If i want to use a good stereo amp for my front speakers and i want 7.1 should i get a 5.1 or still a 7.1 amp??

[RCduck7]

I want to use my surround speakers with my AV receiver but my front speakers with a good stereo amp.

I know this is easy to do, i just have to connect both receivers... and this way if i want to listen to music in stereo i just turn on the stereo amp and if i want to watch movies i turn on both stereo and av receiver.

But if i want to have 7.1 surround would it be enough if i would go for for a 5.1 receiver for my surrounds and a stereo for my fronts to have 7.1 or do i still got to have a 7.1 receiver even if i have a stereo amp connected to it??

 

[Anonymous]

If you want 7.1 sound then you need something that can decode it. I'm guessing that most 5.1 surround amps can't.

 

[RCduck7]

How much do these things cost and how do they look these decoders.

Any links to one of those??

I'd propably go for NAD for my system.

 

[Anonymous]

Or buy a good quality preamp processor and power amplifier that will give you the kind of stereo performance you are after. Audiolab 8000AV/X7 combo is a good choice, or if you want a more digital bias for your preamp connections, then go for the recently launched 8000AP with the X7.

More money buys you the Arcam DIVA combo (AVP700 & P1000) . Up again is the Arcam FMJ combo, AV9 and P7.

Silly money buys you Meridian and Lexicon solutions.

All of these decode 7.1 sound formats. I'm sure there are others, and for info I have the first I mentioned, and found it to be a very worthwhile upgrade over my Arcam A65+ and Yamaha DSP-AX750SE.

Also you can't do as you suggested, since although a 5.1 amp plus stereo gives you 7 channels of amplification, there is nothing to do the decoding for 7.1.

 

[RCduck7]

[quote user="Mr_Orange"]Or buy a good quality preamp processor and power amplifier that will give you the kind of stereo performance you are after. Audiolab 8000AV/X7 combo is a good choice, or if you want a more digital bias for your preamp connections, then go for the recently launched 8000AP with the X7.

More money buys you the Arcam DIVA combo (AVP700 & P1000) . Up again is the Arcam FMJ combo, AV9 and P7.
Silly money buys you Meridian and Lexicon solutions.
All of these decode 7.1 sound formats. I'm sure there are others, and for info I have the first I mentioned, and found it to be a very worthwhile upgrade over my Arcam A65+ and Yamaha DSP-AX750SE.
Also you can't do as you suggested, since although a 5.1 amp plus stereo gives you 7 channels of amplification, there is nothing to do the decoding for 7.1.[/quote]

Thanks, haven't looked for prices yet but it seems like a big step forward to have single components.

But do i need to make analogue pcm connections to... let's say a dvd player to have 5.1 or 7.1??

Isn't this a step backwards from optical or coaxial digital??

 

[Anonymous]

Or you can do what I have done and buy a second hand Denon AVC A10SE (well actually I bought mine new). The Denon will handle the centre, side surrounds and rear surrounds, allowing you to set up a stereo amp for the front pair using the pre-outs on the Denon. You'll have to work out at what volume you put your stereo amp so that the Denon keeps everything in line when you're using it for AV, but it;s a superb amp and is only let down by the fact it won't do the new HDMI audio codecs except via a 7.1 channel input or 5.1 channel inputs that it has round the back. So that sort of counts out a PS3 but counts in any full blown HD deck with analogue outs. Better still you can buy one of these for between £200 and £300 on certain websites. Bargain and for a machine that was £1300 new and which I own and seriously rate, I'd say that's what I'd do!

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Will Harris"]Or you can do what I have done and buy a second hand Denon AVC A10SE (well actually I bought mine new). The Denon will handle the centre, side surrounds and rear surrounds, allowing you to set up a stereo amp for the front pair using the pre-outs on the Denon. You'll have to work out at what volume you put your stereo amp [/quote]

This is the sort of set up I have just changed from. It obviously works, but I found it a untidy. It stemmed from the fact that I bought a stereo system before I got into home cinema, and so bolted on an AV amp.

By going for a good quality pre/power solution, you will be able to have the stereo performance and the AV performance, and in the future, you need only upgrade the pre-amp if you feel the need.

