Surround speaker damaged. Can I replace with different type/brand of speaker?

Aubrey_Thicket

We have a Pioneer (S-11A-P) surround sound system in our living room. Recently we damaged the centre speaker by knocking it off a shelf onto a hard floor. We are having extreme difficulty in getting hold of just the centre speaker (without the rest of the speakers and the amp which obviously are working fine). My question is to any Audio experts out there... if I am unable to get hold of a replacement centre speaker S-11A-P (centre) can I simply substitute this centre speaker with another centre speaker from a different surround sound setup?


The label on the back displays a serial number of MFVH017172WL and an impedance of 6

Browntoa

IT should be fine , a speaker is a speaker

bengalknights

It depends on how it connects if its a universal connection then yes you can

TadleyBaggie

Browntoa wrote: »

IT should be fine , a speaker is a speaker

Apart from varying impedances...

googler

TadleyBaggie wrote: »

Apart from varying impedances...

Yes, but most have standardised on 8 ohms these days. No? And OP says it is 6.
So anything 6 or 8 will be fine.

OP, if the current centre is a standard passive speaker, then you should be able to get a replacement easily, and different brands/styles should slot in OK.

Mr_Toad

If you replace a 6ohm speaker with an 8ohm the sound levels will be lower as the impedance is greater.

However, it may well be so slight as to be unnoticeable so no problem. If it is noticeable you can fix it by putting a suitable resistor in parallel.

If you replace a 6ohm with a 4ohm then the reverse is true and you may find that the sound is distorted at higher volumes because the speaker is being overdriven. This can be fixed by putting a resistor in series.

Ainsley1

Oh dear Mr Toad. Not all that is true!!

Aubrey. Ideally you should replace with an identical, have you had a look on auction sites for a cheap set? Or tried Panasonic to see if you can buy one?

Correct that you can replace with many a similar speaker of roughly the same impedance. 8ohms should be fine. There may well be problems if the impedance is lower than 6ohms and you do not wish to risk amplifier damage? Power handling will be lower with an 8ohm speaker.

Note "a speaker is a speaker" implies all are the same but not true.

There are other considerations (other than esthetics!) and that is audio quality. Possibly you may select a speaker and you will find all is well for you. However you would be best to find a speaker that is a match or your surround sound might get unbalanced in pure level (sensitivity not impedance) or audio quality detracting from the surround experience. Not easy to choose if you cannot hear the combination all together!

If you are not fussy then probably not an issue so it all depends how critical you are. Starting point might be just to buy/borrow a cheap (even used) single (or pair of) bookshelf speaker of 6 to 8 ohms ) and see how you get on. Try charity shops. You will then be able to decide if one is good enough for you. Only you can tell.

Aubrey_Thicket

Hi all

Thanks for your advice. Haven't really got anywhere with this. Did get through to Pioneer but they directed to be to another company who want £85. I simply don't want to pay that.

I looked on EBay for a 6ohm speaker but they are also measured in Watts?? Now I'm confused.
How can I find out What watt?

I opened the speaker case up and the speaker is there. All it has stamped on it is

8952S11005250
6{} (Ohm symbol)
CHINA
3E22A

Thanks again all.

Gloomendoom

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mordaunt-Short-Alumni-5-Center-Speaker-Surround-Sound-Hifi-Stereo-Audio-System-/272457964907?hash=item3f6fc29d6b:g:3-cAAOSwA3dYMy38

googler

Aubrey_Thicket wrote: »

Did get through to Pioneer but they directed to be to another company who want £85. I simply don't want to pay that.

How much are you willing to pay?

I looked on EBay for a 6ohm speaker


You don't specifically NEED a 6ohm. An 8 ohm will be fine

but they are also measured in Watts?? Now I'm confused. How can I find out What watt?

Look up the user manual, either your paper copy, or from an online source. This will tell you the output from the amplifier, and as long as the sub matches this closely, or is above this figure, you're fine.

I opened the speaker case up ...

Once I/we know what you want to spend...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PIONEER-S-DV303-CENTRE-SPEAKER-CENTER-75W-6-OHMS-SILVER-/252634003717?hash=item3ad228f905:g:hUsAAOSwcLxYKFLS

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mission-M7c2-Center-Speaker-VGC-Full-Working-Order-/192033502995?hash=item2cb616b713:g:g14AAOSwj85YMuRz

Ainsley1

If you prefer the suck it and see approach any of those will probably do. The mission one is a good speaker, the Panasonic probably the closer match (apart from the finish).

I wouldn't get too hung up about power. The amp spec is 100watts but that is probable not a true 'real' power figure and will be shared amongst all the speakers. The centre might have to handle 25 to 30 on it's own at times but many a similar speaker can handle that.
Still suck it and see....for consistency..... buy cheap.......try it and if it distorts turn it down a bit!