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Running 4 speakers from a 2-channel amp

I love the sound of 4 speakers playing at once around me. I've got a simple old SS amp, Luxman L507 (mid-1970's) that runs 4 speakers at once. I'm running a pair of Yamaha NS-1000x (6 Ohm) as mains, and a tweaked set of B&W 805Ns (8 Ohm) as B's.

I'm talking here about 2-channel sound, 4 speakers, not 4-channel surround sound.

I've been looking for a higher-end amp, but find almost all are two-channels only, with ports for only two speakers.

Some great old Luxman tube amps offer 4 channels, but only one pair at a time is available on the selector ("A or B," not "A and B"). One shop told me they could have one modified for me to be able to play 4 speakers, at only a small cost.

Another shop told me that playing 4 speakers at once, even on my current old Luxman, which has the "A and B" option, overburdens the amp and shortens it's life.

I wonder - can't we wire-up 4 speakers, say two on each side in parallel, like in so many car stereo setups?

Am I really limited to only 2 speakers with a 2-channel amp?
jimthewebguy
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
4,428 posts
 
Kirkus - I remember seeing large bass guitar stacks that had a lot of small (about 10") speakers (10-12). They must have been connected serial/parallel to obtain any drivable impedance.

I've read on this forum that before SS popularity speakers/drivers had very high impedance (16 or even 32ohm). Maybe it was to match better with tube gear but it could be for other reasons. Lower impedance allows to squeeze more power from SS amps.
kirkus
502 posts
 
Kirkus - I remember seeing large bass guitar stacks that had a lot of small (about 10") speakers (10-12). They must have been connected serial/parallel to obtain any drivable impedance.
Actually, just about every instrument cabinet I can think of is parallel connected . . .the classic Ampeg SVT bass cabinet used eight 10" 32 ohm speakers, and I think the modern versions do as well. In Fenders, many of the differences between the (ostensibily very similar) amplifiers used in heads and combos were different output transformers . . . i.e. a Super Reverb combo had 4 8-ohm speakers, and the amp had an OPT designed for a 2-ohm load.
astralography
51 posts
 
I have had fantastic success in running speakers in series.

I have a set of Klipsch 5.2 with a 12, 10, and a medium size horn.

Loving the nice low end response, the 5.2 lacks the mids and the sensitivity in the highs that I get from a set of 3.2's which have a 10, 8 and a smaller horn.

The 3.2's have very nice mids, decent highs, but lack body on the low end.

I simply stacked the 3.2's ontop of the 5.2's running off an old Scott Tube amp, and I am now getting the best of both worlds.

So any theory about destroying your sound by running two sets of speakers in series is not an absolute universal concept. It's working fantastically for me.
g_nakamoto's avatar
g_nakamoto
348 posts
 
i'm 64 years old and don't know too much about equipment. back in the early 70's i had a 4 chanell receiver with 4 bose 901 series 2 connected in parralell lowering it to 4ohms. in 2000 i bought a mcintosh mc2205. in 2011 my son gave me his mc602. i have my bose positioned the way the "super bose system" was in the 70's. "no lows, no highs, must be bose" is what i read today. no funds to upgrade so i'll have to settle with the bose.
g_nakamoto's avatar
g_nakamoto
348 posts
 
i would like to edit my recent comment. today my speakers are connected in parrellel for a 2 chanell stereo system.
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