Thread: whole house audio keypads and speakers

I'm looking at a Proficient or a Speakercraft 6-zone controller. My question is will it be OK to put 2 pair of speaker in parallel off one of the speaker outputs on the controller? I know normally you would use 1 pair for each landing, but are there any issues with putting 2 pair in parallel? I want my kitchen keypad to control the kitchen speakers and the dining room, which is 15 feet away. Thanks

The issue with putting two speakers in parallel is that you cut the impedance in half. This means that you double the amount of current drawn for a given volume level.

It should be OK if you are using 8 ohm speakers, since most amplifiers are designed to work on 4 ohms, but if you use 4 or 6 ohm speakers, you will probably exceed the rating of the amp.

Also, you need to be aware that a speaker rating is a nominal impedance. Actual impedance changes (usually lower) depending on the signals fed to them.

Bottom line - if you do this, choose higher impedance (8 ohm) speakers

Thanks. What's your take on back boxes? Do I need them with my in-ceiling speakers?

To keep the insulation from getting in the speakers and making them sound funny yes, but if it's fiberglass bat insulation it shouldn't be an issue. The only problem might be if the back of the speaker were exposed to the open air in the attic which is cooler and the front of course is in the heated airspace you would end up with condensation.

Originally Posted by Inno

To keep the insulation from getting in the speakers and making them sound funny yes, but if it's fiberglass bat insulation it shouldn't be an issue. The only problem might be if the back of the speaker were exposed to the open air in the attic which is cooler and the front of course is in the heated airspace you would end up with condensation.

By the same token, if you don't have insulation in the space, you would either want to use a back box or add fiberglass batting in order to control the free air space of the enclosure. Too much free air behind the speaker will kill midrange response.