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New member Username: HolfiPost Number: 1 Registered: Aug-05 | Hi all I have an integrated Holfi Audis amp that doesnt have pre in/main out. Im getting an Holfi 3.5.1 next week and therefore only need the power amp in the Audis. How do I connect it the best? I seem to recall in the 80'ties before pre in/ main out was common, that it was something with the tape loop connections? Take Care Kasper |
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Silver Member Username: CheapskatePost Number: 200 Registered: Mar-04 | if you use a tape loop... you'd still need another integrated amp. a tape loop is a FIXED level output. it never changes in volume. that's so when you're recording a tape, the volume of it doesn't change when you turn your amp down. if you're not using your original amp, and the other amp is integrated, then you're just adding extra distortion with the useless 1st amp. if the second amp is a power amp only... then you're screwed as you have no way to change your volume. you COULD use your tape loop by using your tape deck's recording level to modulate volume, but that's a cheesy shortcut that adds extra distortion and puts a strain on your tape deck which must always be on. [amp1 tape out -> tape deck in/ tape deck out -> amp2.] you really do need a pre-amp out if you want to use your first amp as a pre-amp which it sounds like you do. the only other DIY workaround would be to add a potentiometer (volume control) in between amp 1's tape out and amp 2's input and just use the 1st amp as a switcher. that's overkill. if your first amp works fine... you'd be better off just using it as is for what you want to do. i feel your pain though. my onkyo reciever is VERY unfriendly with rerouting. i have an unused center channel that i can't use to power my subwoofer unless i ONLY use the multi-channel input... i wouldn't be able to use a sub with radio or TV if i used the multi channel for DVD/CD, and i can't listen to my DVD/CD or record it because digital inputs aren't fed to tape out... another dead end. it sucks when equipment won't do what you want it to! LOL |
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Silver Member Username: CheapskatePost Number: 201 Registered: Mar-04 | by the way... it's easy as pie to use an integrated amp as a power amp... just bypass as many things as you can. (especially tone controls) an integrated amp is really just an amp with a preamp in front of it. it only adds a little more distortion when used just as a power amp because of all the other circuitry between the input (preamp) and the amplifier section. a good rule of thumb in audio usually is "less is more" |
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New member Username: HolfiPost Number: 2 Registered: Aug-05 | Hi Budget Minded! Thanks for the reply. I realise that I have not given enough information to actually get the question answered. My "old" integrated amp is as mentioned a Holfi Audis without a "main in" input http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/Opry/9588/audis.html My "new" amp is a Holfi 3.5.1- which is a surround 5.1 pre-amp but with built in power amps for center and the front speakers. http://www.hifi4all.dk/content/templates/nyheder.asp?articleid=652&zoneid=1 (sorry couldnt find a link in english) That means that I control the volume of all 5 channels on the 3.5.1, but I need a poweramp for my backchannels. This is were my old Audis enters the picture. Which as mentioned dos'nt have a "main in" input. So what do I do? Take Care Kasper |
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Silver Member Username: CheapskatePost Number: 211 Registered: Mar-04 | if the new holfi is a preamp, then why not just that as the controller then? why would you want two preamplifiers in your main signal chain? my guess is that the old unit is giving you your phono preamp. (more on that later) without having pictures of your equipment's in out jacks in back of the units, it still sounds like you can do exactly what you want to by just reversing your configuration. if the new unit is a 5.1 channel unit and only powers the fron't 3 channels, then it stands to reason that you have line level surround (preamp) outs. it couldn't be a surround amp if it didn't give you a way to get surround ampilification. just plug your old amp into the surround outputs and use one of it's line level inputs... CD, tape, video, aux etc. as your "main ins" power amps are simply line level gain stages without volume controls. you'll just have an amp (very expensive one i bet! LOL) that follows a preamp. i don't think that's a terrible compromise as it's a high end integrated. you'd want to use main ins if you had them, but they aren't necessary. my subwoofer amp is an integrated (crappy old radio shack one! LOL) that get's it's volume level from THREE gain stages... reciever > electronic crossover > integrated amp. my reciever's sub out is 100Hz... i want it down to 70-80Hz and i use the amps volume controls too keep my bass low volume. the only drawback might be if you were using the wooden preamp as a phono preamp. as it would be downstream of your other preamp, it would be a wierd "back and forth" signal chain. as a surround, you'd be using it as an amp and for vinyl, as a preamp. your tape out would be a fixed level signal that you'd control the volume with the "main" preamp. you would then just feed the black unit your wooden one's tape out to give it a line level signal. it would be a pain though as you'd have to turn the wooden unit's volume all the way down when listening to vinyl as you'd get it in your surrounds and mains. because your surround amp would have it's line level input muted when you use vinyl, you wouldn't get feedback back to it from the other amp... well maybe a tiny amount, but you'd turn the volume all the way down for vinyl anyways. it's a clunky arrangement, but it's doable with a couple extra cables. does this answer your question? is this what you're trying to do? |
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New member Username: HolfiPost Number: 3 Registered: Aug-05 | Hi Budget minded. We are getting closer... the easy way to ask my question would have been: How do I get around the wooden ones volume control? It seems you answered my clouded question by trial and error. And I believe the right answer to my question would be: --> I should just plug it in a "line in" input and turn the volume control on 100% and never touch it again. I dont need a phono input, since I have a phono preamp that I can plug into my new amp. So Im not in need of you "clunky arrangement" but I liked your idea! 8^) Budget Minded you did a brave job answering my question, and I thank you and realise that my technical questions gets fuzzy when they are not asked on my native language. Thanks! Take Care Kasper |
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Silver Member Username: CheapskatePost Number: 250 Registered: Mar-04 | hey... no problem. you might not want to use it at 100% depending on your speaker efficiencies and other amp's power output, but it's nice to know that if you needed to turn your rears down, you could. no, you can't bypass your volume control if you don't have a bypass switch or direct ins. the unit was designed as a self contained integrated amp. looking at the picture, with just a single volume control, it looks like it was pretty minimally designed and i'd bet it uses higher grade potentiometers for the volume control. just use it as a power amp with a couple of extra features you don't need. i seriously doubt that you'll get sucky sound out of it if looks are anything. LOL glad to help. hi-fi is fun! or at least should be. |