[thinkbig12]

hey guys,

today a tech came home to install an amplifier..

I have around 7 speakers in my home and he connected them all on a thing the accepts all the speakers (6 pair speaker selector) that he connects after on the amplifier (hope u underestand what I mean )

he got me the RX-497 for 400$... total rip off cause I just saw some of them at 250$ on ebay..

but the main problem is that, it jumps a lot (disconnects) when the volume is only half the maximum.. what if I buy the RX- 797, will it still jump? less? does it jump because of the Speaker selector or because of the amplifier?

or do u guys recommend any better amplifier for around 400$??

thanks!

 

[57]

If it turns off at partial volume, you may have a short in one of the speaker connections due to frayed wires making contact across the terminals. Disconnect speaker wires one at a time to find which one causes the issue, then find out if it's at the speaker end or the AVR end.

 

[thinkbig12]

but he told me its normal because the amp only develops low wattage..and something about impedence.. he told me he could ve installed a 1000$ amp and it wouldnt turn off.

also, he installed 2 speakers in one same port... because its a 6 pair of speaker selector and I have 7 speakers... :s

 

[pharsyde]

where are you ? what company is doing the install ? you looking for a straight forward 7/7.1 channel HT setup ? some may be able to assist if your reasonably within their coordinates, seems you may need. just here is good too.

sounds like you need to (re)evaluate before too far in.

let us know ...

 

[ScaryBob]

Is this a Yamaha RX-497? If so, it's a stereo amp and is not designed to drive 7 speakers. A Yamaha RX-797 is also a stereo amp. Connecting all those speakers in parallel will overload it. I'd hate to think how the 7th speaker was connected. You need a 7.1 surround sound receiver.

 

[zebb2000]

Hi, like others have suggested, you need a 7.1 channel home theater receiver to hook up all your speakers. Also, the speakers shouldn't be a collection of different speakers, they should be similar, especially the front left and right and center channel speaker.

I've noticed that a receiver that fits your price range is the Onkyo TX-SR508 7.1 Channel HDMI 1.4 Home Theater Receiver (TX-SR508). It is presently on sale for a bit over $400.00.

You should pay a visit to a trusted audio store (not big box) and get some advice on what you are planning to do with your set-up and they could steer you in the right direction. Good luck.

 

[nobsplease]

It seems like thinkbig12 has 6 stereo pairs and a miscellaneous 7th speaker (maybe for a bathroom?) rather than a surround system. The "tech" probably brought over a speaker switcher. thinkbig12, are those ceiling speakers? If so your RX497 has ample power to drive them. It's around 70 genuine watts per channel and perfectly happy with 4 ohm loads. The shutting down is almost certainly from a short. Get a light, disconnect ALL the speakers one at a time and check to make sure that the speaker wires are all clean and tight with not even a single strand sticking out from the connection on either the speaker or the switcher. Make sure that the switcher is set to Protect/4 ohm or the button on the front is pushed in.

 

[thinkbig12]

yea exactly! they are ceiling speakers and the 7th is indeed a bathroom speaker lol!


I found a solution! not run them all at once lol... if I run 2-3 at a time, I can raise the volume pretty high and it doesnt shut down!

thanks for the help guys!

 

[ScaryBob]

A 7.1 receiver might still be a better option and would drive all the speakers at once. Set it up to drive all 7 speakers separately in "surround stereo" mode. The center channel would be the bathroom speaker. Some 7.1 receivers have the capability to set up zones for speaker switching, true stereo/surround stereo switching would turn the "surround" speakers on/off or speakers could be turned on and off in the setup menu. External speaker switches could also be used (but with care on some receivers.)

 

[pharsyde]

ha ! yes. to be honest with you, pondered briefly this thread while out and about over the weekend. certainly adding in a switch would lead one to believe you have mulitple zones setup in your home (nothing in your OP indicated a stand alone 7 channel HT room)

jokingly (thinking to myself) i wondered if you would have speaker(s) setup while in on the can ..! . ideal .!

what triggered my reflecting on this thread .. why would installer setup a 6 channel switch, assummingly knowing customer has 7 speakers to play with ? maybe i am missing something here.

@ bob

yes, was thinking the same re: multichannel reciever. allow the reciever to switch. probably more flexibility when one uncovers the capability within. but i haven't played with operating multiple zones within my home. would be great however if thinkbig (or anyone wth this setup) would have the capability to . for example: playing your favorite CD in the living room .. while simutaneouly allowing the machine to pull your MP3's from a media source to run (play) in a separate room. .. etc.. ** and other multitasking scenerios ..


the main thing .. looks like thinkbig has remedied the situation and enjoying. good job.

 

[lex_rx]

It's hard to completely visualize your setup from your short description. However, for immediate work, like right now, ensure that your speakers are wired in series and NOT in parallel. There's a chance that your speakers were wired in parallel and the receiver is overloading.

Double check before you fry your receiver.

Good luck.