Is your home theater setup to be dual purpose with both HT and 2 channel in mind? What have you done to make the setup dual purpose?

[3dbinCanada]

All three of my AV receiver based systems are setup with both HT and 2 channel reproduction in mind but its more than what's just connected to the receiver's input. I have two speaker configurations on each receiver, one setup for movie or film and one for music. The movie setup sets the front main speakers to small along with the rest of the speakers. This routes all the bass to the subs. I also have the room EQ set to flat. The music setup sets the fronts to large while the rest of the speakers are set to small. This allows me two different arrangements with music. Run the mains full range + subs and run the the mains full range with no subs. The other thing I did was to set up the speakers in an isosceles configuration with the distance from the speaker to the listener position to be longer than the distance between the main left/right speakers.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Both my systems (living room and master bedroom) are setup for 5.1 theater. However, when playing music I just switch the AVR to stereo mode, which also utilizes the subwoofer. This is a necessity because my L/R speakers are not full range (at least not as full-range as you’d have with the subwoofer).

Regards,
Wayne

 

[ddude003]

Stereo music is my first priority... Local and/or streaming music, stereo + sub is first for me... AVR mods feed my preamp with the correct levels for L&R mains for home theatre use... The center and surrounds are powered by the AVR... The preamp and Mcintosh amp power the Martin Logan ESLs for both stereo and home theatre... So, stereo music signal chain is pretty good and movies AVR signal chain are pretty good too...

Stereo music signal chain is Audirvana on a MacBook Pro > Lumin U1 mini > Chord Quest DAC > PrimaLuna Preamp > McIntosh MC152 Amp > Martin Logan ESLs... Plus PrimaLuna Preamp > Martin Logan Sub...

Home Theatre signal chain is Sony Blueray or PlayStation5 or Samsung UST PJ streaming > Yamaha AVR > PrimaLuna Preamp > McIntosh MC152 Amp > Martin Logan ESLs... Plus PrimaLuna Preamp > Martin Logan Sub... Plus Yamaha AVR > Martin Logan Center and Surrounds...

 

[ManCaveAudio]

I am more of an online movies/ series content consumer than 2ch music. I use both presets of my Denon AVR. 01 is for a movie and another is for 2ch. I ensured to install the best speakers in my budget keeping in mind my requirement for HT + 2ch music listening.

I set all my speakers to small as they are not a full range. I set my preset-2 for 2ch audio listening with Sub. However, for 2ch, I like pure direct mode.
.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

We have nothing more than our Sony TV in the great room. There is a Sony AVR, but it never gets turned on, as it only powers a soundbar, which we no longer need or use.

We have a receiver in our sunroom with a pair of speakers inside and a pair of outdoor speakers.

The AV room is set up for two-channel first, and 9.6.6 is set up for theater. The StormAudio allows for a two-channel tuned preset and a theater tuned preset.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

We have the theater downstairs and a 2-channel setup in the living room. I hate the term WAF because I'm generally pickier about aesthetics than my partner. I like having the theater downstairs where it's not overwhelming and I can hid all the gear. And the 2ch system is pretty unobtrusive in the room.

I think our 65" TV up there is a bigger eyesore than the 2ch setup and have been seriously considering downsizing or removing that TV. BTW the TV is not connected to the 2ch system, it's utilizing a Sonos Playbar for audio.

I want the separation between the theater and the 2ch setup, because when I'm in 2ch mode I enjoy sunlight, or at least windows open to the outside. I don't want to sit in the bat cave to listen to music. The only time I listen to music in the theater is when I'm listening to surround/Atmos music on the AppleTV, or just turning something on for a few minutes after watching a movie. Honestly, I connect at a different level when listening to music on vinyl. Nostalgia, the bigger artwork to comb through while listening, it's just a more active listening situation for me, vs streaming music, which I consider to be a background source while I'm doing other things.

 

[Mike Schramm]

Mine is definitely set up to be a home theater. While not a dedicated space, HT is the priority. I rarely do any two channel listening. When listening to music I use Apple Music streaming from the Apple TV and I prefer the stuff in spatial audio. Even non-spatial audio stuff is upconverted with Dolby Surround. I have a record player set up, but I must have a ground loop or something because the hum I get in my speakers kills the experience. I have put in minimal effort to try and fix the issue, and was unsuccessful. At the end of the day I don't care enough about two channel to pursue it any further.

