I bought a Marantz Hifi amp and AVR that can be used together via power amp direct mode. I go from 5.2 surround to 2.0 analog with the press of a button and it's great.
@@arisg9857 PM8005 and NR1506 is what I have, but there are newer models now. The amp and AVR are connected with a simple red and white RCA. The front speaker wire goes to the amp and all other speaker wire goes to the AVR plus subs.
@@arisg9857 It looks like the 6006 does not support power amp direct mode. The 8006 does, but it costs more. To offset the high price of the 8006, you could get a cheaper AVR. The NR1506 I have was $500 for 5.2 capability.
@@Music.Movies.67in general that is true but that doesn't mean a $300 Sony stereo receiver is gonna sound better than a $3000+ receiver, especially like denon/marantz or Integra flagship AVRs
I found using the Direct setting on my Yamaha AVR made a huge improvement over the processed filters. I use Tidal and most of the master music comes out in 2.1 and sounds decent enough. I played around for weeks using the different field effects and they all sounded horrible. Switching to Direct was a night and day. I'm generally satisfied now.
You can do this with any preamp, I have a passive preamp for 2 channel, and when I want to watch a movie I simple swtich the input on the passive and turn the volume up to max (no attenuation) and control the volume with my AVR.
I'm trying to figure this out myself. Your way works (which I was thinking to do too) but have a "Home Theater Bypass" feature like the one on the Parasound preamp ensures that when you go back to selecting a normal input source on it , it will not play full blast if you forgot to turn the volume back down. The Parasound 'sfeature will also bypass its built in X-overs so that if you only you HT Receiver's X-over settings are being used. So basically it just makes it more convenient.
Mine sure is a lot simpler than this. Admittedly not as hi-fi either. But it sure ain't lo-fi. All sources go into a Marantz SR6015 with the front right and left preamp outs going to a Marantz MM7025 that feed the front towers. The sub is set for LFE + Main so the subs work based on crossover alone in 2-channel. For the 7.2.2, the 2-channel amp still power the front left and right and the AVR powers the rest. Mostly I don't change the mode in the AVR for 2 channel. But if I want to get snooty, like when I play vinyl for instance, I can throw the AVR in pure direct where it shuts down unnecessary AVR processing and even the display to eliminate interference. You have to listen pretty hard and utter words like chocolately and smooth and effortless or whatever you've heard Andrew use to convince yourself you hear a difference.
We need a lot more discussion about setting up a living room for viewing and listening. How about an update incorporating marantz nr1200 or onkyo tx8390. I think front centre speakers are incompatible with tv and that tv's are often set too high for comfortable viewing. Front centre speakers are simply in the way of the viewer and who needs 'em?
Cool man Im looking for a sound setup for music AND movies I’ve decided on the Cambridge CXA61 for my amplifier and I will accompany that with a Cambridge CNX100 network streamer Now my problem is. Choosing the speakers? And whether or not it would be better to add a subwoofer for watching movies or not? One thing I know is that I DEFINITELY do not want any surround sound speakers. Just good old stereo with great detail and crisp response Any idea for speakers anyone?? Thanks and keep up the great work dude! 💪🏻🇬🇧
There is no need for stereo amp or bypassing or other complicated settings or wires... I think that the difference between a multichannel AVR and a stereo/power amp is their DAC, regarding the signal processing. The only thing what is a MUST to have Hi-Fi experience with your home theatre, is the pure direct mode in your AVR and an external stereo DAC, of course... I've hooked up an ifi Zen DAC V2 to my Denon X2500H and I have not a 2.0 but a 2.1 (or 2.2 if you have more subs) sound, because even the subwoofer is working in this setup. The DAC is powered by my PC via USB at 5V, so there is no additional power consumption if you want to listen Hi-Fi music, not mentioning that an external DAC is even way more cheaper than an additional amp. The music processing is done by the DAC, the AVR is used just as an amp in pure direct mode and you get a true Hi-Fi experience in the same home theatre room with (allmost) the same equipment. Cheers :D
That’s what I was thinking also. The better the AVR’S DAC, the better the 2 Channel Pure Direct Mode experience will be. In my set up the Fronts are my best sounding speakers for music. I will be amplifying the fronts later this year so I can drive the fronts a little harder at 4 Ohms.
I've also faced the same dilemma and opted to use an external phono preamp into a Behringer Ultragraph Pro EQ and a vintage DBX 3BX Dynamic Range Expander - using one of the AUX inputs on my Pioneer VSX LX505 (the internal phono preamp sucks) that way I have the option of different sound modes. But this is strictly for use of my turntable all my digital media can be streamed via PLEX and my NVIDIA Shield TV Pro. Not that complicated!
I am building a new room. For home theatre a receiver is powering all in wall speakers. (5.2.4). For 2 channel I have a separate System and two towers. The common bond will be the subs. Two Rel’s. For HT it is using the LFE Inputs and for 2 channel it is using the high level inputs. Called REL and they said this works perfectly with their subs
Hello, great video, I'm thinking about the same thing right now, but my english is not that good. How exactly did you connect the speakers and the two amplifiers? I have an onkyo TX-NR656 and a Technics SA-GX200 my speakers are Magnat Tempus 77,22,33. So I'm more on the budget side 🤣. Can you please help me and tell me how to connect this up?
Thank you so much for explaining this process for me! I’m currently running an Onkyo AVR for my 5.1 & now looking for an integrated amplifier to run my floorstanders in stereo mode! What stereo amplifiers have that HT Bypass mode that i can use with my Onkyo TX-NR828?
