Using 6.1 Surround Amp for 6-channel organ

[thadfield]

I have an ADC 6300A which sounds great with its six channels. I want to be able to use headphones, though, so I was considering a pass-thru mixer that could pass the six-channels on to their amps, but mix down to 2-channels and put it through a stereo amp that I can plug a headset into.

And then I was thinking: There are 6.1 Channel Surround Sound Amps that also have headphone jacks (such as the Marantz SR6200). Could I just buy one of those off craigslist, put Y's on all six channels and route one end of the Y to L,R,C, Surround-L, Surround-R, Surround-C on the Marantz and then plug in headphones? The reason I'm not sure is everything in the user manual says this is Dolby 6.1 and clearly the Allen doesn't use any Dolby encoding. If this works, it's a little simpler (and cheaper) than adding a mixer and a headphone amp.

[jdoc]

I am not sure the amps do a mixdown but if they do you idea should work for phone use depending how hot the signals are?

I have an ADC 6300A which sounds great with its six channels. I want to be able to use headphones, though, so I was considering a pass-thru mixer that could pass the six-channels on to their amps, but mix down to 2-channels and put it through a stereo amp that I can plug a headset into.

And then I was thinking: There are 6.1 Channel Surround Sound Amps that also have headphone jacks (such as the Marantz SR6200). Could I just buy one of those off craigslist, put Y's on all six channels and route one end of the Y to L,R,C, Surround-L, Surround-R, Surround-C on the Marantz and then plug in headphones? The reason I'm not sure is everything in the user manual says this is Dolby 6.1 and clearly the Allen doesn't use any Dolby encoding. If this works, it's a little simpler (and cheaper) than adding a mixer and a headphone amp.

[Admin]

The dolby spec only comes into play for digital inputs, or when synthesizng the surround from a stereo source. If you have six discrete inputs to the amp and operate the amplifier in the discreet input mode, you needn't worry about Dolby.

But jo is correct that most home theatre amplifier's power ratings are rather meaningless. Typically the power rating is for only two of the channels being driven simultaneously. Although each channel might be able to deliver the full rated power, the power supply for most of these units will not support all channels driven to their maximum simultaneously. The continuous power demands of a sustained organ tone is quite different from the transient power demands encountered in most other scenarios as well. You might be able to get away with it in a small room.

Harmon-Kardon was one manufacturer that played it honest with power ratings as they derived the power rating with all channels being driven. At least that used to be case.

Also, it's questionable whether the headphone out would be a mix of the six discreet inputs. My guess is that it would not be, but consult the manual. You should be able to find it online.

[dw154515]

I was in a similar situation recently. See below:

http://www.organforum.com/forums/sho...ent-S-100-Amps