Home Cinema Poisoning my System?

buy a preamp that has a processor loop - plug yer processor into it & when ya swithch the preamp to this input, it defaults all the preamps' controls to that of the processor, so yer processor can run yer main speakers, as well as the surrounds. when yer listening only to 2-channel audio, the main speakers don't have to be run thru the processor's electronics. there are many preamps that are now set up to do this - linn, vtl, sonic frontiers, adcom; i'm sure there are many others.

doug

Same dilemma. I chose to combine the two as well. I now have a killer A/V system with what I would call killer 2-channel and 5.1 audio as well. No real magic to accomplish this. Like the previous post, I have Martin Logan ReQuets as my mains too. Killer sound for both operations. Here is the route I took (good luck): Martin Logan Requests (mains) Martin Logan Cinema (center) Polk F/X 1000s (rears) Bryston 7Bs (main amps) Bryston 3Bs (rear & center) Parasound AVC 2500 Pre-amp. (you can bypass the DACs with an upgrade. Naim CD5 for cds Pioneer Elite dv 37 for DVD I also have two subs, one to round out the Logans bass on 2 channel etc. I also have a Sunfire True Sub hooked to LFE out that only plays during movies. That was the only actual "split" I had to make to get great performance in both modes.

Cwlondon: Yes, the ideal would be to use 3 identical speakers up front. And one the these days, we may get a substantial quantity of well-recorded multichannel sound that makes good use of that center channel. The trouble, of course, is that a central tower speaker (or a bookshelf speaker on a stand) would have to go in exactly the same place that home theater places the video monitor. Hence the small horizontal design of center-channel speakers.

Two years ago I sold my separate stereo preamp and modest receiver based ht system. I wanted to simplify (reduce the number of components & speakers) and also wanted to take advantage of the quality that my l/r mains could bring to ht. I'm currently using a Meridian 561 pre/pro and a 508.24 as a transport. This combination sounds very close to the 508.24 used with an analog preamp (SF Line 1 used prior to 561). My mains are Thiel CS7.2s, my center channel is from Aerial Acoustics (CC3B), and my surrounds are Paradigm Ref ADPs. They're not matched but everything blends well for HT. I have a front LCD projector so there is no problem with a monitor between my Thiels, and I move my stand mounted center out of the way when I want to listen critically in Direct two channel mode. I'm considering the addition of an analog preamp that has a HT throughput so I have more options to upgrade my digital 2 channel front end and possibly improve the sound at the same time. If I could do it over again I would have spent less money on a high end pre/pro and used the difference to get a better preamp w/HT throughput. If you do blend your SL3s into a HT system I would consider ML's 'Cinema' center.

I started out with a mid fi home theater system and upgraded everything while trying to improve my two channel quality. Eventually I found that I did not need a center channel speaker. I use Avalon Eidolon's and they are about 66" into the room and I have a perfectly coherent front soundstage and can use a high quality 2-channel tube amp in front. In my opinion too much is made of matching the amps and speakers front to back. Most of the sound at the rear is thunder, cars and bullets. Also I'm more into classic and foreign film rather than the current crop of lousy stories with computerized special effects. I use my old speakers and tube amp for the rears and am very happy. The only compromise that I have had to make is that speaker placement is wider than I would like for two channel ( my screen is 9' wide). Some of the early jazz stereo recordings were recorded without any center stage info and when I listen to these recordings there is a hole in the sound stage. I don't use a preamp at all. I have a processor for HT and my Accuphase has a preamp built in so I switch my interconnects when I change from HT to two channel.