Two Speakers or One in old cabinet?

Hello all,
I hope you can visualize what I am trying to do here. I have a lot of mono and 78 albums. I also play some stereo things as well. I don't like a bunch of wires running around the living room and for the period effect I am trying to create I have placed an old radio cabinet from the mid 20's, the kind with a lower set of doors that most likely held the batteries, and above it a drop down door, which now holds the amp. I have my multi speed turntable's above on the top. In the once battery compartment I have a set of bookshelf Infinity Speakers. I have them hooked up as stereo and the two come close to filling the opening which is about 18 wide and 15 high. I plan to create a grill type cover for the opening to conceal what ever new speakers I end up with. I have it in a corner of the living room and the sound is quite nice.

What I am still not sure of is would I be better off to just have one larger multi cone speaker in that lower compartment. I would guess it would have even more depth? Or should I leave the set up with two hooked up like stereo's normally are? If I were to hook up one what would be the best way to run the speaker so that both sides of a stereo record would play though it? I have in the past used a "Y" to connect a single speaker and it seemed to work ok. But I think I have read here somewhere that hooking both sides to one speaker is not a good idea? Turning the balance to one side only would maybe do it, but won't I be loosing sound if I did that? Any thoughts on the best sound for this set up and how to arrive at it.

One other thing. I know most old radios are open from the rear, but then so are the speakers just screwed in there. These infinity speakers are enclosed naturally and I don't think that opening the back would serve much purpose. I wondered if the sound enclosed as it is might cause some reverberations that shouldn't be there.

Here's my opinion...

Considering the fact that BOTH speakers you're using are NEXT to one another, any "stereo separation" is cancelled, basically.
If you like the sound of the speakers you're using, let them be.
Cut yourself a suitable wood frame, perhaps about an inch in width and the size of the opening, cover it with a "vintage" grille cloth.... or even a nice patterned fabric that isn't woven too thick (to let the sound through) and then install it in the cabinet flush, and in front of those speakers.
If you really want to get detailed, hit the home center for some fancy edge molding to trim things out with.

Hi Matt,

Yes I am going to create an appropriate looking grill. The only question is what it is. When I look at cabinets from say the latter 40's upward and even the 30's they tend to be more simple with a few upright dividers and simple molding edge like your suggesting. But the cabinet from the 20's still mimic's somewhat the earlier mechanical machines where a more ornate fancy design is over the fabric. I think I am going to get some 1/4 inch birch ply to cut into a grill that will match some of the cut out designs the upper door has.

But as to the speakers, I know that I am not getting stereo effects as such. But what I didn't know was if I "Y" the two audio lines to one input on a single speaker if that is detrimental to the sound from the two stereo channels. The two smaller speakers do have pretty good sound. But they have limitations due to their size as to the full range they are going to reproduce, at least that is what I am guessing. Thus the question of if the two can be "Y'd" together to a larger speaker would it work or do the two sides going to one speaker set up some kind of problem I don't see? I know I have seen something about not doing that for some reason on here before?

There should be no need to "y" them together--you may or may not loose sound that way--but when the speakers are that close together, your ears will "y" the audio for you ! I would suggest that you should "pack" the speakers with foam, so that you get less "vibrations" from the cabinet . Ron Rich

I must not be getting the question poised correctly..

If I want to use a single speaker, can I wire them together with a "y" without loss of sound or any possible down sides in the sound?

The current set up is quite good. I just wondered if one larger speaker might be better overall.

Yes--I think there are possible "down sides" to the sound connecting them with a "y"--
If I wanted to do this, I would "y" them at the input to the amp, rather than the speaker output.
Ron Rich

A larger speaker is not always better as all speaker arrangements differ as do room acoustics, listening position etc. I gather your amp is stereo but since the speakers you mentioned are right beside each other, as Ron said there is no channel separation to speak of. If you like the tone then just enjoy it. If you want a different tone, such as more bass that you might have to opt for a small self powered sub woofer for in the upper portion of the cabinet. This said, you do not want to open the speakers up. You may destroy the designed acoustical properties of them. If you like to experiment with a bigger speaker by all means do so. I like to try new things also. However, keep in mind that some amps do not take kindly to being paralleled.

Thanks for the thought on this.

I am using a NAD 20 watt amp. Always has provided good sound for its size an the current use it is way more than adequate.

The speakers are very heavy Infinity bookshelf ones which do a good job. I was just curious if the single speaker may have been an advantage and it appears that it most likely isn't.

One other thing I do wonder is the reply about the styrofoam. Would that mean under the speakers an on all the interior surfaces of that lower compartment? I do think that perhaps its picking up some from the cabinet, but I gave it a try when I first hooked it up setting the two speakers on the floor to either side of it. The sound was not as rich sounding as it is with them inside, which sort of surprised me. I thought they might be confined sounding having only the fronts aimed at the room, but it wasn't the case.

I got my birch plywood today and am going to start on a design for a speaker cover that mimic's the cabinet design in some way. If I can figure out how to load though the photo link mentioned here I may put up a photo when its done. I wish you all had a way to have the browser link for files right on the reply page as so many groups have today?

A lyre as a grille design works for this period of cabinet. I'm not surprised the speakers sound richer in the cabinet. The foam (not styrofoam) can reduce the hollow sound as well as any buzzing or rattling. Wool or insulation works very well and does not break down. A thin piece of wool under the speakers will help also.

Do NOT use a Y cord to combine amplifier outputs. You can blow out one or both amps.

If you need to combine amp outputs, use 4 ohm 10 W resistors from each amp + terminal to the speaker. If the amps do not have common grounds, you need 4-ohm resistors on the - ends too.

But it is probably better to use two speakers. Then for vertical records, you can reverse the leads of one speaker.

Finally got the grill made and installed in the opening which originally held the batteries for the radio. I got the grill material from Grill Cloth.com which I find fits pretty well for the period. I did cut the rear of the cabinet open in the lower portion to be able to access and move the two infinity bookshelf speakers that are hidden inside.

Larry

http://img14.imageshack.us/i/dsc05115x.jpg/

I had planed to have the photo show here, but as usual they have changed the format on that image shack and I couldn't figure out how to get the actual photo to paste on the page, so all we have is a link.

Larry

Nice job Larry.
I'm sure the corner placement enhances the bass too.

Matt,
Yes it does a very nice job when you have a good quality record. Its amazing how much variation in sound quality there is and was.

Larry