What is the best way to add a 5:1 system

Hey Bd,

Good suggestion. I had thought about the cable switch concern and was wondering, since I already have a high power selector box for selecting combinations of front, rear and an outdoor set, if there is a way set up something to select the current set up or a 5:1 system with 5 channel amp that could be arranged w/o the cable swap. Essentially two discrete systems sharing selected speakers with selector boxes instead of swapping cables, which I agree is a real pain!

I figure if not, then a 3 channel amp plus the MC 402 would work, but I do listen to much of my music with front and rear and wish to keep that ability.

regards,
rr

Regardless of what I wrote in my previous post, I actually use my Proceed Amp 3 for LCR, with 14' XLR lines running from the PAV/PDSD pre/pro to the amps. The amp sits between the LR speakers and behind the center speaker. In stereo mode, of course, the center amp is inactive. The Amp 2 sits next to the rack and drives the surrounds.

I have no idea what a used 3 channel equivalent of the MC 402 might cost on Audiogon.

db

rr,

Well, I see a MC 303-3 on Audiogon for $7K, so bd's suggestion of buying a mono amp for the center looks attractive. I assume your B&Ws are inefficient and require lots of power.

db

Thanks Dp,

Saw that add as well! This addition will need to wait a bit but thanks for the heads up!

Still curious if anyone has thought through a way to add a 5:1 amp for that purpose yet keep my current arrangement intact without swapping cables. (see previous post regarding selector boxes)

The B&W's can handle much power, but surprisingly they have full dynamic range with much less power than expected. Plus I must live in the same house with my very understanding wife!

Happy listening,
RR

RR, your speaker switch should work fine. The only concern I would have is what it does to the sound quality of your MC202.