Haven't looked at these in quite some time so i'm not sure if a feature that i'm looking for is even possible. My parents are going to be renovating their living room and I'm going to help them put in some HT stuff.
Are there HT receivers available that can be set up in multiple modes so that in one mode, for example, the rear speakers are used as surrounds in a 5.1 setup and then in a different mode, they are used as the front L and front R in a 2 channel setup?
Here's the issue. the way my parents' house is set up, the living room is very close to the kitchen. my mom (like a good italian wife
) spends a lot of time in the kitchen, while my dad (like a good italian husband) spends a lot of time in the living room watching tv. my mom constantly complains about the TV being too loud (hey they're old). when they are both watching tv in the living room, everyone is happy, she just doesn't like his tv overwhelming the whole main floor. so my thought is if there is a HT receiver that can be set up by me so that in one mode the speakers connected to the # 4 and 5 outputs (rear L and rear R in a surround setup) could be the front R and front L in an alternate setup, they will be closer to his listening position (even if behind him, it won't matter for regular watching) and could be kept at a more reasonable volume.
alternatively, are there manual switching boxes avaiable? for example, i know there are amps with an A/B setup. I can run cables from the receiver A surround and B front L,R to a switching box, then 1 set of cables to the surrounds. this has to exist, right, i mean, i can almost build it myself.
a more interesting question. i'm not sure just how much electrical work they will be doing so I'm not sure if it's possible to install a separate circuit for the HT gear (though i would like to)...what options are available for cleaner power or surge protectors built into outlets, etc. there won't be a ton of gear here (TV, HT Receiver, dvd, cable/satellite,etc).
any good magazines/resources?
any suggestions at all welcome.