One input into Two Power Sources?

[BJG718]

This is kind of a tricky situation I am in now, but the short of it is that I need to be able to connect one source (CD player/DVD player/PS2...any of the three) into two different receivers. I have a 7.1 receiver and another 2.1 receiver. They are both Harman Kardons. The plans are to be able to have a coax or optical cable to split and go to both the 2.1 and 7.1 receiver. Would this be possible?

 

[BJG718]

Sorry for all of the posts. I am just trying to setup 4 front speakers as opposed to two. I imagine the other option would be to buy an external amplifier and hookup two speakers to each channel? Can amps handle that if there is enough wattage?

 

[jaxvon]

First off, why do you want to have 4 front speakers? If you're not getting the kind of output you want, then I think you need to look at new speakers. HK makes great, powerful recievers, so you should be fine that department. Adding more speakers will make your sound incoherent and make speaker setup a nightmare. If I were you, I'd try to find some speakers that suit better and just stick with the pair in the front.

 

[Resident Loser]

Well...

...if the 7.1 has a "tape out"(or anything resembling it) you could feed that output into an input on the 2.1 unit...Forget "pre-amp out"...Y-connectors may cause mismatches...No SpeakerA/B connectors or switches???

jimHJJ(...all this Rube Goldberg stuff never works quite the way you think it will...)

 

[BJG718]

There is a tape out on the 7.1. The reason that I want 4 front speakers is because I think the two pairs that I have matched together for the fronts are very good next to each other. I do not really like them by themselves. I can't really get floor standers either because I don't have the room for it (college dorm room). How exactly would all of the connections for the tape out thing work? Just run coax from the tape out to coax input on the 2.1? There wouldn't be any delays or anything will there?

 

[BJG718]

It has been suggested that I buy two Y connectors (both with 1 male prong and 2 female inputs). Then I would connect them both to my source and use one of them as left channel to both receivers and the other as a right channel to both receivers. Would there be any signal/power loss from splitting the signals? I imagine this is the analog way to do what I want. Is there a digital way (optical/coax)?

 

[Resident Loser]

Using the "tape out" jacks...

...you simply take a pair of RCA cables from those jacks on your 7.1 and connect it to nearly any input except "phono in"(if you have them) on the 2.1...The "tape outs" will be at a fixed level and the tone controls, effects, etc., of the 7.1 will not affect the signal feed from these jacks...volume and tone adjustments to the second set of speakers will have to be done on the 2.1 unit...a bit cumbersome, but it'll do the job. And no, no signal delays.

I'd avoid using Y-connectors as it can result in interface mismatches and may degrade the sound...you could try it, I don't think anything will go up in a haze of green smoke, but if you have a simple, paired RCA interconnect, I'd try my suggestion first...

Can't give you any advice other than analog connectivity, as I use vintage non-digital gear...but, I wouldn't think the 2.1 unit would have digital/optical connectors to use in any sort of signal-splitting scheme if such a thing was even practical...

jimHJJ(...out of Q, model #s...)