Surround sound w/ a hifi setup

gameover

gameover

gameover

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hi,

i have a normal hifi set up (a preamp going to the main amp (power amp? i cant remember what they're called) which goes to two speakers).

i want to set up a pretty basic surround sound system.

the preamp - a Rotel RC-1580 - has a bypass thing, which if i understand correctly (mostly by reading this http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=36694 (post number 3)) means i can go from a surround sound device (av reciever? not sure) through my preamp though the bypass thing (to the main amp then to my 2 speakers) and the volume on the preamp doesn't affect it?

if this is true & possible, what do i need to look for in a av receiver? i've currently got a ps3/xbox 360/wii/ps2 set up to my tv, so i assume it will need 2 hdmi + 2 scarts/rca things?

my two current speakers are pretty big, would i need a seperate subwoofer? i only really want surround sound for better left/right/behind sound rather than anything else. i don't really watch movies enough to care about it an awful lot.
 
Ok there are a couple of things which make this a little more interesting :)

1. Yes you can use your two front speakers and your preamp on pass through mode. What the AV Receiver would required is rca out for each channel. (although you will only need to use them for your front 2 channels.)

These are difficult to find and the ones which do have seperate RCA outs per channel are either really expensive or don't let you use their onboard amplifiers for the surround speakers at the same time. You have to use all the RCA outs or none at all basically. So you'd need to buy more amps for the surrounds. Hopefully someone else can recommend you a Receiver which you can use RCA outs and the onboard amps at the same time, as I do not know of any.

2. Subwoofer is not required straight away, your system will sound fine without it. You can add it at a later date and it will sound better for movies, as only a subwoofer can give you that low rumble.

3. Just go for two rear surround speakers, you will get the glory of surround sound!
 
Sorry rarryawn but that's simply not true. Even the most basic Sony AVRs with pre outs can run both internal and external at the same time. They don't have to be expensive either, I picked up a Sony 2400ES about 12 months back for 200 quid.
 
Some thoughts:
1. You need to think about your budget. As stated, you can "functionally" achieve what you're trying to do quite cheaply. Of course the trade off will be that a cheap unit won't sound as good as a more expensive unit, but I'm sure you're only too well aware of the laws of diminishing returns in more expensive gear
2. Subs are not a pre-requisite. Sure, then can add some crash bang and wallop, but most of the cheaper units can create as many problems as they resolve with difficulties in seemless integration and poor control. Really depends upon your existing speakers (which I assume you'll wish to continue to use). If they're genuinely full range (e.g. go sub 30hz), then I wouldn't bother. Otherwise, assume that it'll be a fairly meaty budget to do well.
3. Will you be integrated with an analogue source (e.g. record deck). Some of the options that you have include processors. Many use a lot of digital processing, which if you wish to mix with vinyl system, can push up costs to do well.
 
I have Cyrus kit integrated in a 5.1 setup with a yammy amp, the yammy has front preouts to which i connect my hifi amp to, My hifi amp drives the front left and right and the yammy the rears and centre, when i want to listen to just music i can by pass the Yammy so only the hifi kit is playing but you need front preouts for this on the av amp
 
gameover said:
hi,

i have a normal hifi set up (a preamp going to the main amp (power amp? i cant remember what they're called) which goes to two speakers).

i want to set up a pretty basic surround sound system.

the preamp - a Rotel RC-1580 - has a bypass thing, which if i understand correctly (mostly by reading this http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=36694 (post number 3)) means i can go from a surround sound device (av reciever? not sure) through my preamp though the bypass thing (to the main amp then to my 2 speakers) and the volume on the preamp doesn't affect it?

if this is true & possible, what do i need to look for in a av receiver? i've currently got a ps3/xbox 360/wii/ps2 set up to my tv, so i assume it will need 2 hdmi + 2 scarts/rca things?

my two current speakers are pretty big, would i need a seperate subwoofer? i only really want surround sound for better left/right/behind sound rather than anything else. i don't really watch movies enough to care about it an awful lot.
Click to expand...
As fabkat states above, as long as you get an av amp that has pre-outs for the front L & R speakers, then you will be able to integrate an av amp into your current set up as you want.

With regards to what to look for, I presume you mean inputs? List down your preferred connection options and just make sure the av amp has at least those inputs and a bit of expandibility for possible future requirements, although this is always hard to pre-empt :)
 
You could run a set-up where your current amps aren't integrated. So just set up a separate receiver which runs straight to the centre and rears, and runs to the front two speakers via a switch (automatic or manual) into which you also plug your existing stereo amp.
 
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