Bryston 3B ST with an AV Receiver?


I'm pretty new to high-end audio, but wanted to combine good components for 2-channel stereo with an AV receiver that I can use for home theater. I'm thinking about getting ProAc 1.5 speakers and a Bryston 3B-ST amp and was wondering if I could run that through a good AV receiver, to achieve overall convenience, without sacrificing sound quality. Am I making a mistake trying to do it this way? My goal is to have high quality 2-channel stereo and acceptable 5.1 surround sound with the fewest components and greatest ease of use possible. Thanks for the help.
scanlon1
You will receive very little benefit in your sound by going this way. You might as well just live with the 2-channel sound from your AV receiver until the time you can move up to a better quality pre-amp. The difference is HUGE. If possible, you should look for a good quality preamp/processor combo such as the Sony 9000ES series, Lexicon, B&W, Chiro, and the list goes on. I own Bryston amps and they are so good and so clean that anything less than a dedicated preamp will not let them shine.
You could start with an AV reciever and then add the amp if it has pre-amp outputs. I used a Harmon Kardon AV Rec. for a while to drive an Aragon amp. But when I purchased a Pre-amp the sound improved drastically. Most mass-market recievers will compromise the sound and certainly will not allow the Bryston to perform to its limits. I would suggest buying a decent preamp with a surround processor loop then you could add a lower priced processor.
I had the same problem. I have a Cyrus 2/PSX and wanted to keep it for 2 channel stereo. This is how I solved it. I purchased a Denon AVR 2800 for home theatre and ran the preouts for the front left and right to an input on the Cyrus 2 (Video in). I set the volume on the Cyrus once with the level utility in the Denon and marked the position. Now I listen to my Arcam CD player through the Cryus 2/PSX, as per normal, and when I want to watch movies I just switch the input on the Cryus to Video, set it to about eleven o'clock and away we go. Now I have the best of both worlds.
I did this exact thing. Bryston 3BST with a Marantz SR880. It sounded great. You'll notice a big improvement to your 5.1 surround, untill you upgrade further.