onkyo TX-DS 696 is 5.1 but why are there 6 pre-outs? Looks like two center pre-outs? (1 Viewer)

[Chris PC]

Is the Onkyo 696 6.1 but only powered for 5.1? Looking at the brochure and the owners manual for the Onkyo 696 it looks as though there are 7 pre-outs for the 696. Two center pre-outs? There is no talk of 6.1 processing in the owners manual or brochure. Why the 7 pre-outs?

Opps! Sorry about that, if you check out the owners manual for the 696 you'll understand how I made the mistake.

 

[JohanK]

5.1 = 6 preouts

 

[Chris PC]

Opps. I meant 7 pre-outs.

If you look at the back of the receiver, it has a subwoofer PRE-OUT (1) beside the multi-channel input. Over where the PRE-OUTS are, there is Front L (2)& R (3), Surround L (4) & R (5) and Center 1 (6) and center 2 (7). Whats up with that??

Check out the owners manual on the Onkyo website, or, for those 696 owners out there, what is the deal with those 2 center Pre-outs?

 

[Ed C]

Center rear perhaps?

 

[John Garcia]

Why would it have a rear center if it can't decode 6.1?

 

[JohanK]

It wouldn't be the first time that a unit has two center outs (assuming both are the front center channel signal).

 

[Chris PC]

Yeah, well, that is what I would want it to be, but the manual makes no mention of it at all. They even show using separate amplifiers using the pre-outs and show everything connected except that second 'center' pre-out. I have always though that the 696 price point should include 6.1, but for some strange reason, it does not. I thought maybe, just maybe, they process for a rear center pre-out but they don't make any mention of it. If it is a rear center pre-out, then that is great.

Anybody have any clues?

 

[Chris PC]

So is it just meant for someone to run 2 center channel speakers? Why do they do that? Is that so you can place a center speaker above AND below your display??

 

[Chris PC]

Darn this post subject says 6 preouts! I meant 7. 7 pre-outs with 2 center preouts. Why is that!!!

 

[Chris PC]

Hello!? Owners of the 696, please respond!!

 

[Chris Eriksen]

As a 696 owner, I can verify that it is a 5.1 receiver with two center pre-outs.

 

[Sean Conklin]

What I think is: It has 2 center pre outs for people with really wide screens, so you can run dual centers.

Dual centers will help anchor the center dialog to the screen and keep it from sounding thin for people with huge widescreens.

As I recall I once installed a THX HT for someone.

We used a Kenwood Sovereign 5900(has dual center out as I recall)with 2 5 Ch. Kenwood THX amps and Klipsch THX speakers, with 2 Center speakers under a 120" screen.

 

[Chris PC]

Cool. Thanks. Bummer man. Oh well. Neat feature, but i guess a Y-cable RCA would work in a pinch for that anyways. I was hoping it was an undocumented rear center, but that was kinda demented. They certainly would have mentioned a feature like that. Oh well.

 

[Sean Conklin]

Don't be too bummed the 696 is a sweet machine!

I know with my 5.1 set up, on some material my surrounds image real well and sounds like I have a rear center.

Some people prefer not having the rear center.

 

[Matt Wallace]

The 696 rocks.

I seem to remember the manual mentioning using the second center for the speaker inputs on projection tv's. YUCK!!

Matt

 

[Chris PC]

Well. I am considering either the 696 or the 797. The 696 has this over other receivers I could get:

80 hz crossover

50 hz bass control center frequency

DPL II

The 797 goes further with:

6.1/7.1

THX select (Do I care? No idea)

dts ES

DD EX

more power ?

Better remote ?

But the 797 is lots more bucks. I think if I bought the 797, it would be with me for over 10 years though.