Newbie help needed!

[dtugarte]

Hi all,

I have been using my Hi-Fi for the last 2 years for TV and movies but have recently being watching a lot more movies due to subscribing to sky movies and have decided I would like to get my first surround sound system and will most likely be getting an Onkyo TX-SR608 receiver and Cambridge Audio minx speakers and sub. Due to a tight budget and also to keep things as tidy as possible I was hoping to connect the Onkyo receiver through a pre out to my Hi-Fi amp and use my Hi-Fi speakers as my fronts meaning only the centre and rear speakers would be the small minx speakers driven by the receiver. I would like to know if this will cause a distinct difference in sound between the front and rears/centre or would I be able to pull this set up off or would it be best to use minx speakers for fronts too and keep the Hi-Fi and home theatre systems separate? Would the sub be best connected to the amp pre out or the sub out on the receiver as i wouldn't mind using the sub for music as well? If best connected to the receiver how could I connect my Hi-Fi amp the sub as well as the receiver? Also the Onkyo amp puts out 160 watts per channel and the minx speakers can only take up to 75 watts will this cause a problem? :~

 

[Oldboy]

dtugarte,

Watch this: http://www.whathifi.com/video/how-to-add-hi-fi-to-your-home-cinema on this very site! Matching the acoustic signature of your speakers will be tough and you will probably notice a difference which has put me off from taking this approach but the video will cover all your questions rergarding the sub and reciever/amp.

 

[Anonymous]

the Onkyo amp puts out 160 watts per channel

From onkyousa.com:
Dynamic power:
240 W (3 ohms, 1 ch)
210 W (4 ohms, 1 ch)
120 W (8 ohms, 1 ch)

From eu.onkyo.com:
160 W/Ch at 6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 1 Channel Driven

All I'm saying is: please don't believe anything Onkyo has to say about their amps' power output, those figures are given by the marketing department, not their engineers. The amp actually can't go above 100W into 6Ohm when driving just two front speakers -- don't worry about driving 5 or 7.