Hi! Thanks for the informative video. If I only have 1 subwoofer and I would like to use that for 2Ch listening as well, how should I go about doing it? As far as I can tell, the subwoofer would be connected to the AVR, and during 2CH playback it won't be active?
1) Connect AVR LFE out to LFE in on sub. 2) Connect L and R speaker outputs of stereo amp to left and right "high level" or "speaker level" inputs on sub.
If your working on a tighter budget or fairly inexperienced like myself I found a simple audio switching box works really well. All you need to buy is the box and an extra set of speaker cables if you already have a 2 channel amp and the home theatre amp that is! (which I did) then it's just a case of flicking a switch left when watching a movie or right for music. And there is no noticeable difference in sound quality Hope this helps someone with smaller budgets, cheers for the video very informative👍
Thanks Jerome. We have done a video talking about the Accuphase Integrated line up not too long ago. Should be pretty easy to find on our channels home page. Once you’ve heard Acc you don’t go Bacc!
my stereo system is a rotel 01 amp and now mission MX1 speakers these speakers are great with a 10 inch KEV sub to. but it just streams music from BBC Sounds mostly.
I always thought by hitting Direct on my Yamaha receiver it turned it into pure stereo or 2.1. Didn't realise it was still being processed. Good to know, cheers mate
I grew up listening to stereo music however when streaming music now I prefer to use multichannel mode not stereo mode because I think it sounds better.
Probably because your listening to music through a Home theatre amp which in stereo mode sound boring and lifeless compared to an actual stereo Amplifier.
I have a Parasound p5, which is a 2.1 with analog high/low filters and HT bypass , works well. Only way to get analog from a receiver is without a sub since the crossover is digital. I think that NAD makes a 2.1 also.
Thanks for the tutorial James, I have been toying with the idea of getting a separate stereo receiver to connect to my av receiver. Some say electricity is all the same and there wouldn’t be a difference in sound quality.
Some, in fact most, are wrong. Saying "its all just electricity is like saying chicken and beef "are all just meat". Trust your instincts and go with what YOU think sounds best. If one amp makes you smile more thats the one you should go for.
John Smith do you think adding a power amp to my Onkyo tx-sr 705 av reciever that’s 100 watts by 2 at 20hz to 20khz would help my speakers. They sound great up to about 90dbs then crash and burn. The reason I’d like to keep the receiver is I have a r2r and Cass deck I use at times and yes I also have a node 2i. The reciever has all the connection’s I need. I just think that my receiver don’t probably push my speakers at louder volumes, the speakers power range are 20 to 250 watts
Hi James, early on the video you mentioned that even yamaha receivers would force the dolby process for the "usual stereo sources". Don't they have an effect off option as the "old DSP-A1" have? Best Regards and Thanks for the video.
With pretty much all AV receivers that have a "pure" or direct mode button, usually what is happening here is when that button is hit, it disables all the audio settings and returns everything to flat or default settings. This doesnt mean the Audio physically bypasses the Analogue to Digital convertor, the Dolby chip or the Digital to analogue convertor. It just doesnt apply any effect to the signal after its gone through that process. So the signal from a record player when plugged into a surround sound processor gets digitised, decoded and then undigitised back into analogue before it even hits the dsp or the eq. It is this process that strips the music of life and clarity and leaves it sounding stale and plane.
@@SoundlineAudioNewZealand Hi James, thanks for your detailed reply. Since I am currently using my DSP-A1 as my preamp (it is still a really versatil piece of gear), I decided to read the manuals further searching for possible workarounds this issue. I came across the external decoder functionality which allows me to bypass the ADC and DAC convertions. Off course this solution causes a hassle as it limits to just one input. For the time being I can handle the extra cable connecting and un connecting task if I want to change source. Going through its service manual, I am under the impression that the effect off option would bypass the ADC and DAC convertions as per page 13. BR, André
Thanks for the video. And I have a question for experts. I have both stereo and video amplifiers. Every time I need to unplug and switch to other outputs banana plugs. Instead of this may I use it like; diagonal connecton. Stereo black to top and red to below. and black jumper black below and red to upper red. And for the video amp; I am going to change bananas to spade and black below right on the jumper and red upper right on red jumper. If I do not turn on same time may I use them without unplugging anymore? Secondly, will there be a quality loss?Please need your assistance...
16:10 no you can't use an App on the phone. The microphone in any phone passes through processing and you can't really tell if it's 60db or 70db. Accuracy will be so low that it won't be viable. Also those mic clip early. Even at 75db i wouldn't trust a phone for this job. The most expensive db meters have an accuracy of +-2db, so ... just don't use your phone.
i read that the NAD c368 can also do this. but u just need to set the volume output in the integrated NAD to fixed? was wondering if u have ever tried this? ty
Hey James, hows it going. As always, your videos are informative and detailed. Your expertise in all areas of audio is incendiary. I only wish you could expand you hands on services here. But unfortunately the distance to Los Angeles is just too far.
Hi. It must have cost a fortune to set up your cinema room & Dolby Atmos system? I'm a pensioner with a 5.1 Pioneer AV Receiver, with 20+ year old bookshelf Sony speakers & surround speakers. The sound is superb for the TV & DVD films that we watch. The Blu-ray player is used for my CD collection. I just select "pure direct" and no digital processing takes place. All signal processing is bypassed. The CD's sound really, really good.
Music sounds best through just two speakers without subs because all floor standing speakers and even some bookshelf ones are designed to be full range and produce their own bass. There are ways to properly integrate subwoofers into stereo systems but most people dont do this. They usually just slap a sub on the back and turn it up to where they think it sounds good.
