Home cinema using front, centre and SubW only

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I want to buy a receiver to connect satellite, blu-ray, DVD etc through HDMI and to improve sound. Wife has forbidden the use of any surround speakers in the lounge, so short of changing wife or building a new room, I have to make do with just using front speakers and I sub, which I can hide somewhere!

Is there a setting on receivers which allows the use of a (2.1 ?) front, centre and sub combination? Or should I just continue using my stereo amplifier with analogue cables for sound, and have front L-R stereo sound only? I don't want to buy a sub and centre (I have the front L-R already) - if there is not a setting which will actually provide optimal use of this set-up.

My current speakers are Wharfedale 10.1 - so was thinking of getting centre and sub in same range, and am looking at the Sony STR-DH800 or DG820.

Advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

2.1 would be no problem. If you use an auto calibration it wouldn't detect the rears so would not assign any. If you use manual set up, just don't select any in the menus. If you can't have surround the why not investigate a sound bar? It might be hard to buy a 2.1 off the shelf speaker set up. You'll have to buy the sats and sub as 2 items.

 

[Anonymous]

Lounge Lizard - I agree with NSY Grinner that a Soundbar would be worth looking into, along with a sub. One of the Yamaha Soundbar's would be my choice, along with maybe a Sunfire HRS-8 or HRS-10 if budget allows ?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for advice. Surely Wharfedale speakers front, centre and sub would give better sound than a sound bar? Although perhaps with less of the "surround" effect soundbars are supposed to offer. What is the Sunfire HRS-8 ? Is that a Surround Amp? So you need a special amp/receiver to run a soundbar?

 

[lobby]

Sunfire make very good subs, as to your requirements i would add the Wharfedale centre and a decent sub. For amp not sure on your budget but the Onkyo 607, Denon 1910 and Yamaha 1065 would work really well. And maybe sometime you will be allowed rears, or have you looked at KEF they do a wireless set for rears, but will still need to be pluged in at the mainsSeperates will normally sound better than any soundbar and many users don't have rears.

 

[Anonymous]

I was thinking a soundbar simply for keeping your other half sweet !

 

[Anonymous]

What about getting a soundbar for AV. You could keep the Wharfedales for stereo use as zone 2, that way you might not loose much on music. My amp will let you use the unused back surround as a seperate stereo amp with their own speakers. If it gets a analogue stereo signal it can switch over from 5.1 to the spare stereo amp automatically. This is a seperate function to the zone 2-3. I don't think the current Denon amps do this, no idea if other manufacturers support this function.