Crown and other pro amps for home theaters (1 Viewer)

I've been reading up on several low cost pro amps and trying to decide A: should I go the pro-amp route? And B: If I do go the pro-amp route, who should I go with? I've read up on Alesis, Behringer and Crown, specifically, and have to say, it seems Crown is the best choice, though I really know nothing. A few drawbacks I'm noticing are fan noise and THD. Pro amps seem to all be at .5% THD which is fairly high when you consider that most home theater receivers are in the .08-.05% range. I've read that anything under 1%, however, shouldn't be audible.


Given those concerns, has anyone had a good experience with pro amps for your home theater design? I am going full Atmos (because why the hell not?) . Planning to use the Onkyo PRSC5530 with the Polk in-wall RT-series speakers. My equipment rack will be on the other side of a sound-deadened wall so fan noise shouldn't really be an issue. IR repeaters should make this really easy. I'm on a bit of a budget (as in I don't have one and have to snag pieces of the setup every pay period), so I'm really attracted to the price of pro amps. But if they are going to produce a lot of noise through the speakers, I guess I'll stretch the non-existent budget and go the Emotiva route or somesuch.


Thoughts?

I'm with Wayne. For one thing, the term "Pro" amp makes them sound like something they aren't. "PA" amp is probably more accurate. As Wayne said, they are designed to be portable and extremely powerful, but at the cost of sound quality. Also, I seriously doubt they will be a benefit over the amps in a $1,700 Onkyo receiver. An upgrade option you might consider once the system is put together is to add a three channel amp for the front channels, but not until after the rest of the system has been assembled. that receiver has balanced pre-outs, which gives you the option of placing an external amp closer to the front speakers. Keeping the wires between the amp and speakers as short as possible is a good idea. Last, don't go to this much trouble on a system and use in-wall speakers, if you can avoid it at all. You can get better bookshelf speakers on small shelves for less cost and hassle and you'll gain a tremendous amount of flexibility.


I have come across people who swear by PA amps, but I'm convinced their hearing is swayed by the thought of having 4,000 WPC, even if 90-95% of it will never be used.

The Onkyo PRSC is a pre-pro, not a receiver.

So it is. I searched it and for some reason thought I got a receiver as a result.


My point is still the same. I wouldn't agree with spending that much on a Pre-Pro, only to hook it up to cheap PA amps.

First and foremost, thanks for the replies. Wayne, I'll definitely give your article a thorough read! John, point well taken. I really appreciate the advice. The in-wall speakers are a "wife" decision, although I installed some in my Mom's new house and they sound pretty good - and I used the RC series to help keep her costs down. I've tested the RT series Polks and for a mid-grade speaker, they sound really nice to me. I had a clean slate to work with (unfinished space in the basement) and pre-wired for floor standing fronts and center, as well as for all in-wall. I know that at some point, I'll override the wife's desires regarding the in-wall speakers.

I'm definitely NOT considering the "PA" amps, to use a more accurate term, because I have stars in my eyes over watts per channel. I am just attracted to the price and have read many reviews from people that think they are the bees knees from a price/performance perspective. But, as I said above, I do worry about dirty noise seeping through the speakers (could that damage them?)...


If I had the cash, I'd probably go Emotiva all the way, and it may end up that I do go that way over time. I feel I have some limits, given I want a pre-pro rather than a receiver. I must have something to drive the speakers... If I went the receiver route, I suppose, I'd probably be fine and never really need to add an amp, but I don't really know... The receiver I'd probably go with is the Onkyo (yeah, I'm a fan boi) TX-NR1030 and add a 3 channel Emotiva amp later or maybe just dive into the TX-NR3030. I just have a hard time believeing that a receiver with 11(.2) channels at 135w/channel (with 2 channels driven) can really do a decent job though. Thoughts on that?

Again, thanks fellas!

Wayne,


Just a heads up, the links in you signature are dead, I believe.

You might look at used Emotiva amps, since you mentioned that brand. As you can see, I like them. When the time comes, I'll probably upgrade my Pre-Pro to Marantz though. Emotiva does a great job with amps and DACs, and my analog Preamp is killer, but the high tech stuff like surround Pre-Pros they're not quite as good at. My Sherbourn is good (same as Emotiva) but it's glitchy and that seems to be a tendency with all their surround processors.

SO, I've started looking around on eBay and what not at used HT amps. I've found an ample supply of Onkyo M-282's (140wpc RMS x 2). These seem to be really inexpensive and a stack of them migh drive my surrounds, rears, and height speakers pretty well. Thoughts? How about the older NAD amps like the C270, 272 and 370s?


I'm definitely game for Emotiva amps. I've found a couple of them used (XPA-3 and XPA-5's) at reasonable prices.

That Onkyo is probably fine for all but the front, but don't overlook the possibility of (2) used XPA-5s or an XPA-5 and XPA-3 possibly being cheaper than several of the 282s, and would drive the entire system. Also, for what it's worth, you gain the ability to use balanced interconnects.

Hmm, good point. If I'm spending the dough on the Onkyo pre/pro, I probably should try for balanced interconnects if possible... Any ideas on good spots aside from Ebay and Amazon to find used Emotivas?

Not really, other than audiogon.com.


The one problem is, the Emotivas aren't shipped as easily. They weigh a ton and they're enormous. They're 20% off right now new, so worth considering getting new.