Hi guys. I have been listening to my 950 for about a month now. I really love the sound of my HT these days. My questions is in regards to 2 channel stereo. The sound the 950 produces in this modes seems lacking. Its sounds tinny and no oomph. I cannot adjust the bass to play low enough for my towers. I can hook up my old carver stereo preamp and my speakers sing with so much clarity and bass even at low volumes. I must be missing a setting because the sound quality from the 950 doesn't do justice to all the reviews I have read about its musical abilities. Any recommendations? I have the bass set a max and my speakers to large.

I am also playing with the idea of hooking up my old preamp for stereo music since it sounds so much better. Do you guys have any suggestions on how I can hook it up to share the same amp and do an A/B switch kind of thing. Or maybe I can hook it up to the 950 as an AUX system???

Thank you in advance for any suggestions you may have.

Try analog bypass or get another pre/pro.... oh hell, I just can't do it.

First, do you have a subwoofer? If not, then you should set the crossover for your front channels to 40Hz, the lowest setting and your subwoofer setting to OFF. Also, try using the analog bypass mode.

Try that and get back to us.

[This message has been edited by merc (edited June 30, 2002).]

If you can't get the 950 to alone to sound the way you want here is onw way to incorporate both preamps.

Connect all your surround sources (VCR, DVD, satellite, etc) to the 950.

Connect your 2 channel analog sources (CD) to your Carver.

Hook the 2 preouts of your Carver to the amps you want to use for your mains. Hook the preouts on the 950 for the center and surrounds to those speakers' amps. Lastly hook the main preouts of the 950 to an input on the Carver.

When you want to listen to 2 channel, you can leave the 950 turned off.

For surround/digital processing, turn both preamps on and set the Carver's input to the input used to connect the 950. The only tricky part is putting the Carver's volume at a repeatable point. That same volume point needs to be used to calibrate the 950 and for regular playback. That's it!

But I agree with merc, make sure you have your settings right before you abondon the 950. I hope to get my 950 someday to see how I like its 2 channel performance in "analog bypass" mode. I really don't want to extra complexity (and low WAF) of the 2 preamp approach.

Let us know how you make out.

Thank you all for the responses. Yes, I have a sub but for the hell of it I tried lowering the xover point to 40hz and setting the sub to off, it sounds the same. I have also tried turning on the bypass but all it seems to do is lower the volume and I have raise the volume more to hear the same level.

The sound just doesn't seem full and doesnt give the oomph that my speakers need. The mids and highs are nice and clear but no bass.

In regards to the other suggestion about getting another pre/pre, I actually thought about it but I'm past the 30 day return and I'm debating if I want to go through the hassle of selling this unit. I figured I will just have to keep tinkering with it to see if I can make it work.

The other suggestion about hooking up the other preamp sounds complicated for me..hehe. Do they make switch boxes for audio inputs? Maybe I can put a switch between the amp and both preamps??

Thanks again

RMBG - I've had exactly the same experience with my 950. For some reason DD and DTS is wonderfully full and accurate sounding, and 2 channel even in bypass (though an improvement) sounds tinny and unmusical.

I've looked into some tube line stage stuff, but haven't found anything satisfactory. My options are:

1) try to find a audiophile grade A/B switch to integrate a 2 channel pre

2) use the sony TAP9000ES and either use its preamp or easily connect another 2 channel pre to it; or

3) move to the Rotel 1066 which everyone seems to agree has a warmer sound.

While the Rotel would seem to be the simplest solution, I'd want to audition it first to make sure it did the job with 2 channel (which at its pricepoint is not a forgone conclusion).

If I had the $2500 plus to invest, the Anthem AVM 20 does great with 2 channel AND multichannel. But if I did that, I'd never be able to afford a FP projector...

Ah feel yer pain.

HT,

Both of my friends own the 1066 and the stereo mode sounds great! I am about to make the same decision myself on the 1066 unfortunately cuz i had high hopes for the 950, now the problem is just trying to sell this unit. Thanks for your input.

Ricky

RM - Have you heard the 1066 in 2 channel, or have you just heard that it sounds great? Of all the personal reviews I've heard on the 1066 very has been said about how 2 channel sounds, which concerned me.

I'm also still not sure whether or not the 1066 has real analog passthrough seperate from its 6.1 inputs.

But if you've heard the 1066 in 2 channel, what are the sonic differences you've noticed? Please!!

I just found a Rotel dealer that has them in stock, will go $1300 AND give me a 30 money back. Then again, if I give back my 950 who knows when I could expect to get another if the Rotel doesn't work out.

By the way, I'm sure there are many on this board and others that would be quite happy to take your 950 off your hands.

If you have buddies with 1066's, I'd start thinking of a way to bribe them into bringing one over to hook up to your system, see how it sounds compared to the 950 on your gear. That way you could determine if it's a better choice for your needs without finding a dealer who has 1066's in stock and will let you try one at home.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Yes I have heard the 1066 and 2 channel sounds much fuller. Imaging for me was better too, with the 950 I can tell that the music is in front of me. With the 1066, the music seems to be all around you but thats just my humble opinion though. Sound can be so subjective.

With Movies, I couldn't tell the difference between my friends setup and mine.

I'm afraid to hook up their 1066 on my system because if it sounded better, I wouldn't be able to live with my system and would get a 1066 that day... I think discussion has made me decide to get the 1066 for sure. It was in my thoughts and I just needed a little prod. hehe

Thanks guys!

Since you say the 950 sounds good in the mids and the treble but has insufficient bass, in two channel stereo, another option to consider is to increase the bass level on the 950 for all two channel sources, or use a subwoofer and increase the 950's subwoofer level whenever you play two channels. If that solves the problem, you might find you can keep your 950 and won't have to get something else for two channel playback.


[This message has been edited by Will (edited July 02, 2002).]