is it a waste using just one channel out of stereo

Save money? Hell I leave my stuff on all the time

How about bi amping that center channel?

Is this a trick question?

Hey Rich

Just taking a guess at what he's talking about and wanting to do. I'm guessing that he's short one amp channel (center speaker) in his hometheater but has an extra two channel amp on hand....one of those "sure, why not" and "do what you gotta do" answers on my part.

Regarding the three channel sacd's?...

"don't you lose whatever information is routed to that 3rd channel?"

I may not be understanding you (more coffee), why would you lose anything? The 3rd channel is the center channel and fed from the preamps center channel output to the same amp(one channel of a two channel amp in this case), as a single mono channel isn't it?

Of course in truth...he is wasting an amp channel that could be used somewhere...Hey, how about a passive sub on that wasted channel?

Takes care of the old wasted energy problem mentioned!

Dave

Dave:

From an amplification standpoint that's OK ... but if you have music that is for 3 channels (like the new Mercury Living Presence and RCA Living Stereo SACD classical releases) don't you lose whatever information is routed to that 3rd channel? Isn't this also why most SACD players will have output jacks for 2 channel, as well as surround sound applications? And granted, center channel only amplification makes this a moot discussion anyway.

Thanks, Rich

Good to see some Americans saving energy

Your using the one channel for your center speaker, right?...nothing wrong with that. I have a three channel amp and I'm only using two of the channels at the moment.

Dave

Clp57:

The point of the mono switch is that both channels (stereo) are played through the one channel (mono). So, if the music/dialog has sounds going through one channel and not the other (think of 70's progressive rock and stereo effects bouncing back and forth between your speakers), you are not going to hear what is going on in the channel that you choose not to connect. Is it a waste ... how do you fell about possibly not hearing a part of the music/dialog? That's up to you.

Regards, Rich