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Re: Surround-sound/stereo question

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Don Pearce

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Jun 12, 2022, 3:19:58 PM6/12/22
to
On Sun, 12 Jun 2022 12:12:32 -0500, super70s
<supe...@super70s.invalid> wrote:

>I'm getting ready to set up a surround-sound system for watching my DVDs
>and Blu-rays, for the first time. According to the receiver manual the
>normal procedure is hook up the front speakers from the "A" terminal on
>the receiver, then hook up the rear speakers using the "surround-sound"
>terminals on the receiver.
>
>However since I don't particularly want to listen to my CDs and LPs in
>surround-sound, I was wondering if it would hurt anything to run another
>set of wires from the "B" terminals on the receiver to the same front
>speakers, then activate that using the "B" speakers button on the front
>of the receiver. Of course you wouldn't want to have the "A" and "B"
>buttons activated at the same time.
>
>I've never tried to run two sets of wires to the same speaker(s) before
>and thought I'd check in here before I experimented and screwed up
>something bigtime.
>
>I suppose I could always diminish the sound to the rear speakers using
>the "A" setup while listening to CDs and LPs using the "+" and "-"
>controls on the front of the receiver but this seems like it would be a
>big hassle since (according to the manual anyway) you have to kind of
>work at it to strike the perfect balance between the front and rear
>speakers for the surround-sound effect.
>
>Hope I explained myself clearly and TIA.

Messing with the wiring this way is certain to release the magic
smoke. Wire it up the way they say and rest assured that neither your
CDs nor your vinyl will be reproduced in surround. They will play
perfectly normally in stereo through the front left and right
speakers.

d

Trevor Wilson

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Jun 12, 2022, 4:28:32 PM6/12/22
to
On 13/06/2022 3:12 am, super70s wrote:
> I'm getting ready to set up a surround-sound system for watching my DVDs
> and Blu-rays, for the first time. According to the receiver manual the
> normal procedure is hook up the front speakers from the "A" terminal on
> the receiver, then hook up the rear speakers using the "surround-sound"
> terminals on the receiver.
>
> However since I don't particularly want to listen to my CDs and LPs in
> surround-sound, I was wondering if it would hurt anything to run another
> set of wires from the "B" terminals on the receiver to the same front
> speakers, then activate that using the "B" speakers button on the front
> of the receiver. Of course you wouldn't want to have the "A" and "B"
> buttons activated at the same time.
>
> I've never tried to run two sets of wires to the same speaker(s) before
> and thought I'd check in here before I experimented and screwed up
> something bigtime.
>
> I suppose I could always diminish the sound to the rear speakers using
> the "A" setup while listening to CDs and LPs using the "+" and "-"
> controls on the front of the receiver but this seems like it would be a
> big hassle since (according to the manual anyway) you have to kind of
> work at it to strike the perfect balance between the front and rear
> speakers for the surround-sound effect.
>
> Hope I explained myself clearly and TIA.


**Yes, you did. DO NOT DO IT! You will, almost certainly, destroy your
amplifier.

Read the book and follow the instructions contained within. Do not
deviate from those instructions.

--
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

Scott Dorsey

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Jun 12, 2022, 8:23:45 PM6/12/22
to
super70s <supe...@super70s.invalid> wrote:
>
>However since I don't particularly want to listen to my CDs and LPs in
>surround-sound, I was wondering if it would hurt anything to run another
>set of wires from the "B" terminals on the receiver to the same front
>speakers, then activate that using the "B" speakers button on the front
>of the receiver. Of course you wouldn't want to have the "A" and "B"
>buttons activated at the same time.

Why would you expect the CD and phono inputs would be decoded into surround?
I think you are trying to solve a problem that does not exist.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

John Williamson

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Jun 12, 2022, 9:03:02 PM6/12/22
to
On 13/06/2022 01:23, Scott Dorsey wrote:

> Why would you expect the CD and phono inputs would be decoded into surround?
> I think you are trying to solve a problem that does not exist.
>
>
Confusing using a modern 5.1 system with the trick we used to use of
connecting the two rear speakers in series between the two positive
connection on the front ones to extract the out of phase reverb?

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

Don Pearce

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Jun 13, 2022, 5:22:15 AM6/13/22
to
On Sun, 12 Jun 2022 23:53:56 -0500, super70s
<supe...@super70s.invalid> wrote:

>In article <t8602b$db7$1...@panix2.panix.com>,
>I didn't expect them to be reproduced in true surround, I just wanted
>listen to them only from the front speakers.
>
>I have two other complete (non-surround) stereo systems in my home so I
>guess I'll just listen to my CDs and LPs on them.
>
>Or maybe I can just use the "+" and "-" center and rear level controls
>in the front of the surround-sound receiver, it would be helpful if
>there was some kind of graphic indicator for those on the front but it's
>just the four buttons. Then you're supposed to run some test with a
>sequence of beeps coming from each of the four speakers to get the
>optimum balance from the front and rear.
>
>BTW this receiver I'm using isn't even a more modern "5.1" surround
>type, it's an old "Dolby Surround Pro-Logic" from early in the century.
>I have HDMI running from the Blu-ray player to the TV but for the TV's
>audio out to the receiver I use the old RCA jacks (the only kind the
>receiver will accept).

