Setup and CD questions (1 Viewer)

[HowardGjr]

Help..I just completed my first home theater purchase.



1. Gallo Micros (5) + Gallo Sub.

2. Integra 6.2 DTR Receiver

3. Integra 7.2 DPS DVD Player

4. Outlaw ICBM-1



I'm a novice so I apolgize if any of these questions are naive. If you are in doubt as to wheter or not I understand something, you can assume I probably don't.



Here's my questions:



1. Since I'll be using the audio connections from the DVD to the ICBM than to the receiver for DVD Audio, does it make sense to have the DVD player do all the digital decoding and set all of the inputs from the DVD to directe mode on the receiver? I think the 7.2 has better DACS, but other than listening to both setups, I'm not really sure how to go about determining the difference.



2. From what I understand DVD players are not designed to play continuously. Since I want to use the system to play music, would purchasing a dedicated CD Player solve the problem? If so, can I have recommendations for a relatively inexpensive (< $500) CD player that plays SACD? (Miles Davis' Kind of Blue is available in that format and that's my personal favorite album.)



3. I found this in one of the fourum responses.

Unfortunately, I don't remember which post I got it from.

Radio Shack makes an A/V switch box that works very well. The part number is 15-1952. It is only $15 and is available on www.radioshack.com and in Radio Shack stores. The switch box has two sets of inputs and one output. Each input and the one output has three RCA jacks (red, white, and yellow). I use two of them to switch between multi-channel DVD-Audio and multi-channel SACD since my Sony STR-V444ES receiver only has one set of 5.1-channel inputs. Here is how I have the switch boxes set up:



Box 1

Input A: DVD-Audio front left, front right, center

Input B: SACD front left, front right, center

Output: front left, front right, center to receiver's 5.1-channel inputs



Box 2

Input A: DVD-Audio surround left, surround right, subwoofer

Input B: SACD surround left, surround right, subwoofer

Output: surround left, surround right, subwoofer to receiver's 5.1-channel inputs

Will this setup will have an audible effect on the sound?



4. The Gallo's have a pretty high recommended crossover (120 Hz) and the DTR 6.2 has a fixed 80 Hz, would it make more sense initially to ignore the DVD Audio and SACD Audio outputs and connect the receiver directly the ICBM and use the ICBM for all bass management?



5. Would "daisy chaining" (cascading?) the switch boxes so that the outputs of the boxes from the SACD / DVD Audio outputs fed a second set of boxes labelled below allow me to select DVD Audio, SACD or Receiver?



Box 1

Input A: DVD-Audio front left, front right, center

Input B: SACD front left, front right, center

Output: front left, front right, center to Box 3's inputs



Box 2

Input A: DVD-Audio surround left, surround right, subwoofer

Input B: SACD surround left, surround right, subwoofer

Output: surround left, surround right, subwoofer to Box 4's Inputs



Box 3

Input A: Box 1 front left, front right, center

Input B: Receiver Preout front left, front right, center

Output: front left, front right, center to receiver's 5.1-channel inputs



Box 4

Input A: Box 2 front left, front right, center

Input B: Rcvr Preout surround l, surround r, subwoofer

Output: surround left, surround right, subwoofer to receiver's 5.1-channel inputs

 

[Selden Ball]

Howard,
Working backward through your posting...
5) The receiver's preamp outputs come (electrically) after its 5.1 intputs. You must *not* connect the receiver's 5.1 inputs to its preamp outputs -- that'll cause a feedback loop.
crude receiver diagram:
5.1inputs-->volume-control-->preamp(outputs)-->amp-->speakers
4) You don't mention any external amps, so you can't use an ICBM between the receiver and the speakers. The ICBM only works with line-level signals, not speaker-level signals. If you wanted to use the ICBM between the receiver and the speakers, you'd need an external 5 channel amplifier. The ICBM would go between the receiver's preamp outputs and the external amplifier.
Unfortunately, the design of the speakers that you've chosen and the design of the receiver are not well matched. There's only one speaker connection method you can use: all of the receiver's speaker outputs have to be connected to Gallo's subwoofer. The subwoofer then connects to all of the satellite speakers. The receiver's subwoofer channel should be set to "off". (The receiver's subwoofer line-level output won't be used at all.) All of the receiver's other speaker channels should be configured as "large". The subwoofer's internal crossovers will handle the bass management for all of the Gallo satellite speakers.
3) You can use RS switches ok without audible degredation of the sound, but they're awkward. The switches would have to go between the 5.1 outputs of the DVD-A and SACD players and the inputs to the ICBM. The ICBM would then plug into the 5.1 inputs of the receiver.
You might want to consider getting Sony's TA-P9000ES multichannel switch/preamp instead of the RS switches. Of course it's much more expensive. See http://www.omen.net.au/~rutlidge/TA-P9000ES.htm for a detailed description of that unit.
2) If you want to listen to SACD discs, you'll need a separate SACD player anyhow. The Integra DVD player does not decode the SACD format.
1) You should connect a digital cable as well as the analog outputs from the player to the receiver. Some of the speaker corrections can only be applied in the digital domain. For example, the player does not include individual channel delays for its outputs. This may or may not make a difference in your listening room, but you'll need to compare the differences to see if they matter.
Unfortunately Integra's Web site is down right now, so I can't verify if the player includes an internal DTS decoder. Many players don't decode DTS. They just pass the digital bitstream to the receiver and depend on it to do the DTS decoding.
I hope this helps a little.

