Upgrading my HT

[buffheman]

Ok, I'm new to this and am trying to start expanding my home theater. I currently run a Sony HTIB that I got from Circuit City for $300 with a receiver, 5.1 speakers, and a dvd player. But I only use the front channel speakers, cause I don't have room for surround anymore. Also, the speakers suck, so I'm upgrading now that I have the cash. I like the Klipsch sound and am probably going the Forte/Quartet route.

Anyhow, I get confused as to what kind of electronics I will need to upgrade to complete this system. I read all this stuff about amps and preamps, which I thought was all included in a receiver, but I'm not sure. So basically... if you wanted to run a 2 channel home theater with some vintage Klipsch, what electronics would you get? I will need HDMI and digital audio inputs, and am thinking I might want to futureproof and get a 5.1 receiver. Do 2 channel receivers outperform 5.1 receivers set to 2 channel? Mostly I care about musical performance, but I don't have the space/cash for a 2 channel audio system and a home theater, so it needs to all go together. Advice?

[jamesV]

Welcome to the forum..

A few questions, does your current receiver have all the connections that you need? What is your budget?

Asking about your current receiver cause if it has all the connections you need then you can just keep that and plan on getting the speakers only.

I read all this stuff about amps and preamps, which I thought was all included in a receiver, but I'm not sure

Yes, a receiver is an amp and preamp all in one. getting separates helps the preamp do just the video switching and lets the amp handle just the power.

Do 2 channel receivers outperform 5.1 receivers set to 2 channel?

A few people have said that certain 5.1 receivers don't sound good for 2 channel, you might be able to do a search on that.

Some do run a 2-channel system and use the same speakers for 5.1 HT so it can be done. Are you just looking at the Forte or Quartet for the size?

James

[buffheman]

My receiver has all the connections I need. I just assumed it was a piece of junk, since I got it so cheap. I looked up the specs online last night for the first time, its the Sony STR-K7100. Says it has 140W per channel... so I guess maybe I don't need to upgrade. I'm new to high end audio, so I doubt I'd be able to hear the difference between my receiver and a new one. Certainly not a $500 difference... I will probably just stick with my current electronics then.

[Fotog]

Although not exactly 2 channel, running 5 channel (or 7 channel) stereo is pretty darn sweet for BOTH movies and music. That's how I roll.

Speakers are of course the key to your listening enjoyment. Enjoy the journey.

[BluBitRates]

You would most likely see a good difference in upgrading your receiver. That one does not look particularily good and believe me it cannot deliver a true 140w of clean power. Check out harmon kardon, denon, onkyo, pioneer, marantz, Nad, Integra .

[buffheman]

What do you mean by clean power? Will I get distortion or something? I have looked at some of those brands... I will probably make a decision once I get the speakers. If the sound is good to me, I will probably just live with it for now.

[BluBitRates]

It should sound good at lower levels but it will start to distort or not deliver a clean sound at higher levels. In some cases distortion at higher levels can damage your speakers

[jamesV]

If the sound is good to me, I will probably just live with it for now.

That is the best thing, if it sounds good to you then it's good. I would stick with your current Sony receiver until you either you get the upgrade bug or you need to upgrade it. With only running 2 speakers you should be fine and most listening levels.

As mentioned if you do turn it up and start getting distortion just turn it down a little. In the end you have to watch and listen to the system, if something doesn't sound right then you look to change it.

James

[buffheman]

I'm in the process of making a deal for some Forte II with the Crite tweeters and crossovers. Pretty excited!

Anyway, a couple more questions. Is there a standard for how far apart the speakers should be or toed in? Obviously I'm going to have to tweak to my own room, just wondering if there's any starting advice. It's my understanding that the Forte have a sweet spot. They won't be in corners... it's about a 15x15 room, with the right wall opening up into the dining room and kitchen.

Secondly, I've been looking at maybe going with a separate amp and preprocessor if the sound I'm getting out of my receiver is inadequate. Would I get better sound by matching an amp and prepro than just getting an AVR? I'm skeptical about my ability to hear the electronics, but I want to try. I'm new to these things and just want to explore the possibilities. The first thing I'm going to try is playing a cd from my dvd player vs my xbox... would an audiophile tell me I should be able to hear a difference? I remain skeptical, but willing to try.

[wuzzzer]

Anyway, a couple more questions. Is there a standard for how far apart the speakers should be or toed in? Obviously I'm going to have to tweak to my own room, just wondering if there's any starting advice. It's my understanding that the Forte have a sweet spot. They won't be in corners... it's about a 15x15 room, with the right wall opening up into the dining room and kitchen.

Secondly, I've been looking at maybe going with a separate amp and preprocessor if the sound I'm getting out of my receiver is inadequate. Would I get better sound by matching an amp and prepro than just getting an AVR? I'm skeptical about my ability to hear the electronics, but I want to try. I'm new to these things and just want to explore the possibilities. The first thing I'm going to try is playing a cd from my dvd player vs my xbox... would an audiophile tell me I should be able to hear a difference? I remain skeptical, but willing to try.

The general recommendation for speaker distance is to form an equilateral triangle so that you sit the same distance as the speakers are from each other. That doesn't work in many rooms, though so you'll have to experiment to see what sounds best in yours. I'd toe them in slightly towards your main listening position. A perfectly square room is one of the worst rooms as far as acoustics go. Sitting in the middle of the room is where bass is the weakest, too so don't forget about experimenting with where you're sitting also.

Generally going the separates route is recommended over an all-in-one AVR. I've heard it said that the device used as a pre-amp has a larger affect on the sound than the amplifier does.

As far as the CD player/Xbox A/B test - if you're using digital/coaxial/HDMI for them both they should sound exactly the same because your receiver is doing the digital to analog converting. You might hear a difference if you used each player's analog outputs.

[buffheman]

The cd player is digital coax, and the xbox is analog, so I'll give that a shot, see if I can tell the difference.

My room isn't really square... it's kind of an odd shaped room, and really its more like 15x28 since it just keeps running into the dining room. I'll have to experiment. All I know is the speakers will be about 12 feet from my listening position. Maybe when I get my homebuyer tax credit, I'll upgrade the electronics... who knows when that will be... stupid IRS.