Recommended receiver for HT

Tim,

Essentially one system for both music and HT, except stereo doesn't go through the Oppo or Bryston; it's strait Ayre.  TV uses the Oppo and Bryston, but substitutes the NAD M22 for the Ayre gear, and NHT Zero+s for the KEF Ref 1s.  One could rightly argue the Bryston is superfluous until the Ayre DK-5 DSD replaces the Oppo 205.  

I mostly play stereo and TV, so little hardship to give up HT for simplification.  Then it would be two systems:  Ayre for stereo, Oppo and NAD for TV.

db 

wspohn, I suppose switching speaker cables is not too much of a PITA if you use banana cables, but it seems a bother if you switch often.

Tim, would using 3 subs instead of 4 violate a distribution principle?  A single SMS-1 supports 3 equalized outputs, but you need to daisy chain to another SMS-1 for additional outputs.  I have 2 SMS-1s, and they are thin enough to stack nicely if daisy-chaining is required.  In the past, I've used on SMS-1 for the pair of HGS-15s, the other for the HGS-10s, but the that been in separate rooms.  Since I have only two functioning subs right now daisy-chaining hasn't been an issue  -- the HGS-15 only functions when I switch it to on rather than its audio-detect mode.

db

dbphd:
"Tim, would using 3 subs instead of 4 violate a distribution principle?  A single SMS-1 supports 3 equalized outputs, but you need to daisy chain to another SMS-1 for additional outputs.  I have 2 SMS-1s, and they are thin enough to stack nicely if daisy-chaining is required.  In the past, I've used on SMS-1 for the pair of HGS-15s, the other for the HGS-10s, but the that been in separate rooms.  Since I have only two functioning subs right now daisy-chaining hasn't been an issue  -- the HGS-15 only functions when I switch it to on rather than its audio-detect mode."


Hello DB,

    Some DBA knowledgeable people I trust claim 3 subs can work almost as well as 4 in some rooms. I've only utilized bass systems with 1, 2 and 4 subs and have no experience using 3 subs in any room.  
    Your room is fairly large and I tend to believe 4 subs is a better option since there'd be less likelihood of a lack of overall bass output volume
 levels and sufficient reserve power for realistic bass dynamics. I'd suggest using both HGS-15s and both HGS-10s.
    However, since I've never tried a 3 sub DBA, I can't be certain it wouldn't work well for you. Perhaps you can try both and just use whichever you prefer?

Later,
Tim

Tim,

Currently thinking of a solution to a problem that entails using one SMS-1 with the HGS-15s for HT and the other SMS-1 with the HGS-10s for music. That is, Bryston SP3 to a SMS-1 for HT, Ayre KX-5/20 to the other for music, with no sharing. That would be counter to the array concept, but would simplify setup.  I may have enough HGS-10s that with the Optima 12, I could muster 3 & 3.  Of course, that's after the two HGS-15s and HGS-10 are returned from repair.

db

dbphd:
"Tim,
Currently thinking of a solution to a problem that entails using one SMS-1 with the HGS-15s for HT and the other SMS-1 with the HGS-10s for music. That is, Bryston SP3 to a SMS-1 for HT, Ayre KX-5/20 to the other for music, with no sharing. That would be counter to the array concept, but would simplify setup. I may have enough HGS-10s that with the Optima 12, I could muster 3 & 3. Of course, that’s after the two HGS-15s and HGS-10 are returned from repair.

db"

Hello DB,

I believe I have a bias toward using a single shared system for the playback of music, TV and HT that consists of utilizing the exceptional benefits of a complete 4-sub DBA system on all three. FYI, I usually just include TV watching as part of HT because I use the same 5.4 surround system for both and for simplicity’s sake.
I think I’ve developed this bias due to the mental and physical experimenting efforts I invested into its creation as a personal system solution and the fact that it works so well for me. My current combination music and HT system requires no switching of wires or even the pushing of remote buttons, all switching between uses occurs automatically with my source selection chosen by just inserting a Blu-ray disc in my Oppo 105 or just selecting a channel on my Xfinity cable TV remote. The only exception is 2-channel stereo music listening that requires turning on my NAS hard drive and selecting a music track or album to playback on my laptop. The music begins playing automatically but, when done and I want to watch TV/ HT for example, I do need to select the HDMI input on the Oppo remote to switch the input source.
However, I now better understand that taking advantage of the amazing capabilities and versatility of the Oppo player is the key enabling this seamless system integration and ease of use. I’ve learned through the experiences of attempting to help others to achieve this same level of seamless integration and ease of use, it requires they also need to utilize an Oppo 105, 105D or 205 player as a limited input preamp, CD and movie disc player as well as the player in a hi-res digital music file system. If they prefer to use a specific separate preamp for music, as I originally did, it makes things a lot more difficult and requires additional switching and compromises or a lot more noodling on a solution.
Unfortunately, I believe seamless integration of a music and a HT system into a well functioning single shared combination system requires the use of a top model Oppo player, or similar player, and the only alternative solutions I’m aware of require a good amount of switching or two separate systems or a bigger noodle than I possess.


Later,
Tim