Damaging speakers
October 31, 2002
I have a 15" STS subwoofer and two 12" Pioneer
IMPP 450W subwoofers. If I choose to run vocals through them, it will not hurt them in any
way, will it? And if I have a 4-ohm speaker and I hook it up to a receiver that pushes 8
ohms, will it ruin the speakers?
Kyle
I'm not sure why you would want to "run vocals
through" your subwoofer, unless you are referring to sending a full-range signal
through the sub, which would consequently be filtered out by the subwoofer's crossover (so
that the subwoofer only reproduces bass). This will in no way harm the subwoofer, and it
is in fact a function which is designed into every subwoofer. A subwoofer should in no way
be expected to reproduce vocals, however.
A 4-ohm speaker will tax a receiver that is rated to only
drive an 8-ohm load. What will likely happen is that the receiver will shut down in order
to protect itself from damage. The only way it could theoretically hurt your speakers is
if it were distorting to the point that your speakers were damaged by amplifier clipping
(an extreme condition where high amounts of distortion are generated). The speaker system
should be matched with the receiver so that proper loading (i.e., 8-ohm speakers
for a receiver rated to drive 8 ohms) occurs.
One sub or two?
October 30, 2002
I would like to add more bass to my system. I mainly listen
to synthesized music (hip-hop, techno, etc.), although sometimes I listen to a bit of
classical and jazz. I know people who have two small subwoofers instead of one large one;
they say it sounds more "natural" -- like real music -- and they all say they
can really notice the difference between mono and stereo bass. Unfortunately, I never had
the opportunity to listen to this type of setup, so I have no way to decide for myself.
Are there enough advantages to this configuration to make it worthwhile? I am partial to
larger subs because of the deeper response, but I do have and open mind.
Ryan
This is a controversial subject, but here's my two
cents. If you can hear subwoofer bass in stereo, it is because the subwoofers are crossed
over too high. What you are actually hearing is information that would ideally be
reproduced by your main speakers -- midbass and midrange. True subsonic information is
omnidirectional and therefore not benefited by using stereo subs. I would therefore use
one subwoofer that plays deeper, and feed it a summed (left plus right) signal. Cross it
over low (say, 50Hz) so that you don't get midrange/midbass information, and let the
subwoofer do what it was designed to do, which is play the very lowest registers. In this
configuration, one good subwoofer is better than two lesser ones.
Receiver problems
October 28, 2002
I read your review on
the Marantz SR4200 receiver in May 2002. I bought one about one month ago after some
research on the Internet. I have no problem playing DVDs in DTS mode. However, when a DVD
is played in Dolby Digital 5.1, there isn't any audio output from the speakers. I tried at
least five discs, but the result is the same. At first I thought it was my speakers, but
it isn't because it is fine when I listen to the tuner. There isn't much detailed info in
the manual. I tried going back to the shop, but they aren't helpful either.
Also, I noticed that there is a huge difference in audio
level output between DVD (-5dB) and CD (-25dB) to get equally loud sound. Is it normally
the case for a Marantz amp? My DVD player is a Toshiba SD1300 connecting to the Marantz
via the optical output.
Yew Fong
Last question first. The output level on DVD-Video is
much lower than on CD, so what you are experiencing is normal. The only options you have,
and this depends entirely on the equipment you own, is to raise the output level (voltage
level) on the DVD player or the input sensitivity on the receiver. Check your owner's
manuals on these issues, as they will detail the procedure if you have the capability. The
reason for this is that the dynamic range (the difference between soft and loud sounds) on
DVD soundtracks has much greater potential than CD, so consequently the average output is
much lower (to accommodate the much higher peaks) than CD.
Regarding your playback of Dolby Digital, I would hazard
that you need to adjust your DVD player's digital output. Again, check your manual and
look at the digital output section. It should give you the exact adjustments within your
DVD player's menu system to play back both Dolby Digital and DTS.
Wiring speakers to a TV?
October 23, 2002
I have received a gift of three speakers (two satellites
and a center-channel speaker) that I would like to hook up to my TV. My TV has its own
speaker connections, but just for two speakers. Is there a way to wire all three speakers
up to the two hookups (trying to avoid using an amp here)?
Fred
Not really. The speaker connections are minimally
powered at best, so it won't sound very good anyway even with just the two speakers hooked
to the TV. You really need a power amplifier (likely built-in to a receiver) to enjoy your
new speakers. You'll also gain other advantages too if you buy a receiver, like the
ability to have your TV's sound routed through the receiver's processing. You don't have
to spend a lot of money here -- with good, basic receivers available for under $400. This
is the best way to enjoy, and make best use of, your new gift.
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