2-Channel Stereo for CD's

[garry_brock]

Hi Everyone,

Just after some advice please.......

My current setup consists of Marantz 5200, Marantz CD63MKiiKI CD-Player, Pioneer 545 DVD, Denon Tape Deck, NTL cable. Speakers are Mission M7 series throughout. As yet no sub.....


I have a 'spare' 2-channel integrated amp in the loft (a Denon PMA255) which I wish to bring 'out-of-retirement' for use with the CD player only. The reason is that I get a sneaky suspiscion that my CD player will sound better through the Denon than the Marantz...??

My question is, what is the easiest way of doing this? Would I need to connect the CD player directly to the Denon amp, and then manually change speaker connections each time I wanted to use it? OR - could I hook up the Marantz to the Denon using the pre-outs?

At the moment, the main speakers are bi-wired to the Marantz, is there a 'switch-box' of some sort out there that I could employ to switch between the Denon amp and the Marantz?

Finally....... I will soon be getting a REL Q100 sub second hand from a mate, which I will want to hook up using both high-level and low-level inputs. The Marantz does not have a 'speaker-level' subwoofer output, so how is this achieved????

Thanks in anticipation.....

 

[hazard]

The easiest way is probably to use the Denon amp to drive your front speakers for everything, i.e. movies as well as music.

Connect the front left & right pre-outs from the Marantz to the Denon amp (e.g. "aux" input)

Connect the CD player output to the CD input on the Denon.

Connect your speakers to the Denon amp.


Listening to CDs is straightforward, but to watch a movie you will have to match the volumes on the two amps. Front left and right will be coming from the Denon, and everything else from the Marantz. Use the test tone before watching your movie to make sure the front speaker volume levels match that of the centre and surrounds.


As for the last point, your new sub, I have the same model and the speaker level output is meant to be piggy-backed onto the actual speaker outputs on the back of the amp. Connect up your front speakers, and then attach the sub in parallel.


Fergus

 

I haven't got a Marantz, but surely it should have at least one (if not two, on my DB1070) "Subwoofer pre-out" which can be connected to the subwoofer (which has an active amplifier - meaning that it is *not* powered by your amp).

Also.. I've read other threads where powering a set of speakers with two different amps is not advisable... because of the different audio level problem. Also, the two different amps wiill have different "characteristics" - such as more/less bass, warmer sounding, etc. which will affect your whole series.

-TF