How to Setup a Home Theater System (HT) and the Best Sound for Music on Separates with One Set of Speakers.
I'll tell you how I did it with my system. I have a Marantz surround receiver, a separate high end stereo pre-amp and high end amp with one set of Martin Logan front speakers. I also have a nice center speaker, an excellent music subwoofer, along with a couple of rear speakers, mostly for HT.
Put everything HT into the HT receiver inputs and everything music into the pre-amp. There are actually two ways you can set this up. One would be with two speaker switches. Two, because I haven't found a speaker switch that does both main speakers and subwoofer on one box. There maybe one out there, but…
This would be a simple setup. Just run the outputs for the main and subwoofer speakers from the Marantz to the switch boxes, by passing the pre-amp and run the speaker wires to the switch boxes and visa versa.
The second is a bit more complicated and the way I setup my system and like better.
Run everything HT to the Marantz inputs. Connect the Marantz main and subwoofer out to the pre-amp via Marantz pre outs. The pre-outs on most HT receiver goes through the surround processor. Connect everything music to the pre-amp and the pre-amp to the high end amp. Yes, HT goes though both the Marantz and pre-amp, before it goes to the all the speakers and subwoofer.
Basically the Marantz speakers would only directly be connect to the center speaker and rear speakers via speaker out wires. The Pre-amp wires would be directly connected to the main speakers and the subwoofer.
Obviously you have to turn on and setup both the Marantz and pre-amp for HT. What I did was set the pre-amp volume to a specific level and use that level consistently for HT. Amps generally want a reasonably high volume level to work at their best. If you're using something like Audyssey then it doesn't matter where the sound comes from, because it only calibrates the sound levels.
Fortunately my DAC has two sets of outputs, so I could run one to my Marantz and the other to my pre-amp, allowing me to use all the speakers for surround music. You could also run the pre-amp outs back to the Marantz. This would also allow you to use all speaker from surround music.
I know this sounds complicated, but it also sounds really good late at night
I'll tell you how I did it with my system. I have a Marantz surround receiver, a separate high end stereo pre-amp and high end amp with one set of Martin Logan front speakers. I also have a nice center speaker, an excellent music subwoofer, along with a couple of rear speakers, mostly for HT.
Put everything HT into the HT receiver inputs and everything music into the pre-amp. There are actually two ways you can set this up. One would be with two speaker switches. Two, because I haven't found a speaker switch that does both main speakers and subwoofer on one box. There maybe one out there, but…
This would be a simple setup. Just run the outputs for the main and subwoofer speakers from the Marantz to the switch boxes, by passing the pre-amp and run the speaker wires to the switch boxes and visa versa.
The second is a bit more complicated and the way I setup my system and like better.
Run everything HT to the Marantz inputs. Connect the Marantz main and subwoofer out to the pre-amp via Marantz pre outs. The pre-outs on most HT receiver goes through the surround processor. Connect everything music to the pre-amp and the pre-amp to the high end amp. Yes, HT goes though both the Marantz and pre-amp, before it goes to the all the speakers and subwoofer.
Basically the Marantz speakers would only directly be connect to the center speaker and rear speakers via speaker out wires. The Pre-amp wires would be directly connected to the main speakers and the subwoofer.
Obviously you have to turn on and setup both the Marantz and pre-amp for HT. What I did was set the pre-amp volume to a specific level and use that level consistently for HT. Amps generally want a reasonably high volume level to work at their best. If you're using something like Audyssey then it doesn't matter where the sound comes from, because it only calibrates the sound levels.
Fortunately my DAC has two sets of outputs, so I could run one to my Marantz and the other to my pre-amp, allowing me to use all the speakers for surround music. You could also run the pre-amp outs back to the Marantz. This would also allow you to use all speaker from surround music.
I know this sounds complicated, but it also sounds really good late at night
