Another dumb amp/preamp question:

[oooolalo]

Can an older receiver be used as an amp with a newer receiver?

[RGA]

Can an older receiver be used as an amp with a newer receiver?

Not really though you can bypass the new receiver to the old receiver...but the new receiver will give up preamp control...so the exercise would be pointless.

If the old receiver has preouts and power amp jacks and the new receiver has preouts it can be done otherwise I don't see it.

You could run RCA from the tape out of the NEW receiver to the old receiver's CD or AUX etc inputs but it's not the same...this just bypasses the NEW receiver completely to the old receiver.

[vivisimonvi]

This isn't a pratical way of hooking up audio components but, in my system I do in fact use a new receiver as a pre-out to an older receiver as an "amp." For those who have newer receivers with no pre-outs.

With a stripped RCA cable on one end, you can hook up that cable to the speaker-out of the new receiver into an any input of the older receiver with the other end of the cable. This way you won't bypass the newer receivers output signal (as you're getting the signal intended for the speaker). I only recommend doing this with a LOW power receiver (the newer one), as you don't want to intentionally fry the older receiver. With cheap DD receivers nowadays they are severely low-powered despite what the "wattage" figures say in the ads. A good way to set this up is to have the older receiver calibrated to a HIGH volume reference point, and just use the new receivers main volume control to control the system.

[markw]

Can an older receiver be used as an amp with a newer receiver?

It depends on what features both your receivers have. Some of the better receivers (and integrated amps) offer options, via jacks on the back, to separate the preamp stages. There will be a pair of jacks labeled "pre out" and another labeled "main in" (or similar verbage) and perhaps joined by a small jumper.

Many Marantz, NAD and other amps/receivers offer these but, unfortunately, many more do not.

If your old and new receivers offer these, you're good to go.