Center channel speaker connection to vintage receiver ?

boothroyd

I purchased a pair of RTi A3 bookshelf speakers, and basic Polk subwoofer.
Connected to my vintage HK 490i receiver. Sound is beautiful !
But, I need richer and fuller music throughout the house.
Would a center channel (Polk CSi A4) speaker help ?
If so, how to connect... The HK has 2 speaker outputs, A & B.
I use A only for current set-up.
Please advise. Thanks.
Dave.

FestYboy

That's not a separate space. Speakers positioned like that will have lobing and phasing issues even if they are the same model. When I said "their own space", I meant their own seperate room.

4 speakers within that confined of a space in order to get a fuller sound means you need 1 pair of better and larger speakers. Given what's been said in this thread suggests that the room the A3s are trying to fill it too big for them. You need surface area to compress volume.

FestYboy

Short answer: nope! You've got a 2 channel rig, so stick with 2 channels.


So you want sound throughout the house, you need a distribution amp. Hop on the Bay and grab a sonamp 260x3. That will easily power 3 more pair of speakers that can be placed elsewhere.

If you really want fuller sound though, think of stepping into something a bit bigger than the A3s. Put those in a smaller room in the house. May I recommend a pair of Monitor 5jr+ if you're looking for something of similar size. If you have the room for bigger, try Model/Monitor 7s if you can find them.

boothroyd

Thanks for the response. Much appreciated !
I do not want to upgrade my HK receiver. (Will cry when it finally dies...)
After much searching on Google, I read that speaker B output on receiver
could be used for center channel. L+ and R+ to +/- on speaker ?
Then use A + B together on receiver ?
Crutchfield 'Advisor' said No .... would be out of phase !
Any further comment ... Thanks

FestYboy

He's right, but for the wrong reason. We'll leave it at that for now.

I'm not saying to move away from your hk, I'm saying use the pre outs to send signal to the sonamp, therefore keeping the original rig intact.

boothroyd

No 'Pre-outs' on my receiver. Too old.

FestYboy

No tape in/out?

boothroyd

Tape 1 In/Out. Tape 2 In/Out
Also, Phono & Aux/DAD inputs. That's it.

boothroyd

Anyway, back to 'basics' ....
With what I have now, would Bi-Wiring my RTi A3's be beneficial ?
Currently, my PSW 10 sub is connected to speaker 'A' on receiver
with A3's connected to sub.
Should I connect A3's to speaker 'B' on receiver ?
and use 'A' and 'B' simultaneously.
Is resistance an issue... (all my equipment rated at 8 ohms.)

rooftop59

Short answer is no, bi amping won’t help.

What do you mean by fuller music throughout the house? How big is the house? What do you feel you are missing?

FestYboy

Woah, take a breath and step back. My lack of due diligence coupled with your equipment and desire to upgrade has painted you into a corner. With what you currently have and the way it's wired, it's as good as it can get without changing your integrated (receiver).

The sub is wired correctly, no need to bi-wire or rewire anything.

Really, I think it's time to step up in the world and get a better (not necessarily newer) integrated. Once you have something with pre outs, the possibilities are nearly endless.

tonyb

You can set up another pair of speakers on the B channel of the receiver, but they won't have the benefit of the subwoofer.

FestYboy

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Any of these would be a good starting point, the last one even more so.

boothroyd

Gentlemen. Thank you all for the sound advice
I just want to 'tweak' my system for the best performance connection-wise.
I loved my Infinity Ref 4 tower speakers (80's vintage) but foam surrounds have dry-rot
Repair shop in N.E. Baltimore gave 'preliminary' estimate of $300 to replace foam.
No guarantee that speakers would sound the same. Hmmmm.
I'm a senior with Back issues. Bookshelf speakers only for me now...
The warmth and richness of sound from vintage HK receivers has been praised
numerous times on the internet.
20 years ago I bought an Onkyo receiver for more power 100 wpc. (HK 30 wpc)
OMG. Onkyo was Awful ! Like fingernails on a chalkboard.
I am no Audiophile. But love good sound. My wife's idea of Hi-Fi is a $20 cd player from Walmart. Get it ?
I'm out of my league messing with you guys. Jealous I B

