Empty canvas: recommendations on blending audio and moving watching
I am in the process of finishing my basement, including a room approximately 20' x 25'x that I plan to use for both TV/movie watching and audio listening.
I enjoy an occasional streaming program on HBO or Netflix and in my current TV room I have the TV connected to a set of stand-mount speakers driven by a small amp - more than use the TV speakers, but not a big 5.1 surround sound set up (something I've never been that interested in).
For the new room I am excited to finally move forward with a tube-based system (my prior years have all been SS) with speakers such as Devore O/96 (or Gibbon Super 9). My question is, if this is the audio configuration, what to do with the TV audio? Running TV audio through sensitive speakers like Devore doesn't seem like a good idea. Would a speaker bar for the TV suffice? Or is there another configuration for the TV sound that would be better.
I don’t want to use high energy for TV, so I’ve settled on an Audio Engine 2+ for TV, saving the big stuff for Blue-ray and music. The sound with the AE 2+ is amazingly good.
For Blue-ray, HDMI video goes to the projector, HDMI audio to a Bryston SP3 processor, with stereo to Ayre KX-5 preamp and VX-5 amp. Principal source for music is Roon through an Ayre QX-5 endpoint.
An Audio Engine 2+ is an inexpensive solution worth a try, and you can feel good about your contribution to reducing global warming while reducing your electric bill.
-I share the concern over messing around with splitters, and the likely compromises this would bring. Seems like the least desirable option. -Good points about putting hours on the tubes for TV watching (not just my own, but my teenage kids as well), hadn't considered that -A hybrid amplification approach is also an interesting thought, I have not looked into these much before, I'll see what might be a good option
No, I wouldn't use tubes in my home theater system either, precisely for the reasons you mentioned. This is one of the generally agreed upon compromising guidelines in this hobby that I was referring to in my last post. But I still believe in all of our freedom to ignore generally agreed upon guidelines in this hobby based on personal budget, performance, convenience and preference factors, no matter how stupid or misguided they may be.
Agree with both you guys, but in the instance where amp tubes are expensive to replace (not uncommon), do you really feel good about burning them and shortening their life for a movie? That’d bug the crap outta me. Horses for courses.
There are some generally agreed upon compromising guidelines in this hobby but very few absolutes and system freedom generally reigns. Most decisions just come down to personal budget, performance, convenience and preference factors.
I'm not sure that I agree with the argument against using a tube amp in a home theater system. I have tube mono blocks for my home theater / two channel system. If I'm just watching the news or something on TV I don't even turn them on, I just listen through the center channel. The times I do have them on if I wasn't watching a movie or something I'd be listening to music so the usage is about the same amount.
The toughest part is trying to incorporate a tube amp into this setup. Messing with splitters, A/B switchers, etc. is not optimal as they can compromise critical 2-channel performance. And using a tube amp for TV watching isn’t a great situation either unless you like burning $ on replacing tubes.
The best compromise might be to use a tube stereo preamp with solid state amplification or a hybrid stereo integrated with a tube preamp section. This way you still get some tube influence in your sound but don’t have the disadvantages of using a tube amp. There are some tube preamps that can have their HT bypass functioning without tubes receiving power (maybe Rogue, VAC, Backert?) that would work well for your situation. And companies like Unison Research, Pathos, and some others make nice hybrid integrateds. Combine one of these options with a decent AVR to handle HT processing and powering center/surround speakers and you’d be in business. Anyway, hope this helps and best of luck with your new room.
What will be the main usage ? Music or movies ?You will choose your gears according to this.These usages are very different.The cables will have to match the quality of those gearsWhat is your budget ? Will you need room acoustic treatment ? The center speaker should have the same timber than the front speakers. Etc , etc....
Honestly, you might get better responses somewhere like AVS forum. Many will say that the timbre of the speakers is important and that you should use the same brand. I have a mix of speakers and it works great for me. I use a preamp for 2-channel listening that has a home theater bypass option. I can use my main speakers as part of my 7.1 system or for two channel listening with the press of a button. I have a 5 channel amp for the surround speakers.
Thanks all for the helpful comments. It sounds like the consensus is that the speakers selected for vinyl/digital audio could/should be connected to the TV no problem - good to have confirmed.
Should I go down the home theater route, any problems with blending front audio speakers like Devore with other speakers in a 5.1/7.1 set up (e.g., front two speaker are the Devore, with the other speakers being...something else)? And if I do, sounds like the best bet would be to drive the 5.1 set up with a different amp designed for home theater (as Nobel100 suggests), with presumably an input splitter for the front speakers to toggle the input from the tube amp set up (for audio listening) and the home theater amp.
For tv/movie setup I would definitely separate the audio from the video as millercarbon stated and use a top of the line video picture format like OLED, which is a bit more expensive but picture quality can't be beat by any other currently available technology. For audio, the sound from just the tv might be acceptable for some but everything will sound significantly better through at least a 5.1 home theater surround system. The "5" represents 5 channels and speakers ( front l+r channel main speakers, a center channel speaker and rear l+r surround channel speakers) and the ".1" represents a subwoofer. The most efficient and least expensive method to achieve a good quality 5.1 or 7.1 system (7.1 just adds a pair of l+r side speakers) is to buy a high quality blu-ray player, such as a new or used Oppo player among others, that has a built-in 5-7.1 surround channel processor along with analog outputs for all 5-7 audio channels along with a sub output. You'll just need the speakers, rca cables and amplification. The Atmos surround format adds a pair of ceiling channels with devoted speakers for height perception that some prefer. I've always preferred a high quality 5.1 system with 2 or more subs for a good balance between sq and simplicity. For Atmos, you'll need the video source content software and surround processor hardware to be Atmos compatible. I'd suggest auditioning some good quality 5.1 to Atmos systems with one and multiple subs to determine which you prefer. I also think you should look into a multiple channel solid state class AB or D amp to drive your multiple surround channels, the sub(s) typically are self amplified. SS multi-channel surround channel amps will produce less heat, are more efficient and more reliable than tube amps, especially for home theater use.
This is what you do. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 You can have TV instead of projection. You run the sound right into the amp. Simple. I watch most movies off my laptop, but regardless of source its all the same, you keep the video and the audio separate. By far the best sound you can possibly get, video or audio, for the money.
In fact when it comes to video its the best sound you can get, period.
Digital out from the tv will work fine. However, to get real movie sound you either need a sound bar, center channel speaker or similar. Most TV's have crummy sound. However, some of the nicer TV's have some higher quality sound built in, including ATMOS. Look at the LG OLED TV's. Not cheap but amazing picture and the sound will do a decent job. I have the 65 and the sound is fairly good.
Just use the TV line out into your preamp. Why should the DeVores complain? You might need a DAC (you can get one for $20 on Amazon if the TV output is optical only.
I'm not sure what your problem is. The TV out put is line level, not speaker level. It will need a preamp and amp. Your speaker sensitivity would be irrelevant.
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