I currently have the Sony DAV-S300 DVD/speaker/receiver system. I have a friend who wants to get an amp and 2 massive speakers and have them attached to it for replacement of 2 speakers.

I was wondering, would this drown out the other speakers if used on conjunction with the small, pathetic Sony DAV-S300 speakers?

Is it safe to do on the Sony DAV-S300 or should the system be left alone as it is?

Well, putting "massive" speakers can drown out the existing ones, if, you do not adjust your levels once you've added these new speakers. Why?

Well, some speakers perform much better than other, in other words, some speakers are more efficient. Instance, radio shack speakers are often low quality, and have wierd impedences (ohmage my man) and add resistors in series to get the overall impedence of your usual 8 ohms. Ie: A bookshelf speaker I used to use had a 6 ohm resistance, but since most generic entry level speakers and amps are rated for 8 ohms, they put a 2 ohm resistor in line to give it the 8 ohm rating. Well this 2 ohm resistor eats up energy in the form of heat, thus wasted amplifier power.

The massive speakers you have might well take advantage of the amplifiers power by using better components with minimal loss with heat. This will make the speakers sound louder.

As well, many high quality speakers are also mechanically delayed better. What do I mean by this>? Well, take the radio shack speakerfor instance, the magnet for the tweeter is about 2 inches closer to the front of the speaker, and the listener, than the magnet on the woofer. This small difference can make a big difference especially for reasons like ear fatigue and interpretable volume.

So, I say, go for it, but remember to re-tune your speaker levels and delays, you may have to turn the rears up a bit, but at the same time, you may end up turning your overall volume down a bit. IE you used to play your receiver at 60, now you play it around 57.

D

How do you adjust the levels for the individual speakers? Is that a receiver function? Do most receivers come with that function?

All surround sound receivers have an adjustment that allows you to boost or cut the db level of center and surround speakers relative to the mains. You just set the main volume until the R/L speakers are at the ideal volume, then adjust the individual +/- volume for the center/surrounds.