please help me with this complicated home theater setup!!!!

[marsupial]

Hello,

Okay so to start, my original system was an extreme entry-level setup consisting of a denon avr790 receiver, 5.1 speakers, tv, media players, and a computer. I used this setup to do everything from watching Blu Rays, to playing Xbox, to streaming movies and music from my laptop.

Loving music but not the quality of my setup, I decided to make my first foray into mid-fi 2 channel listening. So, I bought a mytek stereo 192 dsd dac / preamp, kef q900 loudspeakers, and an emotiva xpa-2 power amplifier. This has been outstanding for music listening, but it has completely broken my surround sound capabilities, and I have been watching movies through my TV speakers lately.

So here is what I did:

I ordered a MARANTZ av7701 AV preamp, which will be here TOMORROW. My idea was to run the Left and Right pre-out lines to the analog inputs of my mytek dac/pre, which would be set on bypass mode when using surround. Then, I figured I would send the center and surround pre-out lines from the MARANTZ to the analog 5.1ch inputs on my denon receiver...

HOWEVER!!!

My denon receiver sadly has no such analog inputs. and the MARANTZ has no digital outputs at all. So I am stuck : (

My initial idea was that I could utilize the ZONE 2 HDMI OUTPUT of the marantz, and connect that to one of the HDMI inputs of the DENON.. If I did this, could i just use the TV AUDIO option on the marantz to send the full digital audio signal through hdmi to my denon?

My other idea was to browse craigslist for a cheap AV receiver with 5.1ch analog inputs, and use it to drive my center and surround speakers. It should be said that my center channel speaker is a polk audio center that I bought at best buy for like 200$, and the surround speakers are crappy sony bookshelfs, of unknown origin.. So, I don't need a lot of amplification for these.

IDEALLY i would simply buy a 3 channel amplifier, and get some additional KEF speakers to complete my surround setup.. but with the 2 channel system I've already bought, plus the additional marantz av preamp (1700$), I cannot afford any more equipment for a while.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I have found a cheap old sony receiver on craigslist for 40$ with 5.1ch analog inputs,... should i buy it? Or can I somehow use the denon?

ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

Thank you very much

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

Given the quality of your center and surround speakers, I’d agree that getting a cheap receiver with 5.1 analog inputs is your best option, until you can upgrade that part of your system.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[jotham]

I think you can use your denon to act as a amplifier but it will take a bit of trial and error. I would follow this approach :

1. Hook everything up to your Marantz and verify that it works with your kef speakers. Don't use Audessey otherwise it will detect the absence of your other speakers.
2. Don't use the Zone 2 stuff, that just complicates things unnecessarily. Use Monitor 1 for your TV and Monitor 2 for hdmi to your Denon.
3. Looking in your Marantz manual on page 117, set your Marantz to Video Output -> Auto. Hdmi Control -> Off. This should allow dual display output from both HDMI Monitor outputs.
4. On page 118, set the resolution to 1080p. I'm assuming that your tv is 1080p. This is to avoid weird handshaking with both the TV and the Denon. Otherwise, it will try and figure out the common resolution between the two and who knows what will happen.
5. Play some movie and verify that your TV is working correctly with the Marantz (displaying a picture). Then try and get some sound out of the Denon. It may require some config of the Denon which is easier to do with a TV hooked to it. You may have to plug the Denon's tv output into your tv to handle the settings. Theoretically you will be receiving a full HDMI signal from the Marantz and hopefully the rear/center speakers will work. Also make sure Audessey is off on the Denon. One challenge will be that changing the volume on the Marantz will not affect the HDMI signal so the Denon will remain at the same volume. This is not ideal but it should hold you until you get the right equipment, just pick a decent volume and leave it there. Maybe set it as the default volume on the Denon so you don't have to mess around with it.

If this works, my advice would be to stay away from anything like Audessey until you can get another power amp for the marantz or something like that. Other solutions would be two front channel speakers for the Denon. In that case, you would effectively have two systems, a music system and an tv system.

Also, there is a chance that you will need to use ARC if your TV is also your cable box. I hope that is not the case because adding ARC into the mix will make things harder.

Try not to buy more crap. What you need is another power amp with at least 3 channels. Something like the Emotiva UPA-500 will fill in the gaps and you can use the Denon for another room or sell it.
UPA-500 Five-Channel Power Amplifier | Emotiva Audio | High-end audio components for audiophiles and videophiles, spanning 2-channel music systems, as well as 5.1 and 7.1 home theaters. Products include multichannel amplifiers, stereo amplifiers, and

good luck,

Jotham