Need amp advise! Where to go? (1 Viewer)

[mickyad92]

So i am looking for an amp to actually adequately power my speaker setup which consists of a pair of B&W 683, 685, DM604 S3, and a DM LCR 600 S3. Was looking into Emotiva, as I am on a budget. What are your suggestions? Pardon the messy setup, in the process of converting the basement into a home theater.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Are you looking for an Amp or AV Receiver, also what's your budget. ?

 

[mickyad92]

I have everything powered by an Onkyo TXNR709 receiver, and I am looking for a separate amplifier to power at least the front stage which consists of 5 speakers since the 685's which are the surrounds seem to be adequately powered by the receiver itself. I would say I would like to stay around a grand for the amp.

 

[Phil A]

I have a spare system with old B&W P6s as mains, an old Marantz 6003 receiver and have an Emotiva XPA-200. Works very well (have a Sherbourne preamp with HT Bypass for 2-channel musc too). My room is smaller so the XPA-200 is plenty of power.

 

[Type A]

Welcome to the forum Sean. Ive not found anything that compares to Emotiva, at least not in their price range. They have a robust user forum and used amps are pretty easy to come by, would save you some $$$.

 

[schan1269]

Unless you buy a used stereo amp...Hafler NikkoSAEKenwood

 

[FoxyMulder]

Yeah there is this one for 5 channel use.

http://www.amazon.com/Emotiva-XPA-5-5-Channel-Power-Amplifier/dp/B008O37E3G

Falls within your budget but you might be able to find one elsewhere or second hand for better value.

A cheaper one which should be very good too.

http://www.amazon.com/Emotiva-UPA-500-Five-Channel-Power-Amplifier/dp/B008O37MO2/ref=pd_cp_e_2

 

[mickyad92]

Yeah there is this one for 5 channel use.

http://www.amazon.com/Emotiva-XPA-5-5-Channel-Power-Amplifier/dp/B008O37E3G

Falls within your budget but you might be able to find one elsewhere or second hand for better value.

A cheaper one which should be very good too.

http://www.amazon.com/Emotiva-UPA-500-Five-Channel-Power-Amplifier/dp/B008O37MO2/ref=pd_cp_e_2

I am worried about the less powerful Emotiva 5 channel amp being able to adequately push my front stage the floor standers seem to be especially power hungry. I was leaning towards the more powerful one but that is a lot of money to spend.

 

[schan1269]

I've never understood how an efficient speaker is "power hungry".

 

[mickyad92]

Ill put it this way. The Onkyo is not very fond at being run anywhere near reference volume for a prolonged period of time especially when I am listening to music. It has no issues with only two channels driven, which is just the pair of 683's but when all 7 channels are employed the experience is a lot less gratifying.

I am a noob. I was under the impression that the B&W I had were fairly hard to push.

 

[FoxyMulder]

I am worried about the less powerful Emotiva 5 channel amp being able to adequately push my front stage the floor standers seem to be especially power hungry. I was leaning towards the more powerful one but that is a lot of money to spend.

Looking at the specs for your speakers i can see they have an 88db efficiency, that shouldn't be an issue for even the Onkyo but it certainly will not be an issue for that cheaper Emotiva Amp, unlike AV Receivers i'm pretty sure the 80 watts per channel is actually a real 80 watts per channel, i would buy that one and try it, i believe Amazon has a certain amount of days you can try the product for and if it's not suitable return it and get the more expensive one.

Your Onkyo will easily power the surround channels, get yourself an SPL meter if you don't already have one and make sure all levels are spot on, no point spending extra money if you don't need to and i think the cheaper one will be fine.

What volume levels do you listen at. ?

 

[vidiot33]

I think Emotiva offers the best value in amplification today. They're well built, customer service is great, and I haven't found anything out there that sounds better for anywhere close to the money..

 

[mickyad92]

looks like I will take a gamble on the lesser powered emotiva then. Thanks guys!

 

[JohnRice]

You will certainly be happy with the UPA-500 and it will relieve the receiver of a tremendous amount of strain, which will allow it to provide more power to the remaining speakers. Having said that, I'd go with the XPA-5 if possible. It's 2.5x the price, but it's 5x the amp. You will probably keep it forever. Just be aware that it is an enormous and very heavy amp.

Don't hesitate to order directly from Emotiva.

