john_w
02-18-2003, 10:00 AM
I'm an old hi-fi audio nut (as the great Steve Martin put it, "I bought a stereo -- wow! TWO speakers!!"). I want to be able to keep my good stereo system, and actually improve it -- but I now also want to get the best HT 5.1 system I can reasonably afford. ("Google-phonic!" -- If you know S.M.'s "Comedy is Not Pretty", you know the reference.)
After some research, it seems the only good way to do this and keep really high-quality stereo sound in the same system is to get one of those HT controller units that allows you to designate a "bypass" channel. (I've heard that they're sometimes called "SSP" or "processor loop" channels), that I can plug a stereo pre-amp into, and it basically routes the input directly to the power amp input channels for the two main speakers.
Only problem is, I have yet to see this advertized. So, I'm wondering...who makes a really good receiver or controller unit that carries this feature? Has anyone done this and noticed any appreciable sound degradation in their stereo system?
Also regarding DVD players: I'm thinking about running the digital outputs to the HT controller as normal, but ALSO running the RCA stereo outputs to the stereo pre-amp simultaneously, for DVD audio. Will these outputs usually run in parallel, or will using one output circuit defeat the others? I haven't purchased a player yet, but I'm leaning strongly towards starting out with something cheap but reasonably trouble-free, like the Toshiba SD 4800.
Thanks for any help you can give,
John
After some research, it seems the only good way to do this and keep really high-quality stereo sound in the same system is to get one of those HT controller units that allows you to designate a "bypass" channel. (I've heard that they're sometimes called "SSP" or "processor loop" channels), that I can plug a stereo pre-amp into, and it basically routes the input directly to the power amp input channels for the two main speakers.
Only problem is, I have yet to see this advertized. So, I'm wondering...who makes a really good receiver or controller unit that carries this feature? Has anyone done this and noticed any appreciable sound degradation in their stereo system?
Also regarding DVD players: I'm thinking about running the digital outputs to the HT controller as normal, but ALSO running the RCA stereo outputs to the stereo pre-amp simultaneously, for DVD audio. Will these outputs usually run in parallel, or will using one output circuit defeat the others? I haven't purchased a player yet, but I'm leaning strongly towards starting out with something cheap but reasonably trouble-free, like the Toshiba SD 4800.
Thanks for any help you can give,
John