Amplifier basic questions (1 Viewer)

[JeanVanDam]

Hello,
if this has been posted before I apologize.
I'm looking for a amplifier to power my Rocket ELT system.
my budget is $500 and the room is a mid size family room. I understand that some specs I should be looking for are these:

Harmonic Distortion: the lower the better right? .07 is good?

Watts per channel: how much is good?

Any other suggestions? Thank you.

 

[SethH]

You might start out by looking through some old posts. Things like watts per channel vary greatly between manufacturers. For instance, you'd probably be very surprised if you compared a Sony rated at 100 watts/channel against an H/K rated at 45 watts/channel. The H/K would very possibly be louder than the Sony. Anyway, I think in your price range H/K and Yamaha are two great brands to look at. They both have very decent models in your price range, but they sound very different, so go out and take a listen to see if you like either of them.

 

[JeanVanDam]

Ok, thank you for the advice. But does Harmonic distortion rating on an amp makes a big difference to the ear?

 

[RobWil]

I wouldn't worry too much about THD. They virtually all have THD's so low it's barely measurable now days....and certainly not audible. Focus on the power requirements of your speakers. You are looking for an A/V receiver or just a multi-channel amp?

 

[Yogi]

Thats the last spec you want to pay attention to (or not to). Most high end amps that will blow your socks off with their sound have higher THD than most mass market receivers.

 

[Allen Longcor]

Does your current receiver have pre-outs? What is the impedance of the Rocket ELT system?

 

[RobWil]

I looked them up..if it's the ELT1 they're 8ohm, 25-150w,
89db efficiency.

 

[Eric_Bender]

You might try picking up a used amp off of Ebay. NAD, Adcom, Rotel, Marantz, Bryston, H/K should all be in your price range.

 

[Greg_R]

JeanVanDam,
When you say 'amp' do you really mean a receiver? (i.e. something that can take inputs from your TV and DVD player and drive the speakers)?