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I'm happy with my home theater set up but I'd like to buy the Jolida 801 (or another integrated tube amp)and keep it out of the
home theater set up. This would give me two systems running into the same two front speakers. How do I do this? I'm guessing
that any kind of switching devise would degrade the sound. I really don't want to change speaker cables whenever I turn off the
TV and put a CD on. Am I seeking the impossible? Dedicated HT and two channel stereo (the best of both worlds)in the same
room?
John- I did just this with my receiver & an Acurus DIA100 I used to own. Like Michael said, you need to find a "reference point" to use when watching movies, and it needs to be a point on the dial that's EASY to set on a whim (like 12:00, which is where I had mine). Once that is set, recalibrate the sound levels to meet with your new front speaker volume levels, the rears and center calibrated to the old amplification may be too low or too loud.When you want to listen to CD the volume is adjustable on the integrated Jolida, when in "HT Mode" set the volume at the "reference point" and use the HT pre to control volume. It takes some time to calibrate it well, but it can work.
One problem though, unless you are using a front projection system & can get the screen out of the way, the tv and other components between the speakers will crush the soundstage. I have Maggies like this now & really am not happy, but will wait until I get a house to deal with that one.
In addition, unless you are the only one to use the HT, the "Bi-Furbicated Home Theater/High End Valve Beast" is virtually impossible to be used by the unwashed masses. "For CD turn on this & this and this, then use THIS volume knob, but to watch a movie- turn off this and thurn this & this & this on, set the volume on black box #1 here and use this remote, make sure you have the proper input selected on black box #2, oh yeah & #1, put the TV on video mode." You get the picture. Even with the macro capable Marantz there was no possible way anyone could get the system up & running without me there.
My final solution was sell the DIA100, buy a Levinson & let the HT suffer on its own. A dedicated 2nd system, even in the family room with a TV between the speakers is better than the Frankenstein Home Theater System I had.
John,What you are trying to do is not that difficult to accomplish. Run the front preamp outputs from your HT preamp/processor to an available input on the Jolida 801. Hook your CD player to the appropriate input on the Jolida. When you want to play music select the CD player input, when you want to listen to HT select the input where the HT preamp/processor is connected. Keep in mind that you will need to decide a volume position, on the Jolida, when using the HT input, the 12:00 position might work. This is important so that the front speakers can be calibrated and you have the same gain level all the time for HT. Once you set the volume position, on the Jolida, use the HT preamp/processor volume to control the level for HT. This type of setup will require a bit more work but it will definately be worth it when you consider what you gain for music. Hope this helps.
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