Help with an AV processor

Thanks, Tim. Its all up and running now and sounds good. I don't know if adding a sub would improve the sound or not? Anyway, everything seems to be correct so I am very pleased and very appreciative of your help. I was able to get it all going by reading and rereading your posts. Thanks Again!

On 3 channel systems where you actually only have left/right/center, I have actually found that sound is worse when you remove the surround speakers from the configuration.  What happens is that the surround channels are output to the front left/right speakers and cause an increase in perceived ambient sound.  It also messes with imaging and the clarity of the center channel (ambient sounds become too much and too amplified and it becomes very difficult to hear/understand dialog).  Enabling the surround speakers in the Oppo configuration will increase the general sound quality of your front stage, even though you don't have the surround speakers in your system.

Hello wemfan,

     I'm glad you got it up and running.  I think any improvements in sound quality, by using a separate expensive AV preamp/processor, would be highly unlikely no matter which exact unit you used and how much it costs.  Even if there were improvements, they'd probably be marginal improvements that are not worth the extra cost, cabling and complexity.  I believe adding a good quality sub would provide a much more obvious improvement in sound performance and enjoyment.  The Oppo 105D will outperform the majority of AV receivers and preamp/processors available  and it's also a much simpler and more elegant solution for your needs. 

     I've never tried what auxinput described, but you could always give it a try and see if you like the sound better with his configuration suggestion. 


Tim   

auxinput,  I will give that a try. Thanks

Tim,
Since very little music will be played on this system and almost all television will a sub be of much benefit? It sounds pretty good now on TV. I haven't tried a CD yet.

Hey wemfan,

    In my opinion, good quality bass reproduction makes music and HT (home theater movies and TV) sound a lot better.  You'll notice more improvements than just the deep bass from about 20-50 Hz that your KEF LS50s are unable to reproduce.  You'll notice the soundstage will become wider and deeper on music and everything will be more interesting and exciting on movies and TV.  Currently, you're not even aware of all the good bass you're not hearing so there's not a sense of anything missing or how much better your system will sound with 1 or 2 good quality subs.

    My system is a combo music and HT living room system and I use four relatively small (1'x1'x2' 44lb) subs in my room driven by a separate 1,000K watt class AB amp/controller.  You'll be amazed how much good quality bass exists on free, satellite and cable tv, even on commercials.

     I'd suggest you try 1 or 2 relatively small good quality subs in your room and position them where they sound best using the "crawl method" (google it).  Based on my experience, I definitely know that 2 subs will perform about twice as good as 1 sub in your room.  Or, start with 1 sub optimally positioned using the crawl method and add a 2nd later on if you think you need it.  
    Of course, you can use any sub or subs you like but, if you're looking for good quality bass at a bargain price, I'd recommend either the REL T-Zero https://rel.net/shop/powered-subwoofers/zero/ or the SVS-SB-1000  
https://www.svsound.com/products/sb-1000?wiz_medium=cpc&wiz_source=google&wiz_campaign=Brand...  They're both similarly priced and the main difference between them is that the SVS will go a bit deeper than the REL.  I know the SVS offers a free home-trial period but I'm not sure about the REL.

      Overall, I think you'll improve your system's performance significantly by adding 1 or 2 subs and it won't be a subtle improvement.  However, I'd still suggest you buy subs with a free in-home trial period just to take all the financial risk out of your decision.
     If you do decide to try a sub or two, I can assist you with proper setup and configuration if you'd like.

Later,
 Tim