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I have a ceiling mounted speaker in each room of my house (6 rooms = 6 speakers) to play music from AM/FM, DVD, Cassette tape. RCA 200 watt amp with A/B speaker selections. There is not a mono/stereo switch on amp. Using A speaker, if I connect left+ and right+ together and left- and right- together from the amp and then connect + and - to speaker it blows the amp off. How do I get both left and right sounds to each speaker?

With a common-ground amp like that, your signal combination has to be done on the pre-amp side. That way you can drive 3 from the left output and 3 from the right output. Aslo, don't forget the effect on observed impedance from speakers daisy-chained to each other.

Captain Ned wrote:

With a common-ground amp like that, your signal combination has to be done on the pre-amp side. That way you can drive 3 from the left output and 3 from the right output. Aslo, don't forget the effect on observed impedance from speakers daisy-chained to each other.

Won't I lose whatever sound coming from the "left side of the stereo broadcast" when I am listening to a speaker connected to the right side of the amp?

[email protected] wrote:

Won't I lose whatever sound coming from the "left side of the stereo broadcast" when I am listening to a speaker connected to the right side of the amp?

Not if you convert stereo to mono BEFORE it goes to the inputs and feed both side of the amp with the same nono signal.

Captain Ned wrote:

[email protected] wrote:

Won't I lose whatever sound coming from the "left side of the stereo broadcast" when I am listening to a speaker connected to the right side of the amp?

Not if you convert stereo to mono BEFORE it goes to the inputs and feed both side of the amp with the same nono signal.

Sorry, I didn't make myself clear enough. The amp is also a receiver, therefore there is no way to convert before it goes to input. The speakers are not daisy-chained. I am using a 4 way speaker selector switch box also. (only 4 of the speakers were ever hooked up from previous home owner)

It wouldn't happen to have both a line-level out and a "tape monitor" input, would it? Not sure if many current receivers do (AFAIK it's kind of a "legacy" feature at this point). But if it does, you could bridge the line-level outputs to mono, feed that to the tape monitor input, then select the tape monitor function to get a mono signal to the speakers.

If you don't have a tape monitor function or dedicated mono switch you're probably out of luck. If you're really determined to get a mono signal going to all the speakers when the source is internal to the receiver, it's time to replace the receiver.

[email protected] wrote:

I have a ceiling mounted speaker in each room of my house (6 rooms = 6 speakers) to play music from AM/FM, DVD, Cassette tape. RCA 200 watt amp with A/B speaker selections. There is not a mono/stereo switch on amp. Using A speaker, if I connect left+ and right+ together and left- and right- together from the amp and then connect + and - to speaker it blows the amp off. How do I get both left and right sounds to each speaker?

Suggest either installing a second speaker in each room, or replacing the ceiling speakers with dual-voice-coil speakers. These are readily available for in-wall/ceiling applications and have two separate inputs driving a single cone.

Ahh... didn't realize dual voice coil was a thing. Learned something new today!

Thanks for all the responses. Unfortunately most of the suggestions are more expensive or labor intensive than I wish to incur at this time.

[email protected] wrote:

Unfortunately most of the suggestions are more expensive or labor intensive than I wish to incur at this time.

Welcome to adulthood. It doesn't get any cheaper/easier from here.

just brew it! wrote:

Ahh... didn't realize dual voice coil was a thing. Learned something new today!

Outside of pan-potted pseudo-stereo Beatles and Beach Boys albums, there's really not much reason. Oh, and subs have either been dual voice coil or combined the inputs since subs were made.

That said, should the six bajillion manufacturers of audio gear ever get together, and I am there, there WILL be a commandment. Thou shalt implement a mono/stereo switch.

Listening to The Beatles in their original George Martin mono mixes (I have the mono box set) is to hear The Beatles all over again and shows one exactly how they pulled the panties off mid-'60's virginal WASP girls.