FOAK: Speakers

Following our house move we now have our jukebox in the same room as my
5.1 speakers - ideally I'd like the jukebox to use these speakers. I
can't see anyway of putting it through my amp (jukebox has it's own amp)
so I need to come up with a way of cabling two inputs into the front 2
5.1 speakers. All I think I want is a simple switch box but they all
seem designed for single inputs to multiple outputs, and I want to go
the other way.

Anybody know anything that will do the job?

 

Yes.

One of my amps had a switched mains outlet. I used this to drive a pair of DPDT relays that switched
both signal and ground from two speakers to either amplifier.
I actually used 12v relays and a 12v psu but you could use 240v relays if you like to live dangerously.
So whenever the AV amp was switched on, it got the speakers.

You could do the same manually with two DPDT switches.
Of course this method doesn't address the subwoofer issue.

 

The sub wouldn't be an issue as the jukebox is stereo only. No switched
mains output though so irrelevant in this case.

 

You could use one of those 'intelligent mains blocks'
which switch the other sockets on when the device in the first socket is switched on.

Or you could just buy a 4PDT switch and put it in a box with some speaker sockets, e.g.
http://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/1m41t1b5m1qe/switch-solder-tag-4pdt-on-on/dp/1550192

 

If they're just a simple switch box, wouldn't it work the other way
around anyway?

 

I did think about that and it might be worth a try but most of them have
ohm ratings so not sure if that would affect it.

 

That looks useful - I think I'd need two though - one for each speaker?

 

There will certainly be an output from the j/b tone arm you could put
through a pre-amp or your own inside the j/b or maybe the pre-amp in the
j/b will allow a take-off from its output and then you could supply that
to your amp.

 

Hmm, they *shouldn't* have anything in them, in theory, you'd want the
cleanest path through that you could get.

...... <Googles>.....

Ah, yes, I see now, they seem to do impedance matching, and one product
on the Maplin site does have same QAs that confirm they do work
backwards, but will load the amp.

Nasty things, why on earth do such a thing. You'd spend how much on a
decent bit of cabling, then stick a shite box of electonics in the way!

I think the trouble is that most of the commercial boxes don't fully
isolate the pairs, so you can get some cross-talk too. I'd be inclined
to make my own with fully isolated switches, either DPDT switches, or a
dual channel rotary switch.

As already suggested, probably best got from CPC.

 

No. A 4PDT switch will do for both speakers.
Or you could use 2 DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) switches.
And you should switch both sides of the speaker in case
you use it on an amp with a bridged output.

 

Not usually. You are likely to blow something up.
The last switch box I looked into put both speakers in series
and shorted one or the other out.

 

Break before make switch.

--


Nige,

BMW K1200S
Range Rover Vogue
Suzuki GSX-R600 Racebike
Honda ST1100 Pan European (comes this week)

 

OMG.

 

So it will have enough connections for 4 pairs of inputs (2 from juke, 2
from amp, a total of 8 connections) and 2 pairs of outputs and will keep
them "in line" so the amps 5.1 signal output doesn't get sent to both
speakers on the output?

 

Yes. 12 pins on a 4PDT switch.
The wiring should be pretty obvious.