Antonio_B

Questions about amps

Here's the deal,I am thinking of having a pair of
Studio 100 driven by a Pioneer Elite VSX-55TXi.

I am also thinking of adding an amp to this system but i thought twice about it if I should go with seperates or stay with pre/pros,when i saw the price of the
P5 Anthem.

I've got few questions to ask about amps,here they are:

1.Let's say we take the P5 Anthem,does it cost that much because of the amount of watts it delivers?

2.If I choose another amp that is less powerful
(less watts) than the P5,does it mean that the sound quality will degrade?

3.There's something fundamental about amps that i don't understand,let's say your main receiver is rated 100 watts per channel,and you add an amp to your setup that is rated 150 watts per channel.Does it mean that the total amount for each channel will be 100+150=250 watts ?

4.Does it really make a difference in sound quality to add an amp to drive your speakers?

5.Do you guys know if there's a very powerful 2 channel amp that is not to expensive let's say in the 1000-1300$ price range?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Shiu

Just my opinion:
1. That's just one of the reason. The P5 may also use higher quality components. That, among others may also be the reasons.
2. No, not necessarily.
3. If you have a 7 channel receiver rated 100 WPC and you add a 7 channel amp rated 150 WPC using the pre-outs, you get only 150 WPC, unless you "bi-amp" your Studio 100 speakers, in that case you will get more than 150 WPC because both the receiver and the separate amp will be delivering power to your speakers.
4. I use my Denon 3805 pre-outs with an amp (first 200 WPC, now 300 WPC) to drive my front channels. The sound quality is noticeably better at very loud (higher than -15 dB) listening levels. I still feel better with the amp taking care of the front channels. Aside from gaining some head room, the receiver should last longer when it does not have to do as much work. I will try and find a monoblock to take care of the center channel as well. It is a lower priority though because I only use the center channel for movies.

Jason GT

Thoughts:

1. Using the term "tank" for that amplifier would be an understatement. The price involved for that sucker involves the cost of materials, R&D, cut for the dealer etc. A more powerful amplifier does not always cost more (for instance, a Rotel 5*200w amplifier is less expensive than, say, a Bryson 5*120) but generally within a manufacturer's line, the more powerful amplifier will also be more expensive.

2. Not necessarily. There is quantity and quality of power. In normal listening one is usually using less than 5 watts, but the extra power defintely gives one dynamic headroom at the very least.

3. As above.

4. Try it, is all that I can offer.

5. What is "very powerful"? Are you after quality? Quantity? Used power amps are often a terrific deal; you can pick up a used 5 ch power amp for less than $1000.

mackie

Go to Outlaw Audio's website. They make good amps that are much cheaper than other amps simply because they don't have the dealer mark-up. They'll let you try it at home for 30 days. You can get two M200 monoblock amps for less than $600.

It's hard to tell if an amp will make a major difference. Hard to drive speakers need power to sound their best. How loud you listen makes a difference. Your room has a major impact on sound.

Like it was stated above. Try it and see what happens.