Thanks for the video just what I've been looking for. So when the arcam is in PM the AVR will then takeover the volume for the fronts as well as the surround, do I have that correct?
Correct! It essentially turns the integrated amp into a power amp, meaning its relying on the AVR to attenuate and control the level of the signal going to it.
Now you need some calibration for stereo into surround sound, who listens to stereo with dolby pro logic in it stereo sounds good only on earbud headphone or earphone.
My Panasonic 5.1 surround sound receiver plays music just fine. All I feel is missing is a bit more treble. What is sound perfection? It's totally subjective.
Hi James, i discover your RUclips Chaine today. i'm french and don't speak so well English. but, i understand enough to say that your advices are really interesting for the beginner i am. That's why i'm now subscribed to your chaine. i've got a Roksan k2 integrated amp as preamp and a Hegel H30 power amplifier. i plan to build a room with home theater and Hifi too. So i will buy a marantz AV with 5 speakers and change my integrated amp for a real preamp. i will use the front speakers for the Hifi stereo. The sources are only CD player with network and phono for the hifi. Blueray for the home theater. Is it possible to connect all the appliances to use both Hifi and Home theater, in the same room ? Thank you for your answer;
Hi Bobby Yes you can do it if you connect your front speakers, cd player and phono to your rocksan the way you normally would and then connect the front pre outputs from the marantz to the bypass input on the rocksan and set the switch to bypass, this will setup the rocksan to be a power amp for the marantz home theatre and allow it to still be a regular stereo amp for the hifi stuff.
Thank you for your answer, but how can i do if i want to use the power of my H30 for stéréo mode? Actually the Hegel power amp uses the Roksan as a preamp. I just want to add the marantz AV with surround speakers also.
If your AV amp can’t handle music well, that is a massive, massive design flaw. This video says it’s due to applying dolby decoding to all channels, but many amps provide a direct mode to bypass all processing. Surely that’s a more sensible solution?
The 'direct' or 'pure' button on all AV receivers, doesnt turn off the dolby decoding circuit, it just sets all the audio settings to defualt, i.e. no eq, subwoofer, time correction or levelling. You can prove this to yourself by watching a movie that will be encoded in dolby digital, and then turn ing on that direct mode. The sound will still come out of all the speakers which means it is decoding the signal. If the decoder was turned off, there would be no sound.
In this video we have Sonus Faber Sonetto VIIIs at the front, Sonetto I's at the sides, Sonetto III's at the rear and a Sonetto Centre II. We also have 4 Sonance VP86 in ceiling speakers for heights and 2 JL Audio E112 Active Subwoofers.
No only one set of speaker wires going from the front speakers to the integrated amp. RCAs then from AVR to a Fixable line level input on the Integrated AMP
Pre and power combos do generally sound better as they are usually a more high end pair of components. If your pre-amp has a main in or bypass mode on it, you can still use the room for both functions as I have done in the video. Surround processor goes into Preamp bypass input, and main out of preamp goes to inputs on mono-block power amps.
@@SoundlineAudioNewZealand I get that but I guess what I meant was is the subwoofer included in the 2 channel or does it only include the two front speakers?
@@2cool0 The sub(s) don't play during stereo playback, unless you connect them with a speaker wire from the stereo amp to the speaker level inputs on the sub(s). There are no additional buttons to press when going between stereo audio and AVR audio.
i dont see why you need a seperate amp if you already have a a multi channel amplifier that will power all the speakers ? is it because the audio becomes processed on the AVR ? or is there not enough power to drive the front speakers properly is it because of Class A / B Or Class D Systems ? what happens if you select 2 channel mode on your AVR?
You're pretty much there. The reason I did this is because of a couple of reasons. Yes music becomes processed on AVRs and this often takes the life and dynamic range out of the music. And yes the other reason is the Class of Amp. This AVR has more than enough power to drive those Speakers and the output of this amp is class A/B (Technically class G), but this is an $11,000 AV Receiver, and most home theatre receivers like Yamaha, Pioneer, Onkyo, Marantz etc are Class D, another technology that deteriorates sound quality. So by having your music passing through an unprocessed class A/B integrated amplifier, rather than a heavily processed class D amplifier, you drastically improve overall musical sound quality. either that or you have two rooms with two sets of speakers, one for surround sound, one for stereo. But this is a luxury not everyone has.
@@caraudioetc So if i select "Direct" that should bypass everything and go the amp itself, it still gets processed and then deprocessed back to stereo ? WHAT?
Direct Bypass's the Equaliser and cross overs + any other effects the AVR would have, but it doesnt bypass the Surround sound Decoder which is the issue. If you were on HDMI and hit direct, it would still decode the information into how ever many surround sound channels the content is encoded in. And unfortunately even the Analogue inputs in the amp still go through this first. Direct or pure is basically like turning processing features off or Flat, but it doesn't bypass them. If you listen to a CD on AN AVR in full direct pure mode and then listen to it through a 2ch amp of similar power by the same manufacturer, the 2ch amp will sound HEAPS better and more musical.
Speaker switches are one more thing to introduce noise into the system. Generally speaking they are not made very well (certainly not to the same quality as hifi equipment), and in my experience they just ruin the sound from both devices.
You failed to mention using pure direct mode on avr's bro, which cuts out ALL processing and uses the 2 channel dacs on the avr...and YES, avr's these days ARE good for music, the real reason for using an external amp for home theatre is to increase either power for your system, or adding channels! Maybe you should stick to car audio, and leave home theatre to us who know...
