2 ch. or 5.1 amp for HT mostly for music

The new Digital amps seem to be best for affordable HT. After that you have to spend a considerable amount to be able to live with without a good 2ch. system that can also provde good HT 5.1.

I am using a Panasonic 45 which seems to fair well.

JMO

My experience is a bit dated considering my HT involvement was a few years ago. But, my situation and needs were similar. If your preference for listening to music is 2ch, as opposed to the trend towards multi-channel audio, then your choices may match my experience.

I think my set-up was considered conventional at one time. CD/DVD source, 2ch tubed pre, 2ch ss amp driving main loudspeakers. 5.1 receiver driving center and surrounds, with .1 signal to sub. The source ran fully balanced for 2ch independent stereo. For 5.1, source digital out to receiver, mains pre-out to 2ch pre pass-through to 2ch amp driving mains. My front and center loudspeakers were matching and the surrounds left-overs. 2ch music was my priority and it was very good. Not anywhere near the ultimate for HT, but good enough.

Have fun!

Krell, thanks for the speaker offer, but at this point they are out of my budget range. Are you saying to forget the HT and concentrate on 2 ch.? If so, and I wanted to keep my HK receiver(for the time being), would it be an improvement to buy a 2 channel just for stereo and run us the receiver as a preamp?

Rny---Did you decide to go away from HT to 2 ch. stereo?

Hello Papertrail,

I didn't really go away from HT. I ultimately moved toward a separate 2ch music-only system in another room. The receiver-based system remains, with exceptional digital front end and sans the 2ch pre and amp. For me here in this reduced HT system, garbage in/garbage out rules the day. Speakers have come and gone. I have settled on using the sat/sub system that I purchased when I got the HT receiver. It's just ok, good enough for cable tv and a movie once in a while. The system is not able to bloom the movie score like it did with the 2ch components, but it is simply not a priority for me. The last few years have been devoted to the assembly of my main 2ch system, which is where the music lives.

From my point of view, I don't know about your HK and Polks but it should be adequate for HT. Does it make music for you? If it doesn't you may have to take a path similar to mine or move to other multi-channel processing equipment that meets all of your needs.

Good luck and enjoy!

Rny and others, Actually the HK and/or the Polks do not quite make what I am listening for in music. I have two fronts a center and a sub. I usually listen in stereo mode. I am trying to decide whether to change out the speakers first, buy a better DVD/Cd player because my current one is a JVC cheapie, or to try the 2 ch. amp. Over a period of time I plan to do all and maybe go to a dedicated 2 ch. system like you did. Right now what do you and others think would give me the quickest return for my bucks.