Help with Lexicon MC1

hey guys i have a dc-1 and a proceed hpa-2 the proceed amp
has a switch(2 actually) that lets me choose between rca and balanced inputs could i not buy a proceed,levinson or wadia cd player with balanced outs and a volume control and bypass the lexicon completely by moving the switches on the amp from rca to balanced? Correct me if im wrong but dosent the dc-1, mc-1 convert all inputs to digital and have a digital volume control. some of the options above seem like they would be running the siginal from the source to the mc-1 where it gets digitized (with the poor lexicon dacs)then converted back to analog then sent on to a seperate preamp, by then has the damage not already been done? Im going to post this message as a seperate post because i would really like some clarification on this question.
Thanks Lee Ross
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for those of you reading this from the new post the original question was ask on 3-17 with the subject of
Help with Lexicon MC1

Do you have to use your preamp for watching tv? I prefer not to use my tube preamp for tv viewing to save the tubes. Is there another way to avoid using 2 sets of speaker cables.{what i'm doing now}?

I am dealing with the same dillemma. If you have a processor loop on your two channel preamp, it's easy. If you don't...I have done some research on it, and here's what I came up with:
Run the Left & Right channels of the HT Processor into an input on your two ch preamp.
When using the "home theater mode" select that input on your two ch preamp, and figure out with a spl meter what volume setting on your two channel equals the "no gain, no attenuation" setting (you will need to do this, because you will have two volume controls active: the one in the processor and the one in the two ch preamp, in an overlaping config.)
Mark the spot on your volume pot of the two ch pre with crayon or something soft as to not damage the finish.
You will have to have the volume of your 2 ch at that exact spot every time you watch a movie, and you will be using the processor's volume control for 5 ch gain.
When you want to listen to stereo, you shut off the processor, and your two ch preamp is running direct into your amp.
Also run all your 2 ch analog signals thru the two channel preamp, and not thru the HT precessor.
I am getting much better sound from my stereo preamp than my HT preamp, so I use the two ch for all my critical listening and only turn on the HT pre when wathing a movie.

I had that same dilema and have found 2 ways to solve it. You can use the MC-1 in a "Logic 7" mode all the time and have a good sounding surround sound on your stereo sources. this is the way I listen most of the time. However, when I want to listen to stereo critically I have a separate Preamp (PSE HL-1 hybrid) that has a home theatre throughput switch (which turns it in to a unity gain preamp). I have the stereo outs of both my DVD player, CD player, and laserdisc player go directly into the PSE. In addition the front left and right outputs of the MC-1 go into the PSE. This way, the PSE is always in the loop for stereo, and the MC-1 is only use for multichannel. You can do this for any preamp as long as you can figure out what volume setting is unity gain, or that it has a unity gain (often called theatre mode) switch. This way you have the best of both worlds.

Hello!

I have a DC1, and what I did was build a second, dedicated 2 channel system in another room. This is the expensive way. I fell into the HT trap 4 years ago and thought that the DC-1 would be a "be all, end all" solution, boy was I wrong, though I am very pleased with it for movies, and when I want to play around with surround modes.

Many preamp manufacturers have a HT pass-through or unity gain mode that will allow you to use your system both ways.
My BAT VK50SE has that ability, as do MANY other brands today.

Hope this helps!

Paul