5.1 HT and 2-Channel Stereo Integration???

[StereoNut]

I have a Acoustic Energy AEGO P5 Home Theatre system (see link below) that I bought years ago and never set it up because the room it was going to go in hadn't been completed.  Well, I am now finally looking to set this up and I have some questions.  Actually, a lot of questions!

http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/About_AE/Product_history/Ego_p5.asp

I have wiring run and the rear 2 surround speakers mounted.  The front left, right and center speakers need to be placed and everything still needs to be hooked up.  The mistake I made was not running the wiring in the walls for the front of the room.    So, now that I have a big screen TV in there (a plasma on it's own rotating pedestal, atop a wooden TV stand that's about 5 foot wise and 26" high) I don't know what to do with the 3 front speakers.  I'm not gonna start busting up that front wall to run wiring but can't figure out too many other options either.  Oh... one more thing.  My 2 channel system is in this room along that front wall, with my Von Schweikert VR-4 Gen.III speakers 9 foot apart on center, flanking the plasma TV on each side. 

Here's what I've come up with...

a) The AEGO speakers are configured in a way that they can wall mount, stand mount, lay flat or sit on an angle tilted back a bit.  My first thought was to sit the 3 front speakers on the front edge of the wooden TV stand, in front of the TV and be done with it.  Then comes all of the second guessing... are they too low (even if I sit them tilted back)??? ...are they far enough apart (there would only be about 2 1/2 feet between each front channel and a span of a little less than 5 feet total from left <> right)??? ...blah, blah, blah...

b) Then, I thought to just place the center channel in front of the "post" of the TV pedestal (like above) but buy two adjustable height surround stands to put the front left & right speakers on.  I could place these between the TV stand and the VR-4's, which would put them about 7 feet apart or maybe directly behind (and of course set taller than) the Von Schweikerts, which would put them 9 feet apart.  (I really can't go much wider than that because of access into another room on the right side.) One of these options may be better than (a) above, yet it now introduces more clutter into the room and the omni-present WAF factor comes into play.

c) Just place the left <> right front surrounds (they're really small) on top of my VR-4's and forget about extra stands altogether?  Leave the center channel in front of the TV sitting on the wooden TV stand and be done with it!?

d) Ask everyone here at AN whether I can use the top (tweeter/mid) modules of my VR-4's as my left <> right front surrounds of the HT set up and still use them in my 2-channel stereo?  Will I "blow up" my AEGO HT set up because not all 5 speakers are identical?  Will I "blow up" my 2 channel system because I have my top VR-4 modules wired to two different systems?  Or, best case scenerio... it will work, but just sound like crap because of the mis-matched components of the HT set up?

I appreciate whatever ideas you can come up with.

Thanks!
SN

P.S. to the Admin.: If this topic has been covered elsewhere, please direct me to it and delete this post.

[tmazz]

SN,

Warning, Warning.....

If you are going to use your VR-4s in both systems I would strongly suggest that you only hook them up to one amplifier at a time and switch cables when you want use use then with the other system. I ran into a situation in college where somebody took a Y connector and hooked one speaker to 2 16mm projectors so they could have a smooth switch between them when showing a multi-reel film (I feel old even talking about this). When they went to switch to the second projector they found that the output transistors in the audio amp of that projector had been blown out by having the output of the first projector backfed into them. Now I realize that the power amp of a 16mm projector had crummy little transistors in it in the first place, but the lesson is that output stages like to put out wattage and are not happy seeing wattage coming back at them. I know it is a PITA to switch the cables, but I would rather do that than damage either one of my amps.

Just a thought

[StereoNut]

Thanks, Tom!  Good to see you tonight.  After a bit of a discussion this evening on this topic, it seems like trying to multipurpose the VR-4's is a dangerous thing to do.  I appreciate the "warning" and will attempt to figure this set-up out utilizing only the AE speakers.

SN

[Carlman]

If you have a preamp out or even tape output you can hook a pair of IC's from the Aego amp/processor to your main rig's preamp in and get rid of the L/R Aego's.. then just balance the volume and such.  If there is a preamp out, it'll be super easy.  If there's a fixed output, you'll just have to remember where to set the volume on your preamp that sounds right..

[StereoNut]

Hi Carl

I'll have to look to see if there's either (a tape or pre-out) available.  If there is, the problem is going to be cable.  I'm running Naim electronics in my 2-channel system, so anything in/out of it needs to be those damned DIN connectors!  I think I'm just gonna keep it simple and hook up the Aego system like it normally would be set up and see how it sounds first.  Maybe this will be acceptable and I'm making myself crazy trying to fix something that really isn't broken!

Thanks!
SN

[tmazz]

If you weren't crazy, you would have a different hobby!!!   

[StereoNut]

Good point, Tom!   

[tmazz]

Takes one to know one