7.1 receiver with preout cheap?

[oublie]

Hi,

I'm looking for an av processor with 7.1 preout that is cheap i.e. a couple of hundred pounds. There are lots of av receivers available around this price but none seem to have preouts or at least none have 7.1 out.

If i bought a standard 7.1 receiver with all the usual inputs hdmi optical etc would it be easy to mod it to take the output prior to the in built amps and use this to drive my own active crossovers and amps?

btw I can't understand why av processors are so expensive compared to the av receivers some of them just seem to be the high end receivers with the amps removed.

[pinkmouse]

I know what you mean. I picked up a Cambridge Audio 340R in a sale a 18 months or so ago, and plan to do exactly that. Not quite sure how yet, as I haven't popped the lid, but it is on the shortlist of things to get around to.

[oublie]

yea I'm guessing but i think if i can tap into the point where the preamp signal goes to the amp and pass this out to my amps or in my case mini dsp boards with mutiple amps for active speakers i'd be done.

trouble is i won't know if i'm doing it right or not without a schematic has anyone else done this?

[Michael Chua]

Check out the Harman Kardon AV Receivers. Their AVR 635 has 7.1 pre-out. I'm quite sure their other models have 7.1 pre-outs too.

Another alternative is to use a 7.1 pc sound card. Toshlink the DVD to the soundcard. Output of soundcard to active crossovers then to amps.

My Creative X-Fi Xtreme has individual adjustments for 8 channels. Once they are set, the master Volume controls all eight outputs.

Regards
Mike

[oublie]

Thanks Michael,

I've seen the HK at £500 or £1000 - bit to pricy considering i wont be using the amps

I'm already doing this trouble is it is not a practical solution when it comes to multiple sources particularly when it come to latency.

With a surround receiver i'll be able to feed hdmi etc from xbox, ps3, wii, gaming pc, media server etc etc in. take the preamp feed out to multiple dsp board and then on to the speakers via multiple amps.

I'm currently running linear phase 4 way active crossovers on the pc for my stereo speakers this of course is just for music where the latency is of no consequence however, such a setup with gaming is no good due to sound delays.

[Michael Chua]

I didn't know it is for gaming. I thought it is for HT.

The Yamaha RX V663 has HDMI inputs and Pre-outs. May be what you're looking for. Keep an eye out for some used units.

I'm currently running linear phase 4 way active crossovers on the pc for my stereo speakers this of course is just for music where the latency is of no consequence however, such a setup with gaming is no good due to sound delays.

I don't quite understand. Are you using a pc software for the 4-way active crossovers?

Mike

[oublie]

Originally Posted by Michael Chua

I didn't know it is for gaming. I thought it is for HT.

The Yamaha RX V663 has HDMI inputs and Pre-outs. May be what you're looking for. Keep an eye out for some used units.



I don't quite understand. Are you using a pc software for the 4-way active crossovers?

Mike

Thanks for the tip michael, sorry i should have been more specific as to why i need an av receiver. Have a look at the pc sub forum, guys doing all sorts of weird stuff. I'm currently playing around with cuda active crossovers with a gui front end i.e. using a graphics card to run the crossover filters.

[dhendricks]

You can buy the cheapest HK receiver used (mid generation, AVR135 for instance). It has spaces in the amplifier board to solder in about 4 components per channel which will give it preamp outs. You would also solder in the rca pin connectors and drill holes in the back panel for the connectors.
These receivers go for around $100 in the us. The AVR235, however already has preouts and may not cost much more. (I have both)

[SoNic_real_one]

I guess he wants one receiver that can DECODE the HD audio formats... The older/cheaper receivers don't decode audio from HDMI input.
And you will pay for those licenses no matter what.
Personally I think that is overkill - using the PC to crossover 4-way. And the output from PC will be still the crappy analog outputs of a sound card.

[dhendricks]

SoNic: The same is true for the newer receivers. The AVR1600 has no preouts and can be had for about $200 less than the AVR2600. The schematic shows options for 8 channel preamp out/or no preamp. The board physical diagram shows that the traces are there. There are even fewer components to install than the older ones. So for $300 you have a fully functional preamp. Also, since the amplifier power supply is on board, you could unplug the transformer taps to the amp board and save power. You may have to disable the overcurrent protection on the amp board. I can do it on the x35 series, but this one is somewhat differen.