Hooking up a 3rd speaker?

airyellis

airyellis

New member
Hi Guys,
I feel so dumb asking this question, but I've been searching online and can't seem to find the answer.

So I have a PA system hooked up to a mixer at work, I want to hook up a 3rd speaker... the setup is ghetto but it works lol....
when we have performances we bring out a simple mixer like this, Behringer: XENYX 802
and run a cable from the main amp at the front into a mono out jack. So then you can hear whatever you plug into the one I just showed... I'm really sorry if this makes no sense.... lol... I'm so confused myself....

I just want to be able to hook up a 3rd speaker from the mini mixer... can I use the headphone jack?

Sorry again and thanks in advance!
 
You sound like you have a separate amplifier for the speakers (as opposed to powered speakers that have internal amplifiers). In this case you should only run the main out (possibly tape out) from the mixer to the amplifier line level in. The amplifier will then determine how many speakers you can run. This has to do with how many outputs for speakers you have on the amplifier and the ohm rating of the speakers. You have to read the documentation on that.

If you have self powered speakers you can run one set (pair) from the main out of the mixer and another set from the control out. The headphone jack is just for headphones, the specifications are not made for speakers.
 
The 802 (got one) has an FX out and a control for each channel which allows you to make a mono mix. This can be sent to an external amplifier or active speaker.

Dave.
 
Thanks so much for your replies!
Would it be ok if I took pictures of the setup later on today to show you guys? I'm still learning about all of this (yet very interested)

BTW, what is the point of a headphone input on a mixer? I don't get it lol

THANKS AGAIN!!!
 
Steenamaroo said:
It's an output, and it lets you listen through headphones.
What's not to get?
Click to expand...

Heh!
BTW there is absolutely no TECHNICAL reason why you cannot use a headphone output to drive external gear like amps but there are some shortcomings...
1) It is a stereo signal on a TRS socket which can be inconvienient.

2) It is not balanced by definition (but an "impedance balance" box is very easy to make)

3) The signal VOLTAGE level can be quite low although the current capability is usually much better than a line output.

4) As H/P amps are technically small power amps, they can be noisy.

Mind you, headphone amps are usually very stable and have a lowish source Z and so can drive very long cables indeed.

Dave.
 
I think the control room outputs on that thing will be the same as the headphone outputs (minus the headphone amp and it's potential issues as ecc83 noted) as long as you don't have the "2-TR to Ctrl Room" button pressed.
 
The thing that might be confusing you is you are all over the place with your concept of signal flow.

There is no such thing as a headphone input. Any headphone jack will be an output, because the headphone signal is coming out of it, into the headphones.

You aren't plugging the power amp into the mixer, you are plugging the mixer into the power amp. The signal comes out of the mixer and goes into the power amp.

It seems nit-picky, but once you start thinking in terms of signal flow, the whole thing becomes easier and makes more sense.
 
Farview said:
The thing that might be confusing you is you are all over the place with your concept of signal flow.

There is no such thing as a headphone input. Any headphone jack will be an output, because the headphone signal is coming out of it, into the headphones.

You aren't plugging the power amp into the mixer, you are plugging the mixer into the power amp. The signal comes out of the mixer and goes into the power amp.

It seems nit-picky, but once you start thinking in terms of signal flow, the whole thing becomes easier and makes more sense.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%. It helps when connecting things to think this way and it's essential if you want to communicate about signal flow.
 
I think that Behringer would have spent a fair bit of time writing a operators manual for this mixer, start at the first page and read it again as I think you have a misunderstanding of the set up.
Alan.
 
http://download.yamaha.com/api/asse...ite-master.prod.wsys.yamaha.com&asset_id=8043

^One of the best firms for such diagrams and one of the few that include a level diagram as well. Behringer USED to include a signal flow diagram in their manuals but sadly dropped it FKW! Din't cost them anything!

Now, this might all look deeply technical and difficult but it really isn't that hard to grasp and if you are ever to progress past some dumb guy (no offense!) who hands over monies to sales guys in shops who probably know very little more than you but are prepared to dissemble and blag for a sale, you really need to learn it.

Ah! Page 70 is where to study IIRC.

Dave.
 
Thank you all so much for your reply's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a mixer w PA speakers at my house and tried hooking up a monitor into the headphone jack and seemed to work fine... the only thing is, could this damage a speaker? That's my main concern at this point.. my babies lol
 
It wont damage the speaker, but it might damage the headphone out because you could be shorting the ring.

That board has control room outputs, why not use one of those?

You could also daisy chain the amps...
 
airyellis said:
Thank you all so much for your reply's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a mixer w PA speakers at my house and tried hooking up a monitor into the headphone jack and seemed to work fine... the only thing is, could this damage a speaker? That's my main concern at this point.. my babies lol
Click to expand...

I fail to see why anyone would connect anything but headphones to a headphone jack. A headphone jack has an amplified signal designed to run headphones. There are line outputs on this mixer designed to plug into amplifiers and amps of powered speakers.

Alan.
 
"I fail to see why anyone would connect anything but headphones to a headphone jack."

Because Al, it might be the only available output! It is moreover level controlled and could be used for say, a play along feed into a guitar amplifier, most of which do not have input controls on line inputs.

And sorry Jay, WTGR, it would be a very poorly designed headphone feed that could be damaged by external loading, even a short.

If they don't use a chip which has S/C protection (paralleled NE5532s are a favourite) H/P amps are generally an op amp driving a pair of complementary 1W'ish transistors and the output is "slugged" by a resistor, usually 100 Ohms but can be as low as 33Ohms and the amps is quite happy to drive that.

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
"I fail to see why anyone would connect anything but headphones to a headphone jack."

Because Al, it might be the only available output! It is moreover level controlled and could be used for say, a play along feed into a guitar amplifier, most of which do not have input controls on line inputs.
Dave.
Click to expand...

It's just that on this particular mixer you get Main Out, Control Room Out, Tape Out and even a mono Effects send - (all designed for line level signals out), all off them can be used instead of the headphone out- (that is designed for headphones).

If the mixer was very limited, yes maybe at a pinch use the headphone out, but there are many choices in this case that work better.

Alan.
 
witzendoz said:
It's just that on this particular mixer you get Main Out, Control Room Out, Tape Out and even a mono Effects send - (all designed for line level signals out), all off them can be used instead of the headphone out- (that is designed for headphones).

If the mixer was very limited, yes maybe at a pinch use the headphone out, but there are many choices in this case that work better.

Alan.
Click to expand...

Ah! Gotcha!

Dave.
 
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