How to Link 2 Stereo Amps to 4 speakers with CD player as source?

camdxr

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Hello

My friend wants a clear but loud system for playing music, he has tried an Onkyo AV amp and Bose speakers first, these have since been returned.

Seeing as he is not interested in the visual side of AV I suggested that he just buy stereo amps. He will now be buying/auditioning and returning if not happy the following kit:

Yamaha RVX979 x 2 (stereo amps)

Yamaha RS 515F x4 (floorstanders) ps I could not find details of these speakers anywhere and feel that he may have written the numbers down incorrectly and they may indeed be the RS 525F.

Yamaha CD player (name of which I'm unsure)

My question is simple, how does he wire up the following kit for the best result. In particular linking the amps to play from a single source.

Thanks.
 
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Anonymous

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I'm using an RXV 667 as the amp for music in my living room and I am more than happy with the sound. Sometimes if I want a more spread out sound for when I'm doing chores or something I stick it on 7.1 music and all 4 main speakers plus sub are utilised.

The AV amp replaced an Arcam stereo amp, and the quality difference is negligable, even if their respective prices were £300 (AV), £600 (stereo).

Now considering he has the opposite advantage (being able to spend double on the AV amp), I am sure the AV amp is the way to go.

Otherwise I would assume a couple of RCA splitters might work.
 
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Anonymous

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I've connected 3 amps to one cd source - although RCA splitters will do the job, they do it very poorly: there is audible distortion/noise which creeps into the mids. By trial and error, I've found that the best way to multi connect components is to connect them into a chain: CD to AMP#1 then from AMP1 (by way of record out) into the cd direct input of AMP#2. To compensate for the different length the signal has to travel between AMP1 and AMP2, make sure that the speaker wires on AMP#2 are shorter than the speakers wires connected to AMP#1 by the exact length of the connecting cable between AMP1 and AMP2, which should be the same make and length as the cable you have used to connect your cd player to AMP1 - I have used 3ft length monster cable for both interconnections, so my speaker cables for AMP 2 are 3 feet shorter than the speaker cables connected to AMP#1... I went crazy and did this with 3 amps, but the sound is absolutely amazing and well worth the investment - my hifi dealer was sceptical for all sorts of reasons and came to my home to hear it himself; He was dumbfounded and conceded it was most impressive and cost effective to boot. I dare say that you can achieve such impressive results that people with single amp set ups, no matter the cost of their gear, will be envious of your sound! OF course, it is very important that the amps and speakers you have are well balanced (as neutral as possible - neither bright nor boomy). There is such a smooth, clean thickness achieved with such power which never has to be pushed much to achieve an absolutely wonderfull fullness.
 
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Anonymous

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Good idea. Although taking account of the lengths of cables is irrelevant.

Electricity travels at c (speed of light). ie 3x10^8 metres per second, or 300,000 km per second.

So the difference in phase for a 1m difference in lengths will be...around 3 nanoseconds if I've done my maths right :) - You will NOT notice it :)

But I would still go for the 2x the money on an AV amp.
 
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Anonymous

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A friend (electronic engineer) told me as much after the act - but my layman's logic insisted that it couldn't hurt to be exact and cautious.
rofl.gif
We live and learn, sometimes we budge.
 

camdxr

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Thanks for all of the replies, he will have effectively 2 speakers driven by one stereo amp and the other pair of speakers by the other exact same make and model stereo amp. But he will only have one source (the CD player). The man in the shop seemed to think the amps could be linked be the lines in and out on the amps.

I think this will mean CD to one amp, that amp then into the other amp. This is the bit I'm confused about. My friend has no other AV kit at all. He just wants 4 speakers in his room to play, clear and loud music.

Suggestions welcome.

Thanks
 

lixa

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Googling for pictures, the Amp has an Audio out and Zone 2 out so you could pipe whatever is playing out of Amp A to an input on Amp B.

Otherwise, a distribution amplifier would work, but perhaps too much, just for what you're doing.
 
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Anonymous

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Yep. CD into amp # 1, amp # 1 (record out) into amp # 2 (CD direct input). Connect speakers to each amp. Amazing sound!
 
