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amp to speaker cable
peckhamlad
12-11-2004
Hi,

Total noob question I don't know if this possible

- I've got a cheap 5.1 surround system - Yamaha TSS10 & the amplifier has a single phono out for the centre speaker.

Can I use a regular phono lead to connect to a different half decent centre speaker as the one it comes with (sateillite) is rubbish.

What cable would be required or would I have to use a regular 1 phono to 2 phono split (L+R) and take off the ends so I can wire to the new speaker
Brush Master
12-11-2004
Originally Posted by peckhamlad:
“(..)I've got a cheap 5.1 surround system - Yamaha TSS10 & the amplifier has a single phono out for the centre speaker.

Can I use a regular phono lead to connect to a different half decent centre speaker as the one it comes with (sateillite) is rubbish. (..)”

How do you tell it's rubbish? Because its thin? Nonsense. Besides, if "cheap amplifier" means "average quality", then what's the point? Spare the expense (and save money for a good amplifier).

Originally Posted by peckhamlad:
“ What cable would be required (..)”

I assume you say "phone lead" because it actually is one, meaning the subwoofer is active (has its own amp). In this case, if you really need to replace the phone lead, anything with 40pF/m (that is pico Farad per meter) should be more then suficient.

If you're actually driving the subwoofer from your power amp (=speaker cable), some 2.5 sqmm speaker cable is OK. Don't waste the money on stronger cables or magic ones - it's all nonsense.
peckhamlad
12-11-2004
thnx for your reply.

I'm please with the surround system but just want to replace the centre speaker (which seems weak) with a better one (which I do not currently use) but the output from the amp is a single female phono output. I am not sure if I can use a regular phono lead that has 2 phono (male) ends to connect to a speaker
Tim.C
12-11-2004
Originally Posted by Brush Master:
“ Don't waste the money on stronger cables or magic ones - it's all nonsense.”

IMHO

This is both right and wrong.

Right = Spending a fortune on 'magic' wire will make a difference that is hardly noticable, if at all, to most people. And you'd have to match the spend on the other components.

Wrong = crap speaker leads is the MAIN reason for cheap gear sounding crap. A bad piece of wire WILL degrade the sound.


ie Changing from CRAP wire to DECENT wire can make a huge difference. But changing from DECENT wire to SUPER MAGIC wire is usually a watse of money.

By DECENT, you could say anything of the correct type* and as thick as your shoelace (talk about dumbing down !!)


I'm not a surround sound guy (more PA and old fashioned HiFi) but I don't remember ever seeing an RCA (phone) plug used as a speaker level output - it's normally line level. If it is line level, the above still applies - any 'reasonable' correct type lead, ie standard Hi fi.

Tim.C



* I have seen people connect a gutar amp to a speaker with a guitar lead instead of a speaker lead "Well, it had the right plugs on it !" Not a good idea !
peckhamlad
12-11-2004
thnx

when I mean 'decent' I meant anything of the correct type - apologies

this system has a single phono out instead of the normal set of speaker wires going straight into the centre speaker !! see link, unfortunatley it goes to PDF and the picture of the rear connections is not too clear

http://www.yamaha.co.jp/english/prod...info/tss10.pdf
Brush Master
12-11-2004
Strange - looks like RCA connectors from the PDF, but also reports output wattage - will be passive speakers most likely.

Best to show the cable to somebody.
Tim.C
12-11-2004
Those are passive speakers.

They've just used RCA to simplify connection. Not a problem with such low power.

Any old HiFi lead should do, just leave the second lead dangling !!!!!

You'll want to make sure any replacement speaker is 4ohms though.

8 ohms want hurt, but it won't be as loud, so the balance may be off.

you could actually use 2x8ohm speakers, but considering that you've had to ask so far, this may not be a good idea to try !!!! (No offence meant !)

Tim.C
Tim.C
12-11-2004
ps it's the specifications section that gives it away !!
Brush Master
12-11-2004
Originally Posted by Tim.C:
“Wrong = crap speaker leads is the MAIN reason for cheap gear sounding crap. A bad piece of wire WILL degrade the sound.”

I agree the right cable is the decent quality and the sane choice.

Technically, what matters for a speaker cable is twofold:

Firstly, the cable has to deliver the peak amperage to the speaker. This is a good, but commonly overrated, argument in favor of strong cable. The correct cable size is determined by the length of the cable run, the peak wattage of the amp, and its slew rate. We're talking "cheap amplifier", combined with "centre speaker". That is, the length will be short (centre speaker), the slew rate not too exciting (cheap amp), and a cable with 2.5sqmm OK OK 4 sqmm will suffice.

Secondly, the cable has to return voltage that is induced in the speaker as a result of the membrane's physical movement. The amplifier couples this in its feedback loop (part of the internal circuitry) and uses this to keep the speaker in a tight crip. This is what we want: the speaker shall not go off with vibrations of its own account. Since the induced voltage is very tiny, a little bit or resistance along the speaker cable will reduce the amount seen by the amp, and thus reduce the tighness of control. This is in most systems the real reason for thick cables, as the resistance is a function of the cable's cross section. It is also a function of the cable length (short in this case as discussed above). However, there's no point throwing excessive cable at the problem: the combination of amplifier, speaker, and speaker cable has a damping coefficient. The higher the better, but each the maximum reacheable is determined by the weakest link. Again, a 2.5sqmm or 4 sqmm cable will be plenty in this case. Investing more simply goes to waste, as the rest of the system can't benefit form it.

Thicker cable, cable using "extra-pure copper crystals", oxygen-enriched copper, transparent isolation, teflon isolation, etc etc - this is all just marketing hype.

peckhamlad, nice choice of gear. I like the design.
peckhamlad
12-11-2004
thank for the advice one & all
Tim.C - no offense taken
cyberdog
12-11-2004
Your best bet would be to look on ebay for a Kef Q95C
specs here:
http://www.kef.com/history/1990_2/q_series/Q95C.htm

It's rated at 4 ohms, same as the rest of your speakers and would be a vast improvement (I know, I've just sold one!)

The centre speaker is the most important as it carries all the dialogue so upgrading would be well worth it.

You should be able to get a Q95C for under £40.
Just had a look and there aren't any on ebay at the moment, but they do come up quite regularly.

As a second choice, look for any centre rated at 4 - 6 ohms.
As I said, you ideally want 4 ohms, but 6 wouldn't be too bad.

Then, as Tim C suggested, just get a phono lead, chop the plug off one end and connect up to the speaker terminals.

Good luck!
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