Yeah, look at my profile and you'll see I have a lot of Emotiva gear. I'm very happy with it.

 

[FoxyMulder]

You will certainly be happy with the UPA-500 and it will relieve the receiver of a tremendous amount of strain, which will allow it to provide more power. Having said that, I'd go with the XPA-5 if possible. It's 2.5x the price, but it's 5x the amp. You will probably keep it forever. Just be aware that it is an enormous and very heavy amp.

Don't hesitate to order directly from Emotiva.

Yeah, look at my profile and you'll see I have a lot of Emotiva gear. I've very happy with it.

You have the same SVS subwoofer as i have, fantastic sub, still going strong for me.

You make a good point about the Emotiva amp, sometimes it's worth spending on a product that will last the test of time.

 

[JohnRice]

I have a spare system with old B&W P6s as mains, an old Marantz 6003 receiver and have an Emotiva XPA-200. Works very well (have a Sherbourne preamp with HT Bypass for 2-channel musc too). My room is smaller so the XPA-200 is plenty of power.

Don't forget the XPA-200 is more powerful than the UPA-500.

Malcolm, yeah that sub is a real performer. Tom V, who designed it, recently gave me some advice to tame it a bit. Kept two ports plugged but increased the low cutoff to 25 Hz. I'd say there isn't a noticeable loss of extension, but it did reduce the chuffing.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Malcolm, yeah that sub is a real performer. Tom V, who designed it, recently gave me some advice to tame it a bit. Kept two ports plugged but increased the low cutoff to 25 Hz. I'd say there isn't a noticeable loss of extension, but it did reduce the chuffing.

I have two ports plugged but have it set to 16hz, maybe i should experiment with it.

 

[Martino]

Looked up your receiver - where the wattage listings use only 2 channels

110 W + 110 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)

Pairing that with a low sensitivity speakers seems to be your issue...

You could also get an external outlaw amp and remove all of the amplification your receiver is doing - with more realistic numbers as to what it actually gives you - for within your budget as well -- then can remove all of the receivers amplification duties and just treat it as a pre/pro...

Power Output: 7 x 125 watts RMS at 8 ohms, all channels driven from 20 Hz to 20kHz with less than 0.05%

http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/7125.html

-- The Emotiva has a 5 X 200 watt model for within your budget as well...and can drive the rear speakers with your receiver...

Just to give you a few other options....

 

[schan1269]

Ill put it this way. The Onkyo is not very fond at being run anywhere near reference volume for a prolonged period of time especially when I am listening to music. It has no issues with only two channels driven, which is just the pair of 683's but when all 7 channels are employed the experience is a lot less gratifying. I am a noob. I was under the impression that the B&W I had were fairly hard to push.

89Db efficiency is middling.The 709(of which I had a 707 and currently have a 708, 807 and 1008...along with an Integra 7.8) shouldn't have issues. But...room size and furnishings can be problems. And if you don't include acoustic drywall in your remodel...more power is wasted.

 

[JohnRice]

Ill put it this way. The Onkyo is not very fond at being run anywhere near reference volume for a prolonged period of time especially when I am listening to music. It has no issues with only two channels driven, which is just the pair of 683's but when all 7 channels are employed the experience is a lot less gratifying.

I am a noob. I was under the impression that the B&W I had were fairly hard to push.

That might be. The B&W site says 88dB sensivity and 8 ohm nominal impedance, however there is one other little item after that rating... "(minimum 3.0Ω)"

That minimum rating could be a tough point. What frequency is that low impedance? The interaction between a speaker and an amp can be a very complex one. Often it doesn't make much difference because most speakers are made to be easy on amps, but when you get to brands like B&W, they might be designing for better amps that can handle more complex loads. You very well may hear an improvement with an external Class A/B amp, which handle complex loads better than the Class D or T amps in receivers.

My personal experience is that you can definitely exhaust any receiver's internal amps when driving 7 channels simultaneously at theater levels with anything but the most efficient speaker. It may not hard clip, but it will roll back the dynamics. Power isn't necessarily so much loud as powerful. With the right speakers and amps, the peaks really can hit you. That's where the difference is.

When you start looking at external amps, your thinking should typically change a bit. An external amp, ideally, is long term thinking. Ideally it's more of an investment. You get something really good, knowing you will keep it through other upgrades, rather than something that will get you by for now.