2. home-theater
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Home Cinema Poisoning my System?

I love movies and enjoy tinkering with home cinema gear but my priority is music and I am concerned about the addition of home cinema equipment to my system and listening room. Is it possible to merely overlay the additional channels to an otherwise hardcore obssessive 2-channel system without ill effect? Rather than a combined system, it seems one could tap the audiophile pre-out into a separate processor/preamp/receiver etc which then went into the center and rear speakers, thereby being "separate" from the 2-channel system and switching the whole cheesey suburban Matrix demoing thing off when listeing to Wagner. Is this a popular configuration? If so, would it also make sense to use a matching stereo speaker for the center speaker instead of a home cinema center speaker? It seems to me that 3 ML SL-3s, for example, would be more "matched" than SL-3s and their center channel home cinema speaker. Thank you for your comments and ideas.
cwlondon
deshapiro
177 posts
 
I have a Rowland Coherence 2 pre-amp which has a bypass circuit. I have the HT processer send the output for the mains. This way the processor(Theta Casa 2)controls the volume. I disagree with the previous poster who discounted the importance of the center channel. Using it gives a much more coherent soundstage for dialogue and effects. It's true, most good processors have a "phantom center channel mode" for those systems without a center, but at least in my system it doesn't work nearly as well. You do need a good center, and some HT people recommend a separate subwoofer for it. My main amps are Rowland 9Ti's. The only shared components are the subs. I have dual REL Stentors running off the Rowland monos and I have a second input into each, running off of a Y-connector out of the processors LFE channel. Both of the systems sound great. Next, of course, is taming the room, but that's a whole other issue. David
sedond
1,387 posts
 
re: center-channel - newform research sez their speakers eliminate the need for a center-channel speaker in h-t. anyone try 'em in this configuration? if it's true, then they should be decent for 2-channel stereo... ;~)
perfectimage
406 posts
 
I think that everyone has covered the solution pretty well. I just wanted to say that I feel the perfect system for music is also the perfect system for home theater. I like the natural charcteristics of my stereo in the home theater. Bloated base may make explosions sound bigger but it also makes everything else sound worse. That said I think you are not skimping on your audio system you are using your money wisely and getting two uses for the price of one. When you are set up you will have a system that sounds so much better then the best of theaters. Enjoy.
bezeemya
20 posts
 
Some speakers may lend better than others to providing a good match for vertical placement as center channel. I use an Audio research LS10 ss/pre w/Music Reference tube amp on (now defunct flagship) Soundwaves-(4.5)Point source spkrs by Vero research Inc.-for mains. Alongside Vandesteen 2wq's subs. Theatre is patched into LS10 via a Sonic Frontiers; Anthem AVM2 pre/procc. w/Anthem AVC3 amp powering diolog center & (2.5)-floor standing rears. Sony DVP9000es dvd may replace Audio Refinement cd & tuner. All in all the center is weakest link w/overall integration & synergy its strengths. May add 1-more rear 2wq for theatre bass. All Straightwire Crescendo/Seranade Interconncts & Blacsilc spkrcable. Until I have a home w/more rooms, this is it.
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