Setup help...

[theman4455]

Ok, I'm new in audio like this.

I have a pair of Infinity SM-152's rated at 10-300 watts. I also have a pair of Cerwin-Vega! D-3's rated at about 125 watts max. I have an Optimus STAV-3250 reciever which I use with the Cerwin-Vega!'s putting out about 110 watts max. I have a Kenwood KM-893 power amp, which I got today with NO knowlege about it's output. And an AudioSource EQ Eight/II equalizer too.

I got the SM-152's. the Kenwood amp, and the EQ today.

I want to know, how do I hook this up. Do I run an output from the reciever to the amp with the speakers hooked to the amp and the Cerwin-Vega!'s to the reciever itself? I need some help desperatly.

Thank you,
-Alek-

 

[Adam]

Hey, welcome to the forum!

What is it that you would like to do? Do you want all four speakers hooked up in the same room?

FYI, the Kenwood amp was listed as 120W x 2 on one site that I saw.

 

[theman4455]

Yeah, all in one space by each other. I figure I could place the amp inbetween the bigger speakers and the reciever to get about 230 watts. But is that dangerous?

And if it's 120w x 2 is that 240 total with 4?

 

[Adam]

Sorry for the delay. I was out walking the pooch.

I figure I could place the amp inbetween the bigger speakers and the reciever to get about 230 watts. But is that dangerous?

That's not really how it would work. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm betting that the amp has two RCA jacks on the back (perhaps labeled as Left/Right input) and two pairs of speaker jacks. The way most amps work is that you send a low powered signal (called a line-level signal) to them through those RCA jacks, they amplify that signal, and then the amplified (higher power) signal goes out through the speaker jacks...through the speaker wire...and to your speakers.

FYI, the amount of power that you're probably typically sending to your speakers is less than one Watt. When you crank it up, you're probably somewhere between one and 10 Watts.

And if it's 120w x 2 is that 240 total with 4?

No. It almost surely means that it can power two speakers ("x 2"), and each speaker can receive up to 120 W.

Does your Optimus have any sort of audio outputs on it? It probably has outputs for a tape deck, but does it have any variable outputs (probably labeled "preouts")? I think that it's too old for that, but I want to ask.

 

[theman4455]

I don't think it does. Am I better off with all 4 speakers on the Optimus?

 

[Adam]

At this point, I'm inclined to say yes. However, I'd sure want to put that Kenwood to use if I were you. I'm going to have to let someone else chime in here now, because my dog has been jumping all over me everytime I come in to type tonight. Sorry for not getting you all the way there, but hopefully someone else here will get you all set up. Good luck!

 

[MDS]

If the Optimus has audio outs - like a tape loop - you could connect the amp that way and have one pair of speakers connected to the amp and the other pair to the receiver. If it is a true tape monitor loop, you'd have to turn the tape monitor on at all times.

This approach will only work with analog signals and you will not be able to control the volume of the amp because tape outs are before the amplifier. When you turn up the volume on the receiver, the speakers connected to it will get louder while the speakers connected to the amp will remain the same.

 

[Adam]

The pooch is relaxing, so I'm back.

The one variable output that I'm pretty sure that the Optimus will have is a headphone jack. I don't know if plugging in headphones turns off your main speakers, though. If it doesn't, you could get a converter cable that will let you plug one end into the headphone jack and the other end into the two RCA jacks on the Kenwood amp. Something like this would work, except that you'll probably need the larger headphone jack instead of the minijack. That way, as you adjust the volume on the Optimus, it will adjust the strength of the signal coming out of the headphone jack, and will let you adjust the volume of the speakers hooked up to the Kenwood.

 

[theman4455]

But is there a point? Will the Optimus put off less heat? I think I'll try all 4 on the Optimus and see how it performs. Maybe I will use the Kenwood. Don't know.