Amp for Onkyo TX DS 797?

Phil,
The 797 doesn't suffer a shortage of wattage like some of the lower model Onkyo receivers. I'm not saying it is a powerhouse, just that it is adequate for a receiver. That said, i am using the 797 as a pre/pro with a Carver A705x THX 5 ch. amp(125x5). The 797 sounded pretty good on it's own, but wow what a difference the 705 made. Very detailed and open soundstage. I would also like to note that before the 705 i had a Parasound 855 and it too is a great amp. The Carver pops up on Ebay every now and then for around $500 to $600 and it is well worth it IMO. You can get the 855 now for around$350-$450, also a good investment IMO. Good luck with finding a new amp.

Take Care,
Dalton

 

Dalton,

Since you owned both the Parasound and now the Carver can you give us a quick review on the 2 amps. Like why you prefer the Carver over the Parasound. Also, what speakers are using right now.

Phil,

If you looking in the $400-$1000 range you might want to consider the Parasound 1205A (140x5) which I picked up for $609 at Ubid or also the highly praised Acurus A200x3 which also goes in the $600 range. I believe there alot other options in your budget that you might want to research.

 

Greg,Phil,
I'd be happy to give a comparison. Bare with me, I will do the best i can.
First here is my 7.1 setup:
Onkyo 797
Carver A705x
Klipsch RF3 II's(mains)
Klipsch KLF C7 (center)
Klipsch KSF 8.5's (side surrounds)
Klipsch Quintets (back surrounds)
Dual SVS 25-31's w/isd and Samson s700
Mitsubishi 8020 Progressive scan DVD player
I had the 855 for about 6 months before picking up the Carver. I kept both for about 2 weeks and did some comparisons. First off, I offer nothing but praise for the 855, anyone who gets one of these for the prices they have been going for lately is getting a GREAT deal. Well worth the investment. I loved the imaging the 855 offered, i'd even go so far as to say it had the edge on the Carver slightly in that area. The 855 has plenty of power in reserve, dynamic range is excellent. Stereo sound is very good on the 855, better than you will find in most receivers. I would say it is on the warm side, not harsh or bright. My main listening consists of 80/20 HT/Music. For movies the 855 did everything you could ask of it, no complaints here. You are probably wondering by now why i even picked up the Carver.
Well, two reasons:
1. Was opening up my HT room and was concerned that the 855 wouldn't have enough power.
2. Just wanted a new toy to play with!
On to the 705. I setup the 705 to bi-amp my mains and run the center channel when i first hooked it up. The 855 ran the back speakers. I immediately noticed an improvement in details as far as movies were concerned. I swear i could hear every little sound in a movie no matter how minor or insignificant it seemed. The clarity is amazing. Also, the 705 seems to have the edge in bass also. The 8" woofs in my RF3's were pounding hard! The 855 couldn't make them hit that hard. As far as stereo listening, the Carver is very neutral. IMO, it presents the sound uncolored and does it well. It doesn't quite have the imaging the 855 has, but it is not far behind and certainly not far enough to be a concern IMO. Another thing that attracted me to the 705 is the fact that it has "power steering", the ability to deliver 200 watts of power to any 1 channel that needs it the most at a given time. The Secrets of HT and High Fidelity site has a review of the 705 in it's archives. In hind sight i feel i should have kept the 855 to use in the future when i move to a dedicated pre/pro. Now i will need to pick up at least a 2 ch. amp to use when i do get a new pre/pro. The Parasound HCA 1000A will be high on my list. I hope this reply wasn't to long winded Greg. I just wanted to try to give you my impressions as you requested. I hope you guys got something useful out of it.
Take Care,
Dalton
P.S.
Phil, YES the 855 will be an improvement over the Onkyo's amps. You will probably find a great improvement in HT because the Onkyo will have a big load taken off it's internal amps. If you want to run 7.1 you will need the amps in the 797 to power your side surrounds if you don't have a 2 ch. amp hanging around.

 

Very nice write up Dalton
I too will need to sometime in the future look for a nice 2ch amp if I decide to go through the pre/pro route. But for now my Denon 3802 will just be powering my rear surrounds.

 

Your Welcome Greg

 

It seems parasound is the new hot item around here these days. Glad I picked one up last week.

 

I thaught that Klipsch was bright with carver. Compaired to recievers costing up to lets say..$1300CDN (HK320) would any power amp out right now be better?

 

Glad to be of some help Phil
Matthew,
I don't find find the Carver to be bright at all with my Klipsch speakers. I briefly tried an ATI amp(1505) and that was too bright for me. I also tried a Rotel 2 ch. amp and that was also too bright. I found the Carver to be neutral and smooth in my setup.
Take Care,
Dalton