Is this a crazy idea?

[StanleyMuso]

I'll have some R&R over the Christmas break, and will have access to a number of speakers courtesy of a friend who's going away for a while and doesn't want to leave them at home. There are several good quality bookshelf speakers, and he says he doesn't mind if I use them in my system.

Now, I suffer from overactive curiosity, and I thought "what would these sound like if teemed with the woofers from my floorstanders?" My full range speakers are bi-wireable, and it occurred to me that I could simply disconnect the wires from the mid and high frequency section and attach them to the bookshelf. I realize that they may not meld seamlessly, that the crossover frequencies could be in the wrong region, that they could sound awful, etc. But what the heck, its only an experiment for curiousity's sake, right?

What I'd like to find out from you knowledgeable kind folk on this forum is, would I be risking the amplifier or the speakers with such a "crazy" experiment? Alternatively, I have a spare amp so I could bi-amp using the same scenario. Also, I believe that the impedence of at least one pair of bookshelves is lower than that of the floorstanders. What do you think?

[StanleyMuso]

Where are the experimentors?

[Wireworm5]

Where are the experimentors?

Go ahead and experiment. I can't speak for everyone else but I certainly did similar type experiments. One thing to listen for is see if you can hear a difference in tone from mismatched speakers. I used different speakers and could not hear a tonal difference, perhaps a person trained on a musical instrument could, dunno.
I don't think you would have a problem with differnent impedance in speakers provided that your amp/receiver can power low impedance speakers. When using multiple speakers on my receiver, it is plainly printed on the back panel to use all 8 ohm speakers.
As for gaps in the sound due to different xovers. You simply need a calibration disc and run a sweep test. You will hear the gaps if they are there.
Also experiment with different speaker placements. I have found that speakers placed to the side of your listening position give the impression of a wide soundstage. Also you tend to hear a speaker at the side of your sweet spot over a typical front placement. Front placement however is still necassary to get a 180 degree soundfield. Like if you just have the speakers to the side you should notice a gap in the middle of this field. Also try reflected sound, aiming speaker towards a wall rather then directly at your listening position.
The objective of coarse is to acheive the best sound possible for your room. What works in my room may not work in your room. And the only way to know this is to experiment. Also another thing about critical listening is it may take you a few months to discover a speaker isn't to your liking. Over time with careful analysis and listening you may be able to discern where the weak link in your system is. And there is always something you can due to improve the sound. However eventually it gets to the point of diminishing returns, and its up you to decide if is worth the expense or not to upgrade.

[StanleyMuso]

Go ahead and experiment. I can't speak for everyone else but I certainly did similar type experiments. One thing to listen for is see if you can hear a difference in tone from mismatched speakers. I used different speakers and could not hear a tonal difference, perhaps a person trained on a musical instrument could, dunno.
I don't think you would have a problem with differnent impedance in speakers provided that your amp/receiver can power low impedance speakers. When using multiple speakers on my receiver, it is plainly printed on the back panel to use all 8 ohm speakers.
As for gaps in the sound due to different xovers. You simply need a calibration disc and run a sweep test. You will hear the gaps if they are there.
Also experiment with different speaker placements. I have found that speakers placed to the side of your listening position give the impression of a wide soundstage. Also you tend to hear a speaker at the side of your sweet spot over a typical front placement. Front placement however is still necassary to get a 180 degree soundfield. Like if you just have the speakers to the side you should notice a gap in the middle of this field. Also try reflected sound, aiming speaker towards a wall rather then directly at your listening position.
The objective of coarse is to acheive the best sound possible for your room. What works in my room may not work in your room. And the only way to know this is to experiment. Also another thing about critical listening is it may take you a few months to discover a speaker isn't to your liking. Over time with careful analysis and listening you may be able to discern where the weak link in your system is. And there is always something you can due to improve the sound. However eventually it gets to the point of diminishing returns, and its up you to decide if is worth the expense or not to upgrade.
I will certainly try things out along the lines you suggest. My main concern was whether I was in danger of hurting the equipment with such experiments.