Amp for 7.1 with HK 520? (1 Viewer)

[John Gregory]

I should be getting an hk 520 soon and would like to upgrade to 7.1 surround. Now I have JBL Northridges but hopefully will be getting some nicer front l/r speakers (any recommendations? I am looking at the JBL s38s). However, I will need a 2 -channel amp to drive the fronts, but I have absolutely no experience with amps. Can anyone help? Thanks

 

[Dan_C]

John-

I'm also an H/K AVR 520 owner and have a Marantz 5 channel external amp.

First, some would suggest that to ensure seamless sound in your front 3 speakers, you should get at least a 3 channel external amp to supply your front 3 speakers. By having an external amp (which are typically of higher quality than receiver amps) supplying your front 2 and your receiver supplying the center, you may hear an undesirable difference when sound moves across your front soundstage. Some quality amplifiers are Rotel, Parasound, Marantz just to name a few moderately priced brands.

As far as speaker choices, search the forum for quality brands. Some moderately priced brands to consider would be PSB, Diva, and Paradigm (I own the PSB 9C and 6Ts). I can't comment on the JBL S-series but I did have the N-center a year or so ago (which is of course a step down from the S-series) and the 9C sounds much better. But again, I would suggest getting a center channel that is of similar quality to your fronts to help ensure seamless sound in front (e.g. if you elect to get the JBL S38s you may want to get the S-center as well).

Good luck!