Am I wasting a perfectly good reciever? (1 Viewer)

[Troy_S]

I'm going to go buy a new reciever to replace my painfully underpowered Kenwood budget unit. I notice many folks here have some pretty high end equipment. My problem is that I've had my system for exactly one year and my reciever has always been WAYYY underpowered compared to the 'decent' speakers I'm using.
So my question is: What reciever do you think would get the most out of my
Paradigm Monitor 7's (mains)
Paradigm Atoms (Rears)
Paradigm PS-1000 (Sub)
My usage is about 85% movies 15% music I just don't want to drop a ton of cash on a new reciever and have my speakers act as a bottleneck for the whole system.
What should I get?

 

[John M Miller]

Any one of these would be a HUGE upgrade over your Kenwood:
$500 - Outlaw 1050 http://www.outlawaudio.com

 

[Troy_S]

Thanks for the reply John. I notice that the Denon 1802 has only 80 watts per channel. Should I be worried about that? I was told to look for something with 100 watts minimum.

 

[Aurel Savin]

Troy ...
What is your budget on the receiver?
I would look into the Denon 3801 ... it is now on closeout at most palces an probbaly can be had for around $600 ... was about $1000.
Great piece ... I have the 2801 and love it.
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RIGHT ... CHEERS!
The Hole

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

Troy;
I don't know how much power you think your system needs, but 80 watts per channel max from Denon will be plenty for those speakers.
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-J.Fo
"And you can tell Rolling Stone magazine that my last words were... 'I'm on drugs!'"

 

[John M Miller]

Yeah. Power ratings are, well, overrated. At one time I had the 1601 (60 w/c?) and it played clearer at higher volumes than my 100 w/c Pro Logic Sony. I think the Denon should be loud enough for you.

 

[Mike__D]

Also check out the Onkyo 595. It's only 75 watts per channel but it does the job just fine.
You can find it for under $500 online, and Circut City sells it for $499.

 

[Troy_S]

Thanks Guys! Like most relative newbies I think I was placing a bit too much importance on wattage. At this point I think I'll be going with the Denon 1802 but have to wait for my new Credit Card to come in the mail

 

[Jeremy Hegna]

Troy,
You never mentioned which Kenwood you have. If it has pre-outs...you could add an outboard amplifier to drive the speakers.
Especially is seperates are in your future.
Jeremy

 

[Norm Strong]

Let me inject a jarring note: How do you know your receiver is woefully underpowered? Your speakers are not notably insensitive; your receiver is not wimpy. How do you know? Please be specific.
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Norm Strong ([email protected])

 

[Troy_S]

Well first off the reciever sells in bargin bins for 199 Cdn (just over a hundred bucks US) it's the Kenwood 306 I believe. When I get to a certain volume level a staic sound just comes out of nowhere I take this to be the point at which the reciever can no longer accuratly reproduce sounds (ie over taxed under powered) again I'm a newbie.
[Edited last by Troy_S on August 21, 2001 at 07:03 PM]

 

[Troy_S]

Here's a picture of the unit itself (and the rest of my gear)
Link Removed
[Edited last by Troy_S on August 21, 2001 at 07:04 PM]

 

[Chris S]

I had a Denon 1801 hooked up to my Paradigm Monitor 7v2's for a while (5 watts less than the 1802) and it sounded great!

I would be less concerned with the wattage per channel and more concerned with the build of the receiver. Before the 1801 I had a Sony model that supposedly had 115 watts per channel, but it never sounded anywhere near as good as the Denon. You won't be disappointed with any of the Denon line. Chris
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Home Theater: http://www.hometheaterhost.com

 

[Kevin. W]

Troy,
I have the Denon 1801 hooked upto my Mini Monitors and CC-350. It does an excellent job, even at high volumes. In the future I will be adding an AMP to power the fronts, just for a little more power. Take a look over in the Hardware Forsale Forum for an 1801.
Kevin
[Edited last by Kevin. W on August 21, 2001 at 10:54 PM]