Using high end stereo as part of surround sound setup for TV viewing?

[keysersoze123]

Hi everyone,

If I invest in an expensive stereo system, is is possible to use it as part of a 5.1 surround sound setup when desired?

As in, when watching TV, could I watch films on my TV, using my stereo amp and high quality front speakers, and somehow add in a cheaper center speaker and rear speakers, which I only use when I want surround sound?

I don't have the money to get a really really good quality 5.1 setup, but I could buy a very nice stereo.

Would I drive the other (lesser quality) speakers with a separate multichannel amp and still get a nice surround sound experience? Or could I just even get cheapish powered center and rear speakers, and use them at the same time as my high quality front speakers, to get some sort of ok-ish surround sound experience?

In fact, would it be preferable to get a cheapish (sub £1000, maybe £500ish) surround sound system for my TV, and run it alongside my stereo..

Would my top notch speakers sound out of sync if I used them at the same time as some cheapish surround sound speakers. Would the 2 expensive front speakers sort of end up overpowering the other speakers (rears, center and sub), and lead to an undesirable surround sound effect?

Thanks

[CJROSS]

Keyser. I for many years used a 2.1 based stereo system, with a sub off a pre-output. I can say I would easily revert to that for TV/DVD. Get a good amp, and a good set of standmounts, add a good sub (adds a huge affect to TV & DVD viewing I feel).

[deaf cat]

Key123 Errrmmm... would it not just be an idea to stay stereo, if your picky about sound surely you may notice a drop in quality of the cheaper center, rears, and their associated cheap amps...when watching TV, or would that be just me

[steveparadox]

Hello,
I would say the best way for you is to have your nice stereo system and also a cheaper surround sound (av) amp and send the front preouts from the surround amp to and aux in on the stereo amp with the av amp doing the center and surround speakers. That way you wont need extra speakers at the front. Sound quality will be fine as you can set the levels in the av amp so the speakers are all the same level when sitting in your listening position.

This is exactly how my system is set up using and Onkyo av for surround feeding an Audiolab 8000a and 8000P combo to do the fronts and it sounds awesome.

Steve

[keysersoze123]

Hey guys thanks for all your response.

I think I might forget about surround sound for the moment, and concentrate on getting a really good stereo, and use it for my TV as well, I'm gonna start a new thread cos I think I might get more response that way,

Thanks

[CJROSS]

Originally Posted by keysersoze123

Hey guys thanks for all your response.

I think I might forget about surround sound for the moment, and concentrate on getting a really good stereo, and use it for my TV as well, I'm gonna start a new thread cos I think I might get more response that way,

Thanks

A good focal point of what you are about to look at for a stereo system will be using a DAC for digital outputs from TV (Sky box or Freeview PVR or TV) also routing a DVD players towards it for CD & DVD-V use will be a good idea.

[BlueWizard]

An AV amp is a 5 or 7 channel amp, with additional output for a Subwoofer.

A stereo amp is a 2 channel amp, and may also have some provision for Subwoofer outputs.

No matter how many speaker you add to a stereo amp, it still only has two channels, so...no...you can't add a center, though you could add rears, but I've found it is better to double up on the front, than to add rears.

Photo seen here -

http://www.avforums.com/forums/attac...diamond-sm.jpg

With the configuration shown in the photo above, I have fantastic DVD playback and top notch crystal clear TV audio. With the amount of air I am moving, I really don't see a need for a subwoofer. The bass is so heavy you can practically see the wall ripple as shockwaves radiate out for the speakers. Though I've considered selling my 12" speakers, and getting a couple of Subs. II think at the moment though, I'm just to cheap to talk myself into it. What I have does a great job of it.

So, yes, a stereo can be great for playing DVD's. True you don't get the whooshing zooming special effects, but with a good stereo system, I doubt that you will notice it.

So, no you can't turn a stereo amp into a surround sound system, but if you have a good enough stereo system, you won't miss the whooshing and zooming at all.

Now, at some point on the future, if you want to upgrade to a surround sound system, you will have to by a multi-channel surround sound amp. No way around that.

