Biwiring from two different sources

[admin_exported]

I currently have a Cyrus system running through a pair of Spendor s5e speakers.

Is it possible to use the spare pair of speaker terminals on the speakers to hook up to a home cinema amp, the idea being that I use the speakers both for hifi and home cinema (not both at the same time of course) ?

Regards,

Steve

 

[Andrew Everard]

Nope, not unless you want to blow up one or both of the amps. The best way is to use the front channel preouts on the home cinema amp into a spare input on the Cyrus, so the Cyrus amp is always driving the front speakers. What's the home cinema amp?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the tip Andrew - was afraid that might be the case.

Currently the home cinema amp is a fairly old Sony (part of a HCIAB - model number escapes me) but I plan to upgrade shortly to something along the lines of the Onkyo TXSR875.

So the solution is to run the signal from the home cinema amp to the Cyrus amp and then change the source on the Cyrus amp as required. I guess that means that I lose the surround processing of the HC amp and am stuck with stereo ?

Steve

 

[Andrew Everard]

No. Amps like the 875, and indeed most modern AV receivers, have preamp-level outputs for each channel. You simply run an interconnect from the front left/right preouts on the receiver to a spare line in on the Cyrus amp, and connect the front left/right speakers to the Cyrus as at present, and the centre, surrounds and subwoofer, along with your video sources, to the receiver. Leave your pure stereo sources - CD, tuner and so on - connected to the Cyrus.

Select the input on the Cyrus you've connected to the receiver's preouts, set the volume on the Cyrus to an easily repeatable position - I'd go for about 10 o'clock - and use the receiver's test-tones to balance up all the channels. The Onkyos, again like most modern receivers, will do this automatically using a test sequence and a microphone supplied in the box.

Then, when you want to play music in stereo, you use the Cyrus amp as usual, and the AV receiver is out of the system. When you want surround, you select the appropriate input on the Cyrus, set the volume to 10 o'clock, and away you go, controlling volume, etc, on the receiver.

Best of both worlds...

 

[Anonymous]

Gotcha.

Would I be sacrificing anything (sound quality for example) in utilising the above solution as opposed to the more orthodox solution of a fully discrete 5.1 speaker system run solely through the HC amp ?

 

[Andrew Everard]

No. provided the amps you're using are good enough, and it seems they are, then nothing at all

 

[Anonymous]

Great - thanks for your help