I contemplated trying this. But I wonder is this going to degrade your movie experience? So you’re using the preouts on the avr to send signal into another amplifier. To me that is adding too many strands in the chain. Of course the avr can adjust using gain and delay to compensate for the other channels but what are you really achieving here besides selling two different units? Lol. I would think if by chance you have different model amplifiers, or even worse different brands of amplifiers this would alter the sound characteristics of your left and right speaker compared to all your other speakers. More importantly the center. I thought the gold standard would be to have matching LCR and the same power as well... and if anything in todays day of multi channel audio, why not let the avr or pre pro do it’s thing? Just a thought.
The main left and right signal will be directed to either an external amp or to an internal amp, so there is no additional amp. Usually a similarly priced separate amp specs superior to the amps in an AVR. The suggested method does route your signal through an additional preamp (can be a separate or an integrated), but in Home Theater mode (by whatever name) all preamp functions are bypassed so there is no audible signal degradation.
I don't know a lot about these things, but as I see it you can't just connect it to ANY HOME THEATRE RECEIVER like you say. I watched several videos before this one and they all said the receiver must have pre-amp. Now when you said "any receiver" you made my day... until 5 minutes later when you did exactly what all the others did: you connected the 2ch system to the PRE-AMP connection of the receiver, which a lot of them don't have. I have a Denon AVR-S970H, not a bank breaking monster but still a recent receiver with 8K and Dolby Atmos... Well, it does NOT have pre-amp. So while still a useful video for others, I just watched a useless video with an unnecessary explanation of your layout and a summary of your expensive gear, all for nothing as I can't install it that way.
Sorry to have wasted your time. I have only ever seen a lack of a basic preamp on very cheap receivers and didn’t think those types of owners would be going to the length of spending more money on an additional hifi amplifier.
@@SoundlineAudioNewZealand "those types of owners"? They're not living under a bridge, or beg for hand outs you know. And if you consider €800 receivers "very cheap", maybe your channel of 'teaching' people to connect stuff is not reaching the public you aim for. You're talking to people who let their secretary call a Hi-Fi guy, people who grow calluses just thinking about manual labor.
Lots off rubish. You can select sour reciever to bypass any digital decoders like dolby digital, dts, etc....I use a reciever for listening to music and it is just fine. I even compared it with many stereo amps from Marantz, NAD etc....al the way to Classe and it sounded just fine.
If you enjoy the sound your AV receiver puts out then there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone has different tastes and desires from their music. What matters to some people wont to others. This is just one of the things that can make a difference if you are chasing the ultimate sound quality.
Kinda confusing to me... SIGH... Would be so much simpler if he shows on a hand sketched diagram first, how to incorporate Home Theater BYPASS between an integrated amp for HT an integrated amp for 2 channel stereo.. Ideally, I would like to use same front left and front right speakers for both HT (using HT integrated amp) and Stereo listening (using stereo integrated amp). Curious where sources for stereo ONLY listening would be hooked up to...
@@saylormdx2 Makes perfect sense.. This video was just so confusing to me !!! I think the point is to make sure the stereo pre-amp section is TURNED OFF and one uses the Home Theater Pre-AMP to control the volume etc. Don't want too much gain by double pre-amp'ing ! Got it ! Thx.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I bought a Marantz Hifi amp and AVR that can be used together via power amp direct mode. I go from 5.2 surround to 2.0 analog with the press of a button and it's great.
Wow how did you do and what Marantz do you have? I'm thinking to boost my av sony str930 receiver adding a 2 channel power amp to it, cheers
@@arisg9857 PM8005 and NR1506 is what I have, but there are newer models now. The amp and AVR are connected with a simple red and white RCA. The front speaker wire goes to the amp and all other speaker wire goes to the AVR plus subs.
@@HeavyMetalSonicRM I bet that it sounds great! Thanks for your reply 👍
@@HeavyMetalSonicRM if I get the Marantz pm6006, do you think that's going to work ok?
@@arisg9857 It looks like the 6006 does not support power amp direct mode. The 8006 does, but it costs more.
To offset the high price of the 8006, you could get a cheaper AVR. The NR1506 I have was $500 for 5.2 capability.
The Dolby or dts upmixers are optional. Most receivers have a stereo, direct or straight, and pure direct.
Even using on a AV Receiver Stereo, Direct, Pure Direct, Straight, still does not sound as good as using a Stereo Amp for 2ch music playback
@@Music.Movies.67in general that is true but that doesn't mean a $300 Sony stereo receiver is gonna sound better than a $3000+ receiver, especially like denon/marantz or Integra flagship AVRs
Hi James. I am in the process of setting up my man cave and have thought about these very issues. Thank you for another insightful video
I found using the Direct setting on my Yamaha AVR made a huge improvement over the processed filters. I use Tidal and most of the master music comes out in 2.1 and sounds decent enough. I played around for weeks using the different field effects and they all sounded horrible. Switching to Direct was a night and day. I'm generally satisfied now.
how do you connect the subs?
You can do this with any preamp, I have a passive preamp for 2 channel, and when I want to watch a movie I simple swtich the input on the passive and turn the volume up to max (no attenuation) and control the volume with my AVR.
I'm trying to figure this out myself. Your way works (which I was thinking to do too) but have a "Home Theater Bypass" feature like the one on the Parasound preamp ensures that when you go back to selecting a normal input source on it , it will not play full blast if you forgot to turn the volume back down. The Parasound 'sfeature will also bypass its built in X-overs so that if you only you HT Receiver's X-over settings are being used. So basically it just makes it more convenient.
