amplification suggestions? (1 Viewer)

[Chu Gai]

I think you're just very pleased that you don't have a hiss and are starting to embrace the concept that high efficiency speakers and noise don't have to go hand in hand unless you allow it.
After you get over your exhuberance you should give some thought as to how you want to play this separates game if you're prepared to spend that kind of money. Do you want just one amp that does all the channels in one package or do you want two or more amps to handle different speakers? The idea here is what happens to your system if one channel of your amp dies for whatever reason? Your system will be down for some period of time. Will your dealer provide you a loaner as part of the percs for dealing with him or are you on your own? We all weigh these things differently. At the price point of the Krell, you've got a lot of options that aren't necessarily Krell to choose from. Give it some thought.
Lastly, you will get renter's insurance with full replacement, no? People do get their stuff ripped off...fires happen and all that.

 

[ericanthonE]

oh my parents have full homeowners insurance. I will get renter's insurance if i move out then. Probably wouldn't be too much considering that i have $$$ starting to get wrapped up into this thing. My father is an electrical engineer/physicist and he said he was going to do something to prevent lightening from ruining it.

This is why i like the bryston. 4bsst and 9bsst. Then i could have a SOLID 2 ch amp and then have one dedicated to home theater(for i dont feel that it needs to have TONS of watts in the surrounds/center)

I don't think that i will be buying the krell. i mean it is nice and all, but i have not fallen in love with it or anything.

Someone recommended earthquake cineNova to me. He said that it was very clean, clear, and pretty much the best bang for the buck considering the krells, brystons, etc. I wasn't sure, for i don't really know a whole lot about it. It is a LOT of watts though, which would be nice, but certaintly not nec for again the surrounds/center. The CineNova 7. I think that i have heard people raving about earthquake along with svs on here, but not sure. It is one of those hidden gems??

Eric

 

[ericanthonE]

well i finally was able to listen to my system or the krell per say at reference levels(nearer to it). Mom left home to shop! I don't know, i could really grow to love this amplifier(put it in my bed and tuck it in next to me at night).

Eric

 

[Jack N]

"oh man guys, you are going to spoil me!! I'm not sure my def tech's are good enough for this stuff. I mean they are obviously nice and all, but i'm not sure they are adequated with such good amplification."

Trust me, they are. And they're power hungry. The more you throw at them, the better they sound. I'm currently running the 8-channel amp in my receiver, a 2-channel amp, and 3 2-channel amps with dual power supplies in my system.

"Do you want just one amp that does all the channels in one package or do you want two or more amps to handle different speakers?"

Good food for thought. Generally speaking, the more amps you have the better the dynamic range because there are more power supplies. That's one reason why I have so many amps in my system. If you go with multiple amplification, you need to pay attention to the wiring in your house or apartment. It's important to have sufficient current to feed your amps with, not to mention overloading the wiring.

 

[ericanthonE]

oh man my dad is going to KILL me when he finds me asking if we can run a dedicated line! haha.

I am glad to think that you like the def tech's. I LOVE them, just know that they are maybe not popular on here, but to me after researching endlessly, they were basically the only real thing i lusted after! B & W maybe, but just TOO expensive to justify anything for right now. And i don't think that they are as good for home theater, and from what i hear maybe only a little bit more musical.

I am going to go with the 4bsst and 9bsst bryston's. I think this will be a STRONG addition. And the most cost effective one, for it's always good to be as reasonable as possible.

I mean i'm not cheap, but throwing 20 grand into something is starting to be just rediculous in my opinion.


Thanks. Eric

Oh, and i LOVE my def tech's and cannot wait to justify them with the amplification necessary.

 

[ericanthonE]

also, why is it "important to have sufficient current to feed your amps with. I know there is an obvious answer and everything. But what i am wondering, is that i hear that the sound/dynamics are better with even a better power supply???

Eric

 

[ericanthonE]

yeah, i told him just now we need a dedicated line, and he got all upset. And he said that he would not want something like that in him house if it would pull all of that power. then he asked for the minimal power requirements.

 

[Jack N]

As far as Def Techs go, do they make the ultimate speaker? No. But like you, I think they are the ultimate speaker for the money. To get better sound you'd have to spend MUCH more. Just keep in mind, the more power you feed them the more musical they get. Too bad we can't compare entire speaker systems in-store. I think people would then better understand why the magazine reviewers give them such high praise.

A quick definition of "power supplies" vs "current supply". "Current supply" is the power that comes out of the wall socket. Power supply: Every amp has an internal "power supply". This is a device that takes current from the wall outlet and converts it to work with the internal circuitry of the amp. The "power supply" has the job of powering the circuitry while at the same time recharging capacitors. The capacitors are used to store extra electricity to feed the amp when the amp needs to process a signal with high dynamic range, such as a drum beat or explosion. So if you have an inadequate "current supply", your "power supply" isn't able to do it's job correctly. Does this help?

