Help with Setup of volume control impedence

[Cobraguy]

I'm trying to get some information on how to correctly set the impedence on my zone volume controls. I have a total of 4 zones in my home that I am running off of my receiver. I have a speaker selector box that allows me the ability to turn off each zone. Each zone has 2 speakers. The volume controls are impedence matching and have a switch to change the impedence for different numbers of speakers I assume. My question is how do I know where to set the volume control impedence. According to the book that came with the speaker selector, with the zones I will be using the impedence will be 2.4 ohms. Is this what I set the zone controls to. Speakers are 4 to 8 ohms. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TLS Guy]

I'm trying to get some information on how to correctly set the impedence on my zone volume controls. I have a total of 4 zones in my home that I am running off of my receiver. I have a speaker selector box that allows me the ability to turn off each zone. Each zone has 2 speakers. The volume controls are impedence matching and have a switch to change the impedence for different numbers of speakers I assume. My question is how do I know where to set the volume control impedence. According to the book that came with the speaker selector, with the zones I will be using the impedence will be 2.4 ohms. Is this what I set the zone controls to. Speakers are 4 to 8 ohms. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

What volume controls are you using and what switch? What are your speakers? We do not have enough information to answer your question.

In general a receiver is not the best device for what you want to do and a lot of receivers bite the dust being out into such service,

For you application a multi channel distribution amp is the preferred device.

 

[Cobraguy]

I'm trying to do this cheaply but I do not want to harm my receiver which is an onkyo txnr809. I bought Pyle ceiling speakers (pdic51rd) volume controls (pvc2) and speaker selector (pss8) together as a package. I'm looking to get sound in each zone. Not interested in the best sound quality or loundness obviously with my cheap choice of speakers just decent sound for my wife when shes cleaning or if we have people over for some background music. The Volume controls have a switch on them to be able to change the impedence acccording to how many pairs of speakers you are running I suppose. I had been told it would not harm my receiver to run them if they were properly set up, however, everyone seems tell me something different. Been looking arround the forum for answers and decided to finally post up.

 

[TLS Guy]

I'm trying to do this cheaply but I do not want to harm my receiver which is an onkyo txnr809. I bought Pyle ceiling speakers (pdic51rd) volume controls (pvc2) and speaker selector (pss8) together as a package. I'm looking to get sound in each zone. Not interested in the best sound quality or loundness obviously with my cheap choice of speakers just decent sound for my wife when shes cleaning or if we have people over for some background music. The Volume controls have a switch on them to be able to change the impedence acccording to how many pairs of speakers you are running I suppose. I had been told it would not harm my receiver to run them if they were properly set up, however, everyone seems tell me something different. Been looking arround the forum for answers and decided to finally post up.

You have gone about this incorrectly. You only have two pair of speakers in each room. So you connect the speakers to the volume control as shown in the manual. Your speakers are rated 4 to 6 ohm, which means 4 ohms. So set the control to four ohm.

Now your problem is you can only send sound to one room at once without lowering the impedance too low at your receiver.

So you need an impedance matching switch also, which yours is not.

So if you have all four rooms playing then the impedance at the receiver will be 1 ohm and you will fry it.

Since you only have two speakers in each room you did not actually need impedance matching controls, but you do need an impedance matching switch.

Receivers make these types of situations awkward.

The best solution is multichannel distribution amps, with remote key pads in each room, but it is much more expensive.

 

[Cobraguy]

You have gone about this incorrectly. You only have two pair of speakers in each room. So you connect the speakers to the volume control as shown in the manual. Your speakers are rated 4 to 6 ohm, which means 4 ohms. So set the control to four ohm.

Now your problem is you can only send sound to one room at once without lowering the impedance too low at your receiver.

So you need an impedance matching switch also, which yours is not.

So if you have all four rooms playing then the impedance at the receiver will be 1 ohm and you will fry it.

Since you only have two speakers in each room you did not actually need impedance matching controls, but you do need an impedance matching switch.