Mine sure is a lot simpler than this. Admittedly not as hi-fi either. But it sure ain't lo-fi. All sources go into a Marantz SR6015 with the front right and left preamp outs going to a Marantz MM7025 that feed the front towers. The sub is set for LFE + Main so the subs work based on crossover alone in 2-channel. For the 7.2.2, the 2-channel amp still power the front left and right and the AVR powers the rest. Mostly I don't change the mode in the AVR for 2 channel. But if I want to get snooty, like when I play vinyl for instance, I can throw the AVR in pure direct where it shuts down unnecessary AVR processing and even the display to eliminate interference. You have to listen pretty hard and utter words like chocolately and smooth and effortless or whatever you've heard Andrew use to convince yourself you hear a difference.
We need a lot more discussion about setting up a living room for viewing and listening. How about an update incorporating marantz nr1200 or onkyo tx8390. I think front centre speakers are incompatible with tv and that tv's are often set too high for comfortable viewing. Front centre speakers are simply in the way of the viewer and who needs 'em?
Cool man
Im looking for a sound setup for music AND movies
I’ve decided on the
Cambridge CXA61 for my amplifier and I will accompany that with a Cambridge CNX100 network streamer
Now my problem is. Choosing the speakers?
And whether or not it would be better to add a subwoofer for watching movies or not?
One thing I know is that I DEFINITELY do not want any surround sound speakers. Just good old stereo with great detail and crisp response
Any idea for speakers anyone??
Thanks and keep up the great work dude! 💪🏻🇬🇧
There is no need for stereo amp or bypassing or other complicated settings or wires...
I think that the difference between a multichannel AVR and a stereo/power amp is their DAC, regarding the signal processing.
The only thing what is a MUST to have Hi-Fi experience with your home theatre, is the pure direct mode in your AVR and an external stereo DAC, of course...
I've hooked up an ifi Zen DAC V2 to my Denon X2500H and I have not a 2.0 but a 2.1 (or 2.2 if you have more subs) sound, because even the subwoofer is working in this setup.
The DAC is powered by my PC via USB at 5V, so there is no additional power consumption if you want to listen Hi-Fi music, not mentioning that an external DAC is even way more cheaper than an additional amp.
The music processing is done by the DAC, the AVR is used just as an amp in pure direct mode and you get a true Hi-Fi experience in the same home theatre room with (allmost) the same equipment.
Cheers :D
That’s what I was thinking also. The better the AVR’S DAC, the better the 2 Channel Pure Direct Mode experience will be. In my set up the Fronts are my best sounding speakers for music. I will be amplifying the fronts later this year so I can drive the fronts a little harder at 4 Ohms.
Excellent video James!
I didnt know you where in home audio now. well done
Since March 2018 Thanks
I've also faced the same dilemma and opted to use an external phono preamp into a Behringer Ultragraph Pro EQ and a vintage DBX 3BX Dynamic Range Expander - using one of the AUX inputs on my Pioneer VSX LX505 (the internal phono preamp sucks) that way I have the option of different sound modes. But this is strictly for use of my turntable all my digital media can be streamed via PLEX and my NVIDIA Shield TV Pro. Not that complicated!
Same question. If i have a Rel t9i sub, how do i connect the sub for music and HT?
I am building a new room. For home theatre a receiver is powering all in wall speakers. (5.2.4). For 2 channel I have a separate System and two towers.
The common bond will be the subs. Two Rel’s. For HT it is using the LFE Inputs and for 2 channel it is using the high level inputs.
Called REL and they said this works perfectly with their subs
Hello, great video, I'm thinking about the same thing right now, but my english is not that good. How exactly did you connect the speakers and the two amplifiers? I have an onkyo TX-NR656 and a Technics SA-GX200 my speakers are Magnat Tempus 77,22,33. So I'm more on the budget side 🤣. Can you please help me and tell me how to connect this up?
Thank you so much for explaining this process for me! I’m currently running an Onkyo AVR for my 5.1 & now looking for an integrated amplifier to run my floorstanders in stereo mode! What stereo amplifiers have that HT Bypass mode that i can use with my Onkyo TX-NR828?
Thanks so much for this! Well done!
Great ! But I want to hear my subs too. Is it possible 2.2 ?
Bro you move from car audio to home theater? Cool stuff
Hi! Thanks for the informative video. If I only have 1 subwoofer and I would like to use that for 2Ch listening as well, how should I go about doing it? As far as I can tell, the subwoofer would be connected to the AVR, and during 2CH playback it won't be active?
1) Connect AVR LFE out to LFE in on sub. 2) Connect L and R speaker outputs of stereo amp to left and right "high level" or "speaker level" inputs on sub.
On Onkyo and Yamaha the sub is included into stereo circuit. For true 2channel listening you would select Pure Direct(Yam) or Pure Audio(Onkyo).
If your working on a tighter budget or fairly inexperienced like myself I found a simple audio switching box works really well. All you need to buy is the box and an extra set of speaker cables if you already have a 2 channel amp and the home theatre amp that is! (which I did) then it's just a case of flicking a switch left when watching a movie or right for music. And there is no noticeable difference in sound quality Hope this helps someone with smaller budgets, cheers for the video very informative👍
That was great! Do a video on the Accuphase integrated amplifiers the hard to demo where I am
Thanks Jerome. We have done a video talking about the Accuphase Integrated line up not too long ago. Should be pretty easy to find on our channels home page. Once you’ve heard Acc you don’t go Bacc!