 

[3dbinCanada]

I am more of an online movies/ series content consumer than 2ch music. I use both presets of my Denon AVR. 01 is for a movie and another is for 2ch. I ensured to install the best speakers in my budget keeping in mind my requirement for HT + 2ch music listening.

I set all my speakers to small as they are not a full range. I set my preset-2 for 2ch audio listening with Sub. However, for 2ch, I like pure direct mode.
.

Your AVR setup sounds very similar to mine. Only the names differ because of different equipment manufacturers.

 

[ManCaveAudio]

Your AVR setup sounds very similar to mine. Only the names differ because of different equipment manufacturers.

Ohhh..great...I am using Denon X4700H with Polk Elite Signature series of speakers + SVS SB 3000 in the configuration of 5.1.4 set-up in my bedroom. What is your set-up?

 

[3dbinCanada]

Ohhh..great...I am using Denon X4700H with Polk Elite Signature series of speakers + SVS SB 3000 in the configuration of 5.1.4 set-up in my bedroom. What is your set-up?

My Atmos setup is in the basement. I'm using a Yamaha RX-A3060 with PSB Image series with the ATMOS speakers being a pair of PSB 1000 indoor/outdoor speakers and two Rythmik subs, a LV12-R and a LV12-F. I'm currently writing up the evolution of my basement system in AV showcase. Its still in draft mode but will hopefully publish it today.

 

[Peter Loeser]

Our dedicated theater in the basement is dual purpose. My mains and some other gear come from my original 2-channel setup, and I do still sometimes listen to music in purely stereo mode (no subs either). I intend to maintain the ability to do that even as the surround system evolves.

Our living room TV, where we do most of our watching/entertaining is accompanied by an AVR, passive 3 channel soundbar and a pair of 12” subs I built into the wall. I will occasionally listen to music (mostly YouTube in that case) in the living room if I’m home by myself.

The game room in the basement, mostly a kids space, also has an AVR, passive 3 channel soundbar, 2 ceiling surround speakers and a 12” sub. Occasionally the kids and I will watch YouTube music videos there too.

Moral of the story, I’ve ensured most places in our house where we consume media have, a decent sound system.

 

[VinceHoffman]

Our double duty music and cinema room features two completely independent source, preamp, and bass management front ends. Only the L & R front active ATC monitors, the four Seaton subwoofers (in a distributed bass array), along with a DSPeaker AM2.0 subwoofer eq are shared between the two front ends. All the silver boxes are 2 channel and black boxes are multi-channel. I use a pair of ARX RS-1 12v triggered, relay actuated XLR switch boxes to seamlessly and transparently switch between the front ends.

Additionally the front LCR trio are placed 5 feet off the front wall for best imaging and soundstage performance. Finally while the acoustic treatment strategy addresses all loudspeaker sound sources, it prioritizes stereo playback.

 

[3dbinCanada]

Our double duty music and cinema room features two completely independent source, preamp, and bass management front ends. Only the L & R front active ATC monitors, the four Seaton subwoofers (in a distributed bass array), along with a DSPeaker AM2.0 subwoofer eq are shared between the two front ends. All the silver boxes are 2 channel and black boxes are multi-channel. I use a pair of ARX RS-1 12v triggered, relay actuated XLR switch boxes to seamlessly and transparently switch between the front ends.

View attachment 68693
Additionally the front LCR trio are placed 5 feet off the front wall for best imaging and soundstage performance. Finally while the acoustic treatment strategy addresses all loudspeaker sound sources, it prioritizes stereo playback.

View attachment 68695 View attachment 68696

Impressive room Vince. Is that an Oracle TT?

 

[JStewart]

Our double duty music and cinema room features two completely independent source, preamp, and bass management front ends. Only the L & R front active ATC monitors, the four Seaton subwoofers (in a distributed bass array), along with a DSPeaker AM2.0 subwoofer eq are shared between the two front ends. All the silver boxes are 2 channel and black boxes are multi-channel. I use a pair of ARX RS-1 12v triggered, relay actuated XLR switch boxes to seamlessly and transparently switch between the front ends.

