Home theater using vintage equipment

[Sonynobaloney]

I just mentioned this topic in one of the newsgroups and was practically booed off the board. It seems the group doesnt share our fondness for the sound of '70's equipment. Anyway, how reasonable is it to create a surround sound home theatre using an old, but great Sony STR-5800SD? Still sounds great, and who doesnt love those blue lights? Is it a practical thought, or is it more reasonable to just get a new receiver. Some are so darn cheap, but to me, they look like cheap too. Thanks for your input

Ben

 

[Blue Meanie]

Buy a new HT receiver. Gives you an excuse to have at least 2 systems. IMO, trying to do HT by integrating a stereo receiver would be far more trouble than it's worth.

Jeff

P.S. Although I'm sure some of the vintage freaks around here will argue the point.:

 

[THOR]

You will need a newer AVR (or a DVD player with 5.1 ouputs) to do the surround decoding but you can use vintage amps and speakers for the rest, a few of us here have done so with great results

 

[THOR]

Originally posted by Blue Meanie
Buy a new HT receiver. Gives you an excuse to have at least 2 systems. IMO, trying to do HT by integrating a stereo receiver would be far more trouble than it's worth.

Jeff

P.S. Although I'm sure some of the vintage freaks around here will argue the point.:

I would not advocate using vintage reciever either meanie but amps are a different story

 

[Blue Meanie]

Originally posted by THOR
I would not advocate using vintage reciever either meanie but amps are a different story

Agreed. At the moment I am using a vintage(?) NAD 2200 for additional amplification in my HT. And we all know about yours!

Jeff

 

[Wireworm5]

If you watch lots of older movies from the 70's or earlier. Stereo is good enough, since they're recorded in stereo. For the newer movies, Surround is the way to go. But soundfields on AV receivers aren't as good as on others. Yamaha soundfields are good but usually I use the same one '70 mm Spectacle'.
Watching movies like 'Pearl Harbor' or "Saving Private Ryan' the neighbors might think a war is going on and duck for cover. They'll be relieved to find out it was only a movie afterwards. So don't be shy with the volume.

 

[skidrow]

HT system

I am in the process of setting up a computer with a stereo system. Anyone else doing that?

An Audigy 2ZS sound card (http://www.soundblaster.com/products/Audigy2ZS_platinum_pro/welcome.asp) allows me to store and play all my music AND movies with output to what ever I feel like (or can afford) using.

The computer is already built but I still need more (read better)stereo equipment. I have a HDTV tuner in the computer also which allows me to record TV from cable easily. Just got the new all format DVD for storage and recording.

The way I see it, I can store every dvd, TV movie and music cd I own on the computers hard drive if I want to, also easily go to the newest technology by simply exchanging the sound card.

Now, if I can just find the right speaker mix... and ever afford a plasma screen TV!!!!!

 

[Thatch_Ear]

Pioneer and Toshiba make DVD players that have full range(program with the remote) sound from center and 4 surrounds and a sub channel. Using interconnects and vintage gear including full range speakers you can make a kick ass movie sound system. When you go to AV recievers or DVDs that cut off the surround speakers at 80 Hz if you have the sub on, you just lost. Let me tell you, 50 Hz from the rear and front and 30 Hz from the center would be enough without the subs. But the subs certainly add a lot to certain movies and I do not want to do without them.
The DVD does DTS and all the other tricks you need to decode a DVD. You just need to get one that will blow out the candles from every direction with your vintage gear.
BTW, my fronts are powered with SET. HT is what you want to make it. Remotes and mediocre sound or cables and big from everywhere sound. I like the big from everywhere. And with summer coming on maybe I can get some more tube amps into the HT system.
Right DVD, a few wires and the rest is up to your scrounging ability. A week ago I cudn't spel scrunger and today I are one!!!

 

[THOR]

A lot of AVR's allow you to specify "large' or "small" for each channel, set to large it does not cut off the signal at 80Hz.

How is that CV amp working out Thatch???

 

[edward897]

Can you guys recomend a specific dvd player that has the rca outputs for each channel so I can use my vintage stuff?

Ed

 

[ajmicek]

This sony dvd player (DVP-NS755V) http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=158DVP755V interested me. So, I emailed crutchfield and they said "the 5.1-channel outputs will act as a preamplifier when connecting directly to your three amplifiers."

So it looks like with just vintage receivers and this DVD player, you could have a system up and running. I have yet to try the player myself so I can't vouch for it but its what I intend to buy once I get my third amp in place.

 

[visitor]

I have nothing against using old 70's amps for surround sound but if you do want to use the 5.1 surround outputs of a DVD you will have to have three separate amps. How are you going to put the volume up and down on the three amps at the same time without making mistakes and setting the wrong volume mixture. I considered the idea but that's where it ended.

There are some terrible new receivers but there are great ones too. Buy a new one and have access to all the different choices of surrounds that come with them. If you like it so much use your old amp for audio only, in this case more is more and there is no reason why you couldn't have more amps.

 

[ajmicek]

That's what I was trying to say about this DVD player. It has a master volume control. It acts like a preamp, except its a preamp for 6 channels (well, 5.1) instead of 2 channels. If you use 3 power amps (or receiver's pre out/power in jacks), you can control the master volume using the DVD player. As for the volume levels between speakers, you can set that on the player as well and leave it.

I will be doing this only because, in my circumstances, I get better sound for the money. This certainly isn't the solution for everyone.

 

[edward897]

I have a quad receiver for the corners so I'll need just two amps.

Ed

 

[ajmicek]

That's correct - and if your sub has an plate amp on it, all you have left is the center channel, which you can just use a monoblock for (though this would be regarded as "overkill" by most)

 

[edward897]

I was thinking I could use the left channel on the second amp for the sub and the right channel for the center. It might take some fiddling but that's what it's all about anyway, right?

Ed

 

[ajmicek]

Haha yeeup that is what it's all about. Just make sure you have enough "juice" to move that sub ... they love power as I am sure you know.

 

[edward897]

I saw this Tevion DVD player in the MCM flyer. It states that it has analog outputs for 5.1 channels. It's only $64.95. Is there any reason to pay triple that for the Sony or Panasonics? Got to www.mcminone.com. It's part number 58-8445.

Ed

 

[ajmicek]

Sony's precision drive 2 system is not some imaginary thing - it really does help play warped and scratched disks.
When it comes to dvd players ... you usually get what you pay for. However, I am completely open to believing that this could play most scratched disks and play them well. I like the processing of DTS and Dolby that i get on the sony, as well as recourse through crutchfield if something goes wrong. Perhaps that doesn't justify three times the cost - perhaps that's why I'm still decidign on a DVD player.

 

[edward897]

I am mainly looking for one with the decoder to just use for dvd's. I have others to play CD's and MP3's. Am I going to get less quality sound from this one?

Ed