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Freddmc
12-17-2006, 08:01 PM
I'm trying to help my daughter wire her house for stereo. She has purchased a Yamaha RX 797 receiver/amp along with Energy EAS series speakers as well as a Quest QLS4.1 Loudspeaker switcher. Three rooms have 2 single speakers while two rooms have a single Energy Speaker(it functions as two speakers). Each room has a volume control.

Originally the salesman told her that she should run one cable(2 conductor) to each volume control. The volume control has 4 input terminals and 4 output terminals. When I questioned the salesman some time ago on how to run two speakers off of the volume control he told me that I should run the speakers in parallel (in other words the positive cables from the two speakers should be joined together and the negative cables should be joined together)

Yesterday I again enquired as to the proper way to wire this and was told that I needed to have two cables(each with 2 conductors) going to each volume control in order to have both left and right channels. So I added one more cable to each run and I now have 4 wires going to each volume control and 2 wires going to each separate speaker from the volume control.

By adding the 4 additional wires I now have a problem where the wires from the Quest Switcher go into the wall. I installed a single gang electrical box to which I was going to install a faceplate that had 8 plugs on it. I now have 16 wires to plug in and can't install another electrical box.

Can someone tell me if I need 4 conductors to each volume control? Would I get the proper performance using 2 conductors and hooking the speakers in parallel.

I don't want to compromise the performance of the system.

Thanks in advance.

Fred Mc.

Daedilus
12-17-2006, 09:11 PM
thats a big N-O there brother.

Ideally you should have used a 4 conductor cable from the equipment location to each volume control, then (2) 2 conductors from each volume control to each speaker, or a 4 conductor in the case of your dual voice coil speakers (act as 2 speakers).

Since you have added the required extra 2 conductor between the equipment location and the volume controls, you have remedied that problem, there is also a super easy solution for your lack of adequate box space.

Go into your local hardware or electrical supply store and ask for either a single gang PVC cut in box or a single gang cut in ring. [aka caddy MPLS] (either are legal for use with low voltage)

Once you have the box, pick a spot on the wall in the same stud space as your existing box, at same height, and cut in next to it, with consideration for allowing the wallplates not to overlap, cut the appropriate sized rectangle, and transfer the extra wires to the new hole, then into the new box...

The new box inserts into the hole, and then has flip out tabs which tighten against the sheetrock from the back side, pulling the box secure with the sheetrock acting as an anchor.

Now simply attach another 8 connector plate to your new box.

easy breezy.

One additional problem you face is the fact that you have a Quest QLS4.1 speaker selector, it has impedance magnification circuitry, which is good, but only handles 4 pairs of speakers, you have 5... 3 pairs and 2 dual voice coils... ideal would be to upgrade to a 6 speaker selector, with the same impedance magnification circuitry, , however failing that you can get away with adding one zone to "speakers B" on the receiver... you can also get away with doubling up 2 pairs on the speaker selector box, however the pairs that are doubled up on will not play as loudly as the rest, so choose which pairs you double up on with this in mind.