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First my equipment:
--sony 999es cd/sacd/dvd player
--pair of gibbon 8 (devore fidelity)
--svs 20-39pc+ subwoofer
--Unico (integrated 2 channel analog) amp by unison research...it
has NO HT bypass or anything...is a 2 channel analog integrated amp.
...it did recently have 2 full range preamp outputs installed to run my svs subwoofer at low line level via RCA.
...and my Sony flatscreen tv for HT.Here is my problem: i watch alot of music DVD (from Diana Krall, Norah Jones to Rush, Led Zeppelin) and so music quality is important, and many people say that when you listen to any or these in a GOOD 5.1 HT you'll never go back to 2 channel.
BUT i've heard that a good preamp processor is important for very good sound (ie, the expensive lexicon m8 or even the cheaper rotel
1068RSP...then you need a multichannel amp to drive the center and surrounds (i have a pair of older mission 731 pro bookshelf speakers for the rear...need to maybe get the gibbon matching 7.1 for center but it is expensive @ $1500....I am thinking of selling the whole shebang and just getting some bluesky active monitors (see www.abluesky.com)...say 5 of their 6.5 sats.
This whole area is a bit confusing to me: basically want something VERY musical for SACDS (my sony 999es was modded) but also great for Music/concert DVDs, too.
Any suggestions without having to go see my banker is appreciated!
Feel free to email me directly @ joseph.collins@telus.com
Joe
Vancouver BC
Follow Ups:
Hi,I had the same problem and came up with a really nice solution....
I connect my DVP-S999ES directly to a passive-pre (VPC-1 from Channel Island Audio) and from there to a PS Audio HCA-2 amp. When i want to use the system for HT, the digital out from SCD999ES goes to my Denon 3805 and the pre-outs for the front channels go to the 2nd input on the passive pre (which i completly de-attenuate)..... The output from the 999ES is high enough and the input impedence on the HCA-2 is perfect for a 10KOhm potentiometer....
I am currently taking this one step further.... CI Audio is modding my VPC-1 so that the input from the SACD player is attenuateable, yet once switched to the input from the receiver it acts as a direct pass-through and by-passes the attenuator.... perfect for those of us who want the minimalist approach to our 2 channel audio yet integrate the system into Home Theater...
Sam
Interesting.... Your equipment is very similar to mine. I'm using the older model Denon 3803 but for the L R channels I'm also using the PS Audio HCA-2. I have the matching PS Audio PCA-2 preamp which has a 'theater bypass' mode. The Denon receiver / PS Audio HCA-2 amp make a nice combo for very good HT performance and outstanding 2-channel.
Yeah, i would really like the PCA-2..... but the little passive pre i'm using really works well to drive the HCA-2 from the 999ES. I got the idea for the mod of the CIAudio VPC-1 from the HT Bypass Mode from the PCA2......I really like my setup now....
Sam
Hi Joe - I'm using a fairly basic setup for the 5.1 home theater while still enjoying outstanding two channel peformance. Think of it this way... You're integrating the home theater into your existing two channel setup, not the other way around. I'll admit that having a 'theater bypass' on your standard two channel analog preamp can make life a lot easier but some people simply set the volume control to a certain setting (on their 2-ch preamp) when going into home theater mode.I'm using my 2-channel power amp for the main L R front speakers and the amp section within my Denon 3803 receiver for driving the surround channels. And yes, even this setup sounds better than 2-channel for those concert DVD's. I usually prefer DTS over Dolby Digital when available on disc.
So, when in 'normal' two channel mode, I use my existing 2-channel preamp and main power amp. When in home theater mode, the 2-channel preamp is bypassed into the Denon receiver and the Denon controls the volume level of all the speakers.
I have about a dozen DVD concert videos and most of them sound a lot better in DTS/DD 5.1 vs 2-channel PCM stereo.... even with my 'mid-fi' home theater receiver.
I follow the method you cite whereby the tuner, tape deck, and TT all hook into my stereo pre-amp (Adcom 565) and the volume is set at 12:00 always and in turn runs into my NAD T-163 for volume control.
As I post below I listen to pure stereo in stereo and laserdiscs in DTS-Neo 6 matrix and DVDs in either DD EX 6.1 or (preferably, like you)in DTS EX 6.1.
I don't agree that 5.1 seduces you away from purist two channel stereo. Though my NAD pre/pro has all the current codecs (except Pro Logic IIx) I have concluded that as good as they are, nothing comes close to straight through two channel stereo.Having said that, for movies and music videos RECORDED in multi-channel sound, that is the way to go. For me, the most important thing is to have all the speakers identical or at least "voiced" the same way. Otherwise, movies especially suffer from a jarring discontinuity as pans move from one channel to another.
Continuing along this line, all speakers should be equi-distant from the listening/viewing position and be calibrated to the same 75 db level.
Of course these are ideals to be compromised and/or worked towards over time.
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