Pioneer SC 71/72 or Emotiva Separates to Run 4 ohm set up (1 Viewer)

[Pandler]

Hello All,

New to the forum but need to make a decision on something I really need help with. I am wanting to modernize up from my Yamaha Z1 that has been great for years. I have Polk LSI series speakers for my 7.1 surround system and they are 4 ohm. There does not appear to be a lot of choice out there to drive 4 ohm at a reasonable price, but what I have narrowed my search down to is the Emotiva separates, UMC 200 7.1 processor and UPA 700 Amp or the SC 71 Pioneer receiver or possibly a little more power in the 72. Does anyone have thoughts on which set up would calibrate my room well and drive my speakers efficiently. Any experience with these units would be appreciated.

Thank You

The Pandler

 

[John Garcia]

You can go hybrid separates and use an AVR with an external amp. There are few receivers out there that are truly capable of 4 Ohm operation. My former Marantz was hefty (42lbs) and was decently powerful, but even with my 4 Ohm bookshelf speakers, it struggled at the levels that I wanted - mainly becasue I had 5 identical speakers, so a full compliment of 4 Ohms was too much for it. The quick answer was to simply add external amplification for all channels and no problem after that. The vast majority of the sound comes from the front stage, so even just a XPA-3 for the front 3 in conjunction with a receiver powering the rest is a possiblity and is how I initially set mine up before picking up a spare amp for the surrounds. Surrounds rarely demand as much power on a regular basis, so this strategy can work very well.

I've owned LSIs and they do like power.

 

[schan1269]

Power is nothing more than "how loud do you need it?".I did the review of the SC79. It produced power comparable to a Kenwood M2A.I also ran it(2 channel) on some Thiele while playing Felix Hell at roughly 110db.Granted the 71/72 aren't blessed with the same power supply...I don't think you'll have a problem. If you do, exchange it for a 75.

 

[JohnRice]

One question you might want to ask yourself first is, do you want sound field modes, or are you perfectly happy with straightforward surround and stereo? That can be important because if you want sound fields, you typically need to go with a receiver as a base.

I have yet to hear a Class D receiver based amp that drives 4 Ohm loads as smoothly as a good AB external, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. The issue is, pre-pros are a bit more of a commitment. They may not have the same resale ease and you can't just "demote" them to another system without a spare amp. It's always worth considering a hybrid system, like John Garcia mentioned. The SC-72 would give you that full flexibility. Plus, the UPA-700 is hardly a beast. I suspect it will handle your speakers more easily, but will it have the power you want? On the other hand, if it doesn't, neither will the receiver. The XPA-3, with the receiver powering the surrounds is a good option.

 

[Pandler]

Thank You. Great information!! With the size of my room, I believe I will go with the SC 75. Haven't bought my equipment on line before. There are some great prices on Amazon for this receiver. Any good sites to recommend? Appreciate the help. Also, on of the the seller's to me was the "dead silence" noted on the SC 79 review. This is something I enjoyed with the Z1.

 

[schan1269]

If you buy an Elite online...Zero warranty.

 

[schan1269]

The 1523 is the same AVR (sorta).Is it still $1000?

 

[Pandler]

I had already emailed Pioneer about the difference between the 1523 and the 75. Response was quote,"basicly same receiver except for Elite label and the extra year on warranty". I can bypass those for the $600 price difference.

Thanks