 

[HowardGjr]

Selden,
Thanks for the help. I misread the ICBM documentation and didn't understand the feedback issue in receiver design. I knew that the ICBM only worked on line level signals, I just didn't realize I couldn't hook the pre-outs back into the amplifier section of the receiver.
How about this idea as a plan B?
According to Gallo's sales staff the micro's can support 80 Hz (the x-over point in the Integra 6.2). See the attached link.Gallo Micros to 80 Hz If this is true, could I set all of the speakers to "small" sub = on and connect the speaker outputs of the receiver directly to each of the satellites and the line level output from the receiver to the subwoofer.
I'm guessing this may leave me with an "upper bass" hole but at least I could seen if I could live with it. In this plan, the ICBM would still perform the DVD Audio bass management chores. I'd probably give up on the SACD in the near term (till I can convince my wife that bigger speakers can go in the room) and just go with a decent CD player that connected digitally to the receiver.
If I'm not happy with the sound, I'd go with a multi channel amp like Outlaw 750 (?). If I understand your response, I would route the line level outputs from the receiver to the ICBM and the ICBM outputs to the amp and the amp to the speakers. In this case, without some sort of switching device, I'd have to give up the DVD Audio. Does this seem more coherent?
Thanks again...I was about to screw up big time.

 

[Selden Ball]

Howard,

If the Gallo satellite speakers really can go down to 80Hz, then, yes, you can use the receiver's internal crossover for digital signals. If the receiver does its crossover on the 5.1 analog inputs, too, then you wouldn't need the ICBM on the input for the 5.1 analog inputs for the DVD-A discs. The Integra site is still broken, so I can't check on that. Most receivers use their DSP circuits to do the crossover, which means that the internal crossover only works on the digital inputs and the stereo analog inputs. They pass through their 5.1 analog inputs unchanged (except for being able to adjust the overall volume).

From what you're saying, it sounds like the Gallo subwoofer includes a line-level input. That wasn't obvious from what I found on Gallo's web site. It lacks a lot of technical details.

If their subwoofer does have a line-level subwoofer/LFE channel input in addition to the speaker-level inputs and outputs for the other five channels, then you really don't need to use either the receiver's crossover or the ICBM when playing DVD-A (or SACD) discs. Just connect the DVD player to all 6 of the 5.1 analog inputs. The signals will pass through to the subwoofer and its internal crossover will properly filter the signals getting to the satellite speakers. Of course, that means you'll have a lot of speaker cables running to the subwoofer and from there to the other speakers.

Note that beause of the relatively high crossover frequency (assuming it really is well above 80Hz) you'll be able to tell the direction of the sounds coming from the subwoofer. This means that the sub should be in the front of your room, near the video display. Having the low frequencies seem to come from somewhere else can be quite distracting.

Also, until you actually get a second multichannel (SACD?) player you won't need to switch the 5.1 inputs at all.

I hope this helps a little.

 

[HowardGjr]

Selden...thanks for the help.

According to the Gallo Web site

3-LINE IN/LINE OUT: For connecting subwoofer to preamplifier or surround processor using RCA-type (line level) interconnects. This is the most common connection.

Thanks for the advice on the sub placement. I had heard that frequencies greater than 60 Hz are directional so I had planned to place the sub near the monitor (about 2 feet to the left).

If my memory serves me correctly, the analog inputs of the DTR 6.2 are direct and don't go through the receiver, but I'll check on that.

Finally, Gallo recommends using a passive subwoofer in combination with the powered sub. In that setup, if I understand it correctly, I'd connect the powered subwoofer to the LFE output, the surround sound speakers directly to the receiver and speaker outputs of the receiver to the passive subwoofer and the connect the passive subwoofer speaker outputs to the receiver. In this case, I'd set the center and surrounds to small, the subwoofer to on and the front and right speakers to large. Other than the cost of the passive subwoofer are there any problems with this approach? I like the idea that I could listen to music with the higher crossover in the passive subwoofer unit.

Thanks again.

 

[Selden Ball]

Howard,

Using the powered subwoofer on the LFE output and the possive subwoofer between the receiver's L&R front outputs and the inputs on the front satellite speakers, should work fine. Assuming they really do go down to 80Hz, now.

In this configuration, you will have to use the ICBM on the receiver's 5.1 inputs, of course.

Have fun!