2. home-theater
  3. 1355887194

What is the benefit of a second amplifier .

I’m still trying to decide what direction to take. Play all my speakers through my B & K 200.7 amplifier or have the main speakers run by a Second dedicated 2 channel amplifier. I’m trying to get the best sound possible from my main speakers, B & W 803s. When listing to 2 channel music I want to hear all the detail, and everything the speaker has to offer. When watching theater I want the full effect of the movie. I spoke with a gentleman from Morantz, who said I would gain nothing with the second amplifier and all speakers should go through a 7 channel amplifier and processor. I could then just hit the 2 channel button for analog. He also said in 2 channel analog the 200 watts are dedicated to my main speakers. I should hear everything I want to hear, there must be some other problem. The 200 watts would only allow me to listen to the music louder. There is no need for a second amplifier. If you say the second amplifier is better how do I hook this up? Please explain why it’s better. When watching theater all speakers should work together. When listing to 2 channels all speakers are off except the mains. I don’t want to move speaker wire between two ampfliers.
ledell

Showing 3 responses by dtc

dtc's avatar
dtc
1,024 posts
 
I have a hybrid 2 channel stereo and 7.1 channel movie system. I have the 200.7 amp. My speakers are Sonus Faber Cremona. The 200.7 had plenty of power to drive them, but the sound was bright, something B&K is noted for. It works well for theater, but less so for 2 channel. I ended up with a separate 2 channel pre-amp with home theater bypass and a separate 2 channel amp. The 2 channel is definitely better through the separate pre-amp (Cary SLP-05) and a Levinson 432 than through the 200.7 A separate 2 channel amp is a step up from the 200.7 and the pre-amp further steps up the sound. My guess is that your 803's would also should the advantage of a separate pre and amp. Depends on whether you are willing to pay of it. Can you borrow a high quality 2 channel amp to give it a try?
dtc's avatar
dtc
1,024 posts
 
Mechans - 2 separate rooms is great. Unfortunately, for most, that is not an option. If you have one room for both, what do you think of a hybrid system?
dtc's avatar
dtc
1,024 posts
 
Rrog - if you have 2 independent systems, do you advocate having 2 sets of front speakers, next to each other? That is what Mechans is suggesting. That seems unnecessary in most cases, although Shakedown seems to like it. Most people do not have room for 2 sets of large speakers next to each other. I wonder Shakedown, do you have a wife :)

The advantage of a home theater bypass situation on the 2 channel pre-amp is that it allows one set of speakers for L&R in both 2 channel and 7.1. If you have a nice set of L&R mains, why not use them for both? Rather than use cheaper HT mains right next to the big boys, why not invest the money is a very good center to compliment the big mains?

My Cary/Levinson/Cremona setup gives me great 2 channel and I use a Yamaha receiver and ATI amp for the 7.1 setup (minus the mains), but with a good center hooked to the ATI. (The 200.7 has been moved to a second 7.1 setup.) The L&R from the Yamaha go through the Cary home theater bypass. I really do think this hybrid setup gives you the most flexibility while allowing you to tweak the 2 channel or 7.1 system as needed.

Unlike Shakedown, I am not interested in changing cables when changing between systems. My wife is very tolerate and loves the music, but I do not think I could sell her on having a second set of mains. We did build a dedicated theater with 7.1, but not everyone can do that. We still use the hybrid system for 7.1 a lot also, especially for TV. Its critical to have that NFL crowd noise blaring from the surrounds :)

Anyway, the bottom line is that I think the OP can do better than the 200.7 for high quality 2 channel.
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