2. home-theater
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What is the Current Guidance on Stereo and AV Configurations

Hi,

I would really appreciate anyone's guidance and council on as to how you have your stereo and AV setups configured. I am particularly looking at the options from Primare as they seem to have a solution that can fit both use cases in a single system (SP25 Prisma + a35.8).

I have two primary questions:

  1. Knowing that perfection is never going to be achieved, can a single configuration be damned good enough for both use cases?
  2. How much of a difference does a center channel make for video?

 

My needs are best summed up as follows:

  • 80/20 use split (80 video (mostly streamed) and 20 music).
  • Currently running a NAIM integrated amp, paired with Vienna Acoustic speakers (simple, minimal and I like the sound, and the look, a lot).
  • My room space is open-plan, concrete floors and two walls of glass (yup -not exactly idea) and room treatment is going to be minimal. The two of us like the minimalist aesthetic.
  • IF the center channel makes enough difference I would like to flip between 2.0 (audio) and 3.0 (video) configurations.

 

Thank you.

kaizen28
vinylshadow
490 posts
 

Yes. The AV/2Ch set up can be excellent.

If you need a great AV processor, I'd look into a gently used Classe SSP-800 on EBay. They go for around $1.5k-$2k and they cannot be beat. I have one!

For a center speaker, see if you can find a used JM Lab/Focal Mini Utopia. 

Good luck!

mesonto
89 posts
 

The center channel is the most important speaker in any surround sound setup. Yes you need one, the phantom center is a terrible idea.

rudyc's avatar
rudyc
6 posts
 

Hi.. i am using a douk switch to go between the NAD M10V2 for music and the Marantz SR8015 for home theater.  I have a 7.1.4 set up with my fronts being the B&W 702 S3 and the HTM71 S3 Center.  I have 4 B&W ceiling and B&W M1’s for both surround and back surround.  I have the fronts connected to the Douk Switch and the rest to the Marantz.. Hope that helps.

audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,782 posts
 

I would never go with an older processor you may have issues with hdmi compatibility, and bugfixes and software updates for older products can be problematic,

 

you must match a center channel with the mains if the op has kef blades  a kef reference or r series center is the correct choice.

 

Dave and troy

Audio intellect NJ

home theater and music specialists

pynkfloydd
44 posts
 

@kaizen28 

Pynkfloydd, yup, I'm using ARC into the NAIM today and that's my preferred choice moving forward. It's why the Prisma caught my eye. As for speakers, yes, we're open to upgrading them in time. Blade 2s are very, very pretty. 😏

I've had great results with a pair of Scansonic MB3.5s connected to a PS Audio BHK 250 into a Yamaha RX-A8.  The Scansonics have a nice low end thump and the ribbon tweeters do really well with a couch (instead of listening chair). 

If I were building a hybrid system again, I'd suggest speakers that have a solid low end and do well with wide listening positions.  Lots of surprising options out there and I've even had good results with a pair of small Dali towers when I lived in a small NYC studio where I couldn't build a full home theater system nor use a near-field setup.  Something to consider is that the bigger AV brands also support wireless speakers, so you can add rear channels without having to run wires. 

I've tried a lot of top end receivers from Marantz, Sony, Yamaha, etc. and would still recommend an external amp to get the most out of your speakers.  I would say that adding in the BHK 250 was a much more noticeable difference than receiver upgrades.  The top Yamaha and Marantz models weren't bad on their own, but I was a bit floored when I connected the amp and realized I had missed a lot of potential from the speakers.

 

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