Moved from 2 channel to Home Theatre - Regrets?

My system has moved into one system..I call it multichannel although it is also hometheater and two-channel.

I use a Sunfire pre-pro for movies/multi-channel music and have a tubed 2-channel pre-amp used in a pass-through setup for those two.

All dedicated two-channel listening is done the same as any dedicated two-channel system would do.

I do use a projector for movies so no large TV between my speakers...just as any dedicated two channel system would be.

I fail to see (or hear) any difference between my setup and a dedicated two-channel only setup...other than I have more choice to enjoy than they do.

Each case must be taken on it's own though...in my case, I feel that my system has reached it's point of sounding good enough for me as a two-channel system (other than cdp upgrades) not decided although not a lot of cash is involved there and the normal tweakes we never quit doing as audiophiles.

Anyone starting out would be better off IMO to first reach that good enough for me point rather than devert the much needed cash to other areas.

Dave

Hey Jack,

I own the Quad 99 CDP and run it direct into a pair of Channel Islands VMB-1 monoblock amps and run a pair of Reference 3A MM DeCapo monitors. In the same room and on the same lowboy audio rack I have a multi-channel HT system consisting of a Sony STR-DA4ES receiver, Panasonic DVD-XP 30 DVD player, a high end Sony VCR, hi-def cable box and an NHT subwoofer conroller. All of the Jamo HT speakers and my Plasma TV are mounted on the wall with the wires running in-wall. As you can see, my two systems are completely separate, but reside in the same physical space. There are no shared components.

In the past I tried to live with an HT receiver based system, but it did not "do it" for me and I gave up on the idea. However, I did successfully implement a "combo system" on a couple of occassions. This was done by building a quality 2-channel system using a pre-amp or integrated amp that had an HT bypass/processor loop and adding on an HT receiver to power the surrounds and center, to facilite the LFE subwoofer and process the HT and digital input signals. This setup can be very good for music as it is really just a 2 channel system when listing to music, but you can turn on the HT receiver, press/flip the HT bypass switch and have a multi-channel system using the 2-channel amp and speakers for the front L&R.

This may sound complicated, but it is really simple. The only things required are that your HT receiver have pre-outs for at least the front L&R channels and that the pre-amp or integrated amp for the 2-channel rig has an HT processor/bypass loop (actually, this isn't required, but it makes things more simple).

So, while I have never owned an HT based system that was good enough to replace my 2-channel music system, I have had successful combo systems. But, I prefer to keep them seperate.

On another note, have you tried connecting your DVD player to one of the digital inputs on your Quad 99 CDP? I used mine this way for a while and I could have easily lived without the rest of my HT rig. That Quad is an excellent CD player, has a very transparent built-in volume control and has an excellent 24bit/192khz DAC that can be used for your other digital sources. A great 2-channel music/HT system would be DVD player->Quad 99 CDP->Amp->speakers.

Last comment: I have read some outstanding reviews of the Sony STR-DA3000ES and DA5000ES HT receivers as both HT and 2-channel music centerpiece. One of the great sounding rooms at CES/THE show used a Sony DVD player and the Sony DA3000ES receiver powering a pair of the new Gallo speakers. It had a lot of power conditioning in front of it. Anyway, I heard great things about the sound. I also know of a few people that have replaced expensive separates with the Sony digital receiver. Supposedly Sony is working with one of the extreme gurus of digital processing and has come up with a system that is very good at a reasonable price. I haven't heard this setup yet, but I trust some of the comments I've heard and I intend to look into this setup. Heck, I would love to get rid of a couple of boxes if possible.

Enjoy,

TIC

Not if you do this correctly.