Question Possible to connect two amps to same speakers?

[El Puerco Volante]

Hello all!

I've just finally ordered two PrimaLuna EVO 400 monoblocks, which I will connect to my loudspeakers. Now my loudspeakers have 4 connectors, and those amps will only use one pair. That makes me thinking that I could get another amp (looking at Technics SU-R1000) and connect it to remaining pair of loudspeaker connectors. In this way I can decide which amp use, dependant on my mood and music, without the need to switch cables. Of course I would not use both amps together 😄.

Anything wrong with this idea? I must admit that I'm pretty ignorant in this matter and while it seems convenient, I would like to avoid doing something stupid 😁

Thanks in advance!

 

[Integralista]

Hi,

congratulation to your PrimaLuna monoblocks. Pls. avoid using such missmatch of amplifiers connected to your speakers. Now you have two strong monos, you can place them close to speakers. Use as short as possibke speaker cables. I recommend in first step not to do biwire, make sigle wiring + use high quality cable jumpers instead metal bars normaly equiped with speakers - to connect speaker terminals.

If you can not live without biamping speakers, than better will be biamping using four equal monoblocks. But this is costly and increasing electricity bills...

 

[Friesiansam]

Hi,

congratulation to your PrimaLuna monoblocks. Pls. avoid using such missmatch of amplifiers connected to your speakers. Now you have two strong monos, you can place them close to speakers. Use as short as possibke speaker cables. I recommend in first step not to do biwire, make sigle wiring + use high quality cable jumpers instead metal bars normaly equiped with speakers - to connect speaker terminals.

If you can not live without biamping speakers, than better will be biamping using four equal monoblocks. But this is costly and increasing electricity bills...

Read the OP's post properly and, you will see that he will not be using the different amps at the same time.

 

[Friesiansam]

Anything wrong with this idea?

Nope.

 

[Cork]

Connecting amps in that way will probably damage the amps. They are not designed for incoming current. You would want to use a selection switch to isolate the amps. Something like this (I just picked one at random, not necessarily the recommended product): https://amzn.eu/d/0FSgcUx

 

[Juzzie Wuzzie]

... two PrimaLuna EVO 400 monoblocks ... will be worth of a picture!

 

[Integralista]

Read the OP's post properly and, you will see that he will not be using the different amps at the same time.

Hi, you are right. Above all PrimaLuna evo 400 is integrated amp. What a funny joke is this?

 

[Al ears]

Hi, you are right. Above all PrimaLuna evo 400 is integrated amp. What a funny joke is this?

Nothing funny about it. The Evo 400 power amp can be switched to a monoblock, you can get two for $9,900

 

[Al ears]

Hello all!

I've just finally ordered two PrimaLuna EVO 400 monoblocks, which I will connect to my loudspeakers. Now my loudspeakers have 4 connectors, and those amps will only use one pair. That makes me thinking that I could get another amp (looking at Technics SU-R1000) and connect it to remaining pair of loudspeaker connectors. In this way I can decide which amp use, dependant on my mood and music, without the need to switch cables. Of course I would not use both amps together 😄.

Anything wrong with this idea? I must admit that I'm pretty ignorant in this matter and while it seems convenient, I would like to avoid doing something stupid 😁

Thanks in advance!

Surely those 4 connectors are joined by a bar or some other means so that, if removed, you could bi- amplify them.
They are not there to connect two different amplifiers as you are looking to do and I would seriously avoid this.
If you want just run two sets of speaker cables from each of the amplifiers and simply switch the speaker cables at the rear of the speakers when required so that only one amplifier is ever connected at any one time.
If you don't you could be in for some very expensive issues further down the line.

 

[abacus]

I can give you a 100% absolute total guarantee that during their lifetime of your system, you WILL accidentally turn both amps on at the same time, so use a switch with high power rating to switch between them instead.

Bill

 

[Shrek]

Hello all!

