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Stepping up to the next level ? HT and Music

A little about the system.
I have a Onkyo 5509 Pre pro , 2 Emotiva Xpr 2 amps bi amped powering Tyler Acoustics D1x speakers . 1 Tyler center channel speaker and 4 tower speakers for surrounds and back powered by a Rotel 5 channel amp . 2 Chase 18.2 subs powered by a Suntron M 600 amp. the room is 17 x17 and I can seal it off with a door .

No problems with the system for movies and no glaring problems for music . I would just like it to sound more musical but still run my subs at the same time .

I know music lovers say no to subs but I really like the layer they add to music . So what are my options ?
1. Add a pre amp for music ? But what about the subs ?
2. Better Pre pro like a Classe ssp 800 but loose room correction .

I have had a tube amp in the mix and really liked it . The sound wrapped around my speakers but was not loud enough when I wanted to turn it up . Also cant justify running tubes always when watching movies and tv and the associated heat that comes from them .

Im looking for suggestions that I may have overlooked or advice from those who have had similar problems .
Like I said , it sounds good but would like to take it to the next level musically . I mainly listen to cd,s but am looking at a music server and or computer audio . No vinyl at this time but may add at some time later .

Thanks , Lambeau
lambeau
drummermitchell's avatar
drummermitchell
262 posts
 
I was doing the same thing switching cables for two channel and HT.
Bought a Kramer switch box so no more pulling cables.
I use 2 XLR Y cables out of my Vac pre and have subs on one side of the Y's and then the other sides go to the Kramer SB.
My AV-8 processor has only rca in and out so I installed RCA-XLR adaptors.
For movies I can't tell if there is any degradation whatsoever.
Concert Blurays also are dead quiet.
The Kramer VS4X is a four channel pro balanced switcher and it's just one push of the button and I'm two channel or HT.
Works very good and stress free.
Whenever my AV-8 dies I will go to a Bryston Sp-3 processor which is all balanced and I won't have to use the RCA-XLR adaptors.
Hope that helps as it works great as it use to be a real pain pulling cables,let alone wear and tear on the inputs and outputs.
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,670 posts
 
I know of no similar preamps, with or without tubes.
martykl
3,578 posts
 
I use subs in my main 2 channel system, too. My suggestion would be to exercise great care before replacing the Onkyo (or at least replacing it with a unit that does not share the Audyssey software).

It's entirely possible that other software has a "higher ceiling" for room correction/subwoofer integration, but Audyssey xt 32 is awfully good and virtually goof proof. I've used an (older and more primitive) manual room correction system and it was both a royal PITA and tricky to dial in. I'd assume that the newer systems are better, but the process is likely similar - repetitive manual manipulation of interactive parameters.

My guess is that going that route is probably as likely to yield worse results than improvements - unless you bring a lot of time and determination to the table.

Unless you are a really dedicated soul, I'd look elsewhere for an upgrade. Main L & R speakers are usually a good place to start.
zd542
5,339 posts
 
You can get a preamp with a HT bypass feature. That would allow you to switch back and forth between your setup for music and movies without having to swap cables.
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
+1 Zd542- Get a good tube pre-amp w HT pass through. I believe the DSP room correction/bass management device web site shows how to use it w subs in a variety of configurations. For the price of a high end pre/SSP like the Classe 800 you can get an excellent used pre-amp w HT pass through and multiple outputs so you can run your subs w music. VAC, BAT, Modwright, ARC, CJ. First Sound, etc, etc, etc. If you just need a line stage, you can go pretty high up the food chain to near SOTA preformance.
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