AV Speaker advice

pinkaardvark · 16 Jun 2006 at 11:20

I ventured into the world of grown up AV at xmas when I purchased a Denon 1906 and Kef 1005 package. Although it sounds great for movies it's quite lacking playing music. I know that ideally i'd be better with a stereo amp and proper floorstanders but I was wondering if there was a compromise, ie if I could just upgrade the front left and right speaker and use bigger speakers for these when playing stereo.

Any ideas or should I really just invest in a good little stereo amp. If I do get a stereo amp I assume I can just pass thru the 1906 to the amp. The only problem I foresee with this is that I'd then have two sets of speakers in the same location and this would be a bit cluttered, unless theres a way of using 2 new speakers and amp in combination with the 1906 for music and surround.

Matblack · 16 Jun 2006 at 11:28

pinkaardvark said:
I ventured into the world of grown up AV at xmas when I purchased a Denon 1906 and Kef 1005 package. Although it sounds great for movies it's quite lacking playing music. I know that ideally i'd be better with a stereo amp and proper floorstanders but I was wondering if there was a compromise, ie if I could just upgrade the front left and right speaker and use bigger speakers for these when playing stereo.

Any ideas or should I really just invest in a good little stereo amp. If I do get a stereo amp I assume I can just pass thru the 1906 to the amp. The only problem I foresee with this is that I'd then have two sets of speakers in the same location and this would be a bit cluttered, unless theres a way of using 2 new speakers and amp in combination with the 1906 for music and surround.

Do both

Buy some decent speakers and a decent stereo amp and feed the preouts from the AV amp into the stereo amp and on to the stereo speakers. Presto a good stereo system and a good AV system, combined.

MB

gt_junkie · 16 Jun 2006 at 11:28

If you have preouts on the denon then yes you'd be able to add an extra dedicated music amp and speakers that would sound a good deal better than the av amp.

You could then remove the present stereo speakers to keep the front of your room tidy and (relatively) uncluttered!

Hope that helps?

I'm sure you'll already know but if you need info on how to go about wiring it all up just ask!

gt_junkie

pinkaardvark · 16 Jun 2006 at 11:44

Thanks guys. Yes i'm fairly sure it has pre-outs.. it has everything else lol. The front speakers I would remove and use them as 7.1 speakers, then they don't get wasted.

gt_junkie · 16 Jun 2006 at 12:52

Good man!

Sounds like you've got it sussed!

gt_junkie

pinkaardvark · 16 Jun 2006 at 12:54

Almost. So if I use the preouts will I still be able to turn up the volume on AV amp when using it as 7.1 and have the new speakers increase in volume. (The new amp would have course be turned on)

Purely thinking of this from an ease of use perspective with regards to remote control. Missus finds it hard enough to turn on AV amp when wanting to watch telly at the moment. I do have a Harmony remote so can turn multiple devices on with one button but do need to spend some time programming it up.

gt_junkie · 16 Jun 2006 at 13:07

Probably the best way to set it up would be to plug the preouts on the av amp to an input of your choice on the music amp and then turn the volume on the music amp to 12 oclock. Once you've done that you can then set up the volume levels on each of the channels on the av amp so they all match. Then sit back and enjoy.

For music you then need to decide whether you either plug your music source (cd,lp,etc...) directly to the music amp or pass it thru the av amp for convenience.

There are pro's and con's for each:

If you choose to plug your source directly to the music amp you will get the best sound quality. However, you have to be careful. Make sure to turn the amp down from the 12 noon setting it needs to be on for av use or you may risk damaging your speakers! :eek:

If you choose to plug your source directly into the av amp you will have decreased sound quality but will be able to switch easily from source to source and not have to worry about blowing your speakers up with stratospheric volume levels! It would be far more convenient!

Hope that helps?

gt_junkie

pinkaardvark · 16 Jun 2006 at 13:33

Well currently have no CD player. In the living room I just have a PC that outputs to amp via coax. I could output to the new amp via rca though. So if I could get an amp where it has two inputs that can have differing sound levels set that may do the job. I guess I should just try a new set of speakers with my AV amp first though as it has a stereo mode and it's the small size of the Kef1005 egg speakers that are letting the music down I think rather than the amp at this moment in time. I do appreciate to the trained ear the stereo amp solution would be far better but i'm not sure i'd get the benefit.. mayeb speakers first and then new amp if it doesn't suffice.

gt_junkie · 16 Jun 2006 at 13:39

Sounds the right thing to do!

Like you said - you can use the left over eggs as the last two speakers for your 7.1 set up! That way you're not wasting cash on something that you may not need!

Keep us posted on how you get on!

gt_junkie

9designs2 · 16 Jun 2006 at 16:06

While I concur in general, if you are still going to plug the source components into the AV amp, Ie DVD/CD player and or PC etc, then there is no point getting a stereo integrated amp, and all the hassle of setting the right volume. Simply get a Power Amp, and connect to the Pre-outs of the Denon, and some new front speakers.
The normal advantage of music into a stereo amp, is if it bypass the AV item, and it's pre-amp section, as well as power section. But you still will need it for the DAC. (RCA outs on a PC are pants !!)

To make another upgrade, and if you do end up going the integrated amp route, get a DAC to plug the coax lead from the PC into, then the RCA from the DAC to the stereo amp. Then you have bypassed the AV inbuilt DAC, Pre amp and Power section.... Bingo !!!