Is using a vintage pair of ar90s for home theater mains a bad idea?

[jeffro67]

I will try to keep this short but, ive been on the fence for about 2 years and here's the dilemma..

I have a nice big basement with a 100" projector screen and it's been serving as a home theater room for about 8 years..in that time I've been bitten by the vintage audio bug and would like to have a dedicated stereo and theater in the same space, I have purchased a few stereo preamps and have more speakers than I know what to do with..
The ar90s are power hungry and I have a hk signature amp that drives them without breaking a sweat so no problems there..

I've purchased so much stuff in search of the perfect stereo sound that I feel like I'm chasing my tail! Ideally I want the room uncluttered and using the ar90s as the main on a good(maybe thx) receiver and preout to the hk amp would probably work fine .

My concern is whether using vintage speakers as home theater mains would possibly cause damage to them since some of the dynamics of movies are pretty intense and they probably weren't designed for that type of abuse? As much as I would like to keep the two systems separate it just isn't practical and would be more clutter to deal with, just need some direction that I can live with!

 

[jeffro67]

One last thing, I'm also back into vinyl and even have some nice tape decks..born in1967 I was a little young for the early 70's power wars but something about the equipment from that era just speaks to me!

I know that I really just want the best of both worlds here but, is it that much too ask for?

 

[bshorey]

I've used my Ohm F's and Infinity RS 2.5's as home theater 'mains'. I use that term lightly, because they've been the only speakers in my home theater system. They've both handled the task effortlessly, but I only use them at moderate sound levels. I've caught myself grinning over how great things sound more than once.

If you're worried about delivering huge amounts of thunderous bass, then supplement them with a subwoofer. But many larger vintage speakers should be up to this task. As with listening to audio, if you hear any distortion, back it off a little.

bs

 

[jheu02]

My HT system speakers are 3 x EPI T/E100s for LCR and 2x T/E 70s as the rears. Deep bass is provided by a sub. I don't listen super loud, but no issues for several years. I do (and actually need to now that I'm thinking about it) rotate the front speakers thru the L C R positions. For HT, if you can, it's best to have the front speakers tonally balanced for a seemless soundfield. So, unless you have another similar AR speaker to take center channel duties, you may want to save the 90s for a 2 channel system.

 

[audiosignal]

I will try to keep this short but, ive been on the fence for about 2 years and here's the dilemma..

I have a nice big basement with a 100" projector screen and it's been serving as a home theater room for about 8 years..in that time I've been bitten by the vintage audio bug and would like to have a dedicated stereo and theater in the same space, I have purchased a few stereo preamps and have more speakers than I know what to do with..
The ar90s are power hungry and I have a hk signature amp that drives them without breaking a sweat so no problems there..

I've purchased so much stuff in search of the perfect stereo sound that I feel like I'm chasing my tail! Ideally I want the room uncluttered and using the ar90s as the main on a good(maybe thx) receiver and preout to the hk amp would probably work fine .

My concern is whether using vintage speakers as home theater mains would possibly cause damage to them since some of the dynamics of movies are pretty intense and they probably weren't designed for that type of abuse? As much as I would like to keep the two systems separate it just isn't practical and would be more clutter to deal with, just need some direction that I can live with!

Should work fine w/no problems as long as the ar90s can handle the power output of the 2 main channels (likely). I used vintage speakers all the time for HT duty successfully.

 

[GD70]

Should be fine. I'm running KLH Fives and AR-4x's as my "surround sound" setup connected to my integrate amp to the TV. Sounds fantastic. I recently swapped in the Fives to move some big White Vans. I've been running this system for years.

 

[Tom Brennan]

It's not a bad idea. The things are tools, use them.

 

[jeffro67]

The ar's are very capable of producing heavy bass considering they each have two side firing 10inch woofers per cabinet..I have 3 subs to handle the LFE channel anyhow, I am more concerned with the crazy ear splitting sound passages some Dolby digital movies are known to produce that might damage the tweeters. Maybe I'm just being a little overprotective of these 50 year old speakers, I would hate to ruin them watching some movie too loud, my wife says she can hear the theater outside as she is pulling into the driveway sometimes!

 

[SpruceMoose]

No problems using classic stereo speakers for home theater. I've been using my home built double advents for many years as front L/R. And a double advent as a center channel as well! Surrounds are all minimus 7s. Sometimes I even turn on a sub or two, but only when a movie really needs it. Action flicks like Master and Commander, Matrix movies, etc.

 

[Bodyblue]

No problems using classic stereo speakers for home theater. I've been using my home built double advents for many years as front L/R. And a double advent as a center channel as well! Surrounds are all minimus 7s. Sometimes I even turn on a sub or two, but only when a movie really needs it. Action flicks like Master and Commander, Matrix movies, etc.

I just replaced far bigger Sonys with Minimus 7Ws for the rear channels and they are doing an awesome job! That and they look sooooo much better than the black Sonys.

