The downside to multiple pairs of speakers in one room

z-adamson

Addicted Member
How much of a loss is there when you have one pair of speakers playing and 5 pairs of speakers not playing in one room?

I am talking about large bookshelf, 3 way type of speakers.
 
If they are positioned properly and used as room treatments, bass traps, they can be beneficial. I have 5 pair of larger speakers filling up the corners at the front of the room, behind the main speakers. That is my excuse and I'm sticking with it.
 
There are threads here about this. people have mentioned that all of the woofers in the room will move as one set is playing
 
I remember experiencing the phenomenon when setting up the speaker room to a large comparator in my retail days. Each additional speaker pair affected the room acoustics, especially the large floor standers. Basically, they became 'passive-absorbers' (my term for it). Pressure was soaked up by the un-powered speakers moving, especially of course in the bass region.

My solution is to short the terminals of the unused speakers in my listening room- the bass drivers are then electromagnetically damped and sound improves significantly. Try it out- you'll be surprised. Make a short 4mm jumper lead or use a paper clip.

Realistically there should be only powered speakers in your room, but for most of us (hoarders/collectors) we have several pairs...waiting for audition of course. :)

At one point I was messing around with feedback systems and used un-powered speakers, being modulated by nearby speakers as they produce quite a bit of EMF.
 
I have 9 pairs of speakers in my vinyl room. 4 sets in front, 1 set in lower front, and 4 sets at the sides used a binary type of speakers (which is pretty fun with causal listen to FM (primarily classical). All but one is connected to an amplifier. I really have no interactions between (yes, perhaps woofers do move), but I listen to my speakers at 9 o'clock or less and the fronts are at a different level then the side speakers.
 
How much of a loss is there when you have one pair of speakers playing and 5 pairs of speakers not playing in one room?

I am talking about large bookshelf, 3 way type of speakers.
Linn used to insist on dealers having what they called single-speaker demonstration rooms, meaning that only the driven pair is in the room when demonstrations were being performed. There has been some debate as to whether or not there is an audible effect. My recommendation is to clear your room of all unused speakers, then test it out by comparing the sound with and without some extra speakers in the room. In other words, let your own ears decide if the extra speakers are a problem.

"Linn also invented and introduced the concept of single speaker demonstration for hi-fi retailers, as un-driven loudspeakers present in the room re-radiate in sympathy with the driven loudspeakers, distorting the music. Single speaker demonstration was intended to replicate the reality of a person’s home listening environment, and so judgments made in a hi-fi retailer would bear out when products were purchased and taken home."
https://www.linn.co.uk/company-history
 
In my case it was immediately noticeable when I placed a pair of 15" EV's behind my main speakers.
And not in a benificial way, but to exacerbate the effect they were in the corners.
 
I turn all of my unused speakers so that they face each other woofer-to-woofer. Not only does that keep them from interacting with the speakers that are playing but it protects the drivers from damage.
 
I never really grasped the concept of more than one pair of speakers in a listening environment (excluding of course surround sound for home theatre).

If the speaker does what it's supposed to do, all you need is two. If you need more than two, then your present speakers (or system) are lacking something, and/or your room setup is not optimal.

I'm with the pig on this one.
 
Dang guys.

Now I have to find some place to store my subwoofers, which can't be used with my current set up.

I touch the cones, and sure enough, they're vibrating with no power going to them.
 
t_n: Well, for one thing there can be several listening environments in one room, and then one might also have several speakers for a single listening environment, depending on the application. For example, in my "computer corner" I have a pair of smaller nearfield monitor speakers placed closely to the monitor for general use plus a pair of bigger bookshelf speakers a bit farther away for a more room-filling presentation mainly for music listening. Same on the other side (my "TV side", opposite of my sofa/bed) - smaller nearfield monitors next to the TV set, bigger bookshelve speakers a bit farther away.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
Linn used to insist on dealers having what they called single-speaker demonstration rooms, meaning that only the driven pair is in the room when demonstrations were being performed. There has been some debate as to whether or not there is an audible effect. My recommendation is to clear your room of all unused speakers, then test it out by comparing the sound with and without some extra speakers in the room. In other words, let your own ears decide if the extra speakers are a problem.

"Linn also invented and introduced the concept of single speaker demonstration for hi-fi retailers, as un-driven loudspeakers present in the room re-radiate in sympathy with the driven loudspeakers, distorting the music. Single speaker demonstration was intended to replicate the reality of a person’s home listening environment, and so judgments made in a hi-fi retailer would bear out when products were purchased and taken home."
https://www.linn.co.uk/company-history

Brilliant marketing. Neat audiophile theory that appeals to the OCD that is overt in some and latent in others...and gets rid of the competition. No chance of the listener hitting that pesky component selector switch and discovering that something else fits their sound preference better.
 
Brilliant marketing. Neat audiophile theory that appeals to the OCD that is overt in some and latent in others...and gets rid of the competition. No chance of the listener hitting that pesky component selector switch and discovering that something else fits their sound preference better.
PRAT PRAT PRAT PRAT PRAT PRAT

does it have prat? It's gotta have prat!
 
How about two systems each with a connected pair of speakers? In other words, no unused speakers.
 
I never really grasped the concept of more than one pair of speakers in a listening environment (excluding of course surround sound for home theatre).

If the speaker does what it's supposed to do, all you need is two. If you need more than two, then your present speakers (or system) are lacking something, and/or your room setup is not optimal.

I'm with the pig on this one.


Maybe all you need or want is two speakers, but many find that boring. Many enjoy the sounds of different speakers and systems......but thanks for telling us what we all need.
 
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