What is the Current Guidance on Stereo and AV Configurations

@soix : "You can do this with or without a HT bypass, but it’s a little easier with it. And to answer your question, yes the AVR handles the multichannel processing and powering the center channel speaker. All you need is an AVR that has front L/R preamp outputs that you plug into the HT bypass or any other unused input on the amp. Switching between HT and stereo is as simple as changing the input on the amp, and the beautiful thing is the AVR is completely out of the signal path for critical stereo listening and only your Naim will be operational. If you don’t have a HT bypass this still works well and just requires one additional step I can elaborate on if needed."

Uh, no, there’s more to it than that. I’m not suggesting that this is a bad goal -- I described exactly such a configuration in a recent thread when setting up my own T+A-integrated / Marantz-AVR system.  And it’s worked out well. But let’s be careful not to put a happy face on the caveats. It took quite a bit of planning to get everything right.

- using an integrated that doesn’t have HT bypass is far from a "simple" inconvenience. It means that whenever you adjust the volume level of the MC receiver, you also have to manually match the level of the integrated. Without HT bypass, the two go out of sync every time you change either one. This gets even more complicated when the FL/FR receiver/speaker combination responds differently to numeric volume-dial changes than do the other channels. That is, you usually can’t simply turn up the integrated’s volume by 5 clicks in order to compensate for increasing the receiver volume by 5. Even setting default start-up volume levels on both components does not resolve this issue. You can get used to anything, but a lot of people, including me (not to mention my family members!), would find such a configuration burdensome.

- I don’t know if you have, or may someday add, an active subwoofer (this is a "home theater", after all!), but if you do, there are more constraints. Reproducing subwoofer bass when listening to stereo would mean connecting the sub directly to the integrated, using the sub’s internal crossover. But when listening to multichannel, you’d want to connect the receiver’s LFE channel to the sub, without using the sub's internal crossover. (LFE channels generally have integrated crossover frequencies much higher than what you'd want in a typical audiophile setup.) So this will only work with a sub that has at least two sets of inputs: an LFE input for the receiver and a crossover-enabled line-level in for the integrated. My MartinLogan sub does have the capability to automatically switch between two such inputs, but many subs do not.

- Finally, many of the best integrateds can’t be configured for such a setup. You’ll need a pre-out or sub-out if you have a subwoofer, in addition to the ability to configure the input connected to your receiver’s FL/FR line-level output, as an HT bypass.

What soix and others suggest is technically workable, but don’t take their advice blindly. Understand your topology and confirm that each component’s connectivity is correct for your use case before simply diving in.

using an integrated that doesn’t have HT bypass is far from a "simple" inconvenience. It means that whenever you adjust the volume level of the MC receiver, you also have to manually match the level of the integrated. Without HT bypass, the two go out of sync every time you change either one.

@cundare2 Uh, yeah it really is very simple unless you don’t understand it, which you apparently do not because what you described is not at all what happens without a HT bypass unless it’s not set up properly from the outset. It is very simple, and I know because I did it this way for a year without a HT bypass before I got a dedicated listening room.

@soix Respectfully disagree. Maybe you got lucky, maybe you’re just BS’ing. But either way, I hope the OP doesn’t fall into a booby trap.

And yumpin yeezus, nobody’s talking about "understanding HTB." My first point described how a dual-purpose system would have to be operated when configured WITHOUT bypass. Maybe you can explain how a double-duty non-HTB amp would work without having to tweak volume levels as I describe.

D

Respectfully disagree. Maybe you got lucky, maybe you’re just BS’ing. But either way, I hope the OP doesn’t fall into a booby trap.

@cundare2 You can respectfully disagree all you want but you’re wrong, and the only booby trap is the one you set in your own brain.  All that needs to be done is to properly set the channel balance for all speakers with the AVR (as you’d normally do) at a known fixed reference point on the integrated’s volume control and you’re done.  So to switch from stereo to HT you just switch to the correct input (as you would with a HT bypass) and set the integrated’s volume to the predetermined reference point and that’s it.  Done.  There is no need to continually have to reset multiple volume levels as you said, and the only additional step versus having a HT bypass is having to have the integrated’s volume at the reference level for HT and everything remains in balance unless the channel balance is again changed on the AVR.  Very simple.

So you’re basically confirming what I said and arguing with things I didn’t say.

Typical for @soix in trolling mode. Someone more interested in arguing than in actually reading other people's postings.

To quote a great man who doesn’t know his own limitations, "What are you even doing here?"