Speakers into powered monitors

[John Haldane]

Hi
I have 2 Panasonic speaers rated as follows
Impedance 6
Input 100 watt (music) would I be able to turn these into powered monitors ,if so how easy would it be.
Thank 's
John H

[Charlie Hall]

Hi John,
Not sure if you mean stage monitors or reference monitors for checking recordings. 6 ohms is a common impedance for hi fi speakers but that doesn't mean they aren't suitable for checking recordings.
Powered monitors would have a power amp in each cabinet. It would be easier to have a separate power amp driving the two speakers. However, 100 watts music power usually indicates RMS power of less than half so my guess is that they would rate at around 40 watts per speaker. They also may not be efficient enough to make best use of 80 watts RMS total but could be OK as reference monitors if they have high frequency drivers (tweeters). For stereo you would probably need a hi fi amp of around 40-50 watts per channel.
If you like the sound of them for playing hi fi then they might be OK as reference monitors, in the sense that you know what sound to expect from them. I would suggest connecting them to a hi fi amp and see if you like the sound. Put on one of your favourite commercial recordings and see if the sound is clear and detailed, with good clean bass and reasonably strong mids. If you have any other hi fi speakers, try to compare them.
I acquired a pair of 2 way Wharfedale Delta speakers that needed new tweeters. When I fitted the tweeters and tried them out I was very disappointed, the mids were totally sucked out and all there was to be heard was bass and highs. I modified the crossovers and now they sound very good, at least for what they cost me.
If you can post the model number or name of the speakers (assuming they are already in cabs, if not, don't bother with them), I'll see if I can get better info.
Regards,
Charlie

[John Haldane]

Hi Charlie,
Thanks for reply, The speakers are Panasonic,and originally HI-FI speakers ,I have tried what you suggested and they sound good, they have tweeters and woofers in,there are 4 wires per speaker, I only connected the tweeters, as there are not enough connections on my new Hi Fi.
Not sure if this would be of use , Maplins sell a 200watt amp kit(£15) that you construct yourself not a problem for me.

This is the info on the kit

Excellent value for money amplifier kit
Fully discrete design using Epitaxial Darlington transistors
DC supply circuit on board with LED indication
Ideal for active speaker system or sub-woofer, guitar amp, home theatre systems, instrument amp, etc
Comes complete with transistor isolators, spacers and bolts
Overload and short-circuit protection

Take care
John H

[Charlie Hall]

Hi John,
I'm not sure exactly what you have there. Usually a speaker cab needs just two wires, and should have a crossover network built in to each cab so that the correct frequencies are sent to each driver, with two wires to each. You can't just parallel the woofer and tweeter either, it wouldn't sound too good, and the tweeters won't handle the power as high frequencies produce much lower power in a typical well balanced response recording and low frequencies would burn out the tweeters in almost no time. The tweeters might indicate that they will handle the same power as the woofers but this will not be the case at all with a full range signal being fed to them.
The amp kit seems OK at £15, I'd say give it a go if the speakers are designed as full range with crossovers built in.
Regards,
Charlie

[John Haldane]

Hi Charlie
The Hi-Fi unit that these speakers were used with had 4 connections per speaker on the back of the unit and there was a bass boost button you could use.
I will get that kit and try it , nothing tried nothing gained.
Take care
John h

[rogercook]

Hallo John

I have a couple of these kits and they are quite good though the 200watts quoted is a "music power" rating into 4 ohms so don't expect them to be as powerful as you might expect!. There is more tech spec here

www.velleman.eu/ot/en/product/view/?id=360242

A word of warning though - the transformer and heat sink will add around £30 to each amp

Roger

[Charlie Hall]

Hi John,
I am unsure how to advise about the 4 connections. Maybe you should have a look inside to see what connects to what.
Is the amp stereo? If not, you will need two of them, or think of something different. An old cheap hifi amp would possibly do quite well.
Regards,
Charlie

[didier]

Oct 28, 2009 16:48:58 GMT John Haldane said:

The speakers are Panasonic,and originally HI-FI speakers ,I have tried what you suggested and they sound good, they have tweeters and woofers in,there are 4 wires per speaker,

Some speaker cabinets are designed for "bi-wiring", may be it's the case for yours ?
Look here about the principle : www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scots_Guide/audio/biwire/Page1.html

Didier

[John Haldane]

Thanks for all your replies, might forget the idea, stick with what I have.
Take care
John H