I am assuming from your original post that you do not want to buy a completely new receiver with all the latest technology.
To try to sum up what ttiger and Larry said: At present, the MOST COMMON way of extracting a center rear channel from a 5.1 setup is as follows.
BTW, the only difference between a seven speaker and a six speaker setup is whether you send the rear center channel to one speaker or two.
Requirement number one: Your current receiver/pre-pro must be true 5.1 Dolby Digital (not Pro-Logic, which although it has 5 speakers and a sub attached, does not truly provide 5.1 discrete channels). Your five channels are Left Main, Center, Right Main, Right Surround and Left Surround, and the "point one" is your subwoofer.
Requirement number two: Your current receiver/pre-pro must have jacks allowing you to send the two surround channels to another amplifier, not just speaker terminals.
Requirement number three: Lay hands on an old-fashioned Pro-Logic receiver/pre-pro. Any brand will do.
Okay, here we go.
First, connect the Left Surround output jack on your 5.1 box to a Left input on the Pro-Logic (I used the CD input). Then connect the Right Surround on your 5.1 box to the Right input on the PL box.
Now use the setup menu to configure the PL box for "three channel" operation.
Detach the Left Surround speaker from the 5.1 box and attach it to the Left Main speaker terminal on the PL box. Do the same with the 5.1 Right Surround to the PL Right Main. Finally attach a speaker to the PL Center.
That's it for six channel sound. As Larry and I mentioned, only one additional (the Rear Center) channel is all you can extract this way.
Reference the "seventh speaker." Many people are spreading the soundfield of that rear center channel by adding a second speaker carrying the exact same signal. Some PL boxes have speaker outputs for two center speakers, if so you're there. A more common method is as Larry described:
Hook a Y adaptor to the "Center out" jack on your PL box, run the wires to the Left and Right channels on a stereo amp, unhook the center speaker from the PL box and attach it to one channel (say the Left) of the sterio amp, and attach another speaker to the Right channel of that amp. Now you have two Center Rear speakers, often referred to as Left Back and Right Back.
Clear as mud, yes? :)
-Bruce
This message was edited by Bruce Burson on 12/22/01 07:33.10.
