ARC LS 25 Mk 11 Bypass

Hello
I do this same thing with my sound room. I take the output from my Meridian HT system, front left & right to the proc input on the Ref3 then from the Ref3 output to the amps, This lets me be very flexable. This allows the Ht or Stereo to control it's own volume. With it this way you can also send the digital output from your equipment to the HT system & all the analog outputs to your stereo preamp. Then you see which sounds best to you and use the system that way. When you have people over you can use the HT and send sound to all speakers also.
The only thing you should do then in my opinion is optimize the room for 2 channel and use the digital abilities of the HT processor to adjust the HT part of the system. You also might want to cover your screen even one that is flat, with something when listening to 2 channel cause that way you will get a better imaging & a better sound stage between the speakers.

I have always wondered how this process works too. Does this mean that when your listening to HT through the 2 channel preamp the sound level on the 2 channel preamp can be set at zero or 100 and it doesn't matter because the HT is controlling the volume as long as the switch is flipped? Is their any sonic improvement from using a superior preamp and running the front left and right channels of the HT processor throught the 2 channel preamp or is this a mood point.

Simply put, it is a theater throughpass and the volume is controlled by your pre-pro. There is no sonic improvement. What you are doing is using your processor's left and right front channel outs into the processor (bypass) left and right inputs on your stereo preamp. From there you are running your left and right main outs into your amp. I just don't get why all you guys are so confused

“Absolute nonsense ...it is a pass through and no degradation of the signal.”

Maybe you are the One who is confused. When you say it’s a pass through, are you implying it just passively switches wires because that is not the case. The preamp is accepting the analog signal just like it would from any other source and then setting its volume level at unity gain, so as not to change the output level of the incoming signal.

Does your home theater bypass work when your REF3 is turned off? I don’t think so, and I know it does not work with the LS25MK2 turned off (we are talking about the LS25MK2 here aren’t we). If the 2ch preamp has to be turned on, then it is NOT just passively switching wires, it is actively doing "something", and I am telling you for a fact, that with the LS25MK2 in home theater bypass mode, it does change the sound from your ht processor and not in a positive way. I would assume the REF3 would be on the same level as a VTL7.5, and the change in sound through those units would be (is) extremely minimal, but this is not the case with the LS25MK2. The lowering in sound quality (degrading) was easily noticeable.

I respectfully disagree.