Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Best way to run two channels off one pre-out?

Hi michael_d,

I don't think JohnK was being condescending; he was just differentiating between the two so as to be entirely clear.

It isn't a dumb idea to split the voltages from one pre-out, sending them to two separate amplifiers. It just lowers the output voltage to each but if there's enough gain in the preamp stage for the single pre-out, you should be able to compensate.

As to summing two pre-outs with a Y-connector, I get lots of private emails from customers who propose to do just that, and, as JohnK explained, it's not a good idea and likely to result in circuit damage.

Regards,
Alan

I have tried the latter(two in to one). As Alan stated, not a good idea and notwithstanding the possible circuit damage issues, it significantly cuts the volume to each speaker. It is OK, though, to run the Y-connector out of the pre-amp but to TWO connections on the amp so each speaker can have its own hook-up. I have tried it this way BUT it will provide MORE volume with the two combined than the one speaker on its own so the question is if you still wish the third speaker in the chain(however it is connected), it will be very difficult to balance the volume with the other two.

Ooooh! Undying fame. I'm tempted to buy an old receiver just for the occasion.

I used to split the outs of my preamps to be able to run a powered sub long before a pre came with two sets of outputs. Worked just fine.

Mike, I usually wouldn't take the time to reply to someone incensed over a slight to them that didn't actually occur, but I'm surprised that after all this time you don't know me better than that. What was intended in that second paragraph was humor, not condescension. It was simply a playful follow-up on your thought that your proposal was something that had never been done before in combining Axiom speakers(not even by Jay and Mojo!).

As to the actual point involving the splitting of one output or combining two outputs with a Y, as Alan pointed out, the combining has been the subject of questions to him. Also, I can recall at least two occasions on the forum when Rick Widner and I cautioned someone about this, and so I thought this might have been the previous discussion about Y-connectors that you were referring to.

Since you were actually referring to someone elsewhere who had the notion that even splitting a single output with a Y was a bad idea, the comment first would be that it's been done probably millions of times with no problems when wired correctly. Splitting the output in this way creates a parallel circuit with the two input resistances. A relatively simple discussion(no condescension implied by that description)of the results can be found here . Note that a parallel circuit isn't a "voltage divider"(that's what a series circuit is)and as illustrated in fig.3-38, each input receives the same voltage as the source outputs. There's no apparent factual support for the concern of this other poster and you can proceed with confidence.

John… That’s why I asked. I must have been overly sensitive this morning. For some reason, (which is not real clear to me now) when I read your response it just hit a nerve and it felt like you poking fun at me. I read it a few more times and it kept stringing the nerve. You’ve never been anything but nice to me before, so it really took me by surprise. After reading it again now, I think I just read too much into what you wrote and was being a pussy. Sorry about that and thanks for the clarification. I ordered a VP150 today. I’ll post my impressions after I’m done screwing around with things.

When you get tired of the VP 150 send it down my way. Heck Mikey I'll even pay shipping

You may change your mind when you find out how much shipping is from my house..... Ricky.

So I've heard

One more question. What does a person do if one of the center channels is a bit louder than the other, but they are both being driven off the same pre-amp out put? Some sort of in line resister to lower the voltage to one of the amps?