W9TR
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- #1
TLDR - DSP saves the Day!
I have always been kind of a 2 channel purist music lover. When I dipped my toe into Home Theater, I always kept the systems separate. Separate rooms with different acoustics and separate gear. When we moved to Colorado a decade ago our smaller house didn't allow for separate rooms, so I compromised by completely separating the HT and 2 channel electronics.
I used 2 channel passthrough for the analog preamp and a power control scheme that turned off power to all the theater electronics when I was listening to two channel. All digital stuff in the 2 channel setup was heavily filtered and optically isolated with linear power supplies. I kept the grounds separate. I learned that, with careful acoustic design, I can co-locate theater and 2 channel stuff. But the 2 channel rig didn't use any of the theater room correction, subwoofer, etc. It was pure 2 channel.
In the process of building a new space, I've boxed up my 2 channel gear and kept a basic combined 2.0 system using an obsolete McIntosh MX 151 as a preamp processor, a McIntosh MC 602 power amp, and my refurbished OHM F's for speakers.
It was a big let down from what I had. That is, until I ran the Lyngdorf Room Perfect built into the MX 151. It took several hours and about 12 microphone positions to lock in. The result: outstanding in-room response, great instrument timbres, fantastic detail, natural voices. It sounds fantastic. I could live with this for a long time. That's even using the DAC's in the MX 151.
Is it as good as my dedicated 2 channel rig? No. But it comes close enough for now. I'm a happy camper. The 3 months it will take to move into the new space will go much faster now.
This DSP thing might just catch on. BLASPHEMY!
I have always been kind of a 2 channel purist music lover. When I dipped my toe into Home Theater, I always kept the systems separate. Separate rooms with different acoustics and separate gear. When we moved to Colorado a decade ago our smaller house didn't allow for separate rooms, so I compromised by completely separating the HT and 2 channel electronics.
I used 2 channel passthrough for the analog preamp and a power control scheme that turned off power to all the theater electronics when I was listening to two channel. All digital stuff in the 2 channel setup was heavily filtered and optically isolated with linear power supplies. I kept the grounds separate. I learned that, with careful acoustic design, I can co-locate theater and 2 channel stuff. But the 2 channel rig didn't use any of the theater room correction, subwoofer, etc. It was pure 2 channel.
In the process of building a new space, I've boxed up my 2 channel gear and kept a basic combined 2.0 system using an obsolete McIntosh MX 151 as a preamp processor, a McIntosh MC 602 power amp, and my refurbished OHM F's for speakers.
It was a big let down from what I had. That is, until I ran the Lyngdorf Room Perfect built into the MX 151. It took several hours and about 12 microphone positions to lock in. The result: outstanding in-room response, great instrument timbres, fantastic detail, natural voices. It sounds fantastic. I could live with this for a long time. That's even using the DAC's in the MX 151.
Is it as good as my dedicated 2 channel rig? No. But it comes close enough for now. I'm a happy camper. The 3 months it will take to move into the new space will go much faster now.
This DSP thing might just catch on. BLASPHEMY!
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