Receivers make these types of situations awkward.

The best solution is multichannel distribution amps, with remote key pads in each room, but it is much more expensive.

The speakers say 4 to 8ohms not that this will matter and at 8ohms with the 4 zones the impedence according to the chart would be 2.4ohms. If I set my zone controls to 8ohms would 2.4 ohms still be damaging to my receiver. If so what is a budget way to make what I have work properly. I would like to use the zone controls and speakers since I have already purchased them. I would like to add two more zones possibly in the future. If I purhased an amp would that solve my problem. I would have not bothered if I knew it would be this much trouble and more expense but thats what happens when you dont know what your doing and people that are supposed to tell you something will work and it doesn't. I appreciate your time and knowledge, tell me what needs to be done for the least expense. Thanks

 

[Cobraguy]

Question. I have an additional receiver I used to use for my theatre. Can I run preamp out of the Onkyo in the Yamaha htr 5280 and use the separate channels to power the speakers. It is a 5.1 receiver with A and B speakers 7 places to hook up speakers on the back.

 

[TLS Guy]

Question. I have an additional receiver I used to use for my theatre. Can I run preamp out of the Onkyo in the Yamaha htr 5280 and use the separate channels to power the speakers. It is a 5.1 receiver with A and B speakers 7 places to hook up speakers on the back.

The truth is speaker manufacturers obfuscate. The best rule of thumb is that the impedance seen is the minimal impedance +4% which would actually make those speakers 4.4 ohms. Seldom do manufacturers publish the impedance curve (impedance against frequency), or the phase angles of voltage against current with frequency. So the best and safest rule of thumb is the one I have just given you. In practice it correlates very well with what actually occurs.

Now a 2.4 ohm impedance will fry your receiver. However your situation will be less than 2.4 ohms.

So you do need an impedance matching switcher, so the impedance seen by your receiver stays above four ohms at least.

Receivers really do not like to see an impedance below 8 ohms, but most will not blow up with an impedance around four ohms if you don't push them hard. Since this is a background system that is not likely to happen.

Are you going to have multichannel sound in your TV, room?

A & B speakers connect to the same amps. So you can connect to A or B but not both at the same time.

 

[Cobraguy]

The truth is speaker manufacturers obfuscate. The best rule of thumb is that the impedance seen is the minimal impedance +4% which would actually make those speakers 4.4 ohms. Seldom do manufacturers publish the impedance curve (impedance against frequency), or the phase angles of voltage against current with frequency. So the best and safest rule of thumb is the one I have just given you. In practice it correlates very well with what actually occurs.

Now a 2.4 ohm impedance will fry your receiver. However your situation will be less than 2.4 ohms.

So you do need an impedance matching switcher, so the impedance seen by your receiver stays above four ohms at least.

Receivers really do not like to see an impedance below 8 ohms, but most will not blow up with an impedance around four ohms if you don't push them hard. Since this is a background system that is not likely to happen.

Are you going to have multichannel sound in your TV, room?

A & B speakers connect to the same amps. So you can connect to A or B but not both at the same time.

I updated my receiver for my tv room with the Onkyo txnr809. The Yamaha reciever is no longer in use. The reason I chose this reciever is because of the seperate zones (1and 2)One I am using soley for my tv room, the other I was planning on using for the rest of the home. Other reason for purchasing this reciever is the phone remote app so I can be anywhere in the house and easily control the reciever from my phone. I figured this would be the least complex and inexpensive way to set up some seperate zones in my home. I'm wondering if I used the Yamaha receiver which has an a/b speakers 4 mains 1 center (a)and 2 rear surround which are b. Would it be possible or better to run my onkyo receiver preamp output into my yamaha receiver and use the a/ b speaker on the receiver for the home speaker zones.

