scatsob Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 So after my recient purchase of four Forte II's I will literally have no money for anything else for a very long time. I do however plan on using the Fortes for two channel studying music and some movies in the bedroom. I dont really want to put one set in storage or leave themthe garage so my question is has anyone done this and is it possible? I know you can hook up two sets of speakers to say the H/K 3480 but I dont think you can have both blaring at the same time. The only thing I can think is using a 4-channel amp and splittilg the signal from a preamp? Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 What receiver will you be powering the system with? Worst case scenario, you can wire the speakers in parallel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatsob Posted August 16, 2007 Author Share Posted August 16, 2007 I have been looking at the HK3480 because of cost, 120wpc and I think HK sounds really good with Klipsch. For the amp/pro option I have seen a few 4-channel amps for sale reciently. The PA2000 is 45wpc for 4-channels and that would most likley be plenty of power and not break the bank. Then use an AVR135 or for the processor. I dont know if any of these options would work but thats what I am thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsear Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 I run 4 speakers on my patio using the "B" drive from my Accuphase amp. I run 2 left channels to 2 left speakers and 2 right channels to the right. So I use just the one amp. These speakers are spread across a 35 foot wide patio. At the sweet spot I get the most amazing sound stage. It is as though the two inner speakers build the central field while the outer two distinctly pull lateral sounds into position. If you have a large room give this a try. I'd be interested in your assessment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 The HK3480 is one powerful 2-channel Stereo Receiver I bought a B-Stock one for $165 and at the 120W per channel it sounds killer and has a subwoofer output. It will easily support the four (4) Forte' II's. Mine is in a basement system running Heresy's and a pair of Klipsch KG .5's in the rear. It is stunning to look at too! Tough to beat the price on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom b. 57 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 The HK3480 is one powerful 2-channel Stereo Receiver I bought a B-Stock one for $165 and at the 120W per channel it sounds killer and has a subwoofer output. It will easily support the four (4) Forte' II's. Mine is in a basement system running Heresy's and a pair of Klipsch KG .5's in the rear. It is stunning to look at too! Tough to beat the price on them. I also own an HK3480. At the present time I have a pair of Cornwalls hooked up to the A speaker connections for the outside and have a pair of Heresys hooked up to the B speaker connections for the middle. I play them at the same time and they sound fantastic. The Heresy's tend to lend a helping hand with the mids and seem to contribute to the soundstage. I have all four of my speakers lined up in front with the Heresys just a few feet apart on either side of the imaginary center line of the room. Sounds pretty damn good. You can use all four speakers at the same time with no ill consequnce. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatsob Posted August 16, 2007 Author Share Posted August 16, 2007 Thanks for the info tom and Frz, thats exactly what I wanted to know. I only ask because I had an older sony stereo receiver and it wouldnt let me play both the A and B speakers at the same time. Now I just need to save a little green. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Have you considered going with a multichannel surround receiver? Running 4 speakers at once is going to sound better when running dolby pro logic or neo6 since the rear information will be different than the front information (it will also be time-aligned too). It would also work extremely well for movies with a phantom center channel. It also keeps you from running multiple speakers off the same amplifier channel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatsob Posted August 16, 2007 Author Share Posted August 16, 2007 DrWho, are you saying to hook the inner speakers to the fronts and the outer ones to the rear surrounds? I have thought of using an AVR but am worried about the power that I can afford at this point. I could get an AVR 135 for about the same price as the 3480, but with something like 40wpc would that be enough for the Forte's to sound good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Yep - and then you tell the receiver that there is no subwoofer or center channel and only 5.1 (not 7.1) and it takes care of everything for you. Power is rarely an issue with high efficiency speakers - 40wpc will provide plenty of output. 1W into your speakers is going to get you about 96dB with the Forte (I'd have to look up the sensitivity to make sure on that). 10W is going to get you about 106dB and 40W will get you up to 112dB. A very loud rock concert is 110dB and most people don't listen to more than one song at levels above 90dB. Basically, you won't be able to knock the walls over, but it'll be louder than you'll ever want to listen. You should consider finding a receiver that has multichannel preouts in the back. This provides the option of upgrading the amplification and using the receiver as a pre/pro, which is the first step towards seperates. A surround receiver also gives you better bass management options, which will be invaluable if you want to add a subwoofer to the system. Basically you'll have a lot more flexibility with everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatsob Posted August 16, 2007 Author Share Posted August 16, 2007 Thanks DrWho. I just did a search on Craigslist and there is a guy selling a Rotel RSX-972 for $300. Its a little more than I was looking to spend, but with 75wpc and the ability to go surround if I wanted to it might be a better choice. Does anyone have experience with this unit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 I can't speak for other brands, but Yamaha AV receivers have a 7 channel stereo setting that works fine with 5 speakers and should also work with 4 speakers. 7.1 receivers can drive 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 speakers equally well. I've driven 7 speakers with my 2005 model RX-V750, but now use 2 Heresy IIs for surround, so it's a 5. 1 system. Then I added a Yamaha MX-D1 amp to power the La Scala mains, so now the receiver is only driving the Paradigm center channel and the Heresy II surrounds. Every setup sounded fine and was within the receiver's proper operating limits. The usual Dolby, Dolby Digital and DTS surround modes are also available, as well as some proprietary Yamaha modes. The 7 channel stereo mode sends the left channel signal to the left speakers, right channel to the rights and a blend to the middle. It's intended for parties and background music, but even for regular listening, it suits certain 2-channel sources, depending on the material and my mood. For serious listening to 2-channel material, I just switch to "Straight" mode, which bypasses all the processors. In that mode, I'm listening strictly through my best amp (the MX-D1) and my best speakers (the La Scalas) and the sound is noticeably better. I'd recommend you go with an AV receiver. It will have 5 to 7 channels to drive your speakers with no impedance issues and you can add speakers in the future whenever it suits you. That way, you have lots of flexibility now and down the road as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 You can run most any Home Theatre with just four (4) speakers....just shut off the center channel.......really gives you more bang for the buck, and the option of building a Home Theatre as you go along...........more food for thought........Islander is right........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 I could get an AVR 135 for about the same price as the 3480, but with something like 40wpc would that be enough for the Forte's to sound good? In my signature you'll see that I'm using a Sonic Impact T-amp for my main amp. Try googling or Yahooing 'Sonic Impact T-amp' and see the specs on it. Last night I was listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan so loudly I thought the neighbors might complain. 40wpc isn't enough to make the Fortes sound good, its enough to make them sound freakin' awesome as long as the amplification is of good quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfz28 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 For a while I had my brothers la scalas over at my house and had them and my k-horns playing at the same time on my vintage sansui G-7700 receiver. All speakers were in the front of the listening position. The sound was very spactacular filled the middle up very nicely. My sansui G-7700 has A nad B speaker settings as most vintage units have and you can play both speakers at the same time if you want to or just one set at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 arfz28..............that Scott makes them sound REAL great.................EH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfz28 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Ya Oldbuckster the scott 299a does a great job powering the k-horns. Wish I had more time to listen to my system, with 3 kids they keep me buisy and on the go. How is the 299d doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 Ya Oldbuckster the scott 299a does a great job powering the k-horns. Wish I had more time to listen to my system, with 3 kids they keep me buisy and on the go. How is the 299d doing? Scott 299-D + Heresy II's + Sub Woofer =.....[]...[]...[]...[Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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