Speaker selector switch

[minkybut]

I have a XPA 3 2 channel 300 watt per channel amp. I want to be able to select between 2 sets of passive speakers. I'm having a hard time finding a switch that is currently being manufactured that has a high enough amp watt rating to handle the Emotiva. Do y'all have know of any company making such a unit these days?

[cawgijoe]

Aug 30, 2023 11:56:55 GMT -5 minkybut said:

I have a XPA 3 2 channel 300 watt per channel amp. I want to be able to select between 2 sets of passive speakers. I'm having a hard time finding a switch that is currently being manufactured that has a high enough amp watt rating to handle the Emotiva. Do y'all have know of any company making such a unit these days?

I've seen a couple from companies such as Russound that are rated at 200 watts....not sure how the rating applies in real world use. I'm sure someone with better knowledge than I can answer.

[KeithL]

Unfortunately this is a subject that can be more complicated than it seems.

For example, if you have two pairs of 8 Ohm speakers, you can just connect them individually or in parallel...
And that can be accomplished by a very simple switch.
(The wattage rating of the switch is also not critical in that case.)

HOWEVER, some fancier switches are designed to handle 4 Ohm speakers, which can be a trickier question.
For example... you cannot put two pairs of 4 Ohm speakers directly in parallel on a normal amplifier (like an XPA-3).
Some switches will accommodate this by connecting them in series...
But, if you do that, then odd things may happen if your two pairs of speakers are not the same.
And some switches may include "protection resistors" or "level controls"...
In which case the wattage rating DOES matter... and the switch may actually degrade the sound.

Also note that our XPA amps MIGHT go into protect if you change the setting of your speaker switch while the amp is playing. 
(It won't hurt the amp... but it's better to put the amp in standby before changing the switch setting.)

Aug 30, 2023 11:56:55 GMT -5 minkybut said:

I have a XPA 3 2 channel 300 watt per channel amp. I want to be able to select between 2 sets of passive speakers. I'm having a hard time finding a switch that is currently being manufactured that has a high enough amp watt rating to handle the Emotiva. Do y'all have know of any company making such a unit these days?

[KeithL]

(If you want a better answer then it would help to know more details about the speakers.)

Aug 30, 2023 17:14:26 GMT -5 KeithL said:

Unfortunately this is a subject that can be more complicated than it seems.

For example, if you have two pairs of 8 Ohm speakers, you can just connect them individually or in parallel...
And that can be accomplished by a very simple switch.
(The wattage rating of the switch is also not critical in that case.)

HOWEVER, some fancier switches are designed to handle 4 Ohm speakers, which can be a trickier question.
For example... you cannot put two pairs of 4 Ohm speakers directly in parallel on a normal amplifier (like an XPA-3).
Some switches will accommodate this by connecting them in series...
But, if you do that, then odd things may happen if your two pairs of speakers are not the same.
And some switches may include "protection resistors" or "level controls"...
In which case the wattage rating DOES matter... and the switch may actually degrade the sound.

Also note that our XPA amps MIGHT go into protect if you change the setting of your speaker switch while the amp is playing. 
(It won't hurt the amp... but it's better to put the amp in standby before changing the switch setting.)

Aug 30, 2023 11:56:55 GMT -5 minkybut said:

I have a XPA 3 2 channel 300 watt per channel amp. I want to be able to select between 2 sets of passive speakers. I'm having a hard time finding a switch that is currently being manufactured that has a high enough amp watt rating to handle the Emotiva. Do y'all have know of any company making such a unit these days?

[gus4emo]

Aug 30, 2023 11:56:55 GMT -5 minkybut said:

I have a XPA 3 2 channel 300 watt per channel amp. I want to be able to select between 2 sets of passive speakers. I'm having a hard time finding a switch that is currently being manufactured that has a high enough amp watt rating to handle the Emotiva. Do y'all have know of any company making such a unit these days?

ADCOM

[Zombie]

I use a Russound SDB-4.1 connected to an Emotiva BasX A-300 to run my outdoor set-up (3 speaker pairs and sub). Works great with no issues. I know you’re using a more powerful amp but do you really think you’ll be pushing your speakers to max amp output? Most likely you won’t be anywhere near 300 watts per channel if you value your hearing, lol.

[Cogito]

SPEAKER SWITCH

[leonski]

Since needing an actual 300 watts is probably 100:1 against?

You don't need to worry overmuch about power rating....of such a switch

Keith mentions speaker impedance> This would apply mainly to 2 sets of speaker played together......

But the switch itself?

For a transistor (Solid State) amp? Break before Make.....If when swithcing, both sets are connected and the impednace drops too low,
THAT'S when 'protect' will kick in....

I"ve DIY'd stuff like this in years past and sourcing a clean swithc is the problem. If available? I would consider relay switching.....
But that's more trouble....

[405x5]

Sept 4, 2023 12:42:32 GMT -5 leonski said:

Since needing an actual 300 watts is probably 100:1 against?

You don't need to worry overmuch about power rating....of such a switch

Keith mentions speaker impedance> This would apply mainly to 2 sets of speaker played together......

But the switch itself?

For a transistor (Solid State) amp? Break before Make.....If when swithcing, both sets are connected and the impednace drops too low,
THAT'S when 'protect' will kick in....

I"ve DIY'd stuff like this in years past and sourcing a clean swithc is the problem. If available? I would consider relay switching.....
But that's more trouble....

Totally agree about the standalone switch….. in this case, such a switch used with an 80 W per channel amplifier would work equally well with the 300… Those kinds of numbers have a little meaning in this type of application.