Summing line output from a receiver?

[highfigh]

In the past, equipment manufacturers used to say their Left channel had all of the signal (Summed) and the right channel carried the difference signal, which makes us hear 'Stereo'. Does anyone know if this is true of newer equipment? I would almost assume this is true, but I also know what they say about assuming.

I'm doing a job with a Nakamichi receiver of unknown model/vintage and I'm going to use it to switch sources and feed some speakers around the house. If I need more power, I'll need to send the signal to another amplifier, which is the reason for the thread. I'm not using dual voice coil speakers because he wants better sound and also because a couple of locations are going to require a single speaker that's made for the application, not off the shelf products.

I also know that using a Y cord to connect the left and right channels of some equipment, like Sony sources, tends to cause the signal to disappear.

Can anyone confirm or deny this is the case with a Nakamichi receiver?

Thanks in advance.

 

[markw]

don't know about that particular receiver but it's a possibiity that if the two channels are out of phase, they could cancel each other and only the difference signals would make it through.

But, a bigger concern should be that when you combine both channels, you may (no guarantee) wind up with a mono signal for the entire signal chain, not just where you want it. You might want to consider a "buffer" stage to keep the two channels separate.

HERE'S some good reading on doing just that.

 

[highfigh]

I hadn't thought about it affecting other sources, but that's a good point. Since it's a Nakamichi receiver, I would think they'd buffer the outputs, but I wasn't totally geeked about their cassette decks or car audio stuff, either. The one thing I learned in my decades in the industry is that cash is king and saving money on manufacturing is where their heads are. I think I have a small distribution amp and I could put that between the receiver and amp to see if it's a problem.

Most of the equipment I work with has a ST/Mono switch somewhere and if I can get hm to let me use something else, I'm going to.

I have most of the Rane documents saved already, but I didn't get a chance to look in my old computer, yet. Lots of good info there and I think someone here should sticky the link. Edited- now that I have seen the link, I think I'm just going to make an adapter and be ready for anything next time I go to work on this house. Thanks.

BTW- the Rane controllers have this ability, but when consumers who are accustomed to B&K, McIntosh, Krell and other higher-end lines see some mention of commercial equipment, they immediately think "This stuff isn't as good", in a lot of cases.

If they only knew.