Can this NHT sub power my rears?

[davidtwotrees]

I recently got a decent deal on an NHT sub and amp/crossover- the SW2 and SA2 combination to be exact. Here are some pics Here is a link to the O.M.

I have no qualms using this sub as a stand alone sub in conjunction with the amplifier. I have grown into a two channel music listener, and watch one movie per week on average, these movies are generally dramas or comedies that don't require War of the Worlds Bass. I recently sold off my SVS sub for this reason........
My question is this-can I power my rear surrounds in my 5.1 set up with this unit? It appears as if initially this was meant to supplement some NHT bookshelf/stand speakers......and the setup would power the FRONT speakers, referred to in the OM and on the unit itself as sattelites.........
I deffo do not want to power my full range Canton's that are being driven by a Parasound 200x3 amp with this NHT.........but it would be nice to run my rears off of it.........thank you in advance for your time and consideration-the knowledge I have gained here is immeasurable!
Sincerely, David Two Trees

 

[Adam]

David,

I'm pretty confident that the answer is no. The speaker level connections appear to be the same as those on many subs. They are used in lieu of the line-level RCA connections, but the NHT amp is just going to use them to extract the frequencies and then pass any power coming in over those connections (from a receiver or separate amp) on to the other speakers. The NHT amp won't take in a signal over the line-level connections, amp it, and output power to speakers over those connections.

Adam

 

[Midcow2]

No

The NHT system you have is a 2.1 channel ampliffier. It will power two front speakers and a subwooofer, but not two sets of speakers.

To make sure I understand your question, you asked if the NHT system could power the rear surrounds? It could but you would then need something to power your front speakers. You would also need a pre/out to feed into the NTH to power the rears.

I checked and the Parasound Model D 200 Universal Disc Player does have pre-outs for 5.1 you could feed two of the channels and sub to the NTH amplifier. http://www.parasound.com/pdfs/d200Manual.pdf

But you still need another 2 channel amp to drive your other set of speakers. The are some very inexpensive 2 channel amps, here is one for $92.63 from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/AudioSource-Amp-100-2-Channel-Amplifier/dp/B00026BQJ6 .or for about the same price $99 at Radio Shack a Sherewood RX-4105 receiver: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2565072&cp=&sr=1&origkw=2+channel+amplifier&kw=2+channel+amplifier&parentPage=search

 

[bandphan]

the unit was made to power the sub and satellite speakers, or the subs in the NHT mains. Your AVR should provide the same if not more power for surrounds so unless your short on amps, just use it for the sub only. If you need cheap power, look to pro grade amps... crown or behringer

 

[Adam]

Alright. One question, three different answers.

Someone want to come in with a tie breaker on this?

(BTW, Dave, it looks like you snagged a nice deal on that sub. I was looking at those back when I bought my NHTs, and they were quite a bit more expensive new.)

 

[davidtwotrees]

Thanks for the response, guys! NHT says this system won't power the surround speakers, although the tech that emailed me didn't have a great command of the language. I am set for amps. I have an Audio Refinement Multi 5 that was powering everthing until I got the Parasound three channel amp. Now it's just powering the surrounds. I could start some biamping with the extra channels, but the amp would fetch a fair amount of cash and if the sub could power the surrounds, which, frankly don't see a ton of use, that amp money could be used for music or other upgrades.

Here is the email response..."Dear Sir,SA-2 is a mono amplifier designed to drive our SW-2 subwoofer. In any of those cases in user’s manual, you can’t drive your satellite speakers with SA-2, only the subwoofer. The high input/output connector on the back of the SA-2 is to filter the low frequencies for the sub, and it is just a bypass for the satellites. With Regards,Janne Teikari"
So, I will wait for the sub and see what happens. I've always wanted to see what NHT gear was like, so this is my chance. GOD, I LOVE THIS HOBBY! Thanks again. David

 

[Adam]

Thanks for the update, Dave.

If the sub is in good condition, I think that you'll be pleased. I'm happy with my NHT gear.