Speaker on speaker?

[icehockeyboy]

Some years ago, I was told by a guy in a Hifi shop that you should not place one speaker on top of another, as it will mess up the sound of the main ones, as In a tiny MA Radius cube atop my Quad 22L2's.
He did say why at the time but I've forgotten, something about movement of the drivers.

Now, I may be wrong, but I can't hear any lowering of SQ having placed the Radius cubes atop the mains about two years ago.
Any thoughts guys? :)

[YNWaN]

In theory, the driven speaker is pumping the air in the room (that much is definitely true) and that air will inversely drive the mid/bass cone of any undriven cone (that much is also true); however, what the sonic impact of this is is another matter.

To be honest, if you have tried the speakers both ways and you can't tell any difference, you have rather answered your own question.

[StanleyB]

I noticed that problem years ago as well. Even if the other set of speakers are not connected they can still interfere with the overall sound quality if they are in close proximity to the main speaker that is playing. I have to move my CS2.3 in a corner of the room far away from my SN1000 or even take it to another room when I am doing any serious Lab type listening. If I don't I can hear the interference created by the extra set of speakers.

[icehockeyboy]

Even with a tiny cube, measuring approx 3" x 3" imperial? :scratch:

[StanleyB]

There is a simple test to find out. Do some listening with and without them in the room. For that kind of size I would expect the mids and tops to show some sort of difference.

[Stratmangler]

The MA Cube box being sealed will provide mechanical resistance and damping - the MA drivers will not be particularly excited by the output by the other speakers.

[icehockeyboy]

Thanks guys, I will now try the suggestions and see if I can detect a difference, although I am probably now pre programmed to not hear a difference! :)

[walpurgis]

You can reduce or eliminate the intermodulation of unconnected secondary speakers in a listening room by putting them face to face and shorting the input terminals with wire as this makes them resist cone movement.

[StanleyB]

You can reduce or eliminate the intermodulation of unconnected secondary speakers in a listening room by putting them face to face and shorting the input terminals with wire as this makes them resist cone movement.
Good tip that. Give that chap a beer :cool:.

[icehockeyboy]

You can reduce or eliminate the intermodulation of unconnected secondary speakers in a listening room by putting them face to face and shorting the input terminals with wire as this makes them resist cone movement.

Is that really necessary with a fartingly tiny sealed cube speaker?

Just played a few tracks with the MA's removed, as I believed, I could not detect any difference, possibly down to the very small unit.........?

By the way, I only had the cubes atop the mains as it gave me an extra couple of feet in separation for the AV side of things.

[walpurgis]

Just have your system running at a fair volume and put a meter across the terminals of an unconnected speaker also in the room. You'll see what's happening.

[synsei]

Surely this is academic anyway, if you can't detect any ill effects then it's a non-issue... :eyebrows:

[walpurgis]

Absolutely!

[Nevalti]

The unused speakers will definitely absorb some energy BUT so will your wife's new scatter cushions or that shopping bag standing in the corner. It will make far more difference if the curtains are open or closed - or the door, or the window.

If you tailor/treat your room after you have all the unused speakers you want in there, I don't believe unused 3" speakers will make any audible difference. I tried to hear the effect of introducing similar speakers and could not. I do however respect Stanley's ears, so maybe you should ignore me and listen to him.

[icehockeyboy]

I moved the little MA's off the Quads just to be on the safe (anal!) side! :)