Configuring a 2.1/2.0 System

[bthomp]

Morning guys, I am once again in need of some wisdom.

I posted the other day about having caught a deal on some motion 60xt's and am looking for an amp.  With a little research and your help I find myself second guessing myself on setup and want to weigh my options moving forward.

Current setup: Sony STR ZA810ES, ML Motion 60xt's, Dynamo 700 woofer

I think I have come to the conclusion that the "big store" receiver was not the route to take and am considering hocking it all together.  This brings me into my dilemma...

I will more than likely stick with a 2.1 system for an extended period of time.  I primarily listen to music and the occasional movie but don't really have a huge interest in surround sound as a whole.  That being said features of a receiver that would be nice to have would be Bluetooth for devices and be able to hook up to a DVD player and then back to the TV is need be.

In my searching I have come across a couple of different opinions on configuration, (forgive my wording here I may not be completely accurate) one being eliminate the receiver with all of the options from the "big store" and go with a processor/pre/amp and an amp to handle the two towers(what do I do to get the woofer back here?) - or - two, hock the current receiver and obtain a audiophile receiver that is more specialized with the pre-outs to eliminate the need for tethering a receiver, pre-amp, and amp. 

Now with all of this in consideration and a budget, I want to do what makes the most sense.  On the amp side of things I was looking at an XPA-2  or an A-300 depending on the route I go.  Same way with the receiver, I'm open to suggestions on this if it makes sense in the grand scheme.

Thanks for your time and input all, I greatly appreciate it.

BT

[garbulky]

I've heard your speakers. They are resolving units.
I reccomend an Emotiva DC-1 connected to an XPA-2 gen 2 (used). Note the gen 2 warranties are transferrable and are 5 years for the XPA amps. Or if you can afford it XPA-1 gen 2. I wouldn't reccomend the gen 3's though they probably sound fine due to some questionable distortion measurements on reviews and my lack of liking for its switching power supply. Not to mention they are more expensive. I reccomend the gen 2 units because of their beefy torroidal power supplies which are tried and true and have been shown to be reliable.

I think you can do better than the A-300 for those speakers BUT if you were to go the A-300 route due to cost, instead invest in a used Emotiva XPA-200 for the same price. It's imo a better buy and a really nice sounding amp which shares a lot of its genetics with the XPA gen 2 amps including high capacitance, no fans, separate XPA-5 blades per channel. I've heard the A-300 amp and imo it's an amp that doesn't do any wrong but also almost nothing really well. Basically a boring amp -does the job, may not thrill you. Similar to many other amps I've heard.

Also you really want to invest in room treatments. Even one placed behind you at head level on the wall can make a large difference.
I reccomend this item. You can also get different colors and other companies have art themed wall panels. Some that span multiple panels (but they are more $$).
www.atsacoustics.com/item--ATS-Acoustic-Panel-24-x-48-x-2--1001.html

Just a note the DC-1 will not do blue tooth. But you can buy a bluetooth receiver whose analog outputs hook directly in to the DC-1's analog input. However note that these type of cheap bluetooth receivers have lackluster sound. So not to be used for critical listening, but just when you want some background listening type stuff.
www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Bluetooth-4-0-Audio-Receiver/dp/B00I59VBH4/

Note 2: for bass managemnet the way to do it is to use the RCA outputs on the DC-1 to go to your dynamo and blend in the crossover. The XLR outputs go to your XPA amp and that powers your speakers full range. So your subwoofer comes in "underneath" the speakers running full range to bolster its bass by using the crossover knob at the back. This is different from a receiver that cuts off the bass to your xt speakers also known as "small" output.

[mshump]

Depending on your budget, There are many preamps, or prepros on the market. The XPA-2 or A-300 would be good choices on the amp side.My personal choice would be the Emotiva XSP-1 and and XPA-2. If your budget is lower you can do the PT-100 and A-300 combo. Either combo should drive your ML's with no issues.

Mark

[Gary Cook]

What sources are you using to listen to music?

It's kinda important because the sources determine whether you need a DAC (digital sources) or not (analogue sources).

Regardless I'd always suggesting spending more on the power amp/s (because they last a long time, years, decades even) compared to a processor (where technology and never ending standards changes makes them out of date very quickly).

Cheers
Gary

[bthomp]

I think you may have just made a good point Gary, right now I am using the Bluetooth on my phone or Spotify through the DVD player/internet. This kind of takes getting rid of the receiver out of the question if I need HDMI inputs to hook up through the other components.....does this mean that the PT-100 wouldn't be a good choice if I still want to be able to run movies?

[Gary Cook]

Oct 31, 2017 14:22:39 GMT -5 bthomp said:

I think you may have just made a good point Gary, right now I am using the Bluetooth on my phone or Spotify through the DVD player/internet. This kind of takes getting rid of the receiver out of the question if I need HDMI inputs to hook up through the other components.....does this mean that the PT-100 wouldn't be a good choice if I still want to be able to run movies?

Avoiding a processor/receiver will facilitate a pre amp and a good one lasts a long time, they never really go out of date.

You could plug the HDMI sources into the TV and then use its analogue audio outputs as inputs into the pre amp, which means using the DAC in the TV, which can often be not too bad. The only way to know is to listen, so I'd suggest trying it with your current gear as a comparison to a digital connection.


Cheers
Gary

[ale]

Those speakers are really efficient at 94db . I think with a TA-100 receiver, you would get all that you need, a great DAC, two subwoofer outputs, bluetooth with APTX (with the optional usb dongle) and for the ocassional movie, you can route all the HDMI devices to the TV, and optical/coax out (as PCM audio) from the TV to the receiver (an use the emotiva DAC) . That's what I have at home with less efficient speakers, and I'm really happy, I don't think you need more power that 50wpc for those speakers.

[bthomp]

Okay, so if I was to go with an A-300 and a TA-100 I could run the woofer off of the TA-100 correct?

[mshump]

yes the TA-100 has subwoofer outputs

Mark