I have 50 years in audio sales and system design, with early adoption of home theater…of necessity. I also am a cheap sob, so I hate waste. The idea of using a second MC352 as a center channel amp appalls me. I agree that your front end is weak…get a new one. A Sony STRZA3000 or above is hard to beat for bleeding edge AV tech. Run the L/R pre-outs into your MA352. Then if you want a McIntosh SS amp that runs in mono, find a restored MC2100 at Audio Classics or elsewhere. Otherwise, get any 200-300w mono amp you like. Running surrounds off the receiver is fine in most cases, although maybe not yours. We don’t know enough about your whole HT config to be more specific. Maybe a McIntosh MC205 is the best option…5 channels of 200W each.
Powering a center channel with a two channel amp
I think I know the answer. You can’t connect just a left or right channel and expect to get proper sound.
My dilemma:
I have a McIntosh 352 powering my LR. I’d like to have another MC352 powering the center. I understand that you can use a passive center channel adapter to connect a center speaker to a two channel stereo, but don’t think it would work with the amp. One center left in right would still have to go to either the left or right on the amp 🙃
I’m using a Marantz 6015 as my AVR. My center matches my LR. The center sound is good, I just want it to be perfect!