As to a front and back setup with stereo, that can certainly fill the room with sound, but in my case, it place the rear speaker too close to were I normally sit. The entire experience was dominated by the closest speaker. So, I move everything back to the front, which works good for me.

Again, I can't see you room, so I can't say who it will work for you, but there is nothing wrong with front and rear speakers on a stereo. Assuming, the total impedance per channel does not drop below 4 ohms.

Steve/bluewizard

[keysersoze123]

Originally Posted by BlueWizard

An AV amp is a 5 or 7 channel amp, with additional output for a Subwoofer.

A stereo amp is a 2 channel amp, and may also have some provision for Subwoofer outputs.

No matter how many speaker you add to a stereo amp, it still only has two channels, so...no...you can't add a center, though you could add rears, but I've found it is better to double up on the front, than to add rears.

Photo seen here -

http://www.avforums.com/forums/attac...diamond-sm.jpg

With the configuration shown in the photo above, I have fantastic DVD playback and top notch crystal clear TV audio. With the amount of air I am moving, I really don't see a need for a subwoofer. The bass is so heavy you can practically see the wall ripple as shockwaves radiate out for the speakers. Though I've considered selling my 12" speakers, and getting a couple of Subs. II think at the moment though, I'm just to cheap to talk myself into it. What I have does a great job of it.

So, yes, a stereo can be great for playing DVD's. True you don't get the whooshing zooming special effects, but with a good stereo system, I doubt that you will notice it.

So, no you can't turn a stereo amp into a surround sound system, but if you have a good enough stereo system, you won't miss the whooshing and zooming at all.

Now, at some point on the future, if you want to upgrade to a surround sound system, you will have to by a multi-channel surround sound amp. No way around that.

As to a front and back setup with stereo, that can certainly fill the room with sound, but in my case, it place the rear speaker too close to were I normally sit. The entire experience was dominated by the closest speaker. So, I move everything back to the front, which works good for me.

Again, I can't see you room, so I can't say who it will work for you, but there is nothing wrong with front and rear speakers on a stereo. Assuming, the total impedance per channel does not drop below 4 ohms.

Steve/bluewizard

Thanks Steve, some interesting points in there. But as I pointed out in my original post I realise I would need a separate multichannel AVR to do surround sound (or alternatively cheapish powered speakers). I thought I could have my high end stereo, and somehow use a cheap multichannel amp to power all the other speakers, which I would use in unison with my stereo, when watching TV.

[BlueWizard]

Well, it seems that you want a cheap surround system AND a good stereo system. Well...the easiest way to do that is to have a cheap surround system and a good stereo. Connect your music sources to the stereo, and the video sources to the surround system.

Actually, and obviously, I'm being slightly sarcastic. But, I've often thought about doing this. In fact, if I were to have an AV system, it would be one of each; one surround and one completely separate stereo.

It is possible to interconnect the two through the pre-amp outputs.

But, I also think that a good stereo system is going to sound better for video than a cheap surround system. I mean, you can go down to the local general merchandising store and pick up a complete dirt cheap surround sound system. But what will you have in the end...a dirt cheap surround system which as I'm trying to point out, will never equal a good stereo.

Personally, I would keep my nice floorstanding stereo system, and add a nice, but basic, surround sound system. But a good basic surround sound system is going to cost about £750.

So, that's what it gets down to. A small cheap surround sound system is small and cheap. A good surround system is not cheap. Somewhere you have to make a decisions as to what your priorities are.

Steve/bluewizard

[trailer]

It's entirely possible to have both!
I do this now and I am more than happy with the results. Start with your stereo system and get that set up to your liking.
Once you are happy with that then get yourself an AV amp, a decent centre speaker and a couple of rear surrounds. Whether you require a sub or not will depend on the bass response of your stereo system, room acoustics and personal preferences.
An option to look for when you buy your stereo amp is to see if it has a mode usually called unity gain which will disable its volume control for one of its inputs. This means that the AV amp will control the volume of the stereo amp and thus the main speakers so you won't have to worry about setting the volume levels every time you switch between stereo and AV sources.

