4 speaker/2 speaker Issues

I wonder can anyone smarter than I lend some enlightenment here? I'm looking at upgrading audio system, and want to incorporate amplifier (7x180RMS watts or thereabouts) and 5-7 speakers; the requirement is equal desire for audio and 'theatre' support. When I was a boy, we had 'quadrophonic' sound, (4 big, 2 front/2 rear, 3 way speakers in each corner of a large living area - the system was called quadrophic and had seperate slide controls for rear/front speakers) that was magnificent in volume and clarity. When I talk to salespeople about whether modern 5K to 7K amps can power 4 of the 5 or 7 speakers for audio, they treat me as though I am an idiot. They say only 2 can be used for audio. Now I have my heart set on 4, although I realise that authentic 'concert' like audio comes from the front (orchestra pit)only (ie one direction)and that modern speaker tech advances make 2 speakers adequate for most, although I still love sound to come from all quarters. The terms mono/stereo and 'zone 1/2', are also bandied as an 'answer' to me but I feel a bit thick as i can't make sense of this. Can anyone shed some light, or have I made my question to complicated?


Also, for the Amp mentioned seems Onkyo, Marantz and Denon are readily available in my price range. Any recommendations given the above? Onkyo seem to have the most 'out' connections.

Yes your question is a little complicated.


Quadraphonic is a playback format. You need to be listening to material supplied to you in quadraphonic format in order to achieve what you are looking for. Here's an explanation if you are interested

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadraphonic


Does any of this ring a bell?


Everything produced by the amplifer brands you mentioned will be for modern surround formats of 5.1 and 7.1. They are all manufacturing for the mass market, the power figures are not realistic, when tested on the bench the 5 or 7 channels are not all the same in terms of power, and if you want to listen to music, not movies, they sound pretty average.


Probably NOT what you're looking for.


You are probably after a pair of good two channel amps, one for each and well capable of driving the four speakers. How to drive the signal to the 4 amps channels? You may need to look on ebay for a vintage piece from the good old days, when you were a boy! Hopefully the wiki will give you some direction.

Thanks matt24 - I guess I cannot claim to use the term 'quadrophonic' authoratatively - just used to refer to 4 speakers.


Onkyo et al all claim their amp RMS ratings to be 'continuous' on each of the 5/7 channels. Is this debatable?

Can you tell me more about 'two channel amps'? Would one need 2 amplifiers in serial to drive 4 speakers?

Part of my difficulty centers around my current use of a 'bookshelf' Denon amp that is 'driving' 4 smaller speakers, but not at the level I would like. Hence, I'm unable to understand sales personnel telling me I can't drive 4 speakers with their amp, which is rated vastly superior to my current one.

Yes it's debateable because they often don't state the power available with all channels in use at all times. Maybe they can supply 200W RMS on each output, but not 5x200W equally at the same time, but this is what you would want. This would require a much more expensive power supply. This is because in a typical surround setup, maybe 80% of the power is being directed to the front, with the remaining power shared between the centre and surround speakers. That's probably why the shop doesn't recommend running four big speakers off a 5.1 amplifier, and its not usually possible to route the signals in the way you want, since they are designed for watching movies in surround sound, but you want to listen to music which is designed to be listened on two speakers, thats it. And thats probably why you don't get the sound you're looking for.


Because of what you are looking for, it's better to talk to "audiophile" retailers. They cater for the 0.1% of consumers who aren't satisfied with what the consumer electronics manufacturers serve up.


For four speakers (or think of it as two sets of stereo speakers) could be driven from a pair of two channel amps (one amp channel, one speaker)with their inputs tied together, or if you were to get a more powerful amplifier you could drive two speakers from each channel depending on the impedance (8ohms, 4ohms etc)


There are loads of audiophile retailers in HK but if you are limited in budget, I suggest you take a look around Mongkok's electronics streets, there are a few shops selling both new and second hand audiophile equipment (where the specs are real and the products cater for the more discerning customer). I think those guys should be able to help you, and I've seen loads of serious, no-nonsense 2 channel amplifiers there and they cater for almost every budget.


I don't live in HK but I can try to find out a more exact location from a friend if you're interested in going down that route.