Opinion time. Over the past six months, I've built a two channel system that I'm VERY happy with. I'm running vantages and a depth powered with the Rowland Concerta Pre and 201 monos. The source is a Canary Audio CDP. My favorite dealer has offered me a great deal on the stage and script i's to complete the HT setup. My question is this: What are people's opinions on a receiver or pre/pro setup for the HT purposes. The Concerta has a HT bypass so I wouldn't be using the front channel on any receiver anyway. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
HT Build-Out
- Thread starter cmchism
- Start date
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All my $$$ have gone into the best 2 channel setup I can afford. I love music as well as movies so I had been watching movies on 2 channel for some time. It is nice though, to have a bit of audio action taking place behind you when watching movies. Fortunately for me my Audio Research LS 25 MkII preamp has a home theatre bypass. What I've done is hook up a Cambraidge Audio Receiver 540R V2 to the preamp. The receiver drives a pair of Vignettes for the rear channels. The result is excellent. The Vignettes have pleanty of output to keep up with my Summits. This setup is worth trying. If your preamp or amplifier doesn't have a HT bypass - no problems. Just plug the receiver front channel output into a spare aux input and calibrate your preamp by ear and take note of the volume control setting for future reference.
sleepysurf
Well-known member
If you have a wife/kids, I'd be REAL careful before doing this. Sooner or later they'll pop in a DVD and crank up the Receiver volume without first turning down the preamp volume. Your ML's will be toast!
I am 99% interested only in 2 channel listening, but my wife/kids are 99% into home theater. I have a Modwright Pre with HT bypass, and use my (old) Yamaha RX-V1000 Receiver to drive the center, (in-ceiling) surrounds, and NHT Sub Two. The nice thing about this setup is the Yamaha redirects all LFE < 90 Hz to the Sub, sparing my Summit woofers from wear and tear. IMHO, this setup is the BEST of both worlds.
Another trick... I use a cheap Toshiba DVD/CD player with RCA outs to the Yamaha (fine for the wife/kids), but ALSO run digital from the Toshiba to my Benchmark DAC-1, using it as a CD transport for critical listening (along with my Squeezebox).
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DTB300
Well-known member
My ARC Pre has HT passthrough, and I love that I can have unified volume control when watching movies but still using my two channel amplification for my Main Speakers.
Yeah, the mainstream Pre/Pro Receiver that I use is not the best, but for movies it does the job needed, and I am not that picky about movie sound other than it works, it decodes, and the wife can hear and understand the movie. With my Pre/Pro Reciever, I PRE-OUT all channels from it to dedicated Amps, as I do not want it to power any of my speakers, ML or non-ML.
Dan
Charliemike
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When you say HT passthrough, I assume you meant pre-outs or the analog bypass?
DTB300
Well-known member
Pre-Outs are from my Pre/Pro Receiver.
The HT Passthrough is on the Two Channel Pre Amp.
HT Passthrough is an input on the two channel pre amp and it comes from the Pre-Out of the Main Channels from the Pre/Pro Receiver that I use. That way when I adjust the sound levels on the Pre/Pro, it adjusts the sound automatically for the main speakers that run off the two channel Pre amp and the two channel Power Amp. No need to match volume levels on the Pre/Pro and the Two Channel Pre Amp.
Did I explain that well???
