Questions about Connecting External Amp to Denon 1802 (1 Viewer)

[Jason Bell]

I'm thinking of auditioning a 2 channel amp to see how much of a difference there will be in Sound Quality. My question is when you connect the line-in on the amp to the pre-out on the receiver do you have to tell the receiver not to drive those channels anymore or does it automatically sense the amp connected and not send any power to those speaker connections? I looked through the manual 3 times and it doesnt say anything. Also when you are using an amp can you still control the volume adjustments of the speakers from the receivers menus or do you have to manually adjust from the amp itself? There are no menu options that refer to these preouts. Nothing like USE PREOUTS . So im assuming you just plug the Rca cable between the amp and the preout, hook your speakers to the amp and youre good to go. Also with an amp hooked up it doesnt bypass my bass management does it? I mean would having my speakers set to small still crossover at 80 just like using the receivers built in amps. As you can tell I dont have any experience using seperates so any help would be greatly appreciated?

 

[Harold_C]

My question is when you connect the line-in on the amp to the pre-out on the receiver do you have to tell the receiver not to drive those channels anymore or does it automatically sense the amp connected and not send any power to those speaker connections?

It doesn't matter. With no speakers hooked up, the receiver's internal amplifiers aren't going to do anything. Think of it like an unused AC outlet in your house. There's voltage there, but until you plug something into the outlet, there's no current flow.

You've got it figured out. Just connect the pre-amp outs to your external amplifier and away you go. All the other features of the receiver work just as they always have -- bass management, etc.

The only thing you'll have to do is recalibrate the levels for each channel because your separate amp most likely has somewhat different gain than the amps in the receiver.

 

[Jason Bell]

Thanks for the reply Harold. In your opinion would this be a good upgrade? I'd be using the amp to drive 2 M22s set to small. Or do you think the Denon 1802 has plenty of power for these in stereo mode using a powered sub? My normal listening levels for music is around 80db. When I'm using my system for HT I only drive the M22s and a pair of Technics cbr77 floor standers for the rears all set to small. All 4 of my speakers have around 90db sensitivity. I've just read so many posts about how onboard amps are totally worthless and this is from people talking about 3802s and other $1000 receivers. So it makes me wonder what does that say about the amps in my 1802. I'm also concerned about clipping. I find myself listening for the tiniest bit of distortion. Problem is these speakers are so much clearer than I've had in the past that I'm hearing a lot of intentional distortion in the recordings and since it sounds different than I'm used to I automatically assume my amps are clipping or somethings wrong and go running for my headphones. For instance in "Us And Them" by Pink Floyd in the really loud chorus "Forward He cried and the front ranks diiieed" sounds distorted but listening with headphones I think its recorded that way but cant be sure because of what I'm used to hearing this song on. I've listened to Dark Side at least a thousand times. So is this my amps distorting the material or is it just the brightness of these titanium tweeters and not being used to the clarity? I think that my cheaper speakers have always kind of smeared this type of distortion and it makes it not as harsh if that makes any sense. I do love these speakers though especially on acoustic pieces oh my god I cant believe what I've been missing all these years. Well sorry about rambling. Am I worrying about nothing? I've always tended to be pretty protective of equipment I buy. If you think the amps in my 1802 are sufficient I could use the money somewhere else like a new TV. Have a good weekend Harold.

 

[Harold_C]

>> In your opinion would this be a good upgrade? I'd be using the amp to drive 2 M22s set to small. Or do you think the Denon 1802 has plenty of power for these in stereo mode using a powered sub? My normal listening levels for music is around 80db. When I'm using my system for HT I only drive the M22s and a pair of Technics cbr77 floor standers for the rears all set to small. All 4 of my speakers have around 90db sensitivity.
Help a poor guy out! I'm probably not alone in visitors to this forum who know a little something about audio, but don't memorize the starting line-ups for every team in a major league baseball! What is an M22? What is the rated power of the Denon 1802? I'm wearin' out Google trying track down all these model numbers!
Off hand, the next upgrade I would probably make to your system is a matching center channel speaker. That will make a huge difference on any Dolby Surround or 5.1 channel source material. It will also, of course, make the system play louder/cleaner because you are dividing the front soundstage across threee speakers and three amp channels rather than two.

 

[Jason Bell]

Sorry Harold the M22s are Axioms biggest bookshelf. The Denon manual says the 1802 has 80Wx5 but I know that is probably very optimistic, especially during movies. I dont think I'm gonna add a center I really like the way just my two M22s sound upfront. After experimenting with placement I've got the voices projecting from the center of the TV and all effects seem in the right place. Only thing is that this is only true if youre sitting in about a 5 foot wide area, dead center on the TV. Usually just me and my girlfriend watching though. Also wouldnt that extra channel put more stress on my receiver? I thought I'd be makin it a little easier by only driving the 4 channels. Amp, or save a little longer for a bigger TV. BTW I usually watch movies about -10 from reference. So do you think I need an amp for these speakers or should my receiver be ok at -10 from reference for these 4 speakers? Even if my receiver can handle it but its a night and day difference in sound quality which I've read many people believe I would probably still get the amp. Thanks

 

[Ian_A]

Jason,
I am running the same AMP. The 1802 I have had it for about 3 months now and the next upgrade I would do to my system is a speaker upgrade. I would have to agree with Harold that a center channel would be the next purchase before adding a 2-channel amp. My speakers are far from being matched as I had some 18-year-old (Vega linear) speakers for fronts. But after hearing systems with the full 5 channel sound. I looked for a used center channel until the time comes to get the full matching fronts. I feel that you have good start with the Axioms as you can get a match for 150-220 usd.
The other advantage is that you will be able to take advantage of the full DD surround and the DTS modes with the Denon if you have a DVD player with DTS.
I am totally impressed with the sound that may mix of speakers put out.
Also on running the equipment hard I can’t believe how cool the Denon runs after an evening of watching movies and listening to music. I usually have my volume turned to about minus –15 to –25 depends how late at night I’m watching and if my daughter is trying to sleep.
Try and get a hold of a center channel to demo and be impressed with that Denon.
Ian