FestYboy

Sounds like you're local(ish) to me and quite a few other members here. I have an extra NAD integrated or 2 laying around that you could audition for a while. They are laid back and should tame the A3s like your HK, but they have pre outs so that the PSW can be used as intended and allow expansion with another amp (like the sonamp I suggested earlier. Also, both the 5jr+ and 7s are bookshelf sized, though the 7s are on the large end of that scale.

boothroyd

Yes, local(ish).
Your offer is Generous ! I must decline. We are trying to down-size & simplify here.
40 years of marriage accumulates so much stuff.
Back in the day, my first 'decent' system (early 70's) comprised of NAD receiver
and AR-3 speakers. Long gone now. Nice sound.
I will investigate bi-wiring my Polk RTi-A3's after reading a very convincing article
published by 'Q Acoustics'
https://www.qacoustics.co.uk/blog/2016/06/08/bi-wiring-speakers-exploration-benefits/
Snake oil - maybe ?
Incidentally, my Infinity speakers are free to a 'good home'. Any ideas ?
Need an enthusiast with skill, expertise and TLC to re-foam drivers.
Hate to put them out for bulk trash pick-up...

FestYboy

Don't trash them, I can refoam them.

As for simplifying/downsizing and gaining house filling sound: a whole different rig would be in order. Bi-wiring (I suspect) would pale in comparison to better cables.

A better idea of what is lacking currently may help us point you in a better direction.

boothroyd

Nah. No new rig. I like what I have. The Center Channel question was a flop!
I accept that. I'm over it, & 'Home Theater' does not interest me.
Cabling, eh ? For my new Polk's I bought Monoprice 'pure bare copper' 14 awg wire
and Banana plugs.
Replacing, 30 year old Monster 12 awg... (I await your reaction ?)
Figuring that old copper wire must have degraded in some way.
Will save the Infinity towers for you. Springtime, pick-up only.

boston1450

If your happy with bare clean wire why not, it will work. Can you run A&B speakers at same time. Tonyb mentioned above using speaker B. Couldnt you buy another set of speakers. Same model (so you have same timbre match & 8ohm) & use it as center (maybe lay them sideways) OR place them positioned correct to your likes. Doesnt the psw10 basically let you run R&L speaker bare wire through it ?

FestYboy

boothroyd wrote: »

.
Will save the Infinity towers for you. Springtime, pick-up only.

I'll bring a NAD along for you to try, thank you!

boothroyd

Yes. Instead of a 'center channel' I considered a pair of RTi A1's to complement the A3's for better midrange . Speaker impedance is the concern. Receiver manual states "Do not go below 4 ohm total impedance" A+B, or whatever.
4 up front speakers + powered sub (all 8 ohms) is less than 4 ohms combined
Don't want to 'fry' my receiver.
I'm a mechanical guy, not electronic. Frustrating.

FestYboy

The sub is not part of the equation in that case. As far as your HK is concerned, the sub isn't even there.

rooftop59

boothroyd wrote: »

Yes. Instead of a 'center channel' I considered a pair of RTi A1's to complement the A3's for better midrange . Speaker impedance is the concern. Receiver manual states "Do not go below 4 ohm total impedance" A+B, or whatever.
4 up front speakers + powered sub (all 8 ohms) is less than 4 ohms combined
Don't want to 'fry' my receiver.
I'm a mechanical guy, not electronic. Frustrating.

Yes, the sub does NOT count since it is powered, and those speakers are all easy to drive.

boothroyd

Interesting. This is so much fun.
My first experience of a Forum. I've learned a lot.

boothroyd

So, RTi A1's + RTi A3's. Any conflict playing together ?

FestYboy

Not really if each pair play in their own space.

tonyb

boothroyd wrote: »

So, RTi A1's + RTi A3's. Any conflict playing together ?

No, as long as you use speaker A+B on the receiver, your all good. Putting them in the same room would sound funky though.

If your going to use 4 speakers in the same room, they should be all the same speaker.

boothroyd

"Putting them in the same room would sound funky though."
Even speakers from same series, with same specs. Not complimentary ?

boothroyd

"Not really if each pair play in their own space."
On a pair of 'end tables' ... 1 pair on top shelf. 1 pair on bottom. 21 inches apart.