Any Powered Center channel speakers.

My little theatre room has DefTech bp 7002 up ftont and small DefTechs surrounds.
The front channel 7002 are powered by Denon 4802.
The surrounds by an NAD T773.

The reason both receivers are doing duty like this is the Denon rc 8000 remote got coffee soaked and is shot, searching for replacement for years and almost got one.
the Nad receiver does not recognize remote signals from its own remote. Denon remote event was in 2004 the NAD 2005. Amazing.

Ofcourse I called both companies and got no where. This was back in 2005.

Both units are stuck in Stereo mode , the last mode both were in when they broke. and so I make use of them. One receiver powe rs front pair of speakers the other receiver powers the rear speakers.

So are their Powered Center channel speakers from some decent brands.

The NAD weighs a Ton, The Denon almost the same. They are wonderfull sounding units so I make due now since I use the analog outs from my Oppo 203.
Any Ideas? Thankyou, John M.

 

I'd just get an Emotiva A100. It's a stereo amp, but only $229. You can just use one channel. Then you won't be limited to powered speakers. I got one to power the rear surrounds in my 7.1 setup. It's inexpensive and pretty dang high quality for the price.

 

Emotiva has some great pedigree. I will look in to it, thank you.
I was thinking of getting a cheapo mono if their is one, but logically this Emotiva 'sounds' like a plausible solution.

 

Not sure I'm interpreting everything correctly as I don't know all the models you mentioned, but Outlaw has a nice monoblock amp (at $399, usually no shipping/tax) that might be handy? You could always add more of them over time to complete a 5.1 system.

Model 2200 Monoblock Power Amplifier

And then you could use any speaker (like the Emotiva suggestion above).

 

You might look on Amazon for "Monoprice Unity 100-Watt Bridgeable Power Amp".

 

Why not hunt down a fully functional Denon AVR or NAD AVR of your model, used. Shouldn't be a high dollar purchase. They depreciate like crazy. Cheaper to buy than to repair, assuming repairable (most AVR models when dead and out of warranty, non repairable or exceeds the unit's value to repair). Alternatively, why not buy high quality separate power amplifiers for how many channels you need, the cheapest AVR with preamp outputs, with the formats and feature set you want. As the amplifiers normally will outlast 2-3 or more of the AVR used as preamp/processor.

 

I love my Outlaw 750. Five channels 150W per channel and I got it used for like $400. Outlaw makes great stuff for home theater and awesome prices.

 

I like that. Wanted class A/B though but its definitely in the running. Thanks.

 

Very true. I lament the day I sold my Macintosh 7270 steteo volume controlled amp, what an idiot, it was mint with all the extras, wood case, panels , directions and about 500 hours on it Uuhhgg!

 

Simply cause I might find a functional rc 8000 remote for the Denon and the NAD sounds great and could be used as the hub of a future stereo setup. They are both so mint looking with all packaging.
The NAD receiver came with a mini remote that doesn't work either. NAD said the remote receiving circuits just stopped working and offered no help other than sending the unot to them and they cant guarantee it can be remedied. Nice aren't they, a 2100 dollar receiver has no proper guarantee. They lost me as a customer.

 

How is the Denon 4802 stuck in stereo mode, when I see from photos online that there is a flip-down front panel that lets you push buttons to choose surround modes?

Have you considered getting a new universal remote control such as a Logitech/Harmony? You just need a remote to navigate the on-screen display menus to change source preferences from stereo to surround, for example?

Also, it looks like there are some Denon remotes that aren't the rc 8000 touchscreen, but which are compatible with your receiver, for cheap on ebay: denon 4802 remote | eBay

I'm skeptical of going the route of a different branded center channel speaker because it is likely to sound different than the rest of your speakers (eg, different tweeters, etc). for a while I had to make-do with a different model (same brand) of center channel speaker in my system, and the difference was distracting.

 

Denon 4802R does not use the same remote (rc 8000) as the Denon 4802 which is mine. 4802R uses a more conventional remote and is not as highly rated as the 4802, why Im not sure.
In stereo it sounds great. The hidden draw has more functions and effects but nothng can get me into 5.1 7.1 setup other than the rc8000 remote. Thanks .John

 

[

I still use a McIntosh MA 5100 integrated amplifier. Every day. It was built in 1967, I am third owner. And my HH Scott 312D FM tuner is second owner, built the same year. My Sansui 4000 receiver dates from 1969, second owner, used daily. Used pre 1982 McIntosh in top condition, is your best audio buy. Tom Manley at www.mcintoshaudio.com (Terry DeWick does his repair work) can hook you up with nice McIntosh.

 

Focal CMS line. Sold individually.

I used CMS 50, I think, for LCR back when I was getting going in home theater.

 

I think that if you can't find a replacement Denon remote a universal remote as suggested by CraigVC is an excellent option. Looking at the 4802R's manual it shows all the front panel buttons on page 14. Did you try pressing all the buttons (one at a time) in the "Surround Mode" area? How about the "Surround Parameter" button? When the Denon remote was working which button would you use to switch from stereo to surround? I would think that one of the buttons on the 4802Rs front panel would enable you to do that.

