Kenwood KR-A4080 + Jenson (DR-1205) speakers + What nxt ??? (1 Viewer)

[pauld.nz]

Firstly, the specs for the amp:
(Intergrated amp/tuner 80 watts pc rms @ 8ohms 20Hz to 20,000Hz less than .09% thd.)

I find that th amp runs the jensons well and i use it for mainly music but also run it through my TV for playing DVDs (using an xbox).

My problem is that i need alot more bass. The jensons are really clear for mid and high but i would love to have alot more bass for music and esp movies. Would it be better to crossover a active sub like the kenwood sw-500 or to buy a cheep surround preamp and use my exsisting kenwood as a power amp. Then go from there ... I expect the later would cost allot more. Im pretty sure i could get a active sub in nz secound hand for around 300 NZ dollars or 150 AMD. But would this just sound like crap without the right sort of amp to run it ?

I have spoted a couple of recievers for auction like a yamaha one
(Model DSP - E300.
12 programs for DSP (11 from actual acoustic environments) plus Dolby Pro Logic surround decoding. Remote Control. 4 or 6 channel operation.
Output power 60W RMS into 8 Ohms per channel. Effect power amp section 15W.) .

Is it posible to use my 2 channel kenwood amp to boost a 5 channel surround amp ?

Im sorry if you guys are confused, i know nxt to nothing about home theater.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[Adam Barratt]

If you're looking for extra bass, your best bet is an active subwoofer. I wouldn't use a passive subwoofer with your amp, as its power output is likely to be much too low for the kind of bass you're looking for. Buying a pre-amp and using your Kenwood as a power amp wouldn't make any difference in terms of bass output, so save your money (unless you're also looking for surround sound, which is a different issue).

The DSP-E300 is an 'upgrade' processor, meaning it's designed for use with existing stereo amps like your Kenwood. As such it only provides power for the centre and surround channels. It's certainly a cheap way of getting a surround sound system, and a very nice sounding machine, but it won't impact the level of bass you're getting with your current rig. You might want to consider looking for a more recent model with Dolby Digital and DTS processing (unfortunately such machines are hard to come by these days).

You will get different outcomes from the two options you've listed. If you want more bass then go for an active subwoofer; if you want surround sound (on a tight budget) go for the Yamaha. If you want surround sound and big bass, you'll need both.

Incidentally, the quality of your receiver's amp isn't an issue with an active subwoofer, as they operate from their own internal amplifiers. I would avoid the Kenwood SW500; it's certainly unusual looking but its bass output is far from impressive (my first subwoofer was an SW900 and nothing to write home about).

Try hunting around for an 8, 10 or 12 inch subwoofer from the likes of Energy, Velodyne, Polk, Yamaha, REL, B&W or Paradigm. Subwoofers from these brands start at around $700NZ (Paradigm's PFR8 lists at $799, I believe), so second hand should be near you budget. Subwoofers are quite hardy, so you shouldn't have any problems with a second hand model once you check it's in good order.

Adam

 

[pauld.nz]

Thank you so much ! /edit/ One more quick question. Is it very hard to use my kenwood amp as a power amp for a DTS 5.1 reciever ? How would i go about doing that ?

 

[Adam Barratt]

No, it wouldn't be hard at all to use the Kenwood as a power amp for a different receiver/processor, although doing so probably wouldn't improve audio quality or bass levels.

Assuming the receiver/processor you plan to use as a pre-amp has front channel pre-outs (most recent receivers have these), these are simply connected to any of the Kenwood's stereo inputs with conventional audio cables.

At 80 Watts, many recent receivers you connect it to are likely to be more powerful than the Kenwood, however (the actual power coming from the Kenwood is likely to be less than 40 Watts, see this list for some measured power output vs. rated power for a variety of home theatre receivers). An actual power amplifier would give you much better overall performance, power and greatly improved fidelity.

One thing to note when dealing with amplification as it relates to volume is that it's logarithmic not arithmetic, meaning doubling the sound pressure level means increasing amplifier power ten-fold. If you're actually looking for more bass and volume, your best bet is to go at it from the other end. More sensitive speakers will give you a much larger volume increase than any amplifier upgrade, and potentially much more bass (although not as deep as that possible with a subwoofer).

A speaker's sensitivity is rated in dB/W/metre (measured volume in decibels produced with 1 Watt of power from one metre away). Most speakers average in the mid 80s to low 90s, but a speaker in the high 90s will play more loudly with a 10 Watt amplifier than a speaker with sensitivity in the mid 80s will if connected to a 1000 Watt amplifier.

You may also notice from the sensitivity rating that 95% of the time a speaker being listened to at normal to high levels will draw less than 1 Watt from an amplifier (consider that a speaker rated at 95dB/W/metre will draw only 1 Watt producing sound at 95dB, or about the volume of a pneumatic jackhammer from ten feet away). Only during dynamic transients does the extra power available come into play, providing the required headroom. As such, don't get too hung up about amplifier output figures.

Adam

 

[pauld.nz]

Wow, thanks for the reply. I have thought about what you have said, i thought that it would be best that i went for a cheep surround pro logic amp and bought a decent powered sub.
Do you think that these surround speakers would be ok ?

Home theatre set of centre and two speakers:
Centre Speaker:
90 watts (50 RMS)
92 db@ 1 w/m
8 Ohms
Magnetically Sheilded

Surround Speakers:
90 watts (50 RMS)
92 db@ 1 w/m
8 Ohms

/////////////////

Also, i was wondering if it mattered if you connected surround speakers that were not raited in RMS as high as the amp ?