Has anyone hooked up QS8s in parallel (or in series…I always forget which is which!)? Here's why I ask:

Amie just brought up the HT configurator in another thread and, for kicks, I went in to see what would be recommended if money, amp power, etc.. were no object. The top recommended system was a pair of 80s, a 150, (2) 600s and (4) QS8s…(I specified 7.1). No surprise there, it's Axiom's top of the line across the board.

But in thinking about two M80s AND two 600 subs, I wondered how in the world QS8s could keep up!??! Now, I'm not knocking the QS8s… we all love them. But in comparison to two M80s and two 600s?

It made me wonder if anyone, maybe with a long wall in a dedicated theater and one of those brute amps that can comfortably drive 2 ohms, has hooked up four QS8s on the side walls and then two in back? I think it would be much the same configuration as most movie theaters, would it not?

So, you're talking about 13.2 or something, yes?

Just when I was starting to get happy again, you go and wreck it. I thought we were friends. Get back in the box!

In theatres, aren't those speakers on the side direct-radiating? Is actual movie theatre surround decoding still only 7.1? It seems like you'd need additional processing to get the delay right for those additional transducers.

So, are the Johnsons buying a MUCH bigger house, or are you just tormenting us for sport?

Your right Tom, the speakers in most theaters are direct radiating. I like the Qs8's as they seem to simulate the same experience with just one speaker replacing a wall of speakers.

However, I am interested in MJ's request. It would be interesting to see how that would sound or if people are driving that many at once...

Tom:
No, I'm talking 7.1. Basically, just replacing the standard QS-8 side surrounds with TWO per side, running the same channel of audio and hooked up in series or in parallel with the other. Like this:





It would "spread the sound" even further along the wall in a deep room and maybe two of them outputting on each side would help them to keep up with the raw strength of the 80s and the 600s.

Ooops, I forgot to put the subs in the graphic... I was rushing! Just use your imagination and say that I didn't put them in there yet 'cuz I didn't have time to calibrate them.

Interesting notion.

Axiom says that the QS8 are 6 ohm speakers. Two in series would be 12 ohms, two in parallel would be 3 ohms.

Anyone ever see an article about feeding two speakers in series that are separated by several feet? At audio frequencies, I'm not sure that there would be any difference.

If I were going to do this, I'd split the signal coming from the surround pre-outs and feed two separate amps per channel. Each speaker gets its own amp.

>>But in thinking about two M80s AND two 600 subs, I wondered how in the world QS8s could keep up!??!

Remember that driver-wise a QS8 is just an M80 without the woofers... and the woofers only kick in below 200 Hz or so. QS8s seem to have no problem keeping up, although I keep looking at them and shaking my head 'cause they're not very big.