preamp/processor question

[J Lustig]

This is not a what should I get post but rather a will this work post.:think: For a while I had considered dumping the home theater thing and going straight 2 channel since music is where my interest really lies. My fiance however wants to keep the theater set up so I think I may have thought of a comprimise but I don't know if it will work and if so how well.

My thought was to keep my Sony ES4 as my processor but only send that to the CAV75 for the center and rears and look at picking up a good preamp that I can use for the front 2 channels. It seems to me that I should be able to still have the front 2 channels for tv/movies while being able to isolate them for 2 channel audio.

I have to be honest, I am definitely not a tech guy so if I am not making sense just tell me to stop now. I just think if this will work I would be far better off than if I bought a better processor. Any thoughts or criticisms?

 

[MiTT]

J.

Here's what I would recommend, and what I used to do when I had my 2 channel system and HT combined. You can by all means have the best of both worlds by getting a good pre-amp for 2 channel that has "unity gain" or home theater bypass capability. This allows you to take the L & R outputs of your current processor directly into the 2 channel preamp as if they were simply another source component. The system volume when you are watching movies will be controlled by the HT processor directly - that is to say, it "passes through" the 2 channel pre-amp. When you want to listen to your 2 channel sources you simply select those sources and control the volume through the 2 channel pre-amp. Many manufacturers now do this because of the need for dual use systems such as your own. I'm a BAT guy, and their pre-amps work great in this application, but there are many many alternatives.

Happy Listening!

 

[jjqiv]

J.

Here's what I would recommend, and what I used to do when I had my 2 channel system and HT combined. You can by all means have the best of both worlds by getting a good pre-amp for 2 channel that has "unity gain" or home theater bypass capability. This allows you to take the L & R outputs of your current processor directly into the 2 channel preamp as if they were simply another source component. The system volume when you are watching movies will be controlled by the HT processor directly - that is to say, it "passes through" the 2 channel pre-amp. When you want to listen to your 2 channel sources you simply select those sources and control the volume through the 2 channel pre-amp. Many manufacturers now do this because of the need for dual use systems such as your own. I'm a BAT guy, and their pre-amps work great in this application, but there are many many alternatives.

Happy Listening!

You don't need to limit yourself to a preamp with a unity gain/pass-through. You just need to return the pre-amp to an exact volume setting evertime you use the processor if you want to maintain proper balance with the center and rear channels. The processor's left and right main channel are just one of the inputs (i.e., AUX, TAPE, etc.) on preamp. Easy as pie.

 

[MiTT]

You don't need to limit yourself to a preamp with a unity gain/pass-through. You just need to return the pre-amp to an exact volume setting evertime you use the processor if you want to maintain proper balance with the center and rear channels. The processor's left and right main channel are just one of the inputs (i.e., AUX, TAPE, etc.) on preamp. Easy as pie.

Yes, except that if you change the volume on your HT processor, you must also effect a corresponding volume change on the 2 channel pre-amp. It can be done certainly, and I ran this sort of setup for a few years myself. However, the unity gain feature is so common on higher end pre-amps these days I would recommend keeping it as a "nice to have" feature when auditioning new pre-amps.

But then maybe I'm just lazy...

 

[J Lustig]

This is all very good information. I have a habit of getting a lot of great ideas that really aren't practical so it's good to know this one will work. I didn't know about the unity gain pass through option so I was already anticipating some volume control issues. I'm glad my choices of a preamp are not limited by this application as long as I am willing to fight with the volume levels a little bit. The SPL meter will be sure to get some use.

 

[benleeys]

I'm glad my choices of a preamp are not limited by this application as long as I am willing to fight with the volume levels a little bit. The SPL meter will be sure to get some use.

J Lustig,

My Classe DR6 preamp has no pass-thru facility. What I did was to set its volume at about 11 o'clock (normal listening volume on my system) and mark it. Connect the left and right channels output from my processor to the 'Aux' input sockets on my preamp. Then do the normal 5.1 (or 7.1) channel balance on the processor.

Whenever I play a movie, I simply turn the preamp volume to the mark, select Aux input, control the overall volume from the processor and enjoy the show. There's no need to fiddle around with the SPL meter each time a movie is shown.

Of course, if the preamp has a pass-thru facility, then all this is academic.

HTH.

 

[J Lustig]

J Lustig,

My Classe DR6 preamp has no pass-thru facility. What I did was to set its volume at about 11 o'clock (normal listening volume on my system) and mark it. Connect the left and right channels output from my processor to the 'Aux' input sockets on my preamp. Then do the normal 5.1 (or 7.1) channel balance on the processor.

Whenever I play a movie, I simply turn the preamp volume to the mark, select Aux input, control the overall volume from the processor and enjoy the show. There's no need to fiddle around with the SPL meter each time a movie is shown.

Of course, if the preamp has a pass-thru facility, then all this is academic.

HTH.

:duh: Thanks for that explanation. The light bulb just came on for me. After reading your post, I took a look at the back of my processor and could see exactly what you are talking about. I had a completely different picture in my head but it all makes sense to me now. The way I was thinking was FAR more complicated.

 

[benleeys]

:duh: Thanks for that explanation. The light bulb just came on for me. After reading your post, I took a look at the back of my processor and could see exactly what you are talking about. I had a completely different picture in my head but it all makes sense to me now. The way I was thinking was FAR more complicated.

Glad to be of help. Enjoy!