Yamaha RX-V2200 amps vs. Parasound 855 (1 Viewer)

[Tommy Rodgers]

Hi all-

I currently have a RX-V2200, rated 100W X 6. Would I see improvement from using it as a preamp for a 85W X 5 Parasound 855 or would I need to go to higher wattage to see any gains? Thanks for any help-

TR

 

[Matt_R]

I have a Denon 2801 (90x5) and went to a Parasound 855 and it was a great upgrade! Much more dynamic sound and better imaging for movies and 2 channel music.

 

[jeff lam]

It will surely be a huge upgrade from the built in amp in the receiver.

 

[Mike Veroukis]

Hmmm... You have some options here. Not sure what speakers you have but you could get the 855 and use it to drive just your center and mains and let the 2200 power the rears. But that leaves two channels free on the 855? Well, sorta, you can use the two left over channels on the 855 to bi-amp your mains. If you listen to a lot of two channel music then this would be a pretty good setup and worth considering.
You could also consider just buying a highly rated two channel amp and use it to power your mains and let the 2200 power everything else. This will save you some cash and will give you comparable results. If later you decide the rest of your setup needs more power add another two or five channel amp as you see fit. Also worth considering.
The way I see things I'd rather plan to add to the system rather then replace (at least when it comes to amps). This is why I would rather buy a better 2 channel amp over a lower rated 5 channel amp. Little by little over time you can add more 2 channel amps and the end result could (or should ) be quite amazing. And then, once you power all your speakers with external amps you will then have the option to spend even more money to replace the 2200 with a pre/pro and look down on us poor receiver owners.
Just some thoughts, I hope I didn't make your decision any more difficult then I needed to. Good luck!
- Mike

 

[Tommy Rodgers]

Mike-

Would buying 2 Parasound 855 units to biamp all speakers (I have Polk rt800 fronts, CS400 center, rt55 surrounds, all run as Large in receiver setup) be a good way to go? Would this be equivalent to having a 170w X 5 amp (85w X 5 times 2)?

-Tommy

 

[Mike Veroukis]

Hey Tommy

I'm not an expert here but to me it would seem like a bit of overkill bi-amping like that. Why? Well, when you bi-amp with two 855s you'll be sending 85watts to the bass/mid-range and 85 watts to the tweeters. Generally tweeters need a lot less power then the bass/mid-range. Ideally you'd be sening about 50watts to the tweeters and 125 to the bass/mid-range. Of course 2 855's wouldn't hurt but there might be more cost effective ways to do it.

What kind of listening do you plan for this system? Music, HT or 50/50? That can play a factor as well.

Another idea is to bi-amp using the 2200's amps. You'd really have to experiment with this one to see if it's better or not as bi-amping with two different amps can be tricky (two different sound signatures could end up making a mess of things).

Anyways, I think the 855 alone would probably blow away the 2200. I don't think you NEED to bi-amp or even get a more powerful amp then the 855 to improve on 2200's sound. Amps like the parasounds and rotels are more then just about watts. About a month ago when I still had my HTR-5450 (rated at 5x80W) I compared it to a buddy's Adcom two channel amp (rated at 2x50). Well, they were pretty close I thought but the bass on the Adcom was tighter. Both were very loud. So watts isn't everything.

Anyways I was just trying to give you some other suggestions to consider. You might want to ask others more knowledgable then myself about bi-amping.

- Mike

 

[Jeff Aguilar]

Tommy,

I am doing what you are considering. I have a Yamaha 992, which is rated at 85 watts a channel. I wanted to make the plunge into seperates, so I bought an amp. I bought the Parasound 855. It really did make a difference! I bought another Parasound 855 so that I could bi-amp the front three and then have 4 channels left for the Outlaw 950. I am waiting for the Outlaw. It is worth it to buy the Parasound amps! Go for it.

Jeff