 

[TLS Guy]

I updated my receiver for my tv room with the Onkyo txnr809. The Yamaha reciever is no longer in use. The reason I chose this reciever is because of the seperate zones (1and 2)One I am using soley for my tv room, the other I was planning on using for the rest of the home. Other reason for purchasing this reciever is the phone remote app so I can be anywhere in the house and easily control the reciever from my phone. I figured this would be the least complex and inexpensive way to set up some seperate zones in my home. I'm wondering if I used the Yamaha receiver which has an a/b speakers 4 mains 1 center (a)and 2 rear surround which are b. Would it be possible or better to run my onkyo receiver preamp output into my yamaha receiver and use the a/ b speaker on the receiver for the home speaker zones.

Using A & B speakers will get you nowhere, as they are supplied by the same power amps. So there is the possibility of having A & B speakers on together and a fried amp. Also you would only run two rooms in any case and not four.

What is your Yamaha receiver model number? I need to look at the manual. If the receiver were operated in five channel stereo mode, then you could run a room off the fronts and a room off the surrounds, and may be a room for zone 2 with a separate power amp. However on a lot of receivers only analog inputs appear at zone two, not the digital ones. That would still only give you three rooms and not four.

Quite honestly though your real solution is an impedance matching speaker selector switch. This one is $34.99. For that little money I see little point in making this complicated. You just run your Yamaha in stereo mode and connected either A or B speakers, not both, to the impedance matching switch. Connect the speaker leads to the switcher, correctly set the impedance switch on the switcher and you are done! You have a safe installation.

 

[Cobraguy]

Using A & B speakers will get you nowhere, as they are supplied by the same power amps. So there is the possibility of having A & B speakers on together and a fried amp. Also you would only run two rooms in any case and not four.

What is your Yamaha receiver model number? I need to look at the manual. If the receiver were operated in five channel stereo mode, then you could run a room off the fronts and a room off the surrounds, and may be a room for zone 2 with a separate power amp. However on a lot of receivers only analog inputs appear at zone two, not the digital ones. That would still only give you three rooms and not four.

Quite honestly though your real solution is an impedance matching speaker selector switch. This one is $34.99. For that little money I see little point in making this complicated. You just run your Yamaha in stereo mode and connected either A or B speakers, not both, to the impedance matching switch. Connect the speaker leads to the switcher, correctly set the impedance switch on the switcher and you are done! You have a safe installation.

I see. That seems easy and budget friendly. My last question is will I have to run both receivers still or will be able to hook the impedence matching selector up to zone 2 on my onkyo receiver. I want to be able to utilize the features of the Onkyo. The yamaha is an htr 5280 i think

 

[TLS Guy]

I see. That seems easy and budget friendly. My last question is will I have to run both receivers still or will be able to hook the impedence matching selector up to zone 2 on my onkyo receiver. I want to be able to utilize the features of the Onkyo. The yamaha is an htr 5280 i think

I think since you have a spare receiver it will be much handier, to connect a Zone out to a line input on your Yamaha. This will make control easier.

You have one problem you may not be aware of, as is usual, only analog sources are present at the zone outputs, no digital ones. The same applies to the tape outs.

You can't really use your pre outs other wise you mains will be muted.

All this makes what you are trying to do problematic to a degree. However if you are just content to play only analog sources in you remote rooms you will be fine.

So Onkyo zone out unpowered to the Yamaha, Yamaha to the impedance matching speaker selector, speaker selector out to the room volume controls and the volume control outputs to the speakers and you are done.

 

[Cobraguy]

I got the zones all wired up and all speakers are working properly. Thanks for your help I really appreciate it.

 

[TLS Guy]

I got the zones all wired up and all speakers are working properly. Thanks for your help I really appreciate it.

Nice to know it all got sorted out with nothing fried!

 

[Cobraguy]

Nothing fried yet anyways. I do have a switch on the back of my receiver that allows the ohms to be set to 4 or 8. I've had it on 8ohms but was thinking it should be set to 4. Which would be the best setting for my setup. All zone volume controls are set to 4 ohms.