what exactly is ht bypass


ok..so here is the issue..i have a ht setup now..i want to get a tube pre for music...ones with ht bypass...what do they do exactly..can i run my mains and sub from it and use my receiver for center and surround?
dan001

Showing 2 responses by iplaynaked

"HT Bypass" = bypassing your home theater! - lol

No, actually, the bypass means bypassing your preamp functions for those channels that are output for HT dubties!
What happens is that your volume, tone controls, etc are bypassed in that input when you select it! Any signal being sent to that input goes directly through to your ampilfier, without any pre-amplification from pre/pro. Basically, you run your L/R main speaker outputs from your AV pre/pro or receiver to that input, when you want to add a multi-channel HT system, looping through your 2 channel pre. It's rather simple really.
It allows you to keep your 2 channel system setup as normal. And when you want to run your multi-channel ht processor, you can simply use the 2 channel amp setup you are already using for your L/R channels, without having to disconnect the 2 channel setup - because you still need the l/R channels from your 5 or 7 channel av processor, and your just simply using the mains and amp set up you have going to 2 channel pre and dubties, for your main l/r's of your theater! It's just a convenience feature, that's all.
If your 2 channel preamp didn't have this (actually Auxilary does the same, as would "tape-in"), you would likely have to disconnect the 2 channel preamp from your 2 channel amp, and reconnect it to your AV pre/pro when you payed movies - which is assuming you still are trying to use your stereo speakers as part of the HT system.
actually, maybe this is a better way to understand it.
You set up your AV system like normal - running interconnects out to your amps from the "pre-out's". Now, instead of running the interconnects - like normal - directly to your amp's for the left and right channel, however, you re-route them to the "HT bypass input of your 2 channel preamp. Then, like you would normally for your 2 channel setup, you run interconnects to your amp for the L/R stereo speakers.
Basically, you're simply wiring the 2 channel system into the signal path of the pre-out's from the AV preamp, for the left and right channel. Or, you're looping the AV pre into the 2 channel - however you prefer to think about it Infact, the signal from your l/r channel out's from your AV pre/pro are simply being looped through the 2 channel preamp - and the "HT bypass" is switched on when you want to use the AV pre/pro.
Now when you want to use the 2 channel setup (2 channel preamp) for music, cd, tape, tuner, record player, whatever 2 channel sources you have, you simply run your 2 channel setup like normal, switching the 2 channel preamp to those inputs (which you have those sources connected to the corresponding inputs.), NOT the "Bypass" setting! And correspondingly, you only need to turn the AV preamp on when you are using that for movies, er whatever else is connected to that pre/pro.
Good luck