Audio Systems: speaker system problems, outdoor porches, protection circuits

Question
Hello Kevin,
I have 6 speakers installed on my outdoor porches.
4 upstairs and 2 down. Recently they quit working and when I attempted to fix the problem by checking the connections on the back of the amplifier I managed to get sound out of 2 of the upstairs and 1 downstairs. When I tried to move the connections It would cause the amp to light up with the word "protect". I assumed since the amp was very old that it had blown a fuse or somehthing so I replaced it and the problem remains the same whith the new one. The speakers have seperate volume controls upstairs and downstairs, 2 up and 1 down. Blown speaker perhaps or volume control? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Andy

Answer
Dear Andrew,

What you have is too many speakers. Your amplifier is rated at so much power output into whatever resistance is presented by the speakers. Resistance is measured in ohms, and each of your speakers has a resistance rating, usually found in the manual, tho' some have it on an info panel on the rear of the speaker.

When the resistance is greater than the amplifier can handle, it triggers the amplifier's protection circuits. This is what happens when you see "protect". This function prevents the amplifier from overheating and internal damage.

There are a couple of solutions. First, simply eliminate one pair of speakers, preferably where you have four, and see if the amplifier kicks back in. It should. Second, install a second amplifier where you have the four speakers. Connect the "preamp out" of your receiver to the "preamp in" of your second amplifier to route the signal.

Good luck. And thanks for choosing allexperts.com!

Kindest regards,

Kevin