I've just finally ordered two PrimaLuna EVO 400 monoblocks, which I will connect to my loudspeakers. Now my loudspeakers have 4 connectors, and those amps will only use one pair. That makes me thinking that I could get another amp (looking at Technics SU-R1000) and connect it to remaining pair of loudspeaker connectors. In this way I can decide which amp use, dependant on my mood and music, without the need to switch cables. Of course I would not use both amps together 😄.

Anything wrong with this idea? I must admit that I'm pretty ignorant in this matter and while it seems convenient, I would like to avoid doing something stupid 😁

Thanks in advance!

Hi there i have to separate Amps connected to my speakers has long has you don't power both Amps together it works fine for me, they are on separate power supplies .

 

[El Puerco Volante]

Very interesting, thank to all! So looks like it's possible, but may be risky. I seem to understand that a switch is the way to go (don't want to plug and unplug cables really). Does someone know a really good one? Wouldn't be super smart to use a low-quality device in between the half-decent amps I just got.

Big thanks, as usual!

 

[El Puerco Volante]

Hi,

congratulation to your PrimaLuna monoblocks. Pls. avoid using such missmatch of amplifiers connected to your speakers. Now you have two strong monos, you can place them close to speakers. Use as short as possibke speaker cables. I recommend in first step not to do biwire, make sigle wiring + use high quality cable jumpers instead metal bars normaly equiped with speakers - to connect speaker terminals.

If you can not live without biamping speakers, than better will be biamping using four equal monoblocks. But this is costly and increasing electricity bills...

Thanks, but indeed I don't plan to use those very different amps at the same time. Just to have a choice which one to use according to mood and music.

But you have said something very interesting to me: are you saying that I could get 4 EVO 400 monoblocks instead of 2, connect them to one EVO 400 Preamp (also ordered) on input side and on output side connect all 4 to my speakers and run them at the same time? Would this make the sound better?

Sounds like a cool idea ☺️

 

[daytona600]

Can you get your dealer to install/advise

 

[Al ears]

Thanks, but indeed I don't plan to use those very different amps at the same time. Just to have a choice which one to use according to mood and music.

But you have said something very interesting to me: are you saying that I could get 4 EVO 400 monoblocks instead of 2, connect them to one EVO 400 Preamp (also ordered) on input side and on output side connect all 4 to my speakers and run them at the same time? Would this make the sound better?

Sounds like a cool idea ☺️

you could but to my mind it would be a complete waste of money.
EDIT: you cannot as you can only connect two power amps to that Preamplifier
the difference heard is unlikely to be any difference to simply using your monoblock amps driving each speaker on their own.
they are switchable to stereo power amps I believe so you could use them like this with one driving tweeters and one driving woofers.

 

[El Puerco Volante]

Can you get your dealer to install/advise

I would, but in the countryside where I live it's a high-end Sahara. There is one dealer in a nearby city, but I would rather sing myself rather then go there. The attitude there is, let's say, slightly less then stellar.

 

[El Puerco Volante]

you could but to my mind it would be a complete waste of money.
EDIT: you cannot as you can only connect two power amps to that Preamplifier
the difference heard is unlikely to be any difference to simply using your monoblock amps driving each speaker on their own.
they are switchable to stereo power amps I believe so you could use them like this with one driving tweeters and one driving woofers.

Thank you, you always give me a good advice 🙂 Much appreciated! So best is just to let one monoblock to drive one speaker and that's it then?

 

[Gray]

Hi there i have to separate Amps connected to my speakers has long has you don't power both Amps together it works fine for me, they are on separate power supplies .

As you've found Shrek, it 'works', but the outputs of two amplifiers should not be connected together.
Even if you do religiously only power them up one at a time, pairing their outputs is something that should not be done.

 

[Al ears]

Thank you, you always give me a good advice 🙂 Much appreciated! So best is just to let one monoblock to drive one speaker and that's it then?

Yes

 

[El Puerco Volante]

Based on the feedback from knowledgeable and amazing members of this forum I think I have found the decent switch - Luxman AS-55. It seems to do exactly what I need, but I'm not sure it will work with monoblocks. In the manual I can only see individual amps (attached) but I need to switch between a) two monoblocks powering individual speakers b) an integrated powering both speakers. Am I missing something here?

