I'm planning on m80s driven by a hk990 integrated amp(~300wpc@4ohms) in a 2 ch setup then adding an avr later to power the surrounds. I hope to still use the hk990 to drive the m80 front mains through the avr's front ch pre outs.
My Q is, will I run into any balance/level issues if the avr has much lower rated power(say,60-80wpc)?
Am I correct in assuming that avr's pre output settings can be changed to balance things out for multi channel surround?
Any other issues that I should consider?
This would be my first HT setup.
Thanks for any advice.

Once you use the AVRs pre-outs to power the speakers (your M80s) only the amp's (your HK 990) power will be used, the AVR won't do anything but control the volume and act as the processor ... EZPZ

I use a Rotel RB-1080 to power my M80s with a 85 watt per channel HK AVR3600 to do the processing.

But since this is a 2 channel stereo integrated amp, can that really be hooked to an AVR to act as just an amp?

Oh.

I misunderstood. In that case, Muzz ... I don't know!

The hk990 has a main-in that bypasses the preamp section. So I'm wondering if I use the hk990 to power the fronts (m80s) by connecting to front ch pre outs on an avr but connect the surrounds directly to speaker outputs of the avr will I have a balance issue? Sorry for the confusion

I'm not sure either Rick. Like you, I use a seperate amp hooked to my Denon to drive all my Axs.

*I* wouldn't believe there would be an issue but stick around for a bit and somebody quite a lot more knowledgeable than myself will show up.

Muzz, from what you describe it does sound possible. The AVR would power the rest of the speakers, and the HK's amp section would power the m80's. I'm sure someone else will confirm this soon. In regards to balancing out everything, you would still do this with the AVR when you run the auto setup like Audyssey on the Denon's, or one of the others offered by Yamaha, Pioneer, etc..

That's what I was thinking but I'm no HT guru. I know many avr's are configured for connection of an external amp for another room or 2 more channels 7.1 or 9.1 but not sure about the front mains. I'd like to get away with a more affordable avr to power modest surrounds but with m80s at 4 ohms Id like to use the bigger hk990 for them.

I'm sure JohnK or someone else will be along soon. Again, if you can configure the 990 to act as just an amplifier, and ignore the preamp section it might work. I would think you would just hook up the the AVR preouts for the front L/R channels to the HK amp inputs using RCA interconnects, then run speaker wires from the HK to the M80's. The other speakers would be hooked to the AVRs standard speaker posts.

Again, I could be way wrong.

Yes, you can do as you describe. Just go from the avr out to the input on the integrated amp.

I took a look at the manual and it has Processor analog inputs as you indicated that feed the amp directly so you are good to go with your plan. Your M80's will luv ya for it.

Muzz,

You shouldn't have any problems, since the AVR preamp section will still act as a preamp/controller for the main left and right front speakers, feeding the preamp signal to the main-in jacks on the hk990. And the master volume control on the AVR will still function using the speaker outputs from the AVR for the other channels.

You'll be able to individually adjust the levels of each channel to compensate for any level differences the same as you would if you were using all of the AVR's internal amplifiers. The level adjustments take place in the preamp section.

Regards,
Alan

Murray, since the 990 has a direct input available to its amplifier section, the front channel pre-outs of a multi-channel receiver can be fed to them so as to use the 990 as an amplifier for the mains. Any difference in the maximum power ratings of the two units would be meaningless as to matching front and surround levels. In the calibration process, either manual or automatic in the HT receiver, the voltage outputs to the respective speakers would be adjusted so as to balance the levels at the listening position.

In my view, however, you're unnecessarily complicating things and duplicating expenses with two receivers. I understand that you don't have the 990 yet, and if this is the case, my suggestion would be to get one of the excellent HT receivers, particularly a Denon or Onkyo model with Audyssey MultEQ, now. Any of these with maximum output ratings anywhere in the 100-150 watt range would be fine for your M80s now and you'd be set for your future speakers as well. The Audyssey room correction would be available immediately even while you operate only the front M80s.

Good advice all round, thanks. I still haven't committed to the hk990 but like it for its power w the m80s. It also has a dac and a room eq function for 2 ch stereo.
I'm most interested in a really good 2 ch stereo music set up with the option of adding a HT later, hence the somewhat complicated setup.

You can have a "really good" 2-ch setup at this time without spending what is in my view the absurd price being asked for the 990. I never listen to 2-channel music only on front speakers, since extracting the natural surround ambience mixed into the front channels(there was no place else to put it)and sending it to the surrounds where it belongs significantly increases the realism and enjoyment of music listening.

One of the upper level Denon or Onkyo units rated at around 130-140 watts into 8 ohms measures a little over 200 watts into 4 ohms and should be plenty. The prices would be similar to or less than the 990 alone.

Sounds like that might be more economical. Perhaps a different thread altogether, but any opinions on the Marantz sr6006 or sr7005 driving the m80s? Cheers all.

There's really no need to be greatly concerned about maximum power ratings. The M80s are slightly above average in sensitivity and have no unusual power requirements. Either of those Marantz units can drive them to beyond safe(to your hearing)listening levels. However, Marantz appears to be a somewhat overpriced Denon, and unless there's a good reason to go with Marantz specifically, a similar Denon, such as the 3312(or the Onkyo 709)should be considered.

The hk990 looks awesome but it has features that would go to waste if you use a pre pro. I really like it though and I am going to look in to it.