Can someone explain surround sound center speaker?

[Zeke]

Found in alley, a Klipsch center speaker. It has L and R terminals which are jumped with factory connectors. Input is rated at 8 Ohms but when I connected it to L and R output channels with the jumpers removed , it sounded weak and underpowered.

So a couple of things might be going on. Either the separated channels require 4 Ohms ea. or there was a pre amp. Here's the spec sheet. Older '03 to '06 model, NLA.

Specs show that the crossover starts at 250Hz which is low enough for me. Also says the center normally uses 60% of available output. Of course I can add some bookshelf speakers or some older floor models I don't use but have plenty of low down and can be tuned away from being 'bright'.

I really don't have much of a SS receiver so I'm trying to just hear this thing w/o hurting anything using a conventional stereo receiver rated at 8 Ohms output.

Read the last paragraph on the sheet and tell me what it says to you. Link was safe for me.

It's for a small room where separation is moot.

[masraum]

Sounds like a nice little speaker. I shouldn't even ask, but is there any way that you could have wired the sides opposite to each other?

[Scott Douglas]

That last paragraph tells me I can wire it as two separate speakers if I want. Like a Speaker A set and Speaker B set, and designate one or the other as the 'bass' speaker for the system.
I could be all wrong on this but that's how I'd read it.

[Bob Kontak]

I can't explain it but I found this.

https://sewelldirect.com/blogs/learning-center/how-to-bi-wire-and-bi-amp-your-speakers

[Scott Douglas]

"Klipsch Tapered Array™Technology operates both woofers at the lowest frequencies but only one all the way up to the point where the tweeter takes over, eliminating the destructive middle-frequency interference between woofer outputs characteristic of ordinary woofer-tweeter-woofer lineups.'

I'll bet there's something fishy going on with the cross over unit.

[javadog]

Put the jumpers back in and hook it up to either the left or the right channel. It should sound normal, although you’ll only get half of the music contained in a stereo recording.

Bi-amping it doesn’t mean that you can remove the jumpers and then run one channel on half of the speaker and the other channels on the other half.

[stevej37]

Maybe a stupid question here....but are the connections on your ss amp labeled center surround speaker?
If so...it could be a simple output setting in the menu.

[908/930]

As Javadog said, try it as a single speaker with the jumpers back on and only one channel. there is a chance with the jumpers removed the speaker will try to output the difference of the two channels, so not a lot of volume. Years ago I would wire a centre tweeter for car audio this way. Does it sound like the tweeter is working?

[mattdavis11]

Found in an alley, that is probably what is wrong Baz, I mean Zeke.

[KFC911]

I can't open/read the specs, but imo, anything using x.1 with the center taking most of the load suck donkey balls to my ears. I always bi-wired, and bi-amped (usually vertically but also tried horizontally) with mega-watt amps, splitting signals etc. But I was always about "the music", and not into home theater, so 2-channel was utopia... sometimes multiplied by a factor of 2 .... or 3 .

Where's Rusty ?

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Maybe a stupid question here....but are the connections on your ss amp labeled center surround speaker?
If so...it could be a simple output setting in the menu.

Not using a SS amp. I have one but it's used as a 2-channel unit only. but now you've given me the answer because I have that one hooked up to a 6 way switcher in order to have 2 channels in 3 rooms. I'm sure it has a center tap.

Next question: does it hurt the receiver to tie L and R wires, the 2 +'s and the 2 -'s together? It doesn't backfeed? Diodes perhaps?

[stevej37]

I think I know what you mean.
Maybe this helps?


If not there is this...https://freespeakerplans.com/kunena/7-general-forum/6741-odd-way-of-wiring-three-speakers-to-an-amp

[dad911]

Originally Posted by Zeke

......
Next question: does it hurt the receiver to tie L and R wires, the 2 +'s and the 2 -'s together? It doesn't backfeed? Diodes perhaps?

That is called 'Bridging' to get twice the power from a stereo amp in mono. Not all amps are designed for bridging, and I suspect it might damage an non-bridging amp to tie outputs together.

I'd sell it and pick up a pair of speakers, or find a mono source.

If your receiver has a mono button, press it, wire the speaker to 'Left', and turn the balance control all the way to left.
.

[KFC911]

Yep, "bridging" an amp from stereo to mono was obtained by a switch (on all of mine)... boosted the output from 425 watts (stereo) to 1000 watts mono.... thus an amp per speaker if bi-amped vertically .

[908/930]

Zeke, you said it is not a solid state amp, so it is a tube amp? I would NOT connect the outputs together. If you are sure the outputs are running through an isolation transformer then probably not a problem but some tube amps do not use this (OTL), I am not sure but thinking that any difference in voltage could be a problem.

Bridging an amp requires the circuitry to be fully isolated, it uses the two amplifiers to each do 1/2 the waveform, one does the push and the other does the pull, it also cuts the impedance in 1/2 so it needs to be able to handle a higher load, if you had a 4 ohm load now it is seeing a 2 ohm load.

I do not think that DWG is quite correct for a centre output, that would just be another L output with 1/2 the impedance, if you go + to + then you get the difference of the two channels sort of a quasi centre.

[KFC911]

^^^ I wouldn't do it on any amp fwiw. Shoot Dave (Rusty) a PM if he doesn't see this thread... he might have an idea or six

[Gogar]

The two sets of connections are for the tweeter and the woofer. If you leave the jumper on the speaker works normally. If you want to individually access the woofers or the tweeter for some reason, you remove the jumper. That's all.

It is not a "stereo" speaker or anything like that.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Gogar

The two sets of connections are for the tweeter and the woofer. If you leave the jumper on the speaker works normally. If you want to individually access the woofers or the tweeter for some reason, you remove the jumper. That's all.

It is not a "stereo" speaker or anything like that.

,I think you hit the nail. So when I connected it not bridged, I was hearing the high (or low) of one channel. That's all I had access to at the moment (I left the other existing speaker as it was).

Very interesting and I'd like to see the schematic to prove you right. But it might be useless to me. I didn't tell it, but the woofers were in the alley too. I left them because I knew I'd ever use them. Should have just kept going.

But, it's a nice cabinet and I could get inside and check out the individual twin woofers in there and maybe cut them loose from one another.



Might make for some 'easy' listening in the background.

[Zeke]

I tested the woofers individually and w/o all the coils and whatnot inside the cabinet the speaker attached, it had some noise that isn't coming from the source. A little hiss and some distortion at low volume.

I think it's toast. Beautiful copper colored cones. Very good silicone suspension and super heavy magnets. I might have to look into repurposing that kind of magnet. Table saw hold downs when energized? I know what to do with the tweeter.

See, there is this barking dog....

Just need a HF source.

[KFC911]

Put it back on the curb .... Baz will save the dawg .