adding a bathroom speaker

[sarahproperty]

i want to add a speaker and a volume control to the bathroom.

i have run a twin speaker cable from the place where the dvd player in the bedroom will live to a volume control in the bathrooom and from there to the ceiling where the bathroom speaker will go.

apparently the bathroom (single) speaker will be 30watts/15 wrms/8ohms. the volume control will be 4 ohm and 25 watts.

my intention is to use the dvd surround sound player in the bedroom to send music to the bathroom.

i want to be able to use either the bathroom or bedroom independently as well as have both bedroom and bathroom on at the same time.

i was thinking of simply adding the bathroom wire to one of the holes in the back of the dvd player. but i think the problems with this might be:

a. i cant turn the bedroom off when using the bathroom speaker and dial, and

b. will the power drawn from the bathroom dial and speaker be too much and blow the dvd player up?

another solution might be to use a switch box, but then i don't see how this will work as i want to use surround sound in the bedroom and the switch boxes usually just have stereo cables coming in and then 6 sets of stereo cables coming out.

can anyone help me resolve this please?

thanks

 

[pdenni]

hi

ok first off speakers in bathrooms should be waterproof otherwise they will last as long as a chocolate fireguard.
So if you want to control the volume in the bathroom thats fine the way you have set it up, if you only want sound in the bed and not bath then just turn the controller off.
You will need to take out one cable that runs a channel on the amp and put the cable to the controller in there, or you could split one channel to the bathroom and switch it over when in the bathroom

hope that helps

 

[electronicsuk]

I'm not sure you've really thought this through.

Firstly, your DVD surround amp is designed to work with the speakers packaged with it, assuming it was part of a package. If the impedance of the packaged speakers isn't the same as your new bathroom speaker (8 Ohms) then performance could be unpredictable, as the amp may have to drive out more voltage to get the same power you would expect from a 4 Ohm speaker.

Secondly, you are very unlikely to be able to have the bathroom and bedroom on at the same time as you propose. Let's assume the speakers packaged with the set are 8 Ohms. If you add another 8 Ohm speaker in parallel at the same time, that brings the overall impedance down to 4 Ohms, even less if the packaged speakers are already 4 Ohms. This could damage your amp. You could put them in series, but this would make the channel with two speakers attached more quiet than all the other channels due to increased impedance.

Thirdly, you will have to run the system in mono. If you try and run it in surround mode then you will only receive a small portion of the audio output through your one speaker, and it just wont sound right.

Buy yourself a second small amp purely for running this speaker, it will save you a lot of effort in the longrun.

 

[sarahproperty]

where can i get a "second small amp" (cheaply)?

wont this mean that i cant have the same music/sound in the bathroom and bedroom at the same time?

what about if i instead wired the bathroom cables into the "subwoofer" slot and when i wanted to use teh bathroom dial and speaker i turn the subwoofer off so that too many ohms/watts are going through that slot?

 

[c128]

What make and model is your DVD surround amp?

If it supports A + B front speakers, and you can meet the impedence requirements with your bathroom speakers, then you can just use the "B" outputs for the bathroom whilst continuing to use the "A" outputs in the bedroom. I currently do this with my lounge-based Yamaha amp to feed a set of stereo ceiling speakers in my kitchen...

 

[sarahproperty]

i havent bought the dvd surround yet. any recommendations so i can do what c128 suggests?

does this solution still mean that i can only have the bathroom on when the bedroom is on, or does using a and b front speakers give me the option to choose to have the surround off when i use the b speakers to do the bathroom? and will i be able to have all speakers on all at once?

 

[c128]

does this solution still mean that i can only have the bathroom on when the bedroom is on, or does using a and b front speakers give me the option to choose to have the surround off when i use the b speakers to do the bathroom? and will i be able to have all speakers on all at once?

