I think the option provided by Yogi is the way to go. You will be using the secondary amplifier to drive the ceiling speakers. SQ will not be comparable to that of your mains. Speakers and room are not comparable. Volumes in both rooms can be controlled.
Want to add 2 more speakers to stereo amp- CXA80
I have a Cambridge CXA80 amp that drives my two Dynaudio DM 3/7 towers. Amp and speakers are both 4 ohm 120W per channel.
(the amp can play 8 ohms too)
amp specs below:
https://techsupport.cambridgeaudio.com/hc/enus/article_attachments/202201702/CXA80_Technical_Specif...
I’m thinking of adding 2 ceiling speakers to the kitchen that is right next to the living room that I listen to the towers in. The ceiling speakers are Dyn, but they are listed at 8/5 ohm....
https://www.dedicatedaudio.com/collections/in-wall-on-wall/products/dynaudio-p4-c80-in-ceiling-louds...
Will this set up compared to the 4 ohm connection with the tower speakers get squirly? I may want to just listen to the new ceiling speakers without the towers, but sometimes may want all 4 playing...
Can any of you describe what will happen SQ wise with the ceiling speakers with higher ohms, as well as ohm wise when listening to just the 2 new ceiling speakers, vs all 4? ( and will this set up decrease the SQ on the towers when just the towers are playing?
Thanks!
(the amp can play 8 ohms too)
amp specs below:
https://techsupport.cambridgeaudio.com/hc/enus/article_attachments/202201702/CXA80_Technical_Specif...
I’m thinking of adding 2 ceiling speakers to the kitchen that is right next to the living room that I listen to the towers in. The ceiling speakers are Dyn, but they are listed at 8/5 ohm....
https://www.dedicatedaudio.com/collections/in-wall-on-wall/products/dynaudio-p4-c80-in-ceiling-louds...
Will this set up compared to the 4 ohm connection with the tower speakers get squirly? I may want to just listen to the new ceiling speakers without the towers, but sometimes may want all 4 playing...
Can any of you describe what will happen SQ wise with the ceiling speakers with higher ohms, as well as ohm wise when listening to just the 2 new ceiling speakers, vs all 4? ( and will this set up decrease the SQ on the towers when just the towers are playing?
Thanks!
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- 16 posts total
Most any amp that you use will have a problem running two sets of speakers at the same time. If you can find ceiling speakers that are rated at a 16 ohm load then you can use all of the speakers at the same time. The only other option is if you wire the speakers in series. Doing that will double the impedance load on the amp. Like I originally told you if you use one pair of the speakers at a time you will not have problem! |
Thank you Yogiboy, Thank you Mesch. it sounds like I should probably down grade the quality of the ceilings speakers...$500 a piece Dynaudio ceilings to be ran with a $180 Dayton power amp plugged into the preout of my Cambridge cXA80 just doesn’t make sense from a SQ downgrade with such expensive ceiling speakers. Honestly, I was hoping to hear that the SQ down grade with an inexpensive second power amp would not drop too much, because I would still be utilizing the pre amp of my entry level hifi Cambridge Amp... but sounds like I would need to drop another grande on a power amp with a volume knob to be close to the SQ my tower speakers are receiving. All good friends, infinity junkers for the ceiling? Yuck! Ha! |
I am not sure that you would need to drop another 1K for the amp. Keep in mind that the SQ drop has much to do with the speaker placement in the ceiling. You will never have the soundstage/imaging of your main system. You can come close with tonal balance across the midrange. You can achieve pleasant sound. May not have to spend 1K on speakers either. I once had a B&K amp that had attenuators for each channel that I think would work well for this situation. Parasound also made (makes?) same. I would not give up on this. |
I use an Audiosource amp to power my ceiling and outdoor speakers! https://www.crutchfield.com/shopsearch/audiosource.html |
- 16 posts total