2 channel and HT
muncybob
Posts: 3,042
I'm looking at selling my AVR and want to set up a system that will allow the same room to play 2 channel and 5.1...and also want to play 2 channel from this same rig in a seperate room.
Due to budget constraints I will probably only be buying used equipment. Main speakers involved are Vandersteen 2CE and Polk SDA 2B
Looking for suggestions on the pre and power amp you would go with in this situation. Looking for something that can rock my world but also be great listening at low levels. Total budget is probably around $800- $1000....am I dreaming or what?
Due to budget constraints I will probably only be buying used equipment. Main speakers involved are Vandersteen 2CE and Polk SDA 2B
Looking for suggestions on the pre and power amp you would go with in this situation. Looking for something that can rock my world but also be great listening at low levels. Total budget is probably around $800- $1000....am I dreaming or what?
Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
Post edited by muncybob on
Comments
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I'm looking at selling my AVR and want to set up a system that will allow the same room to play 2 channel and 5.1...and also want to play 2 channel from this same rig in a seperate room.
Due to budget constraints I will probably only be buying used equipment. Main speakers involved are Vandersteen 2CE and Polk SDA 2B
Looking for suggestions on the pre and power amp you would go with in this situation. Looking for something that can rock my world but also be great listening at low levels. Total budget is probably around $800- $1000....am I dreaming or what?
So, why would you be selling your current AVR if you want 5.1? Are you looking to upgrade your current AVR for 5.1 AND get 2-channel in two separate rooms?
That's a tall order for $1K
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
I don't quite get it bro. Why couldn't you use the same avr and just run the 2 channel off a second zone with an amp in the mix.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
I don't feel the Yammy AVR is as good a pre as a dedicated one would be? A pre with 5.1 analog input and ability to run 2nd room is what I guess I'm after. Maybe it's too much to ask for under a grand?Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
I don't feel the Yammy AVR is as good a pre as a dedicated one would be? A pre with 5.1 analog input and ability to run 2nd room is what I guess I'm after. Maybe it's too much to ask for under a grand?
I would tend to agree that an AVR is like a swiss army knife - does lots of cool things but is a compromise of cost vs quality of function.
Not to say that you can't get 'good' 2-channel performance from an AVR -but if you are really looking to step up your 2-channel rig, then gotta go with 2-channel gear, imo.
If you have a separate room already in mind - why not just focus on that with your budget to put together a dedicated 2-channel rig?
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
If your AVR has preouts, run your main preouts to a nice tube preamp to connect your 2 channel gear to and a nice tube amp.
Wright or Anthem TLP 1 or 2 and Anthem AMP 1 can be had for a $1000
That is how my system is setup.
Probably will not address your second room though.Speakers: SDA-1C (most all the goodies)
Preamp: Joule Electra LA-150 MKII SE
Amp: Wright WPA 50-50 EAT KT88s
Analog: Marantz TT-15S1 MBS Glider SL| Wright WPP100C Amperex BB 6er5 and 7316 & WPM-100 SUT
Digital: Mac mini 2.3GHz dual-core i5 8g RAM 1.5 TB HDD Music Server Amarra (memory play) - USB - W4S DAC 2
Cables: Mits S3 IC and Spk cables| PS Audio PCs -
The 2nd room is a "game room"...not really for serious listening but I still want it to be quality sound(hence the low volume need).
The living room is both serious listening and HT.
Someting about the pre-outs on the AVR, when I first tried them using a Rotel amp it seemed one channel was very weak. I changed the cables around on the pre-out and that seemed to correct it...does not make sense to me?Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
The 2nd room is a "game room"...not really for serious listening but I still want it to be quality sound(hence the low volume need).
The living room is both serious listening and HT.
Someting about the pre-outs on the AVR, when I first tried them using a Rotel amp it seemed one channel was very weak. I changed the cables around on the pre-out and that seemed to correct it...does not make sense to me?
What specific gear do you have now (sorry if I missed this)?