View attachment 68693
Additionally the front LCR trio are placed 5 feet off the front wall for best imaging and soundstage performance. Finally while the acoustic treatment strategy addresses all loudspeaker sound sources, it prioritizes stereo playback.

View attachment 68695 View attachment 68696

I never tire of seeing photos of your room and gear. It’s exceptional.

One thing I noticed this time I’d like to ask about it the remotes holder. Did you have it made?

 

[VinceHoffman]

I never tire of seeing photos of your room and gear. It’s exceptional.

One thing I noticed this time I’d like to ask about it the remotes holder. Did you have it made?

Thanks for the kind words gentlemen. @3dbinCanada, A Delphi V that I sent back to the mothership and had upgraded to Delphi VI Reference a few years ago... @JStewart, the leatherette remote caddy was an Amazon purchase several years back...

 

[Peter Loeser]

@VinceHoffman That's a very impressive and well executed setup. Really nice looking room. Glad to see evidence you're putting miles on that sweet spot

Your switchable-dual-source setup, sharing a pair of main speakers is something I've half cooked up in my mind, but haven't managed to design well enough to attempt it in reality. There's a handful of analog stereo preamps with HT-bypass for a shared set of mains and sub, positioned between the AVR and power amp. Parasound makes a few. What you've done allows you freedom to chose any preamp though. Really nicely done!

 

[ChristopherP]

I too have a system which is recently both 2 Channel and Multichannel HT. It’s small and not as ambitious as others here but sounds good and we enjoy it. HT is 11.1 with Yamaha AVR feeding Kef LS50 Meta (L/R) with Center, FP L/R, side and rear surrounds Kef LS50s. Rear Presence L/R M&K dipoles. Inputs are a WIIM Pro+, OPPO203 & current Apple TV 4K, feeding a Sony Bravia A9 65” on over mantel pull down mount. There is also a Sony RS-1000 SVHS recorder, Sony RS Dvd player and Pioneer LD.

The Analog rig is mostly vintage. Yamaha C2/M4 feeding the same LS50 Metas. The subwoofer supporting both rigs is Kef KF92. The inputs to the C2 are a pair of cassette decks(Nakamichi & Sony), a pair of RTRs (Sony TC766 & TC765-2), Sony 8track recorder and a modern TASCAM DA-3000 Digital Audio Recorder. Two Turntables a vintage Braun P600 and an AR ‘The Turntable’ the latter hot rodded some.

The rigs are cross connected via PreOuts and Rek-O-Kut RCA A/B switches. The subwoofer is set up off of the amp switch output line with a copper splitter. This allows the output selected to drive the M4 and Sub. For the front stereo pair and the sub. This ensures the analog rig and the HT remain separate. If I want I can switch the PreOuts of the AVR into the C2 like the other Tape inputs via a series of Sony external Tape switches. Works pretty well.

The system plays all my media in a room (14.5’ X 19.5’) which is treated the old fashioned way with books, records, tapes, and decor. Open at the rear to a long hallway its RT-60 is below 3 so it sounds real good. Here is a pic from the sweet spot. A three person leather recliner and chair provide 4 seats, 3 across the sweet spot. There are only two of us usually so it‘s just the right size.

chair seen in the photo.

I’m sharing this because in 2015/16 when I started out on this journey many folk here helped me and answered many questions. This is a good opportunity to share.

 

[Peter Loeser]

I too have a system which is recently both 2 Channel and Multichannel HT. It’s small and not as ambitious as others here but sounds good and we enjoy it. HT is 11.1 with Yamaha AVR feeding Kef LS50 Meta (L/R) with Center, FP L/R, side and rear surrounds Kef LS50s. Rear Presence L/R M&K dipoles. Inputs are a WIIM Pro+, OPPO203 & current Apple TV 4K, feeding a Sony Bravia A9 65” on over mantel pull down mount. There is also a Sony RS-1000 SVHS recorder, Sony RS Dvd player and Pioneer LD.