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Anonymous

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Yes, that's right. The whole set up is in one 4 x 6 m room. A Yamaha CD S1000 into a Yamaha A S1000, then the A S1000 into a Yamaha A S700 into a second Yamaha A S700 - speakers: MS Mezzo 8's, Wharfedale EVO 40's, MS Aviano 8's, Velodyne SPi 1000 sub connected to the pre amp output on the A S1000. The Yamahas are very polite and neutral and so too the speakers, although I only ever switch on the last amp, amp # 3 (connected to the Aviano 8's) when I want and need some rough stuff and a wall of sound. It took me a while to get it together but the reason I opted for this seemingly ludicrously overkill type of arrangement is because you can't get that sort of power unless you purchase high high end amps and speakers, which invividually actually cost more than twice of my whole set up, speakers, sub and cd player included. I think I saved about 80% on what I would have needed to fork out to get this sort of power, clarity, and presence in a 'one amp and one pair of speakers' set up.
 

The_Lhc

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So you have two different types of amp and three different makes of speaker? Doesn't it just sound a complete mess?

Are the speakers lined up along side each other or in a triangle all pointing into the middle?
 

camdxr

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Hi jelk,

Are there any specific leads I would need for this? My friend is collecting all this gear tonight and I want to make sure he leaves the shop with all the right interconnects.

Thanks.

P.S, Your system sounds awesome.
 
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Anonymous

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Hi

As a suggestion you could change the cd player for a second hand Auidiolab 8000CD, this CD player has 2 outputs so can feed 2 Amps directly from the CD player, not sure about what other players have two outputs but I'm sure there must be some out there.

But to be Honest if all the speakers are in the same room I would go for 2 power amps and a pre-amp, saves the trouble of having 2 volume controls, and something nobody else seams to have thought of, there could be an issue with the remotes as there are two of the same systems in one room, if the signal gets through to one and not the other could cause issues.
 
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Anonymous

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camdxr,

Perhaps I am being really thick BUT the amplification choices within a decent AV receiver are so broad that I can see no reason why 2x stereo amps etc is needed.

My Denon has 2 zones that can use one source but most importantly can play 6.1/7.1 stereo to completely fill a room without any complicating factors. Plus there are various other options within DSP.

Spend the money on a better source and single AV receiver, job done no complications. :grin:
 
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Anonymous

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No need for expensive wiring, just well insulated copper speaker cable of the correct guage and two pairs of decent rca leads. The basic Monster rca's (quite cheap but much better insulated than the cheap sets of cables you automatically get in the cd box) do the job more than well. Believe me, the whole ultra expensive wiring thing is a load of codswallop - it is true they outperform cheap wiring, and this can be scientifically proven, but the differences between a $100 set of rca cables and a $1000 set of cables are inaudible to the human ear - this is also scientifically proven; so long as you have a decent and consistent quality copper and they are thick enough for the length between the speakers and amp (to prevent signal loss), and they are insulated properly (to avoid interference), that's all you'll ever need: the rest is more to do with marketting and consumerism. P.S. Glad to be of assistance.
 
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Anonymous

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Hi Lhc, No mess, just Bliss! Again, trial and error, trusting my ears. The speakers actually compliment each other (they are lined up along each other, about 20 cm apart, left and right sets divided by about two meters of space. The Wharfedales have very nice and clear highs and mids, tight beautiful bass although not enough of it on their own (my room is bright: tiles, just one small rug and a sofa), the Aviano's have muscle, grunt and clarity without the finnesse and depth in the highs and mids, while the Mezzo's are just wonderful all round well balanced speakers that have it all ( I chose them over a pair of B&W CM9's which seemed thin to me in the bass department, in some ways similar to the EVO 40's, but far more expensive than either). All the amps are neutral and polite, so listening is never tiring or demanding, no matter how loud the sound. Set at around 'Ten o'clock' the sound is so smooth yet immense and all consuming, nothing working hard. But; the only problem is there are two different amps in the set up, so, although they are all Yamaha amps and the remotes are inter-usable, the volume shifts differently between the two models - so I have to get up off my ass and adjust the volume meter on the S1000 down a bit to match the S700's (good exercise and certainly worth the trouble).
 

Crocodile

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I can't see any need for two amps, AV amps or power amps when so many stereo amps will drive two pairs of speakers independently anyway? Just choose something with plenty of welly to start with & ensure that a matching power amp is available in case he still wants more.
 

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