Increasing the performance of a Integrated Receiver....

[Schu]

is there anyway of increasing the performance/sound quality of an integrated receiver? I have been happy to date witht eh dynamic range of the unit, but I think I have been bitten by the upgrade bug. What would happen if you stuck a tube amp in front of or behind a receiver on a chain?

thanks

Schu

[Daddy Dee]

With SS and Tube amp combinations, it is usually preferable to use a tube preamp in front of an SS power amp.

For whatever reason, (I'm not a tech type) is seems that the preamp imparts more tube flavor to the mix.

One thought though, many times you could purchase a decent tube integrated amp for the price of a tube preamp.

[Schu]

That was my initial thought... daisy the analog in front of the digital. I wonder if I would experience enough of a difference to justify the purchse of a tube pre or amp

[JL Sargent]

If your speakers are horns then tubes are hard to beat IMHO. Maybe you could find a nice tube receiver or tube integrated amp?

[russ69]

Schu,

We need more info, what's in your system now?

Thanx, Russ

[Islander]

If your receiver has pre-out connectors, you could attach a better-quality power amp, which should sound better. A good power amp should add clarity and possibly power, depending on its, well, power. However, if you have a low-end receiver, the results will be limited from the start, so you need to size up what you have and choose something suitable to get the best results for your money.

First, though, have you got the speakers performing to their optimum, with proper positioning and good cables?

Also, what improvements are you hoping for? What is it that seems inadequate about your receiver's performance?

Tube and solid state equipment are both analogue, although your receiver may have some digital circuits. Unless a component has a digital-to-analogue convertor (a DAC) or an analogue-to-digital convertor (an ADC), it's an analogue unit. Nearly all speakers will operate with an analogue signal only, so that's what comes out of any receiver or power amp.

You didn't mention whether you're using a stereo receiver or a multi-channel AV unit. If you go with an external power amp, would you want a 2-channel stereo unit for your main speakers only, or something to power all your speakers?

[Schu]

Thank you so much all so far... more info.

I just bought a onkyo sr806... it's 7.1 130 watt.... outputting through a pair of original Hereseys, so it should be and is good but am I missing some sound or range or warmth? I am using it in sterio mode right now but I will be adding at least another set of hereseys or cornwall/lascala for the fronts and moving th existing units to the back. I also wanted to add a new gen turntable... so any help is really appreciated. Movie application for me right now is not as important as sound quality and clear volume.

To be honest I have been very happy so far, but I wont know what I am missing until I hear it

Specs:

130 watts per channel into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.08% THD THX Ultra2 Plus certification new THX listening modes for optimized surround sound at any listening level Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, THX Surround EX®, Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES™, Pro Logic® IIx, and DTS Neo:6 decoding XM Satellite Radio Ready (requires XM subscription and optional XM Mini-Tuner package) SIRIUS satellite radio capable (requires SIRIUS subscription and optional SiriusConnect™ home tuner kit) iPod® integration (requires optional DS-A2x iPod dock) Audyssey Laboratories' MultEQ six-point auto setup and room calibration system (microphone included) Audyssey Dynamic EQ™ for fuller sound at lower listening levels dual-room/dual-source audio (powered and line-level stereo audio output for 2nd room; using powered 2nd-room output allows 5.1 home theater in main room) RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) control via HDMI with compatible components (HDMI-CEC) back surround speaker channels re-assignable for bi-amping front left and right speakers 192kHz/24-bit digital-to-analog converters for all channels Pure Audio mode high-current amplifier design

Am I looking at two systems? one for av and one for audio?

[russ69]

Schu,

You are on the right path. If you want a little warmer sound try some Audio Quest type 4 speaker cables. They are a really nice match with horn loudspeakers. For me, stranded wire (lamp cord/Monster cable) can get a little harsh. Here's a linky: http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AQT4NF

Thanx, Russ

[Schu]

You know what... I was wondering about that. I did use really heavy gauge multifilament wire, but I always wondered if there were better options
availible. looks like my hunch may be right.

[russ69]

Schu,

Start with the speaker cable, it's a small step towards the warmer side but it will tame those horns. If you need to go a little warmer than that, use a Cardas 300B interconnect cable to your CD player. Those two things will smooth out any harshness but not kill any detail (unless you are using silver wire now). The Cardas is fairly warm so try it one step at a time.

Thanx, Russ