By the way, Bryston's are known for having good power supplies.

 

[ericanthonE]

yes this helps very much so. I think that dolby labs recommends a head room of 20db. For bombs and explosions, or for high quality classicaly recordings with Wide Dynamic Range.

So if i plugged my amps(2 of them) into the same standard wall outlet, and plugged the other DVD,CD, bla, bla into a third somewhere, the current would not be ample to resupply the power supply during say(omaha beach in saving private ryan) played at or nearer to reference levels?

What power current would you recommend running?

Thanks again, Eric

 

[Jack N]

Concerning a dedicated line - I don't know what the current draw will be for your system right off hand. However most of your better amps have the ability to draw a substantial amount of current when turned up. If a dedicated line isn't an option then you'll need to keep the volume down - which is probably a good idea anyway if you have neighbors, or live in an apartment. Even though I basically have a dedicated 20 amp circuit, each one of my amps is capable of drawing 850 watts. So doing the math you can see that I could easily overload the wiring. I never turn up my system more than about 1/3 way. For me that's plenty load enough, and the neighbors start to complain when it gets loader than that. Also remember, when reproducing sound on a system that has some power behind it, the ability for the sound to go through walls and floors goes up. I would advise that you use a considerable amount of descretion concerning volume for a few reasons - your equipment will last longer, for safety sakes, and you won't have people ticked off at you.

 

[ericanthonE]

a basic 20amp circuit for each one? I think that is what i am going to do. My dad doesn't mind that. I am not the $%^hole neighbor either. That is just ignorant...

Thanks for everything

What kind of amplification do you have, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Jack N]

"So if i plugged my amps(2 of them) into the same standard wall outlet, and plugged the other DVD,CD, bla, bla into a third somewhere, the current would not be ample to resupply the power supply during say(omaha beach in saving private ryan) played at or nearer to reference levels?"

Yes, that is exactly correct. You would loose some of the dynamic range, which is so important to realism. Actually, this would be another reason to keep the volume turned down - the power requirements increase exponentially as the volume goes up. It'll be easier for the power supplies to keep up.

 

[ericanthonE]

okay, so i am running this krell 125 * 5 into 20amp outlet. I can take it to +12db reference, and the amp still plays. So why? As is it easily overwhelmed? Could you explain how this is occuring, how this is split up??

 

[Jack N]

"I am not the $%^hole neighbor either. That is just ignorant..."

If I insulted you, I'm sorry. That wasn't my intent. I hope you didn't take it that way.

Yes, your amp will still work if there's inadequate current to supply it, you're just not getting the full benefit of having good equipment. The current supply becomes the limiting factor in how good your equipment sounds. Thus, depending on what the current load is (other than your sound system) will determine how well your system is able to work, not to mention the safety thing. You'll notice that the output of your system will be inconsistent from one time to the next.

If you can add dedicated circuits for your home theater, find out what the maximum current draw is for each component and add them together. This will usually be shown as wattage consumption. IE: 850 watts. When you have the total wattage, divide by 110 volts to give you amperage. IE: 850 watts divided by 110 volts equals 7.7 amps. Does this help?

"What kind of amplification do you have, if you don't mind me asking?" I'm currently using Yamaha amps.

 

[ericanthonE]

Jack...

oh my god no you didn't insult me at all! Thank you so much for all your help!

We'll have to keep up and share opinions with each other in the future!

Thanks,Eric

 

[ericanthonE]

i meant that it is just ignorant to play your stereo loud and have no consideration for others, meaning ignorance...

 

[Jack N]

"We'll have to keep up and share opinions with each other in the future!"

Sure. That would be nice. Where's Ellwood City anyway?

 

[ericanthonE]

it is near pittsburgh.

 

[ericanthonE]

well i guess that we are going to run a 220 dedicated line for both the amplifiers. My dad said that this is enough. I think that we should run 2 dedicated 220 lines, because the absolute maximum that the amp can reach is 19.09 amps(i realize that we would probably never reach this, but still, will make me feel all warm and cozy. But my dad insists that one line is more than enough.

Any comments?

Eric

 

[Jack N]

I guess I'm not following. Why 220v? Doesn't your equipment run on 110?

"the absolute maximum that the amp can reach is 19.09 amps" This sounds awfully high for a 125wpc amp. I'm not saying you're wrong, it just sounds awfully high. How did you come up with that figure?

Can I ask what you came up with for a total current draw for your whole system?