Paradigm SM-60R's - parallel or series

[gleonard]

Hi everyone:

I am running a pair of SM-60R's for rear surrounds and a third SM-60R for my rear center in a 6.1 set-up (WAF=ceiling mount). They are being powered by an HK-AVR 135.

The product guide from Paradigm states that they should be connected in parallel for both applications, whereas the dealer I purchased from strongly suggests running them in series - he states that since each speaker has two 6 ohm (dealer said that he checked this on his last install) lodes that it would tax the amp a lot more in parallel.

Does this make sense? Do I lose something in the "surround" sound arena by doing this?

Speaker specs are at:

http://www.paradigm.ca/Website/SiteParadigmProduct/ParadigmModels/InWall/CSSeries/CS_Specs.htm

Cheers
Gleonard

 

[gleonard]

Anyone?

???? Bump?

 

[markw]

Does this make sense? Actually, no.

Exactly now many seakers are you talking about? I read three but your question would lead meto think otherwise.

In any case, I'll assume three speakers and answer as such. Also, this presupposes that your receiver can handle this 6.1 configuration and can safely handle 6 ohm speakers.

One of the speakers should be hooked up as the right rear/surround speaker.

The second should be hooked up as the left rear/surround speaker.

The third should be hooked up as the rear center speaker.

Each is now happily running off it's own amplifier channel. I honestly don't see where this series/parallel stuff comes into play here.

 

[gleonard]

Where the Parallel thing comes from

Each speaker (and you are right I am talking about 3 speakers) has two high-frequency drivers offset at 60 degree angles and a shared dual voice coil mid/bass driver. Paradigm recommends using them when ADP's are not possible.

So it is 6.1 - at the front I have a Pair of Focus (or would it be foci), and a CC-170 - I then have 1 SM-60R for a rear center channel and 2 SM-60R's for rear surrounds.

Each speaker has two sets of binding posts - (one for each set of drivers) - if you wanted to you could use 1 speaker to provide stereo sound - I don't want to do that. So I then have to wire either in parallel have the +ve and -ve from the amp go into one set of binding posts and then use another small section of speaker wire to connect the +ve on one to the +ve on the other (-ve to -ve in the same manner).
amp ------- +ve1 -------- +ve2
amp ------- -ve1 ------- -ve2

Or I have to connect in Series the +ve from the amp goes to one set of posts and the -ve to the other with a piece of speaker cable then connecting the other two posts.

amp ------ +ve1 amp ------ - ve 2 -ve 1 -------- +ve2

The Paradigm manual suggests wiring in parallel

From their support line "Connecting the two pairs of inputs on each SM-60R in parallel is correct but
this configuration does drop the nominal impedance of the speaker to about 4
ohms"

The dealership where I purchased the speakers (and they recommended them) said to do it in series as the impedence would then be closer to the 8 ohms on the other speakers but will result in a loss in output . . .

So maybe the question should be can the H/K AVR 135 handle the 4 ohm impedence of two rear surrounds and a rear center?

Hope this helps
Gleonardo.