The Analog rig is mostly vintage. Yamaha C2/M4 feeding the same LS50 Metas. The subwoofer supporting both rigs is Kef KF92. The inputs to the C2 are a pair of cassette decks(Nakamichi & Sony), a pair of RTRs (Sony TC766 & TC765-2), Sony 8track recorder and a modern TASCAM DA-3000 Digital Audio Recorder. Two Turntables a vintage Braun P600 and an AR ‘The Turntable’ the latter hot rodded some.

The rigs are cross connected via PreOuts and Rek-O-Kut RCA A/B switches. The subwoofer is set up off of the amp switch output line with a copper splitter. This allows the output selected to drive the M4 and Sub. For the front stereo pair and the sub. This ensures the analog rig and the HT remain separate. If I want I can switch the PreOuts of the AVR into the C2 like the other Tape inputs via a series of Sony external Tape switches. Works pretty well.

The system plays all my media in a room (14.5’ X 19.5’) which is treated the old fashioned way with books, records, tapes, and decor. Open at the rear to a long hallway its RT-60 is below 3 so it sounds real good. Here is a pic from the sweet spot. A three person leather recliner and chair provide 4 seats, 3 across the sweet spot. There are only two of us usually so it‘s just the right size.View attachment 68712chair seen in the photo.

I’m sharing this because in 2015/16 when I started out on this journey many folk here helped me and answered many questions. This is a good opportunity to share.

Now that's a dedicated listening room! I love seeing those stacks of gear and reel to reel decks

Thanks for sharing, and it's always great to see "success stories" from folks in the community navigating through this hobby.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Our double duty music and cinema room features two completely independent source, preamp, and bass management front ends. Only the L & R front active ATC monitors, the four Seaton subwoofers (in a distributed bass array), along with a DSPeaker AM2.0 subwoofer eq are shared between the two front ends. All the silver boxes are 2 channel and black boxes are multi-channel. I use a pair of ARX RS-1 12v triggered, relay actuated XLR switch boxes to seamlessly and transparently switch between the front ends.

View attachment 68693
Additionally the front LCR trio are placed 5 feet off the front wall for best imaging and soundstage performance. Finally while the acoustic treatment strategy addresses all loudspeaker sound sources, it prioritizes stereo playback.

View attachment 68695 View attachment 68696

Whoa... whoa!!! Vince, that room is CRAZY good looking! Well done!

 

[Todd Anderson]

I too have a system which is recently both 2 Channel and Multichannel HT. It’s small and not as ambitious as others here but sounds good and we enjoy it. HT is 11.1 with Yamaha AVR feeding Kef LS50 Meta (L/R) with Center, FP L/R, side and rear surrounds Kef LS50s. Rear Presence L/R M&K dipoles. Inputs are a WIIM Pro+, OPPO203 & current Apple TV 4K, feeding a Sony Bravia A9 65” on over mantel pull down mount. There is also a Sony RS-1000 SVHS recorder, Sony RS Dvd player and Pioneer LD.

The Analog rig is mostly vintage. Yamaha C2/M4 feeding the same LS50 Metas. The subwoofer supporting both rigs is Kef KF92. The inputs to the C2 are a pair of cassette decks(Nakamichi & Sony), a pair of RTRs (Sony TC766 & TC765-2), Sony 8track recorder and a modern TASCAM DA-3000 Digital Audio Recorder. Two Turntables a vintage Braun P600 and an AR ‘The Turntable’ the latter hot rodded some.

The rigs are cross connected via PreOuts and Rek-O-Kut RCA A/B switches. The subwoofer is set up off of the amp switch output line with a copper splitter. This allows the output selected to drive the M4 and Sub. For the front stereo pair and the sub. This ensures the analog rig and the HT remain separate. If I want I can switch the PreOuts of the AVR into the C2 like the other Tape inputs via a series of Sony external Tape switches. Works pretty well.

The system plays all my media in a room (14.5’ X 19.5’) which is treated the old fashioned way with books, records, tapes, and decor. Open at the rear to a long hallway its RT-60 is below 3 so it sounds real good. Here is a pic from the sweet spot. A three person leather recliner and chair provide 4 seats, 3 across the sweet spot. There are only two of us usually so it‘s just the right size.View attachment 68712chair seen in the photo.

