Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Connecting a pair of center ch speakers question..

I know connecting two speakers in parallel will result in the same sound coming out of both speakers at the cost of a drop in impedance, but if I wanted to connect a second center channel speaker using a mono block amp how would it be connected?

If the back of the receiver/processor only has one pre-out for the center channel would you then use a 'Y' connector from the receiver/processor pre-out to each of the center channel amps?

Yes Rick you could split the signal using a Y connector and it would work fine.

Hey thanks Mr. Rick! See there, I'm learning.

Rick, as Rick(about as many Ricks and Richs here as Johns)commented, you could certainly do that, but assuming that you have an amp which can handle the parallel load with the two centers, you can simply run speaker wire from it to both centers. No second amp would be necessary.

By running a Y into a second amp, you’d then be running the two amps in series. I’m not all that certain it would gain you much. My basic electricity is weak today…..John, can you fill in the blanks???

Mike, I believe by using a 'Y' connector out of the processor's center channel pre-amp all you are doing is taking the signal and splitting it to each amp which in turns provides the power for each speaker. By running both speakers out of one amp/receiver in parallel you'll be dropping the impedance of the combined speakers thus requiring an amp that will be capable of handling the impedance drop of both combined speakers.

For example if I wanted to connect a 6 ohm VP150 in parallel with an 8 ohm VP100 the impedance will drop to 3.45 ohms, thus requiring an amp or receiver that will be capable of handling a 4 ohm or less combined speaker impedance.

Using two different amps I would then use the 'Y' splitter out of the processor's center ch pre-out and eliminating the impedance drop. You'd have a 6 ohm VP150 powered by one amp while the 8 ohm VP100 would be powered by the other amp. The 'Y' splitter does nothing more than split the signal to the amps that in turn powers the speakers.

Or something like that.

Well Rick, as Rick sees it you are correct on what you have assessed.

Right.

I think that's right Rick; Rich.

I think that's right Rick; Rich.