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Crazy or ??? HT 7.1 to 3.1 to 2.1 speaker setup ???


Emile

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Hi All,

 

Was hoping to find out my "mental state." Please advise if I am crazy, an idiot, or just "OK." Haha ... please let me know "why." :D 

 

Had a 7.1 system for a long time. Music selection is classical (Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Opera, etc) and 70/80's rock, played extremely loud - yes, LOUD ... neighbors invite themselves and drink our wine when they hear it cranked up :)  Movies are watched on a Panasonic 65" Viera Plasma - 95% of the time just with the sound on the tv speakers. (Maybe this post should be in "2-channel stereo.") Rarely stream music or movies.

 

As of a year ago system consisted of an Onkyo AVR (TX-ZR810, 130wpc), couple of CD/DVD/BR players, rarely used TT and R2R. Speaker setup was L/R Cornwalls, Center Yamaha Pro 12", Sides Heresies, Rear Forte's, subwoofer 15" (w/ 1000W amp).

 

Got some Pro speakers :) and after trying a 5.1 setup, ended up with a 3.1 configuration. (Haha, why would I need a 7.1 or 9.2.x AVR? :) ) Setup now is - from AVR, L/R Heresies, Center Heresy. same sub ... from AVR ZONE 2 PRE-OUT; L/R Kpt-904's (on Nikko Beta preamp and Crown K1 amp) and Rear Cornwalls (on Yamaha CR-620 receiver or my "new" Luxman R115).  Yes, like it much better :D 

 

But have a problem with the Onkyo AVR now. Sub out is almost dead ... works 2% of the time, 98% "hum" or "nothing." :(  Looking at getting it repaired under warranty. Estimated time is 2-4 weeks, so I am counting on at least 6 weeks :(  Way too long to be without good sounds in the living room, and probably would like to keep (almost) the same speaker setup.  Yes; could just feed RCA cables to the 904 amps, but would be missing the other speakers. So; went "shopping" and found that @Pats3of4 has an almost new Denon DRA-800H (2.1, 100wpc) available. Pretty sure all (only) 5 HDMI inputs can transfer to zone 2. 100wpc should be fine for front L/R Heresies. Wiring of course would be much easier ... but still a pain since most components are in an enclosed cedar cabinet (no access from the rear). Since it is 2.1, I would loose my center speaker ... probably not a big deal since we rarely listen to movies via the AVR ... and my wife hates the Heresy sitting in front of her fireplace anyway :) .

 

Appreciate any thoughts you may have.

 

Cheers, Emile

 

PS; Haha, anyone interested in a single Heresy 1.5 or an Onkyo TX-RZ810 (after I get it fixed) :)  I'm in Tampa Bay, FL.

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Check out accessories for less to see if they have a replacement you "gotta have" as a drop-in replacement and then sell the fixed AVR after it's fixed (if you like the replacement better). Continue to tweak your configuration from there. My 2 cents...

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Starting to think that this Denon DRA-800H will not give me enough flexibility to "play with other speakers/amps/stuff." :(  Maybe an AV processor like an Emotiva UM-200 or Outlaw 975/976 would be more fun :) 

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I've had a full HT setup including THX Ultra speakers and ended up moving to RF7 mains and RC7. That's it. They go fairly low and sound full as is, never felt that I needed a sub with them. Almost any receiver can drive them, but something decent is still recommended. So, no - not a crazy idea.

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OK; bought an Emotiva UMC-200 instead of the Denon.  Will give me enough pre-outs to hookup additional amps and still have a center in case I want to haul it back and forth from fireplace to storage :D 

Thanks for all the inputs!

Cheers, Emile

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3 hours ago, Emile said:

OK; bought an Emotiva UMC-200 instead of the Denon.  Will give me enough pre-outs to hookup additional amps and still have a center in case I want to haul it back and forth from fireplace to storage :D 

Thanks for all the inputs!

Cheers, Emile

So, you went and listened to it first, I presume?

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