pre- amp- receiver ?

[s dog]

I have a denon 4800 receiver running my ht. I am thinking about building a 2 ch outfit. I have a 120 watt x 2 sonance power amp. thinking about buying a nice little preamp, my ? is can i hook my power amp and receiver up to one pair of speakers at the same time if i only run one of the two at a time . other word i would run the denon for HT and power amp for 2ch i would have two + and two - hooked up to one speaker but only one would be in uses at a time, or could it feed back through and burn up the one that is not being used , i will be running klipsch s-b3s thank you

[markw]

Bad things have happened to amps when run in this configuration. You're better off to try and find some switch that will allow you to choose between the two as needed.

[skeptic]

If you are talking about paralleling both the receiver and power amp by connecting them to the same speakers at the same time you risk grave damage to both units. This is a fatal mistake. Don't even think about it.

[pelly3s]

now if you were to get a 2 input - 1 output selector switch or make one of your own then it would work fine.

[s dog]

thanks guys for the help, dam it i have a speaker selector switch but it has 1 input and 3 outputs, i will check out the rat shack and see if they have one , the thing is with me i dont have 2 rooms for listening i have small house

[skeptic]

If you get the right switch and connect it the right way and it NEVER shorts out, you would be OK IF you don't throw the switch except when both amplifiers are off. Frankly, the mere fact that you asked this question in the first place suggests that your knowledge and experience of electronics is limited. If you want to do this, why not contact Parts Express. They have some switches which may help you solve your problem. Be sure you know exactly what you are doing before you hook any of this up or get the help of someone who does. You won't get a second chance and all of the tears you shed won't repair the burned out amplifiers.

[mtrycraft]

thanks guys for the help, dam it i have a speaker selector switch but it has 1 input and 3 outputs, i will check out the rat shack and see if they have one , the thing is with me i dont have 2 rooms for listening i have small house

Why are you even considering what you are proposing and questioning? Why not just use one setup for both operation, HT and 2 ch music. You may want to consider changing to multi channe music.

[s dog]

I do listen to multi channel music on my 7.1 set up, but some of the guys on here say 2 channel is the real way to listen to music ,I was just thinking about giveing it a try, and i would never hook anything up like i was thinking with out asking you guys 1st I think i will just forget about it sounds like i could get in to a real mess. thank you for your time

[skeptic]

Thumbing through the Parts Express catalog I came across 302-318 and 302-319 (just different colors) which is a switch whose stated purpose includes "switch...between two sources attached to a single pair of speakers." It says it's stereo so I assume you only need one. And it's rated at 900 watts which I assume means slighly over 10 amps per contact. This is intended as a wall mounting unit but you can buy a plastic box for about $1 at Home Depot or contact Parts Express who might have similar switches in other configurations. I would expect to see a 4 pole double throw (4PDT) break before make slide switch behind the plate and rocker switch actuator they show you. You can buy switches with this configuration from any electrical parts distributor contractors use and they are available in a variety of configurations from every maker of industrial control switches such as Appleton and Square D. Personally, I'd feel more comfortable with an industrial grade switch myself. While I still have misgivings about this idea, I must admit that this would be the way to do it. I still advise caution when switching by turning both amplifiers off first to avoid any possibility of an inductive arc flashing over during switching and damaging one or both amplifiers. This switch costs $38.50 plus shipping. I'd expect industrial grade switches to be more expensive.

[thng]

Please correct me if I am wrong. I do not have much knowledge about this. According to the specification, it is not 900 watts. Its power rating is 25 watts RMS continuos, 75 watts audio. I am looking for a two input, one outputs switch too. I have an Adcom 200 watts/channel amp therefore I am looking for a switch that can handle up to 200 watts RMS.

[skeptic]

" In-wall AB switches in Decora® style plates. Switch between two speaker pairs attached to a single amplifier or between two amplifiers attached to a single pair of speakers. Stereo 900 watt maximum power. "

The reference is at;

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshow...number=302-318

This is not a surprising rating for a switch of this type. Again, caution is the watchword here. Incorrectly connected or used, it is a prescription for a very expensive repair bill.

Click on "Specifications" to download the PDF file and look at it carefully. There is a 25WAB and a 72WAB which includes both the AB-1 switch and 12 step autotransformer attenuators. Look at the pictorial diagrams below the description. The top diagram shows connection WITH the attenuators. The bottom diagram shows it WITHOUT the attenuators. Call Parts Express if you have any doubts. They will give you additional technical advice if you need it. Good Luck.

[thng]

I just found this place today:
http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=23405
Or you can go to google and search for "dual source speaker selector"

[thng]

This is also an ideal switch:
http://www.smarthomeusa.com/Shop/Hom...tors/Item/AB3/

More choices:

http://www.smarthomeusa.com/Shop/Hom...ker-Selectors/