 

[Al ears]

Based on the feedback from knowledgeable and amazing members of this forum I think I have found the decent switch - Luxman AS-55. It seems to do exactly what I need, but I'm not sure it will work with monoblocks. In the manual I can only see individual amps (attached) but I need to switch between a) two monoblocks powering individual speakers b) an integrated powering both speakers. Am I missing something here?

To be fair the monoblocks will obviously need a preamplifier and, as you see, it will probably only work with integrated amps. The amps are connected to the switch and only one pair of speaker cables connect the switch to the speakers.

 

[El Puerco Volante]

To be fair the monoblocks will obviously need a preamplifier and, as you see, it will probably only work with integrated amps. The amps are connected to the switch and only one pair of speaker cables connect the switch to the speakers.

Well, that shouldn't be a problem. Evo 400 pre-amp connected via XLR to two Evo 400 monoblocks. One monoblock connected to "right" input of "system A" on AS-55 and the other monoblock connected to "left" input of "system A" on AS-55. Then the integrated amp (SU-G 1000) is connected to both "right and left" inputs of "system B" of AS-55. And the AS-55 connected to my loudspeakers. In this way I can choose if power my loudspeakers via EVOs or the SU-G1000 at leisure via the AS-55 selector. Makes sense or I'm gonna mess it up ? 😁

 

[Fandango Andy]

Hello all!

I've just finally ordered two PrimaLuna EVO 400 monoblocks, which I will connect to my loudspeakers. Now my loudspeakers have 4 connectors, and those amps will only use one pair. That makes me thinking that I could get another amp (looking at Technics SU-R1000) and connect it to remaining pair of loudspeaker connectors. In this way I can decide which amp use, dependant on my mood and music, without the need to switch cables. Of course I would not use both amps together 😄.

Anything wrong with this idea? I must admit that I'm pretty ignorant in this matter and while it seems convenient, I would like to avoid doing something stupid 😁

Thanks in advance!

While everything the other replies have said is true, it assumes a level of knowledge on your part , but you say " I must admit that I'm pretty ignorant" therefore, I will give a quick explanation assuming you know nothing. you probably know more than you think you do and a lot of what I say.

There are two points. First, if your speakers have two separate sets of binding posts that isn't to connect a second set of speakers, it is to bi-wire , or bi-amp your speakers. (look this up if you don't know these terms). If you are not connecting the speakers this way there should be a bar or wire connecting the two sets of terminals.

second: If you want to have a second amp, you can in theory connect two amps to the same speakers, but DO NOT DO IT. if you have both amps on at the same time, you will fry one of the amps. It stands to reason that one day somebody will do this! Not worth the risk. If you really want a second amp you need to unplug and plug in each amp to the speakers every time you swap over. Or get a switchbox that you can use to decide which amp to use at any one time.

hope this helps.

 

[El Puerco Volante]

While everything the other replies have said is true, it assumes a level of knowledge on your part , but you say " I must admit that I'm pretty ignorant" therefore, I will give a quick explanation assuming you know nothing. you probably know more than you think you do and a lot of what I say.

There are two points. First, if your speakers have two separate sets of binding posts that isn't to connect a second set of speakers, it is to bi-wire , or bi-amp your speakers. (look this up if you don't know these terms). If you are not connecting the speakers this way there should be a bar or wire connecting the two sets of terminals.

second: If you want to have a second amp, you can in theory connect two amps to the same speakers, but DO NOT DO IT. if you have both amps on at the same time, you will fry one of the amps. It stands to reason that one day somebody will do this! Not worth the risk. If you really want a second amp you need to unplug and plug in each amp to the speakers every time you swap over. Or get a switchbox that you can use to decide which amp to use at any one time.

hope this helps.

Thank you, very clear and helpful. I won't connect them then and will use a switchbox! Anything wrong with my idea of how to connect using it as I've described above?

I like the hi-fi very much, but, in comparison to most members on this forum, I don't really know that much about it. So the clear advice is always very much appreciated!