Comparing Performance of Hifi Audio vs. Home Theater Preamps!

Home Theater processors vs. 2-channel audio preamplifiers and their performance at the same price points! That's what we cover!
#hifi #audiophile #hometheater #preamplifier #preamp #hometheatersystem #hifiaudio #hifirush #stereo #stereophile #stereosound
audibleeleganc...

[@zizendorf]

Another substantial lesson. Lou, besides being a father, had you considered being a teacher? You're really good at it!

[@audibleeleganceinc]

Oh, I have been told I could do a lot of things. My professors told me to go into journalism which, at that time, was still unfettered by ownerships. Now look where that has gone. However, a lot of people really do enjoy my writing and I have been encouraged to write a book about my experiences in support of my wife. Tempting. A teacher requires too many technical requirements that I never had time for along with a lot of qualifications and yet another degree. Besides, I grew up in an era of discipline which is something that cannot be done today and I'd flunk too many undergraduates at the college level. Frankly, I found the smartest people as a prison guard and they were quick. Smarter than most CEO's that I worked for. Another suggestion was to be an inspector in the Navy shipyard here for the mechanical work on nuclear reactors. I started to apply but the 4 hour Federal test to be an employee was a complete pain in the ass. I quit halfway through. My uncle and godfather, by the way, worked on the engineering of the first atomic bombs at Oak Ridge, TN. We have letters where he had several dinners with Einstein. I was federally tested for years as I grew up as someone was watching my aptitude. It stopped in the mid to late 60s. Later I was essentially guaranteed a spot to go to the Air Force Academy but that got blown up once I got a cavity my senior year in high school. Tuned out for the best as I later discovered I get terrible motion sickness so I would have never been a fighter pilot and being a navigator simply was not my cup of tea. Yes, life has been interesting as I look back. AT age 70, I've done my tour of duties. Now I just do things I enjoy.

[@markrosenthal9108]

As an alternative, I used a Parasound P7 for years - an analog 7 channel preamp with no video or HDMI. I loved it. All my video and digital was handled exclusively by my Oppo which talked analog to the P7. My complaint about processors was that every 2 years, a new format/standard would be introduced obsoleting a very expensive ($5K in the presentation here) piece of processor equipment. With the P7, when that happened all I needed to consider was a new media player. Parasound dropped the P7, I presume because most buyers didn't want to think about this and just wanted to buy a processor with all its compromises.

[@audibleeleganceinc]

An interesting solution but if there is one driving force that happens every time is "ONE" remote. Now, there were and are programmable ones for sure but since it was not "obvious" to most users as to what did what, they were problematic. Some adapted very well. Later, automation came along but if you look at one of my early videos about that area, you will get the picture. No different than what happens with processors. I myself, had no problem with direct HDMI to the television and optical to the processor until later systems came along and made that approach obsolete. Regardless, I can see we agree on many angles. Thank you for your contribution to the channel and please tell others about it. I am sure they will find something useful in the other 206 videos.

[@markrosenthal9108]

@@audibleeleganceinc The universal remote situation has deteriorated since Logitech abandoned Harmony.

[@audibleeleganceinc]

@@markrosenthal9108 That closes a door. However, what AI will bring to the table has yet to be seen. Most likely vintage products will not be able to take advantage of it. Likewise, the end of an era for many home automation systems like Control 4 is now on the horizon with the race to see who can integrate it best from phones. It's all a rather interesting pile of goo.

[@davidtraube7921]

I'm still kicking myself because back in '16 or '17 I told myself that I was gong to keep the home theater going in my basement (even though we rarely used it). So when I started getting back into 2-channel listening, I figure out quickly that my crappy Pioneer home theater receiver wasn't going to cut it. But because I erroneously believed I still needed a theater setup, I went with an Anthem receiver instead of a dedicated 2-channel integrated. Yes, the Anthem sounds significantly better than the Pioneer but all it's doing these days is driving my stereo... so I feel like I left some performance on the table.

[@audibleeleganceinc]

Unfortunately, that is often the case which is why I did the video. Years ago a couple of companies sincerely tried to address this but the cost of the componentry was a bit prohibitive then and today would be exceptionally so. With so few buyers for this level, it would not be profitable to pursue. For those who are still trying to do a bit of this, those processors are 5 digits. The last group we used to pursue with was from Madrigal with both the Proceed and Mark Levinson line. I find it interesting that some people make their processors so that there is a analog pass through to avoid the digital chips. While a start, it still does not address all the noise the presence of digital causes nor the effects of all the video paths co-mingled in the chassis with the analog. Then, there becomes the question of what is even the quality of that analogue path. In the end, there is still a difference in processors and what happens to stereo music as you have discovered. Once I finish filling out my store for stereo, I will turn my attention again to home theater with a keen focus on audio performance. Thank you for taking the time to comment and it is most appreciated. Testimonials and experience is always the best way to learn and understand. Please tell others about my channel as I am sure there is something for everyone in the other 206 videos.