I'm not sure how buying a powered center channel would help you at all. If you can't get either one of your AVRs out of stereo mode there would be no center channel signal to send to it.

Back in the day I really wanted the 4802 but didn't have the budget so I bought the 3802. I still have it as it's being used by a friend in his small two channel system. Still chugging along after all these years. They don't make AVRs like the 4802 and 3802 anymore as they were well built, heavy and sounded great .

AVR-4802R

 

My Denon 3801 sounds more musical and pleasing than my 4311ci receiver. bummer that your 4802 receiver is tied to such a unique remote control. your situation would be so frustrating to me that I would be inclined to sell both receivers for whatever I could get, and just start over with a surround receiver or integrated amp that has full functionality. continuing the Frankenstein experiment doesn't seem as likely to lead to musical joy.

 

I agree with your thoughts about buying a new AVR instead of mating two AVRs in stereo to give a surround effect. I have the 4311 (packed away) as well and would say in build quality and weight the 3802 is the winner hands down. It's been so long since I've had both the 3802 and 4311 in my system. So I'm not sure or recall which one sounds better. Although I wouldn't be surprised if the 3802 did sound better.

 

As I said I use my oppo 203 analog outputs. oppo does all the speaker outputs, distance , trim, size and like people here use what legacy equipment they have especially if not interested in HDMI ATMOS. These two receivers sound better than most 12 lb. units today. The NAD and Denon weigh 80 and 65pounds respectively . They need their respective remotes to do all the functions I require. The NAD has a problem receiving signals, the Denon only works with the Akitas rc 8000 remote that has died.

 

Def techs are all around ,4 deftechs, and all dynamic powerhouses. If a Def tech center channel was self powered, great, or Polk, Elac, that would be a close 2nd. Get a basic two channel receiver use as mono and alls fine. Right now my small theater is a 4.0 or 4.2 counting the bp 7002s built in subs.

 

I wouldn't buy a powered center channel speaker, You are stuck with the speaker and you are stuck with the amp.

Here is what I would recommend.

Several years ago. I bought a pair of Polk RTiA9 speakers for the front HT and stereo speakers, while they were on a half price sale.

I also bought their CSiA6, center channel speaker, which is the larger of the two center channel speakers in the RTi product line.

A few years back, I bought their flagship LSiM707's on sale and replaced the RTiA9's with the LSiM7807's.

I continued to use the CSiA6 as the center channel speaker.

Later, when they had another sale on the LSiM line. I bought their largest center channel speaker, which, when not on sale, retailed for $1,300. Noting that the LSiM707's retailed for $4,000/pr. The center channel speaker was a beast! After unpacking it, I discovered that it was 2" too high to fit in the equipment rack.



So I continued to use the CSiA6 as the center channel speaker. He is a closer view of the audio rack.

On the lower right is a 250-Watt Emotiva XPA-2 (generation I) power amplifier that was powering the RTiA9's and is now running the LSiM707's. It is a class A/B amplifier.

On the lower left, below the processor is a Emotiva XPA-100 (Generation I) mono amplifier that I have used all along to run the CSiA6 center channel speaker, which is sitting on the top shelf.



Now, this is a good size HT 5.1 channel HT system. I have the Boston Acoustic's M-350's are rear tower's. They were the Polk flagship speakers at $2,500/pr., which I also bought on sale. The sub is a 15" commercial sub, powered by a 1,600-Watt Crown amp, and can produce a sustained SPL of 133 dB, program material.

I point this out, because the Polk CSiA6 center channel can keep up with everything and sounds excellent.

Currently, it is being offered for sale at 40% off of it's normal retail for only $239.97!

From the Polk web site.

The Voice of a Flagship System​

The center channel speaker is arguably the most important speaker in your home theater system. It's in the middle of all the action and, more importantly, it's the anchor for all dialog. If you want to hear what the actors and actresses are saying, buy a good center channel speaker. The CSiA6 is the perfect center piece for a big screen TV or a large room. And it's timbre-matched to the RTiA series speaker so you can build a seamless 360° experience. Its massive dual 6 1/2-inch Dynamic Balance® midbass drivers and 1-inch Dynamic Balance dome tweeter will dish out explosive sound and crisp clear dialog. It's best paired with the larger tower or bookshelf speakers.





A few years back, @F1nut, brought to our attention, that the entire RTi series was designed primarily for HT use.

The TV is the picture is a 65" curved screen TV. The CSiA6 is 27" wide and weighs 29-lbs.

It has 6 1/2" speakers and it is covered with a real cherry wood veneer (black finish is also available). It is a very solid speaker and can play down to 55-Hz at it's -3 dB. point.

I don't think you can beat this speaker as a choice for a center channel. There is nothing that comes near to it for the current sale pricing!

I would stay with a nice, pleasant class A/B amp to power it with if possible.

I like the recommendation for the Outlaw 200-Watt monoblock amplifier. It has the perfect amount of power to keep up with the other components in you surround sound system. I'm not sure which class it operates in, but Outlaw does build excellent equipment for the money. They are like Emotiva, in many ways. The stereo Emotiva A-100 or the Monoprice amps, should serve your needs as well.