Old Guy Needs Some Help

[70sMac]

After more than 13 years, we're dusting off our audio equipment -- and some of it was old back then -- and trying to create the best system we can. In short, we were blown out of NOLA by Katrina and are just now getting back into our own home. This is good news, but ... the problem is that time keeps going and technology advances ... but I digress. Question 1 is how we might go about switching between more than one receiver/source to drive one pair of 8-ohm speakers. We have an preamp to 2-channel amp to speaker setup that we use for listening to our CD music, but we would also like to use our other receivers to drive a separate pair of speakers (one source at a time). To clarify, we do not wish to do any audio mixing, we simply want to drive one pair of 8-ohm speakers via separate isolated receiver outputs. My research has invariably lead me to speaker switches that are designed for multiple pairs of speakers, but, so far, I've found nothing that helps with what I've [tried to] describe. Question 2 is how to connect our new Blu-ray player, which can play SACDs via an HDMI output, to our old preamp, which has nothing but RCA inputs on its rear panel. I hope I haven't confused things too much and I thank you for your time.

[doggiehowser]

Question 1 is how we might go about switching between more than one receiver/source to drive one pair of 8-ohm speakers. We have an preamp to 2-channel amp to speaker setup that we use for listening to our CD music, but we would also like to use our other receivers to drive a separate pair of speakers (one source at a time). To clarify, we do not wish to do any audio mixing, we simply want to drive one pair of 8-ohm speakers via separate isolated receiver outputs. My research has invariably lead me to speaker switches that are designed for multiple pairs of speakers, but, so far, I've found nothing that helps with what I've [tried to] describe.

You need two things:

a. an AV receiver with preamp outputs
b. a 2 channel preamp or integrated amp with Processor/HT bypass inputs

When you are listening to music, turn on only b.

When you are watching movies, turn on a. and b.

b. will be set to HT bypass input (volume control is bypassed and it acts like a power amp for the AV receiver)

a. has preamp L and R outputs that are connected to the 2 channel amp so the stereo amp will drive the L and R speakers in cinema mode.


Question 2 is how to connect our new Blu-ray player, which can play SACDs via an HDMI output, to our old preamp, which has nothing but RCA inputs on its rear panel. I hope I haven't confused things too much and I thank you for your time.

Have you bought the BluRay player?

You can get some good ones with good analog RCA inputs.

Something like the Pioneer LX500 - stereo L/R will go to the stereo preamp

[70sMac]

DoggieHowser......Thanks for taking a crack at this, mate, but I'm positive that I've confused matters. You see, the extra two receivers we own are old, [were] very expensive and have a lot of sentimental value to us. The goal is to have our second pair of speakers hooked up to the output of [some kind of] a switch that accepts separate and isolated inputs from more than one audio source (the old receivers I mentioned). So if we want to listen to one of our old receivers, say playing FM radio, we switch to A. If we wish to listen to an old LP record, we switch to B. In either case, the path between either the A source or the B source is straight to our second pair of speakers, which, quite humbly, were very expensive in their own right.

As for the second question, yes, the Sony UBPX800 blu-ray player has already been purchased...and, quite frankly, it does what we actually bought it for: it upscales our old DVDs very well. As I mentioned before, it also plays SACDs, so I'd like to hear them from time to time, as well. The problem, as you know, is that its only output is the HDMI type and all of our old solid state audio equipment has nothing more that RCA input jacks.

Thanks again

[doggiehowser]

QED makes a decent speaker switch.

SS21 I think with banana plugs.

It’s designed to handle 2 speakers to one amp but if you are careful, it will work in reverse, two amps to one speaker. You just need to make sure only input (receiver) is enabled at any one time.

As for the BluRay player - depends on the age of the TV

Some of the older TVs have analog RCA outputs. So you plug HDMI to TV and then analog out from TV to the receivers. Bear in mind the TV won’t accept DSD (native SACD format) so the Sony will need to output in PCM anyway.

If it is a more modern one, with only optical outputs from the TV, you’ll need a DAC with optical inputs to convert the optical digital out to analog RCA to your receiver.

You might be better off getting a Pioneer LX500 with analog outputs because the SACD would be decoded from its DSD format. Not converted to PCM.

Another option would be the Bryston DAC with HDMI inputs. That would decode DSD natively from the Sony player.

[nicoff]

Sounds to me that all you need is a speaker switch box.There several available in Amazon.
You connect the speaker wire coming from the outputs of the two receivers/amps to the switch box. Then with the switch box you select which receiver/amp you want to listen to. You may also need a couple of Y connectors so you can combine the 4 outputs from the speaker switch box into two.

[70sMac]

DoggieHowser......Is this the speaker switch you're referring to, mate? If so, I'm a bit confused about a couple of things. First, the rear panel seems to accommodate two amps ... but perhaps it would be simpler to ask you how the setup I've described would be connected to this device (keeping in mind that we want to use two separate 2-channel receivers and one pair of B&W N805 8-ohm speakers).

I'd also appreciate some words on how a banana plugs would work here. When I think of banana plugs, I picture pomona leads that [literally] push into a female receptacle (aka, a round hole). Are those removable caps over the rear connections?

[70sMac]

Nicoff......Having a background in electronics, perhaps it would best to see a schematic diagram of one of these speaker switch units. If they're simple passive switches, a diagram would probably make things much clearer. If there's complex impedance matching circuitry inside of these things, on the other hand, it could get a bit more complicated. Thanks for your time.

[clpetersen]

If just two receivers, you could a get pair of what is called 'double pole, double throw' switches. Easily available, rated up to 20 amps (or 3200 Watts into 8 ohms). Simple, bullet-proof. You would need to mount them onto a plate of some sort. Connect the speaker to the center posts and the receiver outputs to the the end posts.
The one pictured is from Mousser Electronics. Many sizes and style to choose from.

[70sMac]

clpetersen......Absolutely, your idea would work great ... but I was hoping that someone manufactured the same thing in an attractive "finished" product. I've got a Mrs. to deal with, so I trust that you understand the reticence to pull out my Weller, the flux and the 60/40 solder. In short, I can definitely make up a switch panel ... but I'm no artist.

[W9TR]

You could use one of those finished speaker selector switches and use it backwards, connecting your receivers to the speaker outputs and your speakers to the receiver input. Just make sure you only have only one button pressed at any one time.
Tom