One set of speakers ~ 2 amps?

quote:

Originally posted by Musicmad:
has got me thinking

STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY.

Get your head around the Unity Gain option and do this correctly.

You "solution" is ingenious (wrong) and would allow you to listen to the Bass through one amplifier and the trebles through the other.

This may be what you seek but you are in a group of one.

Thank you for the quick reply; I have to wait for the delivery of the SuperNait so my thoughts are just that ... so far.

But your reply makes me think you have have misunderstood me. I would not be using both amps together - simply using the one for the medium I'm listening to. i.e. When using hi-fi it would be the SN (employing the two front speakers and the Sub); when watching TV/DVD it would be the AV amp (employing all five speakers and the Sub). I simply would not have to disconnect/reconnect the speakers each time I switched medium.

I do not understand why the Bass and Treble would be split ... they would both come from the same amp.

quote:

Originally posted by Musicmad:
If I remove the links can I - without causing damage - wire the top pair of terminals to the SN so that the front speakers have dual use?

Crossover
Finest components on dedicated circuit board. Multistrand oxygenfree cable throughout. Split for optional bi-wiring and bi-amping.

I'll drop the idea ... as you suggest.

I presume the plan to have dual connections to the Sub (as suggested by the dealer) is okay (fingers crossed).

Very many thanks for your advice.

You and your dealer just need to check the instructions.

Sometimes the only way to understand these things is to try them

But i'd agree with Adam - get a dealer round and he'll get you connected properly.

James

I know Adam was clear - but I'll say this in hopes that it may help in some way. My summary would be - don't do that plan with your speaker (information below) even though james says "sometimes the only way . . . is to try them", and consult with someone (e.g. dealer) about the subwoofer (different subs are designed with many different ways to be used so I can't speak to how configurable yours would be without a damaging setup).
About the main speakers: It sounds like your speakers have terminals on the back that support two connections (two pairs of + and -). Those terminals connect to the passive crossover in the speaker. The crossover's job is to split the frequencies that go to each of the drivers (woofer, midrange, and tweeter - however many of each are in the speaker). The bridge wire/plate that connects the two pairs together allows you to connect one wire from an amplifier and that one wire will supply signals for the whole speaker because the bridge wire connects all the driver inputs based upon the one wire from the amp. If you were to connect multiple amps you would need to remove the bridge wire between the speaker terminals so that you don't have the amps feeding electricity to each other (damaging!).
If you connect the speakers as you were describing - SN to one terminal pair and the Pioneer to the other terminal pair - you would need to remove the bridge wire on the speaker terminals to avoid damaging your products. When you remove the bridge wire then the Pioneer will only be driving the treble or the bass (whichever terminal pair you connect it to) and the same will be true of the SN. As you can see this is why Adam was refering to listening to the Bass through one amp and the trebles through the other.

Hopefully this helps
Mark

Sorry - I forgot to mention that having the two input pairs on the back of the speaker is intended to allow you the option to connect amps in a way that can improve your speaker's performance. Two example ways this is done is by
a) taking off the bridge wire on the speaker back and running two signal wires from a single amplifier ("biwiring")
and b) taking off the bridge wire on the speaker back and running two amplifiers into each speaker terminal ("biamping").
There are many ways to configure setups but getting into that really belongs to another subject.

As before - hope this helps.
Mark

Thank you all for your comments, especially cautioning me against what appears to have been a mad suggestion.

I struggle to understand all the terminology used (e.g. bi-wiring, bi-amping) as these are things I've never tried. I'm still not certain how things work between pre & power amps, never having owned either.

As the ProAc speakers have the two sets of terminals I did wonder if I could link 2 separate amps but accept your guidance that the answer is no.

I received the call from my dealer today that the SN has arrived; not sure when I can collect but hopefully by Tues next at the latest. I shall check with the dealer that I can link the ER1 subwoofer up to both amps: the Pioneer AV receiver - as at present - by single interconnect to the Low Level Input and the new SN to the High Level Input.

As previously explained, the ProAc speakers are part of the 5.1 set-up and hence do not produce much bass on their own. I know it would be easier to get "proper" speakers for the front left and right and hence forget the sub (for hi-fi use) but new speakers are not an option.

Update: well I have now have my SN ... 3 days old and I'm struggling to get to grips with just what it can do. But on the link-up to the AV this does appear to have been a success.

With much help by way of discussion with my dealer, I've found that I can get the 5.1 result I want so for this side I'm happy.

I've found, even, that I don't need the two connections (High Level and Low Level) to the ER1 subwoofer as the SN ~ ER1 connection comes into play automatically when I want AV sound. So I can dispense with the old Pioneer AV ~ ER1 connection.

I do, however, have more than one or two questions re: the SN but I'll be posting these on the Hi-Fi forum.

Thanks for all your good guidance!