Including source components (TT, CD, SACD, Bluray, DVD)?
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
AVR is Yamaha RX-V1400, dvd/cd: Oppo BDP-93, TT: Denon DP-1200.
Perhaps with my budget constraints I should just continue to look for an amp for the game room and hope Santa helps out in December?Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
If your on a low budget, look for a B&K pre and amp used. Great SQ from SS gear imho.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
In an amp I know what I'm looking for, but what specs/features should I be looking at in a pre...other than having 5.1 capability? B&K, Adcom, Rotel and Parasound are the ones on my short list.Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
In an amp I know what I'm looking for, but what specs/features should I be looking at in a pre...other than having 5.1 capability? B&K, Adcom, Rotel and Parasound are the ones on my short list.
Well I see you have an OPPO, so you may want a pre with hdmi unless the pre will be used for strictly 2 channel, then you don't even need the 5.1. If indeed your pre will be just 2 channel, that opens up your options alot. Plenty of nice used 2 channel tube pre's out there.
If you want a pre that does HT too, that will cost more coin and you can pretty much scratch B&k off the list as any of the older models don't have hdmi or would be compatible with the oppo for blu ray, unless the oppo has 5.1 analog outputs and you actually have 5 speakers and a subwoofer.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
AVR is Yamaha RX-V1400, dvd/cd: Oppo BDP-93, TT: Denon DP-1200.
Perhaps with my budget constraints I should just continue to look for an amp for the game room and hope Santa helps out in December?
tonyb had some good ideas.
I'm still not sure of all your gear though. You said you had Vandersteens and some Polks.
Which ones were you planning on putting in the game room?
And I assume the others would be in the HT/2-channel room? But do you have enough speakers and a sub for 5.1 or is that part of the $1K budget too?
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
Polks for 2 channel in the game room...Vandys to do both HT and 2 ch. in living room. Yes, have 4 speakers and sub for HT. Tend to use the sub in 2 ch also.....just something about I don't want to miss anything.Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
Polks for 2 channel in the game room...Vandys to do both HT and 2 ch. in living room. Yes, have 4 speakers and sub for HT. Tend to use the sub in 2 ch also.....just something about I don't want to miss anything.
Just adding to what tonyb suggested.
Your Yamaha V1400 appears to have preouts and Zone2 outputs.
If you are looking to step up your 2-channel listening in the main room to be more 'serious', then the option I would recommend is getting a nice preamp that has HT Bypass or HT Direct inputs.
Then you could connect your TT and any other source components you want to do 'serious listening' with to the preamp. You could keep your Rotel as the amp in the HT/2-channel room to drive your Vandersteen fronts.
You could connect your Polks to the Yamaha via the Zone2 outputs - but be advised that the Zone2 outputs would only work for source components that are *analog* connected to the AVR. Anything digitally connected to the AVR would not pass signals to the Zone2 outputs.
So that would pose a bit of a quandary - since the serious listening components (like TT, and CD) would be connected to the preamp in the main HT room/2-channel room.
The sub is another area that takes some 'thought space' to integrate for HT and 2-channel.
You didn't say what kind of sub you have and if you want it to connect to both for HT and 2-channel, it is possible if it has separate inputs for LFE (from the AVR) and Line Level (from pre-outs on the preamp).
I do this myself and it works perfectly.
If your sub does not have separate inputs for LFE and line level, then making the sub dual use may not be possible, unless you want to swap cables when you go between HT and 2-channel - which can be tiresome and it can be stressful on the sub connectors if done over and over and over....
You may have to resign yourself to a phased upgrade plan - and focus on getting a decent small scale system set up for the game room first. Then focus on the HT/2-channel system in the other room. Or the other way around depending on what your priorities are.
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
....I think the "phased upgrade plan" is the way I will go. First phase is a high current amp for the Polks..they are already connected to the AVR's 2nd zone but it just ain't cuttin' the mustard for me. Just sold the Rotel so the search begins.Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
....I think the "phased upgrade plan" is the way I will go. First phase is a high current amp for the Polks..they are already connected to the AVR's 2nd zone but it just ain't cuttin' the mustard for me. Just sold the Rotel so the search begins.
