How to integrate HT Amp and Stereo Amp using one set of speakers?

[DizzyD1624705734]

Hi All

 

I would like my stereo and HT setup to be using the same speakers. As my speakers have bi wire facilties, can I connect 2 pairs of speaker wires one from HT Amp and Tube amp to the speakers?

 

Will everything explode if I use on of the amp or accidently turn on both amps?  ;D ;D ;D

 

Sounds pretty hairy to me. Any ideas without swapping speaker wires manually is welcomed.

 

thanks

[cn9601]

can I connect 2 pairs of speaker wires one from HT Amp and Tube amp to the speakers?

 

There are warnings almost everywhere. NEVER connect 2 amps to a pair of spkrs.

 

To 'share' a common spkrs (ie. HT for Front L/R; Tube for Stereo), the common option is to use Pre Out at the HT amp  ;)

[DizzyD1624705734]

Thanks for advance warning.

 

My pre-out at the amp already go to power amp and power amp speaker outputs to speakers. I intend to use the tube amp and delicated CD player using the same speakers.

[Regit]

Two amp to a speaker, u can used those selector switch with selection of speakers and amps.

Can easily get it in SL square, SL Tower. Cost around $12 (less than $20). Can have two amp to four set of speaker...i'm currently using it. No power connection. Just select either amp will do.

 

[DanDon]

I have the same set-up as you. Everytime I have to take out the speaker cables to switch between the power amp and tube amp.

 

My pre-out at the amp already go to power amp and power amp speaker outputs to speakers. I intend to use the tube amp and delicated CD player using the same speakers.

 

 

Can share which shops are selling the speaker selector switches?

 

Two amp to a speaker, u can used those selector switch with selection of speakers and amps.

Can easily get it in SL square, SL Tower. Cost around $12 (less than $20). Can have two amp to four set of speaker...i'm currently using it. No power connection. Just select either amp will do.

 

[Regit]

Go to slim Lim tower ground floor, there's one shop selling coonector, wire..should be very easy to find. Just let them know that the selector switch that can connected to 4 speakers system with two amp input. There are two types one with clip type to clip the speaker wire and the other plug in type. Go for the plug in type if your speaker is coonected to banana plug.

[khewa]

Thanks for advance warning.

 

My pre-out at the amp already go to power amp and power amp speaker outputs to speakers. I intend to use the tube amp and delicated CD player using the same speakers.

 

I have the same setup as you. What you need is a preamplifier with an AV source input.

The AV source input is a special input where by the volume is controlled from the AV receiver, thus it is essentially a pass through source input. This is how it is connected:

 

AV Receiver Mains (left and right)  Pre Out -> AV source input of Pre amplifier -> Stereo Tube Amplifier -> Left & Right Speakers.

 

CD Player -> CD source input of Pre amplifier -> Stereo Tube Amplifer -> Left & Right Speakers

 

With the above connection, you will select either the CD source for music or the AV source for movies, using only 1 set of speakers without doing any switching. Btw, speaker switching is bad for audio quality because most switches are cheaply made and you don't want cheap products in the middle of your  audio signal chain. Let the pre amp do the job, after all, stereo preamps are very very high quality (they can cost more than $10k for the high end).  btw the pre amp I am talking about is a stereo preamp, it just needs to have the special AV input, which is a pass through source input. Naim pre amps have this facility. A lot of the newer preamps also have these facility, it is there precisely for people like us, who needs to hook up the AV receiver to the stereo amp to one set of speakers.  Don't put any switches in your chain.

 

Now if you have a dedicated HT amp for 5 channels, then it is time to give up 2 channels or maybe bi wire the center channel with the HT amp. Use the HT amp for the center channel and the surrounds.

 

[sarsi]

Dizzy, I had asked this question previously to Roksan on using the same speakers for stereo setup and AV receiver. I think it is like what Khewa has suggested. Below in quotes is reply from Roksan, hope it help. But be very careful to turn down the volume when you want to listen to music as at 0 gain is kind of like max vol:

 

"There is no bypass on the amplifier, however you can set the Volume at 12

o'clock when you use the AV setup. At this volume setting the preamp is

approx. at the correct output level for what you require. It is visually

easy to do and small deviations on either side of 12 would not make any real

difference. However you need to set the trim level for the channels (once)

as the sensitivity of the Caspian Monos may not be the same as the other

amps for the other channels. So choose an input (e.g. Video)and connect the

A/V L&R pre-out to this input, set the Caspian Volume to 12 o'clock and

adjust the trim levels. Any time you wish to watch movies etc. select Video

and set volume to 12 and then just use the processor volume control. Hope

this helps, if you have any queries, please contact us.

 

Regards

Roksan Audio, Technical"

 

i.e.

AV receiver L&R pre out -> maybe AUX1 of integrated amp -> speakers

 

If you have a pre-power setup the problem will be easy, just get QED IX20 2 input expander, it allow you to connect to inputs one from AV L&R pre out and the other from your Stereo pre-out to the two IX20 inputs and IX20 to your power amp. You just switch between the two, infact one of the input is actually a bypass so make more sense to connect to the stereo preout.

 

I am luckier with my MFA3.2 integrated amp as it has a build in HT Bypass at AUX2, this allow connection from the AV receiver L&R preout to the integrated amp. When in HT mode, i.e. selecting AUX2 on the MF, it by pass the pre-amp state and send the AV input to the power stage.

[DizzyD1624705734]

Thanks to your suggestions.

 

The preamp I can think of is the Sony TA-P9000 that can do this job. Unfortunately this is out of production. And also the tube amp I own do not have any HT pass thru.

 

Sounds like not doable to have my stereo integrated. :( 

[Regit]

Ok the selector model for 2 amp in and 4 speaker selector..

 

Made : Newstar

    2in - 4 out speaker selector

    SP-24

 

Cost...can't recall but should be less than $20.

    .

[khewa]

Thanks to your suggestions.

 

The preamp I can think of is the Sony TA-P9000 that can do this job. Unfortunately this is out of production. And also the tube amp I own do not have any HT pass thru.

 

Sounds like not doable to have my stereo integrated. :( 

 

if you don't have a pass through source input on your pre amp, you can still get the job done. Just a bit more tedious. Try it out as what Roksan has written to Sarsi:

a) set your preamp vol to 12 o'clock for the AV input

b) adjust your AV receiver to volume to suit your taste.

 

the above would not cost you a single cent to try it out and you can do it with your current equipment. If don't like it, you can always buy the switch.