What to do with the Outlaw 1050 (1 Viewer)

[Chris Trot]

I'm trying to get my system up and running, but need some more advice. I have a pair of CBM-170's paired with the 1050, but I was wondering if I added an external amp, if this would help to improve the sound quality. I was thinking of purchasing a used Adcom. Also, is it a bad idea to have the 1050 power all six channels for home theater. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Bill Polley]

The Outlaw will power them just fine for normal listening. If you listen at really loud levels and your room is huge, then a separate amp may be for you. If, however, you are missing the bass "punch", then a separate powered sub may be what you need. The Ascends that you have are down -3db at about 70Hz and way down at 50Hz. These are great speakers, but without a decent amount of deep bass your music will sound weak.

By the way, I LOVE my SVS! Five AA CBM-170's and an SVS PCi sub would be awesome crossed over at 80Hz with a 1050 driving them. If you still wanted more power, you could add the amp later.

 

[Chris Trot]

So adding an external amp, would only improve the sound quality at high volumes....

 

[Chris Trot]

What about adding a tube amp or pre-amp, would that help my sound?

 

[BrendanL]

I found a used Acurus 5 channel on ebay for $550.
I let the 1050 run the rear center, as its not used often.
The sound quality is amazing. It will help the sound quality at low volumes as well.

 

[Martin Jiang]

I am also a 1050 owner and just add a sherbourn 5/1500. The 1050 as a preamp is amazing and I think on par with a lot of the ss preamp. If you don't need pro logic II or other fancy stuff then 1050 is a keeper.

Adding an external amp is the best thing to upgrade your HT.

Martin

 

[Bill Polley]

I disagree. The 1050 has pretty good amps, pushing 50 watts with all channels driven. Adding a 200 X 5 amp will give about 6 db extra while a 100 X 5 amp will give only an extra 3 db of output. This is fairly minimal. I have a separate amp and it sounds great, but the first upgrade should be a high quality powered sub. This will lessen the load on the 1050 amps, allowing them to play louder, and it will give Chris a deep bass floor, adding solidity and punch that his small Ascends cannot reproduce.

I really think he probably thinks his music is weak or tinny sounding, especially at high levels. If so, it is due to the lack of lower bass. If I am way off base Chris, let me know. If you already have a powered sub, then I am sure that I am incorrect, but you only mentioned the CBM-170s. (by the way, I think they are awesome speakers, they just can't play deep enough on their own)

 

[Chris Trot]

I'm planning on getting the Rava sub within the next month or so, I am currently using the Sony WM40. I am mostly concerned with lower levels of music. I rarely listen to my stereo loud, but just looking for something else to help out in the sound department. I was also thinking about using some of the wave tube amps, but unsure how to integrate them and/or whether or not this would even help.

 

[Mike Stoll]

Chris,

I have CBM 170's with an HK AVR 325 and a Rava sub. I think it is a great combination. The Rava sub really helps to fill out the remainder of the low end. In my room I get very good bass extension down to about 60 Hz from the CBM's. I have them crossed over at 80 Hz from the 325 with the Rava set as a full plate amp to avoid having two crossovers in series.

I have a 12 year old Sony ES series 2 channel integrated amp (105 watts/ch, weighs the same as the 325, about 40 lbs) that I had hooked up to the CBM's and Rava to compare with the 325. There was a difference in the sound, but not as drastic as I would have imagined. I thought the lower end was a little weightier sounding when running the CBM's by themselves w/o a sub when powered by the Sony. With the sub I ran the Rava and CBM's in parallel from the speaker outputs of the Sony due to a lack of sub out on the amp. It worked out well, but the convenience of having just one amp with a remote made me keep the 325 powering everything by itself. I may try to hook up things so that the integrated amp will power the front left and right using the pre-outs from the 325, but I am not sure if I will notice much of a difference in sound.

Anyway, I think your best option is to add a good sub and see if this gives you what you want. There is a 30 day return policy on the Rava if it does not work out. Then you can try adding an external amp and see if that is the solution.