Thanks will do
my stereo system is a rotel 01 amp and now mission MX1 speakers these speakers are great with a 10 inch KEV sub to. but it just streams music from BBC Sounds mostly.
Good stuff, thanks!
I always thought by hitting Direct on my Yamaha receiver it turned it into pure stereo or 2.1. Didn't realise it was still being processed. Good to know, cheers mate
Dunno about Yamaha, but for Denon pure direct mode eliminates all processing
@John Smith thanks!
I grew up listening to stereo music however when streaming music now I prefer to use multichannel mode not stereo mode because I think it sounds better.
Probably because your listening to music through a Home theatre amp which in stereo mode sound boring and lifeless compared to an actual stereo Amplifier.
Good video, thank you! How do you integrate the subwoofers into the 2 channel and HT applications simultaneously?
I have a Parasound p5, which is a 2.1 with analog high/low filters and HT bypass , works well. Only way to get analog from a receiver is without a sub since the crossover is digital. I think that NAD makes a 2.1 also.
See my post above. I used to wonder this myself until I read the answer in Stereophile.
Thanks for the tutorial James, I have been toying with the idea of getting a separate stereo receiver to connect to my av receiver. Some say electricity is all the same and there wouldn’t be a difference in sound quality.
Some, in fact most, are wrong.
Saying "its all just electricity is like saying chicken and beef "are all just meat".
Trust your instincts and go with what YOU think sounds best. If one amp makes you smile more thats the one you should go for.
John Smith do you think adding a power amp to my Onkyo tx-sr 705 av reciever that’s 100 watts by 2 at 20hz to 20khz would help my speakers. They sound great up to about 90dbs then crash and burn. The reason I’d like to keep the receiver is I have a r2r and Cass deck I use at times and yes I also have a node 2i. The reciever has all the connection’s I need. I just think that my receiver don’t probably push my speakers at louder volumes, the speakers power range are 20 to 250 watts
I am trying to figure out how to use Apple TV as my full and only streamer. I have it connected to my AVR but I suspey
Hi James, early on the video you mentioned that even yamaha receivers would force the dolby process for the "usual stereo sources". Don't they have an effect off option as the "old DSP-A1" have?
Best Regards and Thanks for the video.
With pretty much all AV receivers that have a "pure" or direct mode button, usually what is happening here is when that button is hit, it disables all the audio settings and returns everything to flat or default settings. This doesnt mean the Audio physically bypasses the Analogue to Digital convertor, the Dolby chip or the Digital to analogue convertor. It just doesnt apply any effect to the signal after its gone through that process.
So the signal from a record player when plugged into a surround sound processor gets digitised, decoded and then undigitised back into analogue before it even hits the dsp or the eq. It is this process that strips the music of life and clarity and leaves it sounding stale and plane.
@@SoundlineAudioNewZealand Hi James, thanks for your detailed reply. Since I am currently using my DSP-A1 as my preamp (it is still a really versatil piece of gear), I decided to read the manuals further searching for possible workarounds this issue.
I came across the external decoder functionality which allows me to bypass the ADC and DAC convertions. Off course this solution causes a hassle as it limits to just one input. For the time being I can handle the extra cable connecting and un connecting task if I want to change source.
Going through its service manual, I am under the impression that the effect off option would bypass the ADC and DAC convertions as per page 13.
BR,
André
@@SoundlineAudioNewZealand how do you get subwoofers in for stereo listening ?
Thanks for the video. And I have a question for experts. I have both stereo and video amplifiers. Every time I need to unplug and switch to other outputs banana plugs. Instead of this may I use it like; diagonal connecton. Stereo black to top and red to below. and black jumper black below and red to upper red. And for the video amp; I am going to change bananas to spade and black below right on the jumper and red upper right on red jumper. If I do not turn on same time may I use them without unplugging anymore? Secondly, will there be a quality loss?Please need your assistance...
Definitely do no try to hook both of the speaker outputs of two different amps up to one pair of speakers. You could damage your amplifiers.
16:10 no you can't use an App on the phone.
The microphone in any phone passes through processing and you can't really tell if it's 60db or 70db. Accuracy will be so low that it won't be viable. Also those mic clip early. Even at 75db i wouldn't trust a phone for this job.
The most expensive db meters have an accuracy of +-2db, so ... just don't use your phone.
I agree with you, but you know what people are like.
How did you connect center channel to the integrated amp with only left and right speakers outs?
Center channel is still connected to the home theatre receiver.
You don’t use the center channel when listening to Hifi music, only for theatre.
hello James so what do you like NAD and this amp is very good amp to music and home theatre too so what you think thanks ???
Can the Roxan streaming amp work like this
i read that the NAD c368 can also do this. but u just need to set the volume output in the integrated NAD to fixed?
was wondering if u have ever tried this? ty
Haven't tried but yes I think is should work.
Hey James, hows it going. As always, your videos are informative and detailed. Your expertise in all areas of audio is incendiary. I only wish you could expand you hands on services here. But unfortunately the distance to Los Angeles is just too far.
Hi. It must have cost a fortune to set up your cinema room & Dolby Atmos system? I'm a pensioner with a 5.1 Pioneer AV Receiver, with 20+ year old bookshelf Sony speakers & surround speakers. The sound is superb for the TV & DVD films that we watch.
The Blu-ray player is used for my CD collection. I just select "pure direct" and no digital processing takes place. All signal processing is bypassed. The CD's sound really, really good.
What was the song from the record that was played?
