Cinema amp to stereo amp

RyanNorwich

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Morning!
I have a Denon AVR-X3600H cinema amp and I have 2 subwoofers connected.
I would like to pre-out from my cinema amp to a stereo amp for my L&R front speakers but I know I can't have both my subs connected to both my cinema amp and stereo amp at the same time.
Will I get a sound benefit of leaving my subs connected to my cinema amp and leave my cd player and streaming with my cinema amp and just have the L&R going to my stereo amp, that way when I'm playing music, the bass is still coming from the subs through my cinema amp and the rest is coming through my L&R via my stereo amp?
 
That way you will be using your stereo amp as a power amp only. You will still be using the preamplifier section of the AV. Give it a try and see if you can hear any improvement compared to using the AV powering the front channels directly.
The alternative is to use only the stereo amp for music, but integrating the active subs becomes tricky, as you said.
What are your front speakers and how large is your room? If the speakers go down to 50Hz you may find that you don’t need a sub for music. In that case, using just the stereo amp for music should be best.
The best option is for you to try both ways, and decide what sounds best to your ears.
 
@Nico72 I currently have Q Acoustics 3050i fronts and two kef subs. I haven't bought my stereo amp yet as was thinking of buying Focal Aria 926 speakers and perhaps a Roksan K3 power amp or integrated amp. Or just keeping my current speakers and buying a new stereo amp.
So I listen to a lot of bass heavy music so do need my subs. Music like drum and bass, psytrance, techno etc
 
Thanks for the answer. It comes down to personal preferences and room size. My floor standing speakers already have too much bass for my living room. Maybe your room is pretty large?
The focal aria 926 are rated 45 Hz at -3db and 37 Hz at -6db. The subs will extend a bit lower still.
If integrating the two subs is essential to you, then probably go for a power amp with 12 V trigger to power your fronts and make life easier for the AVR.
In your position I would rather buy a stereo amp with ht bypass, and do without the subs for music as your speakers are more than adequate, but that is personal taste.
 
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@Nico72 thanks. My heart is telling me to go for the Roksan power amp. By doing this, would my subs and speaker all be in sync with each other as they are connected to separate amps? Also, by doing it this way, will I get a sound quality improvement from my L&R speakers because they are connected to the power amp or would it be limited because I'm pre-outimg from my AVR which will still be the music/movie source?
 
I would not worry about sync problems using a power amp, but you have to repeat the Audissey calibration because the gain for the fronts may be different.
You should hear an improvement with music due to using a better quality power amp for the fronts, and also for films, because the AVR has an easier life driving the centre and rears only.
As you say, you are still using the AVR as a preamplifier so the improvement will be less than connecting your source to a stereo amp directly.
Please also be aware that in order to integrate the subs you will need to have the DSP and Audissey working in the AVR. I am pretty sure that if you select a pure or direct mode for music on the AVR, the DSP may shut down and so will the subs. Please check if there is a difference between 2 ch stereo and pure modes on your AVR (apart from an overall volume difference). If you prefer the sound in pure direct mode (after matching the volumes) then it means the subs are most likely off in that mode.
If you are after a most dramatic improvement just for music, chances are you will get that from using an integrated amp wit HT bypass.
 
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I had this very problem and in the end used one sub for AV and one for music. Multi sub did not, in my room, make a massive difference anyway
 
The power amp you mention has a switch between xlr and rca inputs.
The topping d30pro dac/preamp is state of the art at £300 with xlr out.
Optical out from tv IF YOUR TV CAN DOWNCONVRRT TO 2 CHANNEL PCM
 

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