.com/electronics/speakers-selectors-volume-controls/impedance-matching-volume-controls

Unfortunately what you need does not exist. Your speakers are four ohm. Your best option is to use two controls side by side.

Your speakers are four ohm and I can not find a control that will handle a 2 ohm load. So you can use your existing control with series wiring making an eight ohm load.

So you need to make two series pairs. So for each pair you need to connect one speaker positive to the the other speaker negative and then connect the remaining unconnected positive and negative wires to the control.

This is going to spread the power in the room and make it more even, but it will not increase the volume. If it is more volume you need then you need to add that two extra amp channels with more wiring and use two controls side by side.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Unfortunately what you need does not exist. Your speakers are four ohm. Your best option is to use two controls side by side.

Your speakers are four ohm and I can not find a control that will handle a 2 ohm load. So you can use your existing control with series wiring making an eight ohm load.

So you need to make two series pairs. So for each pair you need to connect one speaker positive to the the other speaker negative and then connect the remaining unconnected positive and negative wires to the control.

THIS!

I know it's a few weeks old now, but they don't make one off volume controls for weird setups. Instead, wire your speakers in series and use the volume control that is already in place. You will get more even audio distribution, but you aren't sending additional power, so you will still have what you had before.

Not sure why the additional speakers are in use, or what the goal was. Feel free to elaborate, but if you are looking for more overall volume in the room, then you will need to drive them off a separate channel of the amplifier, and that means you will need a second volume control to adjust the audio level for those speakers.

Or switching to a multi-channel pre-amp, which gets complex and adds some cost.

 

[highfigh]

Unfortunately what you need does not exist. Your speakers are four ohm. Your best option is to use two controls side by side.

Your speakers are four ohm and I can not find a control that will handle a 2 ohm load. So you can use your existing control with series wiring making an eight ohm load.

So you need to make two series pairs. So for each pair you need to connect one speaker positive to the the other speaker negative and then connect the remaining unconnected positive and negative wires to the control.

This is going to spread the power in the room and make it more even, but it will not increase the volume. If it is more volume you need then you need to add that two extra amp channels with more wiring and use two controls side by side.

What happened to "Never connect two 2-way speakers in series when they have a crossover"?