A and B are just duplicate pairs of front speakers producing the same output. Most people only have one pair of speakers connected as fronts, but if your selected amp supports A and B pairs you can then have two pairs. The options provided are usually (always?) to have just the A pair on, just the B pair on or both A and B pairs - so you can either have the bedroom pair on (A), the bathroom pair on (B) or both pairs on (A+B), all producing the same output. All you have to do is read the info with the amp on impedence, and make sure that all your connected speakers fit within the spec.

When you say "dvd surround", what are you actually thinking of and what do you mean?

Say you bought a 5.1 surround system for your bedroom. When playing music, which I guess is what you're interested in here for the bathroom, you want to either play in normal stereo (fronts only), all-channel stereo (all speakers, including your bedroom surround ones, but still in stereo) or psuedo-surround for music (Dolby Pro-logic II Music, DTS Music and the like, using all speakers including your bedroom surround ones). The first two will be fine for using A and B speaker pairs together/separately as they will both be driven with a stereo image. The final one won't - what you get from the front speakers with Dolby Pro-logic II Music etc. isn't the full stereo image as it gives you a surround effect based on multiple speakers, so in this mode the A or B pair will be fine in the bedroom, but won't be suitable for the bathroom. In a nut-shell, if you go down the "A+B" speaker route, make sure when you're playing music you can drive the front speakers in normal stereo, in some shape or form

 

[sarahproperty]

this is v helpful.

if i am doing a, say internet search for a dvd surround system with the a and b option, what should i search under? or what is the technical name for this specification?

 

[c128]

if i am doing a, say internet search for a dvd surround system with the a and b option, what should i search under? or what is the technical name for this specification?

Well...I'd say the majority of standalone dedicated amps (both normal hi-fi and surround) support two pairs of front speakers - it's something you'd have to look for in the specs, and it often does use "A" and "B" as terminology. For example:

http://www.yamaha-uk.com/av_amps_receivers/?product_id=135

...you can see it says "Speaker A or B selection" in the detail.

Not sure what mileage you'll have finding a combined DVD/Amp surround system with this - I use separates - you'd just need to check the specs of what you're looking at for the above kind of thing... For example, the following wouldn't be suitable:

http://www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProd...calSpecs&category=HCS+Cinema+Surround+Kit#tab

...note the bit that says " Speaker Selector A only".

 

[stem]

I once installed some in car audio equipment in a bedroom/bathroom arrangement. Althought this was a radio cassette, don't see why not DVD's (Not sure about surround sound though)

Advantages

1. It comes ready with balance and fader controls and connections for 4 speakers

2. Car speakers, the type for mounting a door's can be obtained in a waterproof version (plastic cone instead of cardboard) and easily installed in a ceiling.

3. Aesthetic appeal, as the unit and cables can be concealed inside built in bedroom furniture.

4. Low cost, especially if you buy second hand.

5. If you are developing property (as your name might suggest), you get maximum return for minimum investment.

Disadvantages

1. You will need a 12 vdc power supply to drive it (I used one from an old security alarm panel)

2. You will have to build a box to house it.

3. No remote control.

 

[bernardgreen]

Disadvantages

1. You will need a 12 vdc power supply to drive it (I used one from an old security alarm panel)

That is a major advantage...........

No mains power in the bathroom area.

 

[stem]

I have run a twin speaker cable from the place where the dvd player in the bedroom

The unit will be installed in the bedroom, not the bathroom

 

[sarahproperty]

what is a 12vdc power supply?

will i be able to send the music being played on the dvd player into the euqipment? or will the in car system be independant of that?

this is for my home.

 

[stem]

what is a 12vdc power supply?

Car equipment runs off 12 vdc battery, so you would need a power supply to operate it from the mains electrical supply. This sort of thing suitably sized for the equipment of course.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=12205&doy=8m6

will i be able to send the music being played on the dvd player into the euqipment? or will the in car system be independant of that? this is for my home.

It was just a suggestion that you could possibly source in car equipment instead of buying a domestic one especially as you want to add extra speakers. In hindsight maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all, you don't say, but I suppose you will want to watch DVD's in the bedroom not just listen to music.

 

[breezer]

car radio idea does work, done it years ago