New Amplifier

My venerable Hitachi HA-610 is given up the ghost.  I can't complain because the unit was produced in 1975, making it a full 40 years old.  Stephen and Simon agreed that it was not worth repairing, which was a shame because of its great functionality and quality of sound.

Stephen pointed me to the Onkyo TX-SR333 5.1 amplifier (http://www.intl.onkyo.com/products/av_components/av_receivers/tx-sr333/index.html), available at JB Hi Fi in Midland.  I looked at its specs on line and liked what I saw.   I was particularly impressed with its generous array of RCA inputs, which I required in order to run my older analogue devices.  I could see that it would give me an opportunity to run only one amplifier, instead of the Hitachi to support my analogue devices and the Sony to support the digital Blue Ray player and television.

I spent a full day and a half setting up the new system.  I was determined to stay on top of the technology and know what I was doing and why I was doing it.  I wasn't going to be rushed on this one and would take all the time that I needed.

The first step was to read the Onkyo user manual from cover to cover.  Then I had to read the other manuals to fully understand the physical connections and the device setup.  For example, the TV could deliver sound to the amplifier only if the HDMI cable was connected to the HDMI-2 output.  This was a trap for the unwary because it is natural to plug the cable into the HDMI-1 output.   I also leaned that the amplifier could become aware that the TV set was on and then turn itself on only if the TV had CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) and it had been activated.  I confirmed from the manual that the TV did have CEC then navigated through its setup menu to activate it.

New Onkyo Amplifier Setup

The photo shows the result.  There is no equipment to the right of the fireplace except for the speaker on the top shelf.  On the left is the Accoustic Research turntable at the second shelf from the bottom, the Sony carousel CD player above it, the Onkyo amplifier at the mantle piece next, then the  Samsung Blue Ray player.  The white item above that is a power conditioner servicing the Panasonic TV and Blue Ray player.  There is an HDMI cable between the amplifier and the Blue Ray player, and another HDMI cable between the amplifier and the TV.  There is no tuner because the Onkyo has an inbuilt AM/FM tuner which is working very well.

I've set up the 5.1 surround sound system using the two large Major speakers above, the two smaller Sony speakers behind, and the Sony speaker in the center for voice. 

When I turn on the TV the amplifier wakes up using the CEC protocol and directs the sound through the large overhead speakers.  I can thus remotely control the sound volumes from both the TV overhead speakers.  The result is a very, very high quality of sound when I watch TV. 

If I then turn on the Blue Ray the amplifier the TV is automatically switched over, probably again through the CEC protocol.  If I put on a DVD movie the 5.1 surround sound begins to work.  I can also watch movies from a USB device or streamed from the internet.

Oh yes, then there is the Wharfdale woofer set in the fireplace.  That is a serious kick-ass unit that I must run at about 1/4 amplification, otherwise it dominates the movie sound.  It's really neat watching a movie on a big screen TV with the deep rumbling sounds coming in at the right places. 

But wait there's more!  This leaves the problem of how to direct sounds to the two large speakers in the dining room.  This is very handy for listening to a pleasant CD while having dinner.  The Hitachi was beautifully set up for this because it could output to the A or B speakers, or both.

This is where the Zone 2 capability of the Onkyo amp comes it.  I can output sound from two RCA plugs on the amp to feed into another amp that supports its own speakers.  And the Zone 2 sound can be independent to the Zone 1 sound.  That means, for example, that somebody can be watching TV in the lounge while somebody else is listening to a CD in the dining room. 

Simon suggested that instead of using a switch box to direct the sound between the lounge and dining room speakers, why not set up the Sony amplifier to take the Zone 2 output from the Onkyo and drive the dining room speakers.  Great idea, and I plan to try it out.  I already have the wires from the dining room speakers dropping into the lounge, so it setting it up should be relatively simple. I like very much the idea of using the Sony because it is a solid and reliable unit that is not likely to do well in storage and isn't worth the trouble of selling.

Later on I'll try running the turntable.  This may require an intermediate graphic equalizer.