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Need Some Expert advice

I have collected some high end audio equipment for several months and have not had a chance to hook everything up as I had to design and make a custom cabinet. The cabinet is completed and the audio equipment is unboxed.

I am now trying to figure out the best way to connect everything. I am trying to get the best of both worlds buy using a outlaw 990 for home theater and a modwright 9.0 for tube audio for two channel music. I also have a seperate tube amp that can power 4,8,0 ohms and a California audio labs CD player with an alpha box and a DIP switch. I will be powering the Outlaw 990 with a 500x5 channel California Audio Labs Soild State Amp CL-2500. And the Outlaw will connect to a Classe CD/DVD-1 player.

I want to connect the CL-2500 to the Outlaw for rear and center channels. I will also be connecting the sub directly to the Outlaw990. I also want to hook the Classe CD/DVD to the outlaw. I want to run the Modwright 9.0 through the Outlaw 990 so when listening to 2 channel audio it will use the Modwright 9.0. I also want to connect the California Audio Labs CD player, alpha, and the DIP to the Modwright 9.0 Finally I want to run the front channels either through two mono 200watt solid state amps or a tube amplifier depending on the 2 channel sound I want to achieve.

I also am running B&W 800 series speakers all around. I also want the Sub which is a Paridigm PS-1000 to work when listening to two channel music. I was told there is a setting on the 990 to accomlish this. By setting the front speakers to Large?

I am trying to figure the best configuration for this set up and the proper cables to use. Can anyone help me on this?

Thanks
briansteenhoek
2 responses Add your response
elevick
2,636 posts
 
Nice Collection-too much gear...
First of all, optimum home theater sound really needs the same amp for all front 3 speakers. The CAL is definitely up to the job! Hold off on the second amp for now.
2-You will be degrading the sound using either the modwright through the 990 or vice versa...Sell both, buy an Anthem, Sherbourne, Sunfire, Lexicon or similar and just use one Pre-amp with awesome sound.
3-Dual players: Yes, these can sound very different. However, it can be simplified. You only need the Classe and the Alpha. The CAL is a waste at this point. Digital out from the Classe to the Alpha for CD can sound great. Digital out from the Classe to the 990 for theater processing can sound good-Again, another case for a newer single pre-amp. Having owned most of this, the Sherbourne, Anthem, Sunfire, Lexicon and more will all have extremely nice DAC's built in.
4-If you want tube sound, stick with either a tube based cd player or a tube DAC like the Alpha. That's it.
5-Finally, you may be surprised at the quality bass your B&W's will produce without a sub. You may not want a sub degrading the sound in 2 channel.

I can't call myself an expert; however, I've been where you are and it's not worth the mess.
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
I'm not big on mixing tube amps with solid state for home theater (mostly, because I've been there and done that).

If you must:

Most people would set this system up in a home theater pass through configuration... Modwright connected to the tube amps, Outlaw prepro R/L preamp outputs connected to the Modwright home theater pass through input. Of course the other Outlaw preamp outputs (C/RR/LR) would connect to the Cal amp.

In this type of configuration the Modwright will only be used for two channel playback, the Outlaws home theater signal output, will simply pass through the Modwright un-effected when watching movies.

Your cd player would be connected to the Modwright, your dvd player to the Outlaw unit. Where you connect any other source will be a matter of choice.

The subwoofer will need to stay with the Outlaw (won't work for two channel) if you want LFE's for movies.... unless it has two inputs, one for LFE's, and one for two channel (some subs do have this).

There are other options I did not mention, because most people would use the one I did mention.

Dave
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