I didn't understand what issues you had with the Rotel - it wasn't clear to me that the problem was properly isolated to your AVR or to the Rotel, or were you just not pleased with the sound?
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
I bought the Rotel thinking I would bridge it to run the game room Polks. Can't do that with SDA's. If I were looking for mutli channel in the HT room it would have been OK since it's a small room, but Polks are priority so looking for a 2 channel amp now, perhaps a Adcom 454 or 555...just something to get my feet wet in power amp and to see what difference the juice will make on the SDA's.Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
Did you try taking the Rotel out of bridged mode ? Alot of amps actually perform worse in bridged mode and don't like impendence swings.
If you don't dig the SQ on your current avr, then start there. You can always find a good used amp on the cheap for the sda's. Part of the journey is toying with different gear to see what floats your boat. Your options can be endless, so pick one thing to start with and move on gradually from there.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Somebody may have already said this, but use your AVR as an input to a pre-amp for your 2 front speakers. Then run your other sources into the pre using the other inputs on the pre.
Then all sources are output from the pre to the amp.
Even if the pre does not have HT bypass...you just have to watch the volume control on the pre when you listen to sources other than the AVR...
Maybe not "ideal" but pre's with HT bypass tend to be pricier I believe. -
Going to concentrate only on a power amp at this time to drive the Polks in the game room.
2 amps that have my interest at my price point....Parasound HCA-1000A and Rotel 970BX. The Rotel is slightly cheaper. My concern about the Parasound is the ground loop hum situation, we have an old house and I think the circuit the amp would be on is only a 2 wire run....problem there?
Both seem to be high current and should drive the SDA's well?Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
I would pick Rotel over Parasound. I prefer the sound of a Rotel myself.
Either would be a good amp but like you said the ground loop hum thing would scare me as well with the Parasound. Although I have never experienced it. -
I had a chance recently to hear some SDA 1Cs at a fellow Polk member's house - hooked up to a pair of Parasound HCA-1200ii amps via an Anthem tube pre.
Glorious sounding and dead quiet.
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
Anybody know what the difference is between the Parasound HCA-1000 and the HCA-1000a?Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
The letter A.
Sorry couldn't resist. -
Thanks Joe! I was making it harder than it had to be!
I've learned that it appears the a model has the 12v trigger, other wise they are identical?
Spoke with my electrician friend and I'll soon be putting in a dedicated circuit for the rig and he assured me if there is a hum we'll be able to deal with it somehow. I've found an HCA-1000 at a good price but I've read where Parasounds tend to be a bit bright...the Yammy AVR is bright IMO so I'm not sure if a Parasound will compound the problem?Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
when you do get around to your pre-amp for two channel I would look for one (I prefer tubed) with an HT by-pass...hanlding the signal for 2-channel with care by sending the signal from source straight to the two channel pre was the best sounding multi-rig I could come with.
HT sound quality was just not as difficult to achieve so I opted to move that signal through more connections.
RT1 -
reeltrouble1 wrote: »when you do get around to your pre-amp for two channel I would look for one (I prefer tubed) with an HT by-pass...hanlding the signal for 2-channel with care by sending the signal from source straight to the two channel pre was the best sounding multi-rig I could come with.
HT sound quality was just not as difficult to achieve so I opted to move that signal through more connections.
RT1
My thoughts too. It may be some time before I can afford that move with so many other $$ intensive purchases in my near future. I just can't make up my mind on the amp...wish I could hear both of them, buying on the 'net is sometimes a crap shoot.Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
Parasound and Polk have always been a good match.
RT1 -
Well, pulled the trigger on the Parasound. Hopefully it'll be here by next weekend and give the 2B's what they need to shine a bit more.Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
nothing like sweet anticipation, so akin to prom night...and a promise fulfilled.
congrats. enjoy.
RT1
