Questions from the Stone Age

[admin_exported]

The last time I bought hi fi equipment was about 20 years ago. I now want to replace my amplifier, so I bought September's What Hi Fi Sound and Vision. As I understand there are now 2 types of amplifiers. There are traditional hi fi amplifiers which only run 1 pair of speakers, which do not seem to appear in the magazine reviews or buying guides. Then there are AV Amplifiers/Receivers designed for home cinema, which do appear in the magazine.

I am interested in these because I may want to set up home cinema in the future, but for the moment I want an amplifier which will run my current equipment. This is an analogue vinyl record deck (has built in equalized amplifier - can be connected to system without phono turntable socket), an analogue tuner with FM/AM/Long Wave, a cassette deck, and a CD player, all connected by RCA phono plugs. I also have a media player connected wirelessly to my computer so I can play music files stored on the computer, and internet radio. The media player is connected to an HD ready LCD TV, and there is an audio out from the TV connected by RCA phono plugs to the video input (only one available) of my current amplifier.

I am interested in the Sony STR-DA1200ES and the Onkyo TX-SR605. I assume they both have headphone socklets. Here's the Stone Age bit - I cannot understand the language of home cinema so I cannot glean from either the reviews of these (p87) or the specs in the buying guide (p149) whether I can successfully connect my current equipment:

analogue vinyl record deck (can be connected to system without phono turntable socket)
analogue tuner
cassette deck
CD player
HD ready LCD TV audio out

Also, does What Hi Fi Sound and Vision not review standard hi fi amplifiers?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes, either of these receivers will allow you to connect all of your current equipment.

There was an eight-page test of stereo amplifiers in that September issue you bought, and the stereo amplifier listings in the Buying Guide started on page 127.

There's another group test of stereo amps in the current (November) issue of the magazine, as well as tests on the Naim SuperNAIT, Denon PMA-500AE, Cambridge Audio Azur 340A SE and Talk Electronics Cyclone 1.2 - all stereo amps.

So we're hardly ignoring them...

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that, Andrew.

I'm thinking of buying the Sony STR-DA1200ES. Another question has occurred to me. Initially I would be connecting the amp to only 2 stereo speakers, Tannoy M15s which are about 18 years old. Would this work? I downloaded the manual from the Sony site but it does not cover setting up with only 2 speakers. Would I just connect to the front speaker terminals on the amp, and would I lose any of the sound like this?

Thanks in advance for your answer.

 

[Andrew Everard]

No, not problems at all. You just set all the other speakers to 'none' and the receiver will downmix any multichannel stuff you throw at them.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Andrew Everard"]
You just set all the other speakers to 'none'

[/quote]

This is where the Campaign for Plain English needs to get heavily involved - not with you! - but with the people who write manuals for electronic equipment, which are notoriously indigestible. Reading them is like wading through treacle. I cannot find how to do set the other speakers to none in the Sony Manual.

I just want to make sure that if I buy the Sony I can set it up without a degree in electronics.