Multiple Amps and Multiple Speaker Sets (1 Viewer)

[Rick Shepherd]

Lurking around various forums I notice that many people have multiple amps in the setups.Without being facetious, why?Do you use different amps for different purposes depending on the input?Do you have a different set of speakers connected to each amp, or do you use the same speakers, connecting and reconnecting them as required?Or, can you connect the same speakers to different amps simultaneously?

 

[Phil A]

Some may have a HT processor without amps. Others may have a receiver and use outboard amps for more power. I'm in process of putting my main system back together after a move. Since I'm into 2-channel music and HT processor technology changes more rapidly than technology in other devices such as an amp, I'm going to use a receiver and just use it to drive the height and back surround channels. I have a 2-channel preamp with HT Bypass where the receiver's left and right channel outputs get looped thru the HT Bypass input on the preamp and the preamp is connnected to the 2-channel amp. This allows the receiver to control the volume (of the left and right channel in addition to the other channels) when I watch a movie. I have an outboard amp for the center and side surrounds. The speakers I use are a difficult load impedance wise. I'd be replacing drivers frequently if I used them to drive my main speakers.

Unless one is biamping or triamping speakers (different amps for different drivers), one would not be connecting the same speakers to different amps simultaneously.

 

[schan1269]

You have to understand amps...first.There is mono-block.There is stereo.3 channel, 5, 7 and 9. Not even getting into whole home distribution. Denon AVR, that don't start with a 4, tend to upchuck their guts on anything resembling a 4 ohm load.So if somebody wants a theatre of ESL/planar speakers...Most likely, external amplification is required.

 

[Al.Anderson]

I have different amps/speakers for two different systems - one for HT and one for music.

But I'll venture a guess that what the OP is mostly seeing is a receiver coupled with one or more amps. The receiver may have come first, but then because of a desire for more power (or maybe 4 ohm speakers), an amp is connected to the receiver's line-out. Usually the configuration is that the receiver drives the surrounds and the amp(s) drive the front stage.