Hi! Thanks for the video! Dont you need to power the subs for music to hit low hz?
Music sounds best through just two speakers without subs because all floor standing speakers and even some bookshelf ones are designed to be full range and produce their own bass. There are ways to properly integrate subwoofers into stereo systems but most people dont do this. They usually just slap a sub on the back and turn it up to where they think it sounds good.
This has made me think I should probably do a video on how to properly integrate subwoofers into hifi systems. Cheers
What was volume you set the SA30 in PM mode finally? i feel 40 level is pretty low. Thanks.
Set it whatever suits the preamplifier you're hooking up - try to level match with the other channels.
Thanks for the video just what I've been looking for.
So when the arcam is in PM the AVR will then takeover the volume for the fronts as well as the surround, do I have that correct?
Correct!
It essentially turns the integrated amp into a power amp, meaning its relying on the AVR to attenuate and control the level of the signal going to it.
@@SoundlineAudioNewZealand Thanks appreciate the help and the videos.
@@SoundlineAudioNewZealand , is it possible to get hifi monoblocks in the pré amp (hifi setup) and add it to the receiver ?
Now you need some calibration for stereo into surround sound, who listens to stereo with dolby pro logic in it stereo sounds good only on earbud headphone or earphone.
My Panasonic 5.1 surround sound receiver plays music just fine. All I feel is missing is a bit more treble. What is sound perfection? It's totally subjective.
Hi James, i discover your RUclips Chaine today. i'm french and don't speak so well English. but, i understand enough to say that your advices are really interesting for the beginner i am. That's why i'm now subscribed to your chaine. i've got a Roksan k2 integrated amp as preamp and a Hegel H30 power amplifier. i plan to build a room with home theater and Hifi too. So i will buy a marantz AV with 5 speakers and change my integrated amp for a real preamp. i will use the front speakers for the Hifi stereo. The sources are only CD player with network and phono for the hifi. Blueray for the home theater. Is it possible to connect all the appliances to use both Hifi and Home theater, in the same room ? Thank you for your answer;
Hi Bobby
Yes you can do it if you connect your front speakers, cd player and phono to your rocksan the way you normally would and then connect the front pre outputs from the marantz to the bypass input on the rocksan and set the switch to bypass, this will setup the rocksan to be a power amp for the marantz home theatre and allow it to still be a regular stereo amp for the hifi stuff.
Thank you for your answer, but how can i do if i want to use the power of my H30 for stéréo mode? Actually the Hegel power amp uses the Roksan as a preamp. I just want to add the marantz AV with surround speakers also.
candace Owens
I am glad not being a complete audiophile. I am just switching my Marantz AV Receiver from 7.2 to Stereo and it sounds nice for me
great video
Great video! Tnx ;)
If your AV amp can’t handle music well, that is a massive, massive design flaw. This video says it’s due to applying dolby decoding to all channels, but many amps provide a direct mode to bypass all processing. Surely that’s a more sensible solution?
The 'direct' or 'pure' button on all AV receivers, doesnt turn off the dolby decoding circuit, it just sets all the audio settings to defualt, i.e. no eq, subwoofer, time correction or levelling.
You can prove this to yourself by watching a movie that will be encoded in dolby digital, and then turn ing on that direct mode. The sound will still come out of all the speakers which means it is decoding the signal. If the decoder was turned off, there would be no sound.
@@SoundlineAudioNewZealand but what would it do on a non-encoded stereo channel?
What speakers do you have on this eleven channel system?
In this video we have Sonus Faber Sonetto VIIIs at the front, Sonetto I's at the sides, Sonetto III's at the rear and a Sonetto Centre II. We also have 4 Sonance VP86 in ceiling speakers for heights and 2 JL Audio E112 Active Subwoofers.
so you have 2 sets of speaker wires connected to the front speakers? 1 set from the avr and 1 set from the 2ch amp?
No only one set of speaker wires going from the front speakers to the integrated amp.
RCAs then from AVR to a Fixable line level input on the Integrated AMP
So the AVR never drives the L&R channels during a movie? The 2ch amp is always powering them?
@@jonathanpesek842 Yes. And as a result the surround and center channel amps deliver more power to their respective speakers as an added bonus!
Does this mean when watching a movie you are using the integrated amp to power the the front left and right?
Yes exactly!
Its a good setup for sure but I prefer proper dedicated monoblock power amps and a separate preamp and dac. Going to have to brain storm.
Pre and power combos do generally sound better as they are usually a more high end pair of components. If your pre-amp has a main in or bypass mode on it, you can still use the room for both functions as I have done in the video.
Surround processor goes into Preamp bypass input, and main out of preamp goes to inputs on mono-block power amps.
but if i use a 2 channel amp would it only play through two speakers?
you missed the part where i said the rest of the speakers are powered by the surround sound AV receiver.
@@SoundlineAudioNewZealand I get that but I guess what I meant was is the subwoofer included in the 2 channel or does it only include the two front speakers?
@@2cool0 The sub(s) don't play during stereo playback, unless you connect them with a speaker wire from the stereo amp to the speaker level inputs on the sub(s). There are no additional buttons to press when going between stereo audio and AVR audio.
i dont see why you need a seperate amp if you already have a a multi channel amplifier that will power all the speakers ? is it because the audio becomes processed on the AVR ? or is there not enough power to drive the front speakers properly is it because of Class A / B Or Class D Systems ? what happens if you select 2 channel mode on your AVR?
