pulling speakers from Amp

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  1. #1

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    pulling speakers from Amp

    this is going to be a dumb sounding question to some...

    but here we go.. I moved into a unit about 2 months ago, and the landlord "kindly" (grumble, curse, swear under breath) left behind a wealth of stuff, aka crap, including a 6.1 channel marantz receiver with inbuilt amp. off this he has 5 speakers, essentially a 5.1 setup.

    now, my family is coming and going, and my young son is a typical terrible twos, and i fear for the safety of both him and the stupid, underpowered, essentially useless surround speakers.

    now, we're getting to the question... will i fry the amp if i pull out the surround speakers and chuck them under the bed with the rest of the landlords stuff? i know with the old, simple, useable, enjoyable.... 2 channel/stereo systems it was a big no no to do this, but i have no idea of what it will do to this sort of system.

    any advice here? i'm tempted to chuck the whole ruddy thing as it's a pain, but it does work well as a receiver for TV, DVD and media player.


  2. #2

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    if you're storage an electronic item, best to keep in orginal amp, if that not possible and this is a mid to high end amp, buy a vacuum bag, if that not possible or worth it, just wrap a few layers of clingfilm and place few moisture bags in there.

    it's the dust (and moisture) with may kill you amp ( and other eletronics)

    if you can provide the model number of this marantz reciever, i can possibly tell you what it can do


  3. #3

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    check the ohm on the speakers, generally should be around 4-8ohms ( unless you have TV speakers or mini systems/cinema in a box speakers which use 16 ohms ( not really compatible).

    please note you're more like to kill an amp or speakers, but using a low powered amp driving a large speakers (eg, not enough juice), as it's the distortion which kills a set of speakers.

    it's unlikely if you damaged a set of speakers with a powerful amp, ( check the ohms though)


  4. #4

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    Do you mean that you want to keep using the receiver and a couple of speakers and put the rest of the speakers under the bed? This should be fine.

    To tune it in properly, you should go into the receivers settings and set it to a 2.0 system instead of 5.1.

    But I dont think there is any way you can fry anything just by unplugging the speakers from the receiver and still use the receiver.

    Last edited by bdw; 08-01-2010 at 04:38 PM.

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by bdw:
    Do you mean that you want to keep using the receiver and a couple of speakers and put the rest of the speakers under the bed? This should be fine.

    To tune it in properly, you should go into the receivers settings and set it to a 2.0 system instead of 5.1.

    But I dont think there is any way you can fry anything just by unplugging the speakers from the receiver and still use the receiver.
    yeah, that's what i mean, keep it as a receiver, but store the satellite speakers that are on stands all around the place. will try to find the remote to do as you say, set to a 2 channel system instead of 5.1... if i can find it.

    imparanoic - will look at model number tonight, but it's essentially a tuner with an integrated amp and 5.1/6.1 output direct to surround speakers.

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    Quote Originally Posted by dropdedfwed:
    i know with the old, simple, useable, enjoyable.... 2 channel/stereo systems it was a big no no to do this,
    I have never heard such a thing.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by beachball:
    I have never heard such a thing.
    really? i was always told an unloaded amp will fry. well there you go!

  8. #8

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    What you had heard was probably in reference to tube amps which if unloaded would try to dissipate energy through the output transformers. Not a problem with transistor amps.


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    The marantz amp will have a 2 channel mode, no problems there. I'd check the marantz website and download a PDF manual for the model av reciever you have and if the main pair of speakers you are going to be using in 2 channel mode, are 8 ohms, everything will be fine.

    If your main speakers are 6 ohms ( small bookshelfs usually are ) you might need to check if there is a switch or extra mode you may need to activate/select to allow you to run them. My Yamaha amp has a 8/6 ohm switching mode, and assume / expect that Marantz should have a similar mode.

    Example of a manual here, below:
    http://us.marantz.com/DFU_SR6001_final_eng.pdf

    Enter your AV receiver model number here > Marantz America | Support Home and you'll be able to download the user manual regarding speaker impedance that the amp will drive and the speaker configurations that can be selected 2, 3 5 or 6 channel etc

    Last edited by Skyhook; 08-01-2010 at 08:52 PM.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by neither3nor4:
    What you had heard was probably in reference to tube amps which if unloaded would try to dissipate energy through the output transformers. Not a problem with transistor amps.
    Oh yes, I forgot about tube amplifiers - mainly because they are so sh*t at music reproduction that it boggles my mind that people are still using them for this purpose.
    I believe neither3nor4 is correct - amplifications chains with tube finals should not be run without loads.
    However, the OP's Marantz definitely has a solid-state amplifier section and, hence, it is perfectly safe to just disconnect any speakers (obviously with the amp disconnected from the power supply). As Skyhook mentioned, it might be necessary to manually adjust the speaker configuration in the settings of the amplifier or to run the auto speaker configuration - not a question of safety/protecting the equipment, but rather to the let the processor in the receiver 'mix' the sound correctly given the changed speaker set-up.

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