Speaker Switch

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paj4x4
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#1 erstellt: 04. Feb 2007, 05:34

Hi guys. As some of you may have read in the For Sale section – my plan of having a dedicated pair of speakers for stereo listening is on its way there. Ideal scenario would have been to set the speakers up in the bedroom but the agreement right now with the wife is to park these in the den together with our smaller HT set up. The speakers will eventually get to the bedroom…

I have the Marantz 4600 driving a 5.1 Athena set up in the den. The 4600 has a “surround B” feature – allowing the receiver to drive an extra pair of speakers in another room using the same source. I have not yet hooked up the extra pair of speakers but based on the receiver’s manual it looks like that the feature when used will drive all speakers at the same time. What I want at this point in time is to be able to use the 5.1 package for HT and the other pair of speakers for 2-channel listening in the same room and I’m thinking some sort of switch is the way to go. Basically like the A/B speaker switch feature in an Onkyo 504 or in aYamaha 357.

Is there one out there? Is it available in Mumbai? Is anyone in the board using a similar device? Directions on this one will as usual be highly appreciated.

Cheers!

CR
PS – Original intention was to interchange the receivers in our 2 HT set ups – and use the Onkyo 604 in the den and use its Zone 2 feature. I decided against this since the Marantz 4600 will probably have a hard time driving the speakers in the main HT set up.

SDhawan
Stammgast

#2 erstellt: 04. Feb 2007, 19:45

Dear Pajero 4x4 (I believe that's your full name) !

Try fooling your SR-4600 :

Connect the analog input of your source into the surround-back (rear) channel of the 7.1 direct input of the SR-4600. Connect the speaker output from surround back to these two speakers in question. And then use 7.1 mode to listen to only these two speakers. Remember that in the setup feed the surround back speakers as absent.

Let me know if it works.

paj4x4
Ist häufiger hier

#3 erstellt: 05. Feb 2007, 11:30

Hi Sanjay. You got my forum handle right. On top HT’s, 4x4/off-roading is the other passion I have. Unfortunately the 4x4 scene here in India is not yet that developed.

Currently the DVD player’s audio output is connected via a digital coaxial cable to the receiver. If I plug in the analog input into the 7.1 direct input of the 4600 will it not create problems?

I’ll try this one tonight. Hope it works out. If not I’m still hoping that there’s some sort of switch available in the market where I can plug in the 2 front Athena speakers and the pair of MS 904’s on one end and the other end will have two speaker wires which will be plugged into the Front L and R channels of the receiver. Then just switch between these pair of speakers – the Athena’s for HT and the 904’s for stereo.

Thanks and regards.

CR

SDhawan
Stammgast

#4 erstellt: 05. Feb 2007, 19:24

Speaker switches kill sound quality.

4x4 scene is really not developed in India. I wanted to buy 4x4 scorpio, had booked the same and after 4 month's waiting I was almost compelled to buy 2WD. The dealer's own doubt about the products were enough to dissuade me.

Man, I went for this desert safari in Dubai in a Landcruiser V6 - OUT OF THE WORLD experience! And man the way those drivers drive it up, down and around the sandunes is mind blowing. It was a caravan of about 25 Landcruisers and each of the driver was fantastic - only one guy stuck once and had to reverse down the slope.

Some of the pictures of the safari can be seen at:

www.flickr.com/photos/sdhawan

paj4x4
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#5 erstellt: 06. Feb 2007, 19:22

I can’t fool the 4600! I connected the DVD player’s surround left and right to the receivers 7.1 direct input to no avail. Anyway I’ll continue to look for a speaker switch. I’m willing to take the risk of reduced sound quality (which I hope is not much coz my set up is not at all hi-fi…therefore not that noticeable) since this is going to be a temporary fix.

Nice pics in Dubai Sanjay. I take it your other hobby is photography. I’m sure you had a blast in the desert safari. A Land Cruiser is an awesome rig…a favorite of true 4x4 junkies…especially the Land Cruiser 80 series with solid axles on both ends. In the area of off-roading I’m more into the muds and ruts (i.e. slow) type – more on recreational, albeit difficult 4x4 trailing. In fact after a relatively serious trail our rigs come out usually with a new color...color of the mud!

By the way I hooked up the 904’s today. I’m quite satisfied with its performance straight out of the box. I tried both bi-wire and single wire. The difference is highly perceivable (compared to the wharfedale 9.5’s in our main HT set up) in favor of bi-wiring.

Cheers!

CR

Kamal
Stammgast

#6 erstellt: 06. Feb 2007, 21:54

Sanjay, those were some great snaps!
WOW & WOW Again!

SDhawan
Stammgast

#7 erstellt: 07. Feb 2007, 08:37

Dear CR,

I think you got the connections wrong.

Audio out from front channels of DVDP -> Surround Back / Rear Input of 7.1 Direct -> Surround Back / Rear Speaker output -> Alternate Speakers

And use 7.1 direct mode to listen to these speakers.

I think this should work. However, this will bypass the DAC / Processor of the AVR.

SDhawan
Stammgast

#8 erstellt: 07. Feb 2007, 08:41

Kamal schrieb:

Sanjay, those were some great snaps!
WOW & WOW Again!

Thanks Kamal !

BTW how are you feeling now?

paj4x4
Ist häufiger hier

#9 erstellt: 09. Feb 2007, 12:07

SDhawan schrieb:

Thanks for the correction. I'll try again tonight.

CR

paj4x4
Ist häufiger hier

#10 erstellt: 26. Feb 2007, 12:42

I reconnected the DVDP to the 4600 following Sanjay’s instructions above. Good news. It works.

Thanks Sanjay

. Your assistance is much appreciated.

Regards,

CR
PS – What is the consequence of “bypassing the DAC/Processor of the AVR” in 2 channel stereo listening?

SDhawan
Stammgast

#11 erstellt: 26. Feb 2007, 19:41

paj4x4 schrieb:

I reconnected the DVDP to the 4600 following Sanjay’s instructions above. Good news. It works.

Thanks Sanjay

. Your assistance is much appreciated.

Regards,

CR
PS – What is the consequence of “bypassing the DAC/Processor of the AVR” in 2 channel stereo listening?

So technology is not "fool proof"