I have a denon avr with 15 channel s these days they have atmosphere witch puts front high middle high and rear high .this is so when things in the movies rly overhead they go from front to back..some music is now in atmos.ir your preamp has home theater pass through it allows the two front channels to be driven by your current amp.home theater can go from mild like stuff at best buy or separate home theater with separate multichannel processors with 30 separate monoamps for 15 channels.this is why mcintosh made the mi 502 class d amp for home theater.it does sound good in stero as well. You might have to read some home theater articles..personally I like my denon avr with 15 channels.its hard to go back to the theater.enjoy your search.and the music.
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Vinylshadow is right. Look for a used Classe SSP 800 av preamp surround processor in used markets. The SSP 800 originally retailed for $9500 but it’s been discontinued since 2017 and nowadays a used one can be had for around $2k. The Classe also works as a high end stereo pre as well and it sounds very very good in two channel for music. I would say in two channel sound quality wise the Classe SSP 800 is comparable to high end stereo preamps costing around $5k to $6k. Classe put priority and optimized the SSP 800 for music (two channel). I happen to have the Classe SSP 800 up for sale on US AudioMart under caphill. Contact me on US AudioMart if you are interested. I’m selling it for $2k and is in mint condition and I have all original accessories : remote, packaging / box, user manual, etc. |
Hello tochsii! Emotiva makes a small AV/surround sound processor. If can do a 7.1 system. It sounds very fine indeed and is the heart of my Living Room system. It handles phono cartridges also; The model is MC-700. You can save some $$ by buying a "factory refurbished" one, if available. You will also need at least a five channel (stereo front and rear + center channel) power amp. Six channels if you use a passive subwoofer. Of course you'll need rear channel speakers and a center channel speaker. These are not difficult to build. Try DIYing them. If you want to go 7.1 yoou'll need two more power amp channels and a set of side speakers. I have run such a system, but don't think the improvement is worth the complictions and cost. 5.1 is good enough for me. Home Theater enthusiasts are up to 13.2 systems. You have been warned! Enjoy the music. |
@ghdprentice is correct, separate HT and audio systems is best. You need different gear to reproduce music vs explosions. |
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