Anthem A5 or P5 (1 Viewer)

[RainMan1]

Hi all , I currently have a Marrantz AV7005 proccessor and the MM7055 amplifier . I have 2 more paradigm studio 100s coming for a total of 4 and the cc690 center channel . Now I keep on having people tell me to biamp the studio 100s in the front as they claim there's a real improvement in sound . I was thinking in this scenario that the center may be a issue as it won't be biamped. Anyways my next question would be to upgrade to an Anthem amp with more headroom . I don't know what the general concencis is on the marrantz amp but I think dont an snr of 105 is great , and is 130 watts enough to drive the studio 100's ? So I am debating to order the Anthem A5 as it has 225 watts per ch with an snr of 120db. Or should I pay the extra $1500 and get the P5 which has 325 watts per channel and hopefully never have to buy an amp again ? I don't want to do this 3 times lol. I do realize I have to run another dedicated circuit . I ave a dedicated circuit for my home theatre now , 12 gauge with a 20 amp breaker . They recommend a 30 amp circuit for the P5 alone , so I guess I'm creating more work . The P5 is a heavy beotch to and to deep for most racks . I wanted to buy a Sanus rack but there biggest shelf is rated at 80 pounds where as the p5 weighs 130 pounds .

 

[schan1269]

If I had a P5, that thing would sit, front and center, on the floor...for all to see. But that is just me. Bi-amping, in home theater, does essentially nothing. You gain 3db from "double the power". In many cases(and I've done this to prove the point) the "room EQ" simply dials back the gain...mitigating everything you did gain from gaining more power on those two channels. I've been listening to SACD/DVD-A since they were new formats(the Technics SA-DA10N). You need equal power on all five channels. It was proven at the beginning of HT that skimping on the rear and center was a bad idea. Bi-amping your fronts sends you back to 1993.

 

[schan1269]

By the way, to show my point...and make y'all drool, I would love this theatre...

 

[RainMan1]

Thank you for the reply . I could see you displaying the P5 as IMHO it's a work of art . I don't believe there is such a thing as to much power ,as I believe it's never a bad thing having a lot of headroom . May I ask how you powered your home theatre system ? I was told not to use my line conditioner so I'm going to dedicate it to all the other components , and then run a second dedicated line using 10 gauge and a 30 amp breaker for the P5

 

[RainMan1]

By the way, to show my point...and make y'all drool, I would love this theatre...

What kind of crazy looking speakers are those !

 

[schan1269]

The above pic is not mine...I just wish I had it... Have no idea what this means... "I was told not to SE my line conditioner" Yes the P5 needs its own power draw like a Sunfire CG. You aren't supposed to put more than 2 Krell Evolution 600/900 on one circuit either. I'm not a fan of "power conditioning". I use UPS. You get battery back-up, surge...and the side benefit of conditioning. Just make sure you have enough battery back up to give you time to turn it all off.

 

[schan1269]

http://www.wilsonaudio.com/installations_personal.shtml

 

[schan1269]

Example of the type of UPS I have... http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-852-1807-Outlet-Rechargeable-Source/dp/B000S0VFTM/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1357620975&sr=1-1&keywords=duracell+powersource+1800

 

[RainMan1]

Ok back to the drawing board . Another option (although crazy ) is to purchase two Anthem MCA 50's . This way I can bi amp all 5 speakers and have all kinds of headroom . They will fit the Sanus rack without any issues . Does it sound weird having one amp powering half a speaker and another amp powering the other half ? To me it sounds feasible . The owner of the stereo shop is willing to lend me a MCA 20 and 30 to try as a test . He owns studio 100's himself and really felt he heard an improvement biamping them . It would be 225x2 on each speaker including the rear and center . Am I over thinking this , or does it sound good in theory ? As much as I like the P5 this other option would help installation wise and have more power to boot. Schan I realize your not a big fan of biamping , but I'm looking at all options .

 

[schan1269]

I'm a fan of actual crossover bi-amping. Splitting up a speaker and then running "full spectrum" into the top and bottom separately is a waste of power. If there is no external crossover...there is no point.

 

[RainMan1]

Well schan that would make more sense . I was a hardcore car audio guy so I'm no stranger to x-overs etc. Just don't know how much hassle it is in the home audio domaine . Seems like an expensive complicated pain in the butt so far

 

[schan1269]

Behringer crossovers are on Amazon for $100-$200.

 

[schan1269]

I keep wanting to buy one to try my hand at "actual .2"... Run the sub output to a crossover...split at 40hz(or 50 if that is as low as it goes)... Run a 15" bigger and a pair of 10" with 6" bookshelves.

 

[RainMan1]

Schan you sure are a fast poster lol

 

[schan1269]

Sometimes. Currently listing some stuff on Fleabay to start on the weekend. (I don't mix "forum help" with stuff I sell, unless it is something truly oddball and not worth much)

 

[RainMan1]

Well I guess the bad news is if an active cross over is used I have to take my studio 100's apart to remove the passive ones.,well at least bypass some section of them as there's 4 different types of drivers I believe .I'm amazed at the prices for the active crossovers though , I thought they would be higher . I'm sure there's high end ones though that cost a small fortune

 

[RainMan1]

Wow loving this bad boy . Just need 2 I think Behringer ULTRADRIVE PRO DCX2496 I doubt I'll go this route but its very interesting to know its available

 

[RainMan1]

Well I'm back to the P5 I suspect . I need to find a good welder who can fabricate a decent looking stand for me that's large enough and strong enough to support this amp

 

[RainMan1]

Schan I'm glad you piped up as you've made me try to find alternatives for my stereo stand dilemma . Anyways I seen this example on the web and I am going to get one made similar . Mine is going to have the shelves spaced for the equipment though , say an inch clearance from the top of each component plus 6 shelves . The shelves are 2 inch think maple which should have no issues supporting 130 pounds . I think I'll add castors so I can move the frigging thing . I could do this myself but its freezing in my garage . Shame as I have all the tools , miter saw blade to boot . Can't wait to see a P5 for real !

 

[schan1269]

What, no "cold suit"???