Amplifiers (1 Viewer)

[Aron]

Whats the differences between a regular Amplifier, Integrated Amplifier, Preamplifier, and A/V Amplifier?

I'm probably gonna get a pair of BMW N802 or ML Odyssey soon. Any idea what kind of setup will work best? I heard Classe is good, but what model and wattage will I need? Should I get a 5 channel or 2 channel? If I get a 2 channel, can I upgrade in the future so I can set it up for Home Theater use later on?

Thanks

 

[KyleGS]

Read through the links on this post. G'luck![/size][/font]http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=52766

 

[Ted Lee]

hopefully i don't blow this:

amplifer: the plain black box. you hook the speakers up to it. it's job is to amplify a signal given to it from another source (typically a pre-amp).

pre-amp: the component with the volume knob and the selector switches. it's job is to control the volume and switch between various playback devices: cd, tuner, phono, dvd, etc.

integrated-amp: combines amplifier and pre-amp into one box. usually means there's no on-board tuner. don't see too many of them these days.

pre-pro: more common these days. it combines a pre-amp with the processing needed to decode various sound formats such as dolby digital, dts, various 6.1 formats, dolby pro-logic2, etc.

receiver: an "all-in-one" box. it contains all of the above in one box.

there's various trains of thought on what combination of amps works best. some like the 5-channel since it's all in one box. others like a 3-channel up front, 2-channel in rear. others are saying two 3-channels are a good idea for future 6.1 expansion, etc.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

As Kyle said, I cimpiled all the amp/preamp info into a series of links:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=52766
Check those and should have all the info you need.
-V