Recommendations for a micro hi-fi to work with 4x ceiling speakers?

[deansplit]

Installing in a kitchen diner - just want a fairly mid range (not cheap and nasty, but not wanting top of the range - £2-300?) hi-fi with a CD player and the usual latest connections, radio features etc.

Do I 'have' to get a unit with 4x speaker connections or can I connect a pair to each of a 2x speaker connection unit? I'm not worried about independednt control of each speaker, in fact, if anything, they'd be controlled in pairs anyway as they're in each half of the room.

Any suggestions for speakers to go with it would be great too (it's a minefield out there!)

Thanks

 

[Al ears]

Installing in a kitchen diner - just want a fairly mid range (not cheap and nasty, but not wanting top of the range - £2-300?) hi-fi with a CD player and the usual latest connections, radio features etc.

Do I 'have' to get a unit with 4x speaker connections or can I connect a pair to each of a 2x speaker connection unit? I'm not worried about independednt control of each speaker, in fact, if anything, they'd be controlled in pairs anyway as they're in each half of the room.

Any suggestions for speakers to go with it would be great too (it's a minefield out there!)

Thanks

You should be able to connect them as 2x2 pairs as the stereo effects are going to be lost with ceiling speakers anyway. As long as you don't try adding more 'bookshelf' speakers you should be fine for just getting 'music'.

 

[deansplit]

Will it not put a strain on the amp?

 

[Al ears]

Will it not put a strain on the amp?

No, I very much doubt it. All you are trying to do is power four drivers. How many drivers can you get in a large pair of standmount speakers?

 

[Frank Harvey]

For a little over £300 (usually £500), the Marantz MCR611 has two pairs of speaker outputs, and will also allow the addition of a sub if required, along with basic bass management. This system will give you CD playback, internet radio, AirPlay, Bluetooth, and will stream any music stored on your Network, as well as Spotify. There's also analogue and digital inputs for external sources too.

 

[deansplit]

For a little over £300 (usually £500), the Marantz MCR611 has two pairs of speaker outputs, and will also allow the addition of a sub if required, along with basic bass management. This system will give you CD playback, internet radio, AirPlay, Bluetooth, and will stream any music stored on your Network, as well as Spotify. There's also analogue and digital inputs for external sources too.

Yeah this was suggested by a salesperson, then I saw the 511 and wondered if I ever needed the CD player but it only has 2x connections. That's when I decided to post thsi thread

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

If you connect two pairs of speakers to one set of terminals, be sure you wire them in parallel not in series. That is don't "Daisy Chain" amp plus to first speaker plus, first speaker minus to second speaker plus, second speaker minus back to the amp.
Instead run separate cables to each speaker, combining them only at the amp OR jump speaker plus to speaker plus, speaker minus to speaker minus.
Two 8 ohmspeakers in series gives a 16 ohm load and you'll only get half the power of a SINGLE speaker out of both combined as a result. With two 8 ohm speakers in parallel and you get a 4 ohm load. Even if it doesn't say so, most amps will cope with 4 ohms, so long as you don't crank up the volume too much and draw too much current as a result.

 

[deansplit]

Thanks Benedict Arnold - so assuming there would be a noticeable differecnce in sound with a set up wit

1. Marantz MRC611 with the CT165 ceiling speakers wired one to each terninal

vs

2. Denon Denon DM40 DAB with teh same speakers run parallel

?

The sound will never be seriously high, it is after all a kitchen diner (with pool diner table) so maybe increased volume when all hands to deck cooking, fan extracter on, pots n pans clanging etc. Would never be too loud when playing pool as we like to chat too! and likewise when eating.

I don't want to get a system that's ridiculously ocer spec'd form our needs, but at the same time don't want one which is straining its guts out. So I guess simple answer to that is option 1 but if opt 2 would suffice I'd save the additional cost.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Haven't heard either.

But you're less likely to harm anything if you go for an amp with A / B / A+B switching. Bear in mind that with A+B 2 x 50 watts will most likely become 2 x 2 x 25 watts though.