New guy need help with preamp selection for 5.1 (1 Viewer)

[Nitrodude]

Hey guys I'm kind of new to home theater audio.
I currently have a paradigm set of speakers
Monitor7 v2 front floor speakers
Adp170 rears
And a ps1000 v3 sub that I need to reform the surround.

I currently have an onkyo receiver that is on its way out (loses audio periodically) seems to stay on if I put a fan over it.

I found a set of polk audio rti12 floor speakers for a reasonable price that I'm interested in upgrading to, and I also already have an adcom gfa-555ii amp to power them.

So here is where I'm a little lost.
I need a preamp to power the gfa-555ii, which is a 2ch amp.
I would run the polk rti12's off of it.
But I would need a preamp, with hdmi inputs as well as Bluetooth for music. And then a way to run my 2 rear speakers as well.

I'd prefer not to spend a fortune on just a preamp. Any suggestions on a budget new or used one that fits the bill?

 

[JohnRice]

I'm a little confused. Is this for a surround system, or a two channel music system?

Also, I'm not certain the Polks will be a step up from the Paradigms. Just speculating here, but Paradigm is generally better than Polk.

 

[JohnRice]

OK, I read your post again. I missed that you do still want to use the surround speakers.

You have two main options. You can get a new receiver that has pre-amp outputs, at least for the front 2 channels, and connect them to the Adcom for the front speakers, with the receiver powering the rest of the speakers. Or, you get a surround pre-amp and an additional power amp to drive the surround speakers.

I'm guessing the first option (the receiver with pre-amp outputs) is the way you'll want to go. The second option has many upsides to it. That's what my system is, but the cost to get into it is quite a bit higher, even though you can and probably will save quite a bit in the long run.

Most surround receivers from mid level on up tend to have pre-amp outputs. You're probably looking at $500 minimum for a new one, or there are always closeouts and refurbs. Is there any brand you lean towards?

 

[Nitrodude]

Yes I want to use it for music as well as surround for movies.

Using a 5.1 receiver with preouts is what I was thinking as well, since I don't need a heavy duty amp for my smaller rears.

I think the polks would be a big improvement over my current paradigms. My paradigm monitor 7v2's only have 2 6.5" mids, while the rti12 has 3 7" woofers with 2 5.5" mids and handle over double the power. I could be wrong in that thinking though as I haven't personally heard the polks but have heard good things about them with the right power to them

 

[JohnRice]

There's more to a speaker than how big the drivers are. Nobody will have heard everything you are considering, even though they might claim they know which is better. Better is a matter of opinion, especially with speakers. But, in general, Paradigm will be better than an equivalent Polk, in my opinion.

I looked around a little, and it looks like $500 is the bare minimum for a receiver with pre outs, and even at that it will probably be at least a closeout and probably a refurb. Closeouts and refurbs are a great deal, so don't shy away from them. The cheapest Denon I found was $600, or you can get a refurb Marantz 5011 for about $500. You just have to look around, and be aware of who you buy from.

 

[Bob Bielski]

Right on John such little understanding but you have to be civil