Your DVD player can still be connected by digital coax or toslink. It's only a hi-def player you would need to connect by 5.1 or 7.1 analogue inputs. This means you would need a player that decodes internally, as Will has said. It is possible that some of the pricier models decode the HD codecs or could possibly be upgraded to do so in the future.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm afraid I don't agree at all. If you want the best quality stereo sound, you have to go for a good quality stereo amp. There are no AV amps below a Krell including pre-power that are as good as a good stereo amp in stereo for the front pair. I should know, I'm tri-amping an Audiolab 8000X7 through my front pair. Sounds great but I could have done just as well if not better with a fab stereo amp for the front pair.

If you want the front pair to double up, and you don't have an entirely separate setup for stereo use, then I'd not go the multichannel (7 channel amp) route. I'd amplify the front pair separately and using the amp that is most appropriate to that pair of speakers.

But that's just my view and although you may consider it untidy, the only way to better it in my view is spend a hell of a lot more on your amplification. Lexicon, Krell or Bryston.

 

[RCduck7]

First and foremost stereo/music performance comes first.

Rightnow i have wharfedale speakers which of the front are a pair of evo 30 speakers.

I run this on a yamaha 640RDS surround receiver which i think is a weak link for those kind of speakers.

For surround the yamaha 640 isn't that bad but for stereo i might go for a good NAD stereo amp (NAD's AV receiver's are supposed to be good in stereo to but i suppose not as good as a dedicated stereo amp??).

Buying a 7.1 receiver (wich is naturally a higher price then a 5.1) and a stereo amp for the front speakers is a bit of a pity as i would have 2 channels unused on my 7.1 as they go to the stereo amp.

Still though, buying a decoder/processor and preamp which presumably only top class high end offers would it make to costly for me.

The best would be a 5.1 receiver but with a 7.1 decoder built in which most receiver's don't support as said in a previous post.

 

[Anonymous]

I think we kind of agree, Will. Money does come into it, and I suppose since I went from an Arcam A65+ (£390) to the 8000AV/X7 (£2500) combo I saw an improvement in stereo.

However, I don't agree that you can't use a multichannel power amp like the X7 for stereo duties though. It is monobloc design after all, with its heritage in the TAG 700:7R. Since it's a power amp it doesn't have all the surround sound and video processing electronics cluttering up the signals. I agree with you, if you were to go down the integrated route, but it's a different matter with a pre/power set up.

Getting back RCDuck7's issue, the best thing is to set your budget (would you care to share that with us?) and then go and audition some pre/power combos and some stereo plus surround integrated combos and see which you prefer.

Since you have said stereo is the most important thing, you needn't get hung up on all the Japanese manufacturer's list of badges on the front of their amps. Most of the pre/power brands that have been mentioned in this thread are British or American (I think) and so aren't necessarily right on top the latest HD this or that.

Remember you can get a stack of advice on here, but it's your money and your ears, so go treat yourself to some auditions. FWIW, my local Audio Ex have always been very accommodating (and patient!!).

 

[RCduck7]

My budget would be about 2000 euro.

This is for my music and home cinema needs.

This receiver got me also intrested as i have read very good things for it's price/quality....

(Got the link from a dutch forum)

http://www.dvd.nl/forum/showthread.php?t=49234

There's not much written about this receiver and only few stock these amps which got me wondering if this would be a good match for wharfedale speakers.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

I am working on a similar solution. Best solution is finding a good stereo AMP that has theater bypass function and connect it to an A/V processor. Then when you are watching something in surround sound the stereo component just works as an amp for the front channels (Anthem MCA225 power amp + Anthem AVM 70 a/V processor for example). I cant afford that solution yet, so I was recommended looking into Athem MRX (740) or Sony ES series as an AV receiver that can do a decent job with the front channels as a stereo solution. Down the road I might be able to add the AMP and hopefully it will pair with whatever receiver I end up getting.

Right now I have a Yamaha TSR 6750, not sure if that predates your Yamaha or what.

This thread is 16 years old - there is no point in dredging up such threads...

 

[Friesiansam]

This thread is 16 years old - there is no point in dredging up such threads...

Good for winding up mods though!

 

[martois]

Good for winding up mods though!

I post a thread asking a question about set up. Mods: This has already been discussed, find the other threads.
I find the other thread to discuss. Modes: This is an old thread, no point in bringing it up again.

I will get the hang of it eventually...

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

I post a thread asking a question about set up. Mods: This has already been discussed, find the other threads.
I find the other thread to discuss. Modes: This is an old thread, no point in bringing it up again.

I will get the hang of it eventually...

There's no point in giving guidance (which it seems your post was primarily doing) on an ancient thread.