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First home theater. HELP

Hi guys,

Luddite that I am, I am in the process of putting together our first home theater setup, and could use some help. It's always been about two channel/analog for me, and I am way behind the times when it comes to video. I want to keep it as simple as possible, not too expensive, and want to use some of the gear that I now use as a second system in our weekend country get-away place. I am interested in a basic surround setup (5.1), for prerecorded movie playback only (DVD's, movie downloads , but no cable or network tv), and the kids' video games. The
system will be also used for two channel music listening, which is why I would like keep the current gear and hopefully simply (?) integrate the new video and additional audio gear.

The current sound system consists of Meitner PA6i preamp and Meitner 101 mono blocks, Totem Arro speakers and EAD transport and DAC. I will probably add a turntable to the system at some point, which is one of the reasons I want to keep the Meitner gear (good phono), as well as the fact that it sounds great with the Arro's, is small and looks great.

My thoughts so far are to add a Totem Dreamcatcher center, rears and subwoofer for 5.1 use, an appropriate 5.1 surround processor, and a Meitner MTR50 stereo amp for the rear channels. Video will probably be handled by a Panasonic or Samsung 60in plasma. First question:

Is there a good, reasonably priced surround preamp that has a "pass-through" feature so that I can use the Meitner pre for two channel music listening with minimal sound degradation? BTW, the Meitner has two sets of outputs for whatever that's worth.

I have no illusions about getting sound that comes anywhere near SOTA, but would like to enhance movie viewing, and retain the sound of the existing second system for music listening. I welcome any thoughts/suggestions re processor, speakers, set-up, etc.

Thanks in advance.
frogman
frogman OP
7,409 posts
 
Thank you Al for the great info and resources, and thank you Minkwelder for your contribution.

Al, you initially interpreted my description of the Meitner's volume control correctly. The PA6 was available with either a wired remote (which I suspect is what you saw a picture of), or an infrared remote (the "i" designation). I have the infrared remote which simply has +/- buttons with no way of replicating a particular volume setting; other than aurally. What do you think about the idea of using a simple passive volume controller (passive preamp) in line with the L/R front outputs from the HT receiver?
This way, for HT use the volume on the Meitner can simply be set to max, and the appropriate (and repeatable) volume setting can be set with the volume control on the passive pre. The L/R front signals would be routed through the Meitner as Minkwelder suggested, and be volume controlled by the passive controller.
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Yes, it was a picture of the wired remote that I saw.

I think that a better and also much less expensive approach than a passive preamp would be to put a pair of fixed-value 10 db or 20 db in-line attenuators at the preamp inputs, and then set the preamp's volume to max for HT as you suggested. Unfortunately the gain of the preamp doesn't appear to be specified, but I would feel fairly confident that with a 10 db in-line attenuator in place, and certainly with a 20 db attenuator, the overall gain at the max volume setting should be low enough to allow you to use reasonable level settings on the receiver.

As you may be aware, Rothwell makes 10 db attenuators that are generally well regarded. Some other makers supply 20 db attenuators, but I don't recall the specific names.

These would be (and should be) inserted directly into the input jacks of the preamp, with no intervening cable.

If you go that route, it may be worthwhile to try connecting them via the tape inputs, and comparing sonics with the results you get when connecting via one of the other line-level inputs. I see that the input impedance of the tape inputs is 100K, while the other inputs have an input impedance of 33K. Depending mainly on how much those numbers vary across the frequency range, it's possible that the higher input impedance of the tape inputs would provide better results when driven by a passive attenuator. On the other hand, using the 33K inputs would result in slightly more attenuation, assuming that the gains of both signal paths within the preamp are the same. My guess is that it would work fine either way, though.

Best regards,
-- Al
frogman OP
7,409 posts
 
Minkwelder, out of curiosity, what receiver did you use, and how do you like it?
frogman OP
7,409 posts
 
Aha! In-line attenuators. Brilliant! These, in conduction with I just discovered (remembered?) about the Meitner should do the trick. From the owner's manual:

****Input Gain Adjustment- There are three trim pots to adjust the gain of phono, tuner and AUX/CD relative to the tape input and relative to each other. Access to the trim pots is through three holes on the metal top chassis panel. The wooden sleeve can be removed by removing the two screws at the bottom of the unit. Each trimpot can then be used to adjust input sensitivity for the corresponding input. Phono, Tuner and CD/AUX
can be adjusted relative to Tape, which is fixed. If Tape is not used, two inputs can be adjusted relative to the third.****

Thanks again for the great suggestions. I will order some Rothwells.
minkwelder
255 posts
 
I am using the Yamaha RX-V657. I upgraded from a cheap Sherwood 5.1 to get the DTS and the auto-level adjustment. I think they both sounded OK. The Yamaha sounds better, but then I'm not super critical about home theater sound. I was surprised to find preamp outputs in the Sherwood (I forget which model), which I bought new for a little over $100 online.
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