I spent two years building this system, and I was trying to balance two channel and HT. Now that I hear how good two channel can sound, I'm looking for ways to improve on it. Do you think I need to seperate the two, or is there a glaring upgrade I could take advantage of that will make a substantial difference.
Marty, I'm already using the 6 channel pass through, and I have (4) 20 amp dedicated circuits. I'm a little suprised about the Heron I's, I would think a speaker like that would do the trick, although I never heard them. Like you said, maybe I should add a turntable to the mix. After that I may have to consider setting up another system. Thanks again
I'm kinda in the same boat as you. Trying to increase the 2ch performance in a HT setup. No, a TV in the middle does not help anything out.
-Does you pre/pro have analog pass thru? This might help. -Install dedicated power lines. This was by far the most cost effective improvement I ever did. Tons of threads here about them, keep things simple. Basically run a wire from point A to point B. Sounds more difficult than it really is, but even for professional installation the cost/performance is get, in my case. -Vinyl....I'm still strongly thinking about this. I heard really good vinyl and it was great. Whole different topic here, but if you want great 2ch performance......
In reality for a truly deep sound stage I think you need really, really big speakers. Something I heard once. I have the ML Heron-I's across the front and they really only scratch the surface in my opinion.
I think if you made any major change, start with the pre/pro as this can really affect the soundstage. Amps seems to really make more bass in a generic sum up.
I used to run my two channel amp through it, but the detail and dynamics increased when I had it direct into the outlet. Now I only use it for the cd and preamp. Should I try and eliminate it altogether?
Bundee1 I discovered that about a month ago, I couldn't believe how much the imaging and soundstage improved.
Stewart, That is really my problem, the 3 identical amps make for a tremendous HT, and I am hesitant to change it. If I upgrade and try to match the 6 channels it will be expensive. I've never tried Rotel amps, I thought of matching to the premp but I wasn't sure if it would be an upgrade. A lot of people feel tube amps are best with ML, but that wouldn't be good for HT. I'm looking for a deeper sounstage, increased dynamics. As Bundee mentioned, moving the speakers out helped, but I think the tv is a problem and I may be better off setting up a second system.
I am not familiar with the NAD amp you have, but that might be an area for improvement. It's a tough move considering that you have three that match and that is good for home theater performance. Did you try a Rotel amp since you have a Rotel pre? A better quetion to post might be "Best amp for Meadowlark Speakers". What kind of improvements are you looking for? Dynamics? Soundstage? Warm? Tubey... Also, what kind of music do you prefer would help out.