Home theatre and Musical Experience

I went through this process last year. I had an antiquated 2-channel system an wanted a new 2-channel and HT system combines. I bought 3 different HT receivers (Sony DB930, Denon AVR-3300, B&K AVR-202). They were priced $500-$2800. None of them came close to the old 2-channel system I was trying to replace. I did try adding-on an old(but very good) Adcom GFA-555 amplifier, and it helped, but it still didn't meet my needs.

I ended up with a great integrated amp.(Arcam Alpha 10) that has an HT bypass. I have the Denon AVR-3300 for HT duties. All music sources connect directly into the Arcam's pre-amo section and the HT sources connect to the Pre-amp/processor portion of the Denon. The Arcam always powers the from speakers, and the Denon powers the surrounds and center, and controls the bass to the LFE port.

This system works great. It easily outperforms my old 2-channel system for music, and works seamlessly for HT. I'm ecstatic!!

Tom

Steve: If your objective is to have a good system for music, then that's where to start, even if means that you may have to compromise a bit on the HT sound. I have been an audiophile for a long time, but wanted to build a good HT system around my audio system. If you have the money, there are some pretty good pre/pros that do justice to both music and HT. The ones I am familiar with and can recommend are (cheapest to most expensive): Adcom GTP-760 (can be bought for around $1350 discounted); Parasound AVC-2500 (chosen by "The Perfect Vision" mag as one of the 2 best pre/pros under $6K); and the Bryston SP-1 (this unit has dedicated analog circuits as well as digital circuits, so you get the best of both worlds). I currently have a Bryston SP-1 feeding Bryston 4B-ST and 5B-ST power amps, which in turn drive Vandersteen 3A Signature front speakers, etc. This system does an excellent job with both music and HT. As I have mentioned in several recent posts, I have been helping my ex-wife install a HT system, and she is using the Adcom GTP-760 as the pre/pro. I am quite impressed with the quality of the sound on both music and HT, and for $1350 (discounted) I think the unit is very hard to beat. (The Perfect Vision mag has a very positive review of the Adcom GTP-760 in the current issue - #35.)

Away from the computer for a while (had to work) and come back to the most realistic answers I have gotten so far. Thanks a lot! May end up just building a seperate system using the same mains for music but the pass through feature sounds like it might work great. Enjoy HT but first priority is music.
Will get back on this.
Thanks
Steve

You've gotten some excellent advice, particularly with the analog preamp w/ HT pass through comment. If you're using nice speakers (which the N805's certainly are), you're not going to get anywhere near their full potential unless you give them adequate amplification, which the Denon AVR most certainly isn't. Buy a beefier amp to drive at least the L/R channels and feed it from the Denon as a first step, and you'll hear a nice difference. Replacing the Denon with a nice analog preamp or a high-end processor will make another big leap in sound. Don't short-change on the power - you won't regret having more than you "need".

Scoly,

I haven't experimented to the extent of the other respondants here, but here are my experiences.

My HT setup was assembled in mid-1998 and is comprised of Marantz AV550, ATI AT1505, Sony DSS, Pioneer DVL700 combo player, NHT SuperOnes and SuperZeros, and NHT SW3P sub. I tried using a Musical Fidelity CD player with this system, but wasn't even close to being satisfied. I even tried adding a Z-Man tube buffer stage after the CD player, and experimented with different affordable cables. The music was just plain lifeless.

In early 2000, I decided the only way I was going to be satisfied was to build a separate and dedicated music system. So far my music setup consists of a Sim Audio Moon I-5 integrated, Sonus Faber Concertinos, the same MF CD player [soon to be a transport only], with a Bel Canto DAC 1.1 on the way. I use the NHT sub for both systems.

From my example you can probably surmise that I didn't take the most affordable route. Even on my modest budget. The music bug bit me hard, and I ended up spending much more on cables for my current music system than I would have dreamed possible 3 years ago.

You might want to consider a nice pre-pro like a Citation, Classé or Proceed and a good multi-channel amp for example and use that for both music and HT. It sounds like SDcampbell has a really nice setup for both.

Good luck, and I hope you find something that works for you.