 

[StimpyWan]

Well, if using AR90's, for home theater duty, is a no-no, I wish someone would have told me! That's what I use. Fairly close to what you're proposing too. A Yamaha RX-A3030 A/V receiver, out to a Hafler DH-500 amp. NHT speakers for center and surround, since they're designed by Ken Kantor. Pretty much as close as one can get to modern AR's. A M&K V3B sub, when needed. No issues! Enjoy.

One other thing. Our AR90's are a bit old now. The capacitors age and drift out of spec over time. That can cause issues. Easier to blow a UMR dome or tweeter, if over driven. As such, I'm in the process of updating my 90's. I've finished the surrounds, and recapped the crossovers. Just want to freshen up the cabinets, and I'll be done.

Good luck.

 

[hjames]

Should not be a problem - but there are different low bass requirements for movies than for (most) music.
Do you have a HT preamp or something like that? f not, get an active crossover (Ashly, Behringer, Rane, something)
and pull everything below 80Hz off your ARs - and get a sub with enough power to handle it.
I have an old HK Citation 22 bridged to Mono feeding a JBL 4641 18" movie sub for the crashes and low lows ...

I will try to keep this short but, ive been on the fence for about 2 years and here's the dilemma..

I have a nice big basement with a 100" projector screen and it's been serving as a home theater room for about 8 years..in that time I've been bitten by the vintage audio bug and would like to have a dedicated stereo and theater in the same space, I have purchased a few stereo preamps and have more speakers than I know what to do with..
The ar90s are power hungry and I have a hk signature amp that drives them without breaking a sweat so no problems there..

I've purchased so much stuff in search of the perfect stereo sound that I feel like I'm chasing my tail! Ideally I want the room uncluttered and using the ar90s as the main on a good(maybe thx) receiver and preout to the hk amp would probably work fine .

My concern is whether using vintage speakers as home theater mains would possibly cause damage to them since some of the dynamics of movies are pretty intense and they probably weren't designed for that type of abuse? As much as I would like to keep the two systems separate it just isn't practical and would be more clutter to deal with, just need some direction that I can live with!

 

[jeffro67]

I have been contemplating a recap for the ar90's lately but they sound great already..I am on the hunt for a a/v receiver with THX certification and hdmi switching which will work with all the new surround processing available, been looking at the onkyo's with a little concern over the hdmi board problems..But they fit into my budget, and have preouts to use for the hk 2 channel amp im using also.

 

[JoeESP9]

THX certification means just about nothing in todays world. IMO HDMI switching is an absolute must have if you have any interest in MC/surround sound from any source.

 

[SpruceMoose]

So far I have avoided replacing my AVR (Kenwood 6070) with something that has hdmi switching. I route all my hdmi sources to the tv, so basic tv/DVD/bluray is simple to watch. Just change tv inputs. Wife friendly. All the digital audio (toslink/coax) goes to the AVR. When I want to *really* watch something properly I fire up the kenwood and match the audio with the video. Mute the tv and crank up the Kenny!

 

[StimpyWan]

That's one of the things that I like about my Yamaha; the video circuitry stays active, even when the unit is powered off. So, the amps are off, the display is off, but I can still switch inputs with the remote, and the receiver will pass the video feed to the TV. Much easier that way, for casual viewing.

Another thing, my RX-A3030 does all of the audio formats, except Dolby Atmos. I wanted a receiver with analog inputs, that included S-VHS, for laser disc support. The 3030 had that, but all later series dropped S-VHS support. As Atmos wasn't a priority to me, it wasn't a big thing.

Now, Onkyo. I've owned Onkyo, and liked them. But, the HDMI issues scared me away from the brand. Though, to Onkyo's credit, they finally acknowledged the video issues, and repaired older units, including mine. As such, I'd consider Onkyo again. Also, look at Accessories4Less.com. Great refurbished, warrantied gear, at awesome prices. It's where I shop.

 

[jeffro67]

I'm ok with Yamaha products, but another issue that im addressing is that im moving the video equipment from about 20 feet from a ceiling mounted projector to about 55 feet and only want to run 1 hdmi(or the device that converts it to cat5 then back to hdmi)..Either that or getting a wireless hdmi transmitter to send the video to the projector, since all I need is the picture for that side.
I want the receiver to switch all the components, thx would just be a nice bonus!

 

[JoeESP9]

FWIW; I have a Yamaha RX-V377 in my bedroom. One of the major reasons I chose it was because it has several (5) analog inputs/outputs including RGB and composite. They are in addition to 4 HDMI inputs.

 

[luddite]

Geez, how loud do want to hear it anyway? Those speakers can handle a movie or two, I think. Our TV is using a pair of 6" woofer Sony monitors and they get loud enough. I bet your AR90's will be fantastic.

 

[StimpyWan]

A friend over at the Classic Speaker Pages uses AR9's for his fronts, and AR90's for the rear speakers. I 'believe' he has a single AR48 for the center! Now that would be a nice theater system!