studio monitors

[kepeb]

hey,
i thought today i might box or rackmount a simple speaker switch to alternate between 3 sets of passive monitors.
looking for a common design i have seen a few, from a simple two channel dpdt with the neutrals all tied, up to very expensive impedance matching multiple stereo outs etc.

i was under the impression i could just use any switches if i turned the volume down first.
any thoughts?

[Enzo]

Simple switches sound fine to me.

You know there are commercial products already on the market that do this. Speaker selectors. Look in the hifi/home theater market. From Parts Express for example:
SS6 Speaker Selector Impedance Matching 1 Input 6 Output | Parts-Express.com
SS4 Speaker Selector Impedance Matching 1 Input 4 Output | Parts-Express.com
And they have fancier ones.

Make your own is simple too. If it is just you and only one amp, yes you can tie the commmons together and switch the hots. If you have the disciplne, a row of three on/off switches is the simplest. Won;t hurt the speakers, but if all three are on at the same time, you might overload the amp.

Otherwise a three position rotary switch comes to mind. 1 pole 3 throw. Or 4 throw if you want an OFF.

If it were me, I'd get a 2 pole 3/4 throw, and switch both hot and common. Then I'd never have to worry what got connected to what. A set of banana posts for IN and three sets for OUT. Or some other connector if you don;t use bananas.

perhaps you might want to use the box for something else sometime. Having banana posts AND 1/4" jacks, and maybe even Speakons or something would allow you to connect different sets of speakers with different connections

[kepeb]

some great ideas, thanks