I have a 1050 now and the 950 reservation. In my current system I use two Marantz mono blocks to drive the front two chanels. Someday when the 950 gets here do you think it would work to use the 1050's 5.1 inputs to drive the other 5 chanels? This would be a temporary set up until I can buy a 5 chanel amp. Do you think there would be volume problems?

The monoblocks might overwhelm the 1050's internal amp for the other channels, but if so that's probably the case in the current setup. It should work, but you're not likely to want to leave it that way long and I'd strongly recommend using a disc like Video Essentials to get the speaker levels set.

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Gonk

I have video essentials and the speakers are balanced now (the THX mono blocks are 125 watts) tells you something about the 1050! Anyway I'm worried about having to turn up two volume's or if one is low and the other is high will I get a humming noise?

Not having tried it, I would think that if you had the 1050 and your amps dialed in to produce the sound levels you wanted, you should just be able to use the volume on the 950 for control. If you leave the 1050 set static where it matches your amps, it should all change the same when you change the level on the 950 shouldn't it? Or am I missing something?

There are two kinds of inputs to a receiver's amps: in's via preout-jumper-amp in's, and the 5.1 pass-thru. The first takes the preamp section and volume control out of the loop and allows a reciever's amps to be used just like an outboard amp. The 1050 does not have this. The 5.1 inputs are designed to be used with a SACD/DVD-A player, and although those inputs usually bypass all bass management (and digital processing), the volume control is still in the loop (you don't use the SACD/DVD-A player to control system volume).

If all that is true, then I agree with Owl's_warder that you will have to find a repeatable volume knob setting for the 1050 when you calibrate everything using the level balancing on the 950.

Also, if you are running your mains as large and every other speaker as small, then the extra wattage from the monoblocks is not overkill as the bass draws much, much, more current than the upper frequncies.

If you are running all speakers as small, then the extra power does not hurt a thing. They will not "dominate" the other channels. It would only do that if you kept turning up the volume after the other channels were already clipping; but you are going to destroy your center/surrounds if you do that. Having more available power on hand does not makes things louder at a given volume setting, it just gives you the ability to play louder at the top end of the volume knob.

The monoblocks may just sound better at lower volumes than the 1050, or they may not. Separate amps are about more power, but also about better power. Just like with the 1050, a quality 65 W is better than 125 junk watts from mass-market receivers.