[CJROSS]

Great thread to read about Stereo v 5.1 Surround below - how to get the best from both scenarios when you are constrained by system type. My advice is always to work from a stereo aspect (system wise) as most of the listening will be done in that scenario (TV, Radio, PC, CD, LP etc) and when you get a very good “downmix” ability you can really enjoy the AV side of DVD via stereo, note that adding a sub has a major impact to that effect IMHO. If most of your listening is 5.1 then you need a 5.1 system.

Anyone ditched 5.1 in favour of stereo?

(Power to stereo!)

FWIW the price you see cheap AV amps here in the classifieds, it is very easy to create a decent 5.1 system for pennies. But as with all things in life, quality wise - your budget for 2 channels over 5 channels wil lshow some real dividends when listening to 2 channel material on a price comparable 5 channel system (IMHO & IMPE)

[BlueWizard]

There is a way to merge a stereo system into a surround sound system in a way that allows both systems to share the same front speakers.

To do this, the front two amp channels on your AV amp go unused. Instead on connect the Pre-Amp output of the AV amp to one of the stereo inputs of the Stereo amp. Now everything that plays in the AV amp, will be heard in the stereo amp.

When you want stereo, you just use the stereo amp and the front speakers. When you want surround sound, you use the Stereo amp for the front speakers, and the surround amp for the rest of the speakers.

But, you give up a little control when you do this. When connected like this, the front speakers are no longer front channels, but are full range speakers. You lose the ability to apply bass management to the front speakers.

Still, a few people do this and like it, it gives them the best of both world with only slight compromises; compromises that they find easy to live with. I personally think this works better with larger speakers systems, but then, that's just my opinion.

The difference between the two is one more pair of speakers. Personally, I would prefer to add the extra speakers and have two completely independent systems. Big floorstanding for stereo, and basic bookshelf/Sub for the surround sound.

Steve/bluewizard

[trailer]

Originally Posted by BlueWizard

But, you give up a little control when you do this. When connected like this, the front speakers are no longer front channels, but are full range speakers. You lose the ability to apply bass management to the front speakers.

Wrong. The settings in the AV amp should apply to the pre-outs as well the speaker outs. Using an amp that has the unity gain option you have a direct mode through the amp and gain all the benefits of having the better quality stereo amp and speakers for the main front two channels. The surround channels aren't so important. The centre channel is a different matter altogether.

[steveparadox]

Originally Posted by BlueWizard

There is a way to merge a stereo system into a surround sound system in a way that allows both systems to share the same front speakers.

To do this, the front two amp channels on your AV amp go unused. Instead on connect the Pre-Amp output of the AV amp to one of the stereo inputs of the Stereo amp. Now everything that plays in the AV amp, will be heard in the stereo amp.

When you want stereo, you just use the stereo amp and the front speakers. When you want surround sound, you use the Stereo amp for the front speakers, and the surround amp for the rest of the speakers.

But, you give up a little control when you do this. When connected like this, the front speakers are no longer front channels, but are full range speakers. You lose the ability to apply bass management to the front speakers.

Still, a few people do this and like it, it gives them the best of both world with only slight compromises; compromises that they find easy to live with. I personally think this works better with larger speakers systems, but then, that's just my opinion.

The difference between the two is one more pair of speakers. Personally, I would prefer to add the extra speakers and have two completely independent systems. Big floorstanding for stereo, and basic bookshelf/Sub for the surround sound.

Steve/bluewizard

Pretty much what I said in post #4 then.

[keysersoze123]

Originally Posted by BlueWizard

There is a way to merge a stereo system into a surround sound system in a way that allows both systems to share the same front speakers.

To do this, the front two amp channels on your AV amp go unused. Instead on connect the Pre-Amp output of the AV amp to one of the stereo inputs of the Stereo amp. Now everything that plays in the AV amp, will be heard in the stereo amp.

Hi Steve, would the sound quality of the stereo speakers be at all compromised by the fact that the sound signal has passed through the AV amp?

Or would the music signal leave the AV amp exactly as it arrived, so the AV amp would do nothing to the music signal, and the end result would be that the front stereo speakers sound exactly the same as if the music was just going direct into the stereo amp, with no AV amp involved?

Hope that makes sense?