Please stop. Just put it together exactly as recommended. Stereo
sources will produce stereo sound from the front speakers. If you hear
stuff from rear speakers you have turned on Pro Logic. Turn that off.

You are simply inventing problems for your self.

d

geoff

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Jun 13, 2022, 6:34:06 AM6/13/22
to
On 13/06/2022 4:53 pm, super70s wrote:
> In article <t8602b$db7$1...@panix2.panix.com>,
> klu...@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
>
> I didn't expect them to be reproduced in true surround, I just wanted
> listen to them only from the front speakers.
>
> I have two other complete (non-surround) stereo systems in my home so I
> guess I'll just listen to my CDs and LPs on them.

Read what people said.

If you play a stereo (2 -channel) CD on your system, only the front 2
channels will play anything.

It can't (and won't) magic up stuff to come from the rear speakers.

geoff

Scott Dorsey

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Jun 13, 2022, 9:52:29 AM6/13/22
to
super70s <supe...@super70s.invalid> wrote:
>
>BTW this receiver I'm using isn't even a more modern "5.1" surround
>type, it's an old "Dolby Surround Pro-Logic" from early in the century.
>I have HDMI running from the Blu-ray player to the TV but for the TV's
>audio out to the receiver I use the old RCA jacks (the only kind the
>receiver will accept).

Okay, so THIS is the first important piece of information that you left off
of your question.

Even so... what makes you think going through the CD input will go through
the pro-logic decoder? The center and surround channels should be silent.
If they are not, you have the receiver configured incorrectly.

Chuck

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Jun 13, 2022, 4:16:31 PM6/13/22
to
On Sun, 12 Jun 2022 12:12:32 -0500, super70s
<supe...@super70s.invalid> wrote:

>I'm getting ready to set up a surround-sound system for watching my DVDs
>and Blu-rays, for the first time. According to the receiver manual the
>normal procedure is hook up the front speakers from the "A" terminal on
>the receiver, then hook up the rear speakers using the "surround-sound"
>terminals on the receiver.
>
>However since I don't particularly want to listen to my CDs and LPs in
>surround-sound, I was wondering if it would hurt anything to run another
>set of wires from the "B" terminals on the receiver to the same front
>speakers, then activate that using the "B" speakers button on the front
>of the receiver. Of course you wouldn't want to have the "A" and "B"
>buttons activated at the same time.
>
>I've never tried to run two sets of wires to the same speaker(s) before
>and thought I'd check in here before I experimented and screwed up
>something bigtime.
>
>I suppose I could always diminish the sound to the rear speakers using
>the "A" setup while listening to CDs and LPs using the "+" and "-"
>controls on the front of the receiver but this seems like it would be a
>big hassle since (according to the manual anyway) you have to kind of
>work at it to strike the perfect balance between the front and rear
>speakers for the surround-sound effect.
>
>Hope I explained myself clearly and TIA.
Your receiver's remote probably has a stereo button. Push it.

geoff

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Jun 14, 2022, 12:33:35 AM6/14/22
to
On 14/06/2022 2:24 pm, super70s wrote:
> In article <t87feo$skt$1...@panix2.panix.com>,
> I've never used a true surround sound receiver until now (it's still in
> transit) and I assumed (wrongly I guess) all four speakers would be
> activated even when using the CD or phono modes.
>
> I was just interested in hearing CDs and LPs from the front speakers
> only with a surround set up, the way I've been listening to music for 50
> years.
>
> With my previous straight stereo receiver I just had the front speakers
> hooked up to "A" and the rear speakers hooked up to "B" and I could turn
> the rear speakers on and off when watching video or listening to CDs
> accordingly.


Well it wasn't a 'straight stereo receiver' then !

geoff

Scott Dorsey

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Jul 7, 2022, 9:08:03 AM7/7/22
to
super70s <supe...@super70s.invalid> wrote:
>I've never used a true surround sound receiver until now (it's still in
>transit) and I assumed (wrongly I guess) all four speakers would be
>activated even when using the CD or phono modes.

No. When it is going through the surround decoder, it will route the
appropriate dematrixed signals to the center and surround channel. The
dialogue will be in the center, the ambient rear sounds will be in the
surround just the way it was mixed.

>I was just interested in hearing CDs and LPs from the front speakers
>only with a surround set up, the way I've been listening to music for 50
>years.

I am not sure what you mean by this. Those recordings are not recorded in
surround. If you were to run them through a surround decoder the effect
would be unpredictable with the stereo image constantly moving around.

>With my previous straight stereo receiver I just had the front speakers
>hooked up to "A" and the rear speakers hooked up to "B" and I could turn
>the rear speakers on and off when watching video or listening to CDs
>accordingly.

That would give you the same signals in the front and rear, and no surround
effects of any sort. No center channel either, which is really annoying if
you aren't sitting on the center line of the room.
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