I’m sharing this because in 2015/16 when I started out on this journey many folk here helped me and answered many questions. This is a good opportunity to share.

Love it!!!

 

[3dbinCanada]

I too have a system which is recently both 2 Channel and Multichannel HT. It’s small and not as ambitious as others here but sounds good and we enjoy it. HT is 11.1 with Yamaha AVR feeding Kef LS50 Meta (L/R) with Center, FP L/R, side and rear surrounds Kef LS50s. Rear Presence L/R M&K dipoles. Inputs are a WIIM Pro+, OPPO203 & current Apple TV 4K, feeding a Sony Bravia A9 65” on over mantel pull down mount. There is also a Sony RS-1000 SVHS recorder, Sony RS Dvd player and Pioneer LD.

The Analog rig is mostly vintage. Yamaha C2/M4 feeding the same LS50 Metas. The subwoofer supporting both rigs is Kef KF92. The inputs to the C2 are a pair of cassette decks(Nakamichi & Sony), a pair of RTRs (Sony TC766 & TC765-2), Sony 8track recorder and a modern TASCAM DA-3000 Digital Audio Recorder. Two Turntables a vintage Braun P600 and an AR ‘The Turntable’ the latter hot rodded some.

The rigs are cross connected via PreOuts and Rek-O-Kut RCA A/B switches. The subwoofer is set up off of the amp switch output line with a copper splitter. This allows the output selected to drive the M4 and Sub. For the front stereo pair and the sub. This ensures the analog rig and the HT remain separate. If I want I can switch the PreOuts of the AVR into the C2 like the other Tape inputs via a series of Sony external Tape switches. Works pretty well.

The system plays all my media in a room (14.5’ X 19.5’) which is treated the old fashioned way with books, records, tapes, and decor. Open at the rear to a long hallway its RT-60 is below 3 so it sounds real good. Here is a pic from the sweet spot. A three person leather recliner and chair provide 4 seats, 3 across the sweet spot. There are only two of us usually so it‘s just the right size.View attachment 68712chair seen in the photo.

I’m sharing this because in 2015/16 when I started out on this journey many folk here helped me and answered many questions. This is a good opportunity to share.

Thank you for sharing . Its a VERY interesting room.

 

[HDNLUVNIT]

Some very impressive gear and room setups folks! I recently upgraded from a Yamaha RX-Z1 to the RX-A8A. That was an amazing leap in technology. I also added a Panasonic DP-UB9000P1K Blu Ray Player to replace an older Panasonic. I swapped in four Klipsch RP 500SA II's as Atmos speakers to take the place of the four Klipsch KG1.2's that served duty as front and rear height speakers. For those of you old enough, old school thought said to mount your surrounds up high which I had done so many more years ago than I care to admit. The KG 1.2's are now serving as the front and rear surrounds. My front L&R mains are Klipsch Chorus II's and the center is the Klipsch Academy. All supplemented by my old reliable Klipsch SW-10 sub.

I had pretty much ignored my old HT setup the last 10 years or so but decided as I get closer to retirement a few years from now, I wanted to re-build my system and once again enjoy my extensive DVD/Blu-Ray/CD collections. I still have a large Laser Disc collection and a Pioneer LD player, but they are not in the mix. LD's look lousy on HD TV's.

Back to the OP's question: I have my HT configured as 7.1.4 - which is such a huge improvement over my previous setup. Then, for just plain old, chill out immersive stereo listening, I use the Panasonic's balanced XLR outputs into the RX-A8A's XLR inputs and enjoy some amazing sound through the front L&R mains - the aforementioned Klipsch Chorus II's. The Chorus II's can output plenty of bass so no sub needed for the music only configuration.

This journey is ongoing and has been fun. My AV tech knowledge got rusty over the years while I ignored my HT. It has been enjoyable learning so many new things while continuing to tweak my new setup. I and my SO are looking forward to many hours of enjoyment with my re-discovered hobby.

I am also enjoying this site that I recently discovered.

Best wishes to all.

