first time

[khemopr]

Hi guys, this is my first post after registering

[khemopr]

HI,
i am taking the step into hi end audio (preamp/power-amp/speakers/cable etc) for the first time. I have seen most high end preamp & power amp are still using stereo instead of 5.1/7.1. Are most high end kept stereo? do audiophiles use stereo or multi poweramps for multi-speaker setups?
I am kindly asking assistance from anyone to guide me here, what i need basically is ideas or diagrams with actual hookups. I plan to use floorstanding and sub, and book shelf sized for rear/surround. Thanks.

[khemopr]

HI,
i am taking the step into hi end audio (preamp/power-amp/speakers/cable etc) for the first time. I have seen most high end preamp & power amp are still using stereo instead of 5.1/7.1. Are most high end kept stereo? do audiophiles use stereo or multi poweramps for multi-speaker setups?
I am kindly asking assistance from anyone to guide me here, what i need basically is ideas or diagrams with actual hookups. I plan to use floorstanding and sub, and book shelf sized for rear/surround. Thanks.

[Hyfi]

Hello,

Most higher end gear is 2 ch but there are plenty of good AV receivers from companies like Outlaw.

What kind of a budget do you have for all gear and what will be the main use, movies or music?

[khemopr]

HI,
i am taking the step into hi end audio (preamp/power-amp/speakers/cable etc) for the first time. I have seen most high end preamp & power amp are still using stereo instead of 5.1/7.1. Are most high end kept stereo? do audiophiles use stereo or multi poweramps for multi-speaker setups?
I am kindly asking assistance from anyone to guide me here, what i need basically is ideas or diagrams with actual hookups. I plan to use floorstanding and sub, and book shelf sized for rear/surround; also a 70's era amp (which i love) for ceiling speakers in kitchen. Thanks.

[Hyfi]

try not to double and triple post the same question in multiple forums.

[blackraven]

Are you wanting to do only 2ch music or do you want your system to double as a Hometheater system?

Most audiophiles use a 2ch setup for music!

If you want it to double for both, then you will need a multichannel amp and a mutltichannel preamp. Or you can just buy a high end AVR.

Whats your budget for an amp and preamp?

Without knowing your budget, take a look at the Parasound Halo line for a multichannel amp. Others to consider are Adcom, B&K, NAD, Cambridge Audio and if money is tight, take a look at www.emotiva.com they are a lot of bang for the buck and a real bargain. There are many other brands, many of whom cost a lot more. Out of that lot I'm partial to Parasound and B&K but they are all good and it is a matter of taste and money.

I'm sure other's will chime in and have some other recommendations.

For cables, ic's check out www.bluejeanscable.com they make quality cables without breaking the bank.

When buying a multi channel preamp/processor, just make sure it has all the current bells and whistles and is not dated.

[Poultrygeist]

5.1/7.1 is fine for Home Theater movies but when we attend a concert we don't hear surround sound unless we are members of the orchestra.

[Nasir]

First and foremost, you need to decide whether you will use the system purely for music or music and movies. The first basically calls for a 2 channel setup whereas the latter is best with a 5.1 or a 7.1 (or more I read somewhere).
The most frequent 2.1 (2.1 stands for 2 speakers and the .1 is for the desirable subwoofer,) is in my opinion the more responsible choice because of the various reasons I wish to outline next ( although, in my case, I am using 2 subs).
Most cone speakers will bow out around 60 Hz and planar speakers around 100 Hz ( ball park figures, as these numbers vary by model and make ) so an active subwoofer is required to fill this gap with a volume control adjusted to your taste. Now, 100 Hz is easily localized so with 2 subs this annoyance is removed, not to mention the fact (at least most agree on this) that 2 smaller subs are preferable over 1 big sub!
Main speakers come in all flavors : Cone or box speakers, Electrostatic speakers ( ESL) and other planar speakers like the Magnapan etc, not to mention a host of other types. Room size is an important factor in deciding the size of these speakers because not only of aesthetic considerations, as choosing too small a speaker will require it to be driven hard in a large room. Too large a speaker will not be driven above a volume that it requires to perform adequately. That brings us to amplifier power which needs to feed these beasts. One of the easiest form of distortion recognizable is clipping due to the amp´s inability to supply the necessary power and is not a pretty thing at all. I will leave the choice of speakers to you or you can post more information on your taste of music so that others may chime in.
Amplifiers are the source of another raging controversy usually between Tube ( Valve ) and Solid State aficionados, and believe me they are not a gentle lot! I will sit on the fence on this one as I have one of each! Can one tell the difference between them? In short, YES, but then that is a matter of personal taste. I should NOT use the Tube amp to drive my ESLs because of 3 reasons and anybody saying otherwise will promptly be reminded of the 3rd reason that being I am more afraid of being right than wrong. The other 2 reasons are that Tubes are more expensive on a Watt per Watt basis and use output transformers usually optimized for 8 (and sometimes 4) Ohm speakers whereas the Solid State amplifier does not suffer as much from the effects of an erratic Ohmic curve presented to them by planar speakers.
There are other routes to take as well, like in my case the amplifier can do virtual surround using the 2.1 setup. Another alternative is a very good 2.1 for music and a second cheaper amp and 3 speakers for the movie experience( of course your DVD player should then have separate channel audio outputs for center and rears .

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

5.1/7.1 is fine for Home Theater movies but when we attend a concert we don't hear surround sound unless we are members of the orchestra.

Wow, so walls surround the performers only in concert halls? I don't think so. We hear binaurally, of which 5.1/7.1 more closely simulates than 2 channel does. Perhaps based on your comments we should have our ears where our eyes are.

When we attend a concert in a concert hall we hear dominate sounds from in front of us, and secondary reflections coming from the sides and rear of the hall. A 7.1 system can map these reflections, but not cover every discrete reflection reproduced. A two channel system cannot reproduce these reflections at all in their right spatial place.