marantz sr 7005 or seperates outlaw 7500 (1 Viewer)

[vespa]

A good used amp and external dac would probably get me the sound I'm looking for. Or the new oppo bdp-95 is suppose to have great dac's.

 

[huzhi]

Those are the most likely re-sellable for what you paid..www.louisvuittonen.com

 

[vespa]

WHEN USING SEPERATES DOES THE SOUND COME FROM THE PRE AMPS DACS OR THE AMP? IF I GET THE NAD T955 WHICH IS SUPPOSE TO HAVE A WARM NEUTRAL SOUND AND RUN IT OFF MY DENON 988 WILL THE SOUND FOLLOW THE 988? MY THOUGHTS ARE TO SELL THE 988 AND BUY A CHEAP MARANTZ WITH PREOUTS. ANY IDEAS??

 

[schan1269]

You are way overthinking this...
An amp is just an amp. It amplifies an analog signal.
So, the DAC converts digital to analog and then it is passed to the amp.
There is no such thing as "digital amplification"...

 

[vespa]

I don't think I am over thinking it I am just trying to understand the whole process a little better. I have a clearer picture now. It wouldn't do any good to replace my AVR when all its going to be is just a pass through. A command center so to speak...the sound for music will be determined by the dac's in the cd player because it will be running via analog outs, and as far as the amplification goes the nad will handle that end. The amp doesn't change the characteristics of the signal it only amplifies it. Depending on the amp and the quality of it can determine how well the music sounds because like with a avr (for example), the whole unit is powered by the one transformer and depending on how efficient the speakers are and there resistance the amp can lose its integrity each time you turn the volume up a notch. So having a quality amp can give you better quality sound and stability. I think to much is expected of avr's these days. unless of course you have the cash to spend thousands on one lol! I think separates are the way to go depending on what your driving and what you expect out of your system. I hope I explained that well.

 

[gene c]

There's two things you need to do first, if you haven't done them already.
First, make sure you actually like the speakers you have. They make the biggest difference by far in how your system sounds. It won't make any difference which amp, receiver, player, etc you have if the speakers are the problem for you.
Second, properly setup and calibrate what you already have. Speaker sizes, distances, crossover settings, volumes and even placement have to be correct before you can make any judgements. Audyssey will do a pretty accurate job of setting the distances and volumes but the speaker sizes and crossover may need to be re-adjusted. Most people also tweak the center channel and subwoofer volume to their liking. Audyssey will also make a difference in how your setup sounds with the automatic equalizer. Whether you like the difference it makes or not is up to you. But you have to follow the directions to the letter to get the most out of it. Don't rush through it.

 

[vespa]

I totally agree with you. I love my energies but they can dip to 4 ohms easily and my denon is only rated to a minimun of 6. I do listen to music at high volume at times and thats when the 4 ohm load is reached. So i figured going to the nad that can handle even a 2 ohm load would be better. I guess to each there own lol!

 

[vespa]

Also I think running a separate amp with the energies would be a plus because my denon gets so hot I could almost fry an egg on it lol!
SET UP:
SAMSUNG 67 INCH DLP HD TV
PANNY BD-80 BLUE RAY
DENON 988 AVR
APC H15 POWER CONDITIONER
MARANTZ CC4003 CD PLAYER
ENERGY RC-70 FRONTS
ENERGY RCLCR CENTER
ENERGY RC-50 REARS
HSU STF-2 SUB
WOULD LIKE TO ADD:
NAD T955 5 CHANNEL POWER AMP : )

 

[schan1269]

I think you also have to understand the dynamics about power...
The Denon pulls "x" amount of power off the wall...
Take out roughly 15% for the "video and pre-amp" section and the remainder is what it can produce as power. Whatever that amount of power is is what it is designed to "burn away" as heat.
Now you are running(at times) 4 ohm, which effectively doubles the amount of power the amps produce...
Here is the problem you run into. Since it can only keep "X - video" cool, you are overwhelming the amp...making it struggle.
I don't think you need a 5 channel amp. I think you just need a 2 channel amp. I'd be willing to bet the 988 could keep up with three channels just fine.

 

[Mr645]

Not sure if it is too late to offer another opinion, but here it goes.
You complain about thin sounding, I don't think an amp is going to make much difference. And those speakers don't need a lot of power, that Outlaw amp is massive for those speakers. You may be better served by a much lower cost amp. Check Ebay for an older 5 channel from Carver or Parasound perhaps. A 75 wpc amp from those companies will be a lot more powerful then the receiver.
I am using a Parasound HCA-855a (85x5) for power and a Pioneer VSX-32 (110x7) as a processor. The Parasound can deliver 5db more clean volume then the Pioneer. I also noticed that the Parasound can pull over 700 watts of AC while the Pioneer only requires 425 watts.
Forgetting all that, I would spend money on speakers before amps. Try upgrading the front three speakers

 

[vespa]

Well i picked up the Nad T955 and an Oppo BDP-95. i have the Oppo hooked up via 5 channel analog outs, Wow what a difference. The sound stage is fabulous. The rc 70's in the front and the rc 50's in the rear seem like they have been woking up. All i can say is WOW! I never thought listening to music in 4 channels could sound so good!

 

[schan1269]

Yep...
I have a Denon Universal DVD(1930???) player that its analog outputs smoke the digital into the receiver it is attached to.
Even though I have to use them for SACD/DVD-A anyway...I use them for standard DVD as well.
My only hold-out on an OPPO is the DPS-6.7 I already have as well. I have another one collecting dust(the Onkyo clone to the 6.7)...
One of these days I'll plunk money for an OPPO.

 

[vespa]

I TURNED OFF MY MAUAL EQ 0N MY DENON 988 TODAY AND IT SOUNDED COMPLETELY HORRIBLE. IT WAS LIKE ALL TWEETERS WERE PLAYING. I HAVE THE TREBLE TURNED WAY DONE ON THE MANUAL EQ BECAUSE NO MATTER WHAT SPEAKERS IM DRIVING IT SOUNDS SO HORRIBLY BRIGHT. A WAL-MART 100.00 SYSTEM WOULD HAVE SOUNDED BETTER. ANYONE HAVE ANY IMPUT ON WHAT THE PROBLEM MAY BE.