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confused with HT bypass

a fish out of water here, hopefully you guys can help me. i have 2 completely seperate systems in my living room, a 7.2 HT system and a 2 channel system. i did it this way
because i was told that this was the only way to configure it (i'm pretty clueless with HT). but having 4 main speakers, 2 subs, a TV stand and an audio rack in my front room are making things rather crowded to say the least. then yesterday for the first time, i finally REALLY looked at that little switch on top of my supratek preamp called the 'home theater bypass' (DUH). so now i'm trying to figure out if my two systems can share my 2 channel mains and if so how to do it.
To clarify, here are the system highlights. the pre/pro is a denon AVR-1910. this unit has no pre-out so would have to be upgraded. possibly complicating things is the main
speakers i want to use are emerald physics cs2.3's and require biamping and DSP. amps are 2 bel canto S300's.
So let's see if i have this straight in my head. i would go from my new pre/pro's preamp out using only the L and R main pre out into the HT bypass channel on my supratek. this would allow the pre/pro to still control the center channel, surrounds, and subs. the mains signal would pass through my supratek's HT bypass without altering it. obviously i would have to have the bel canto's powered up to get power to the mains as the pre/pro for the mains would only be acting as a preamp and would not be supplying power to the mains, correct? the biggest problem i see is how do i level match the mains bel canto's with the pre/pro's amps controlling the center/surrounds? do i use the trim controls in the pre/pro? would i have enough gain/cut to do this? does the behringer DSP (or the upcoming DBX unit) allow for altering the gain? would i have to 'tell' the denon that i am bypassing the main speakers or would simply using the main pre-outs do that for me? thanx in advance for any help. i would be happy to clarify as best i can if anyone needs more info.
ratso1
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,655 posts
 
1. Without preamp outputs for L/R from your Denon AVR (It ain't a prepro or it would have preamp outputs!), you will either have to replace it, modify it or use a pair of speaker-to-line adapters.

2. Your connection scheme is correct.

3. Setup and balance is handled by Audyssey MultEQ as in normal use. No changes need be made elsewhere and you need not "tell" Audyssey anything. You will have to run the procedure again, however, when you make your new connections.

(Of course, you did run it at least once already. Right?)

Kal
dtc's avatar
dtc
1,047 posts
 
You are basically correct. This type of hybrid system takes a little more to set-up, but gives you the best of the HT technology while allowing you to maintain your traditional 2 channel system.

The pre-outs of the HT receiver for the L/R go to the supratek pre-amp, which just passes them through at line level to the Bel Canto amps. You shouldn't have to do anything special in the reciever for this to work.

HT recievers typically allow for a +/- 6db to 10db adjustment for each channel to account for different speakers. Assuming that the speakers are of at least similar efficiency and the amps have similar gain, then the receiver should be able to match the speaker output. The auto room setup feature will set the volumes appropriately.

One thing to check is whether the supratek needs to be on to do the bypass. Most solid states pre-amps just use the normal circuits with the volume set to unity gain. With tube pre's the best way to do the bypass is to route the input signal to the output with the tube circuits not involved. That way you do not to use up your tubes watching movies and TVs. My guess is that the supratek does the lattler. I am sure supratek can tell you if it is not in the manual.

You might also think about getting a separate external amp for the center and surrounds, depending on the quality of the speakers and how much you use the HT. It means you can easily change out the HT pre-pro over time. There are HT pre-pros with the new lossless codecs available now (like Integra or Anthem) or you can continue to use a receiver with pre-outs and just not use the amps, which can be an economical solution.
ratso1 OP
13 posts
 
thanx guys! yes, i realize i will need to upgrade to a pre/pro that has a preamp output. i don't use audyssey - i set up my system manually. i have also emailed mick from supratek to ask him exactly that question as it is not spelled out in the manual.
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,655 posts
 
i don't use audyssey - i set up my system manually.
Big mistake.
7ryder
1 posts
 
@Ratso1
I was thinking about getting the Emerald Physics myself and in a brief exchange with the owner via email, when I told him I had an Audyssey Sound EQ, he indicated that this would make the Behringer or DBX unit unnecessary. You may want to contact him via the contact info on their webpage to discuss. Also, I agree with Kal, don't do it manually, git yourself an Audyssey SEQ.

ChrisG
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