 

[3dbinCanada]

Some very impressive gear and room setups folks! I recently upgraded from a Yamaha RX-Z1 to the RX-A8A. That was an amazing leap in technology. I also added a Panasonic DP-UB9000P1K Blu Ray Player to replace an older Panasonic. I swapped in four Klipsch RP 500SA II's as Atmos speakers to take the place of the four Klipsch KG1.2's that served duty as front and rear height speakers. For those of you old enough, old school thought said to mount your surrounds up high which I had done so many more years ago than I care to admit. The KG 1.2's are now serving as the front and rear surrounds. My front L&R mains are Klipsch Chorus II's and the center is the Klipsch Academy. All supplemented by my old reliable Klipsch SW-10 sub.

I had pretty much ignored my old HT setup the last 10 years or so but decided as I get closer to retirement a few years from now, I wanted to re-build my system and once again enjoy my extensive DVD/Blu-Ray/CD collections. I still have a large Laser Disc collection and a Pioneer LD player, but they are not in the mix. LD's look lousy on HD TV's.

Back to the OP's question: I have my HT configured as 7.1.4 - which is such a huge improvement over my previous setup. Then, for just plain old, chill out immersive stereo listening, I use the Panasonic's balanced XLR outputs into the RX-A8A's XLR inputs and enjoy some amazing sound through the front L&R mains - the aforementioned Klipsch Chorus II's. The Chorus II's can output plenty of bass so no sub needed for the music only configuration.

This journey is ongoing and has been fun. My AV tech knowledge got rusty over the years while I ignored my HT. It has been enjoyable learning so many new things while continuing to tweak my new setup. I and my SO are looking forward to many hours of enjoyment with my re-discovered hobby.

I am also enjoying this site that I recently discovered.

Best wishes to all.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[ChristopherP]

Some very impressive gear and room setups folks! I recently upgraded from a Yamaha RX-Z1 to the RX-A8A. That was an amazing leap in technology. I also added a Panasonic DP-UB9000P1K Blu Ray Player to replace an older Panasonic. I swapped in four Klipsch RP 500SA II's as Atmos speakers to take the place of the four Klipsch KG1.2's that served duty as front and rear height speakers. For those of you old enough, old school thought said to mount your surrounds up high which I had done so many more years ago than I care to admit. The KG 1.2's are now serving as the front and rear surrounds. My front L&R mains are Klipsch Chorus II's and the center is the Klipsch Academy. All supplemented by my old reliable Klipsch SW-10 sub.

I had pretty much ignored my old HT setup the last 10 years or so but decided as I get closer to retirement a few years from now, I wanted to re-build my system and once again enjoy my extensive DVD/Blu-Ray/CD collections. I still have a large Laser Disc collection and a Pioneer LD player, but they are not in the mix. LD's look lousy on HD TV's.

Back to the OP's question: I have my HT configured as 7.1.4 - which is such a huge improvement over my previous setup. Then, for just plain old, chill out immersive stereo listening, I use the Panasonic's balanced XLR outputs into the RX-A8A's XLR inputs and enjoy some amazing sound through the front L&R mains - the aforementioned Klipsch Chorus II's. The Chorus II's can output plenty of bass so no sub needed for the music only configuration.

This journey is ongoing and has been fun. My AV tech knowledge got rusty over the years while I ignored my HT. It has been enjoyable learning so many new things while continuing to tweak my new setup. I and my SO are looking forward to many hours of enjoyment with my re-discovered hobby.

I am also enjoying this site that I recently discovered.

Best wishes to all.

Understand the LDs aren't in the mix, but may not be as bad as all that. I have a Kanex S-Video (also RCA audio) to HDMI converter which I use for both the SVHS Tape deck and the Pioneeer LD. It outputs an excellent signal which I feed my AVR which upscales to 720i, and my Sony Panel does a pretty good job of upscaling to play on the 4K screen, albiet with vertical bars of course. But for old concert and vintage movies it works. So all is not lost for the SVHS/LD in a current HT, just be in the mood for nostalgic. YMMV of course.

 

[Mike Schramm]

I am barely too young to have gotten into LaserDiscs in their heyday, but I like buying/collecting them now simply because they are an important part of this hobby I love. I still don’t have a player though…..