Hi, I have this Sony STR-AV450 receiver and try to connect to 2 speakers. But when I look at the back there 2 channels that can connect to 4 speakers (speaker A right and left, speaker B right and left). See picture. At the front there are buttons that I can select A or B speaker. I only have 2 speakers so how can I connect my them to this receiver.
Just choose speaker A or B and connect your speakers to it. Whichever set you connected the speakers to, choose that same button A or B on the front panel for playing.
Most recievers going back to the mid-70's have the ability to hook up four speakers to them. This is not "quad" stereo but two-channel stereo going through either two speakers or four at one time. The front panel, in most cases, has a rotary dial that says SPEAKERS, A, B, A + B. I don't really know the original intent, maybe to hook up multiple rooms or to have huge rock-n-roll speakers and optional small speakers for night time listening? Personally I like to use the switch to audition two different types of speakers, it's easy to click between the pairs but I don't have any receiver hooked up to four speakers.
I think that's the case I went on YouTube and they are talking about this type of receiver. Thank you for your information.
In my previous house I had some small bookshelf type speakers in the kitchen so I could listen to my CDs from the main stereo set up in the Living Room. I had to put resistors in series with the small speakers as they were so efficient it was originally too loud in the kitchen when the living room speakers were quite quiet. Something to watch out for is speaker impedance. If the amplifier is designed for 4 ohm minimum speakers I wouldn't try connecting two pairs of 4 ohms to it as the A B switches are usually just that; a switch.
My Onkyo is made in the early 2000s and it has A/B capability. It also allows to use both A and B simultaneously. Or "going back" means "since mid-1970s" ?
I have a handful of pre-70's equipment but not much; I have a ton of 70's stuff and it seems the feature started showing up around 1974? I don't have much from the 80's or 90's, so nothing to reference.