You're pretty much there. The reason I did this is because of a couple of reasons. Yes music becomes processed on AVRs and this often takes the life and dynamic range out of the music. And yes the other reason is the Class of Amp. This AVR has more than enough power to drive those Speakers and the output of this amp is class A/B (Technically class G), but this is an $11,000 AV Receiver, and most home theatre receivers like Yamaha, Pioneer, Onkyo, Marantz etc are Class D, another technology that deteriorates sound quality.
So by having your music passing through an unprocessed class A/B integrated amplifier, rather than a heavily processed class D amplifier, you drastically improve overall musical sound quality. either that or you have two rooms with two sets of speakers, one for surround sound, one for stereo. But this is a luxury not everyone has.
@@caraudioetc So if i select "Direct" that should bypass everything and go the amp itself, it still gets processed and then deprocessed back to stereo ? WHAT?
Quetzalcoalt ????
Direct Bypass's the Equaliser and cross overs + any other effects the AVR would have, but it doesnt bypass the Surround sound Decoder which is the issue. If you were on HDMI and hit direct, it would still decode the information into how ever many surround sound channels the content is encoded in. And unfortunately even the Analogue inputs in the amp still go through this first.
Direct or pure is basically like turning processing features off or Flat, but it doesn't bypass them.
If you listen to a CD on AN AVR in full direct pure mode and then listen to it through a 2ch amp of similar power by the same manufacturer, the 2ch amp will sound HEAPS better and more musical.
@@SoundlineAudioNewZealand understood! thanks for the info.
Cant you just use a speakers switch?
Speaker switches are one more thing to introduce noise into the system.
Generally speaking they are not made very well (certainly not to the same quality as hifi equipment), and in my experience they just ruin the sound from both devices.
They used to call that “Main In”
You failed to mention using pure direct mode on avr's bro, which cuts out ALL processing and uses the 2 channel dacs on the avr...and YES, avr's these days ARE good for music, the real reason for using an external amp for home theatre is to increase either power for your system, or adding channels! Maybe you should stick to car audio, and leave home theatre to us who know...
My answers to your questions are yes yes yes yes yes yes.
I contemplated trying this. But I wonder is this going to degrade your movie experience? So you’re using the preouts on the avr to send signal into another amplifier. To me that is adding too many strands in the chain. Of course the avr can adjust using gain and delay to compensate for the other channels but what are you really achieving here besides selling two different units? Lol. I would think if by chance you have different model amplifiers, or even worse different brands of amplifiers this would alter the sound characteristics of your left and right speaker compared to all your other speakers. More importantly the center. I thought the gold standard would be to have matching LCR and the same power as well... and if anything in todays day of multi channel audio, why not let the avr or pre pro do it’s thing? Just a thought.
The main left and right signal will be directed to either an external amp or to an internal amp, so there is no additional amp. Usually a similarly priced separate amp specs superior to the amps in an AVR. The suggested method does route your signal through an additional preamp (can be a separate or an integrated), but in Home Theater mode (by whatever name) all preamp functions are bypassed so there is no audible signal degradation.
I don't know a lot about these things, but as I see it you can't just connect it to ANY HOME THEATRE RECEIVER like you say. I watched several videos before this one and they all said the receiver must have pre-amp. Now when you said "any receiver" you made my day... until 5 minutes later when you did exactly what all the others did: you connected the 2ch system to the PRE-AMP connection of the receiver, which a lot of them don't have. I have a Denon AVR-S970H, not a bank breaking monster but still a recent receiver with 8K and Dolby Atmos... Well, it does NOT have pre-amp. So while still a useful video for others, I just watched a useless video with an unnecessary explanation of your layout and a summary of your expensive gear, all for nothing as I can't install it that way.
Sorry to have wasted your time. I have only ever seen a lack of a basic preamp on very cheap receivers and didn’t think those types of owners would be going to the length of spending more money on an additional hifi amplifier.
@@SoundlineAudioNewZealand "those types of owners"? They're not living under a bridge, or beg for hand outs you know. And if you consider €800 receivers "very cheap", maybe your channel of 'teaching' people to connect stuff is not reaching the public you aim for. You're talking to people who let their secretary call a Hi-Fi guy, people who grow calluses just thinking about manual labor.
interesting
1:24.. WRONG,WRONG WRONG.
Lots off rubish. You can select sour reciever to bypass any digital decoders like dolby digital, dts, etc....I use a reciever for listening to music and it is just fine. I even compared it with many stereo amps from Marantz, NAD etc....al the way to Classe and it sounded just fine.
If you enjoy the sound your AV receiver puts out then there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone has different tastes and desires from their music. What matters to some people wont to others. This is just one of the things that can make a difference if you are chasing the ultimate sound quality.
You can bypass balance and tone control functions but there is an analog to digital conversion and back again for input from analog sources.
That theatre room has a lot of echo.
Very echoy room that
Just my sensitive Mic.
Kinda confusing to me... SIGH... Would be so much simpler if he shows on a hand sketched diagram first, how to incorporate Home Theater BYPASS between an integrated amp for HT an integrated amp for 2 channel stereo.. Ideally, I would like to use same front left and front right speakers for both HT (using HT integrated amp) and Stereo listening (using stereo integrated amp). Curious where sources for stereo ONLY listening would be hooked up to...
...to the stereo preamp inputs.
@@saylormdx2 Makes perfect sense.. This video was just so confusing to me !!! I think the point is to make sure the stereo pre-amp section is TURNED OFF and one uses the Home Theater Pre-AMP to control the volume etc. Don't want too much gain by double pre-amp'ing ! Got it ! Thx.
Too long. You have to try to go straight to what the people want to know.