How to select a speaker selector

This is  a basic article on choosing a product. For more technical information or to determine if you need one see our article entitled Speaker Selector Information.To buy one of our speaker selectors click on the picture above.

What a speaker selector does:

Enables you to select how many speakers can play simultaneously, and does so while protecting your amplifier from being harmed by the low impedance caused by multiple pairs of speakers.^[*]

Speaker selectors generally select in stereo pairs, I:E each switch on the selector turns on or off one stereo pair of speakers. Also, speaker selectors do not require AC power from a power outlet.

How many pairs of speakers do you want to use?

Each pair is usually designated as a 'Zone' so a 6 zone speaker selector will handle 6 pairs of speakers.

How large is your speaker wire?

Most speaker selectors will accept up to 14 gauge wire (a smaller number is larger wire). The most common size is 16 gauge. Larger wire will usually need to be connected to a 'pigtail' of smaller wire to connect. Click here to learn more about speaker wire.

How much power are you running?

You will need to make sure the speaker selector can handle the power that you are putting through it, rated in Watts RMS. Don't pay attention to a peak power rating if your system has one, base your decision on the RMS power rating.

Do you need to choose between 2 sources (amplifiers)?

If you need to choose between 2 different sources of sound (or 2 amplifiers) you will want a dual source speaker selector. This feature allows 2 sets of amplifier inputs so you can vary your music source.

Do you want individual volume controls on your speaker selector?

Another useful feature some models have is built in volume controls. This allows you to set the volume of each pair of speakers independant of the main system volume setting.

Other Considerations:

One last factor to consider is that some models don't pass the entire hearable frequency range unaltered. This is not a factor if the source is voice, or being passed to speakers that can't handle the entire frequency range (most can't). The maximum hearable response is listed as 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, but most adults can't hear the entire range.