HELP! need suggestions on a good amp for rf-63's

[-BC-]

i have a pioneer elite vsx-o1t receiver to power my rf-63 fronts and rf-64 center. ive always had klipsch speakers in the past, just nothing this big. im completely aware that thy are very efficient speakers but i got the itch to push'em. i wanna see what these babies cand do. ive heard nothing but good reviews from there output, but its time i experience it for myself. right now i only have the to front 63's and the center rf-64, im still debating on the rears. as far as the build...... im leaning towards 60% ht, 40% 2 channel stereo.

ive been reading a lot on emotiva and there amps being a good way to go. whats your opionions? is 200-250w per channer goin to make a big difference in speaker output? im new to amps and have never had one so i ask all of you crafty veterans to give me imput. emotivas sale ends today so timely responses are apperciated. by the way, im kind of a stickler with quality so only the best to power the best please

[willland]

Welcome to the forum.

The 63/64 combo is nice with a quality receiver. Just wait until you add an outboard amp. What is your budget for an amp? Where are you located?

Bill

[Bill H.]

Welcome.

Nice setup you have.

Guess the Question is...................say you got the two channel amp. Will you see a (insert Money amt) improvement in your system?

One good thing is Emotiva has a 30 money back return policy.............JMHO.

[-BC-]

Welcome to the forum.

The 63/64 combo is nice with a quality receiver. Just wait until you add an outboard amp. What is your budget for an amp? Where are you located?

Bill

my budget......depends on the quality, and i want quality. i guess about $1000-$1500 just to push the front 3 speakers. im located in northern california

[-BC-]

Welcome.

Nice setup you have.

Guess the Question is...................say you got the two channel amp. Will you see a (insert Money amt) improvement in your system?

One good thing is Emotiva has a 30 money back return policy.............JMHO.

yes emotiva does have their 30 day money back return policy, which makes me lean more toward them. its just...... with 200w be enough to make me go "WOW this sounds great."

[willland]

Yes 200w/channel will make you say "WOW". When I added my B&K Ref. 4430 3 channel(200w/channel) to my Onkyo receiver, the RF-63's came alive. More depth,bass,articulate,headroom,refinement, and all other audio lingo adjectives. I have no experience with Emotiva but many on forum are pleased. There are better amps out there but for the money it seems Emotiva is a good choice. Here is a link to an excellant 3 channel amp on the used market. I would get it if I didn't have my B&K and had extra cash laying around.

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1256499339&/Aragon-8008x3-3-Channel-Amplif

Bill

[Brac]

So how do you plan to use a high end 2 channel amp, when you are running 3 speakers?

Here is an awsome used Bryston- http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/123748.aspx

Just wondering if you should be looking for a 5 channel..

[-BC-]

Yes 200w/channel will make you say "WOW". When I added my B&K Ref. 4430 3 channel(200w/channel) to my Onkyo receiver, the RF-63's came alive. More depth,bass,articulate,headroom,refinement, and all other audio lingo adjectives. I have no experience with Emotiva but many on forum are pleased. There are better amps out there but for the money it seems Emotiva is a good choice. Here is a link to an excellant 3 channel amp on the used market. I would get it if I didn't have my B&K and had extra cash laying around.

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1256499339&/Aragon-8008x3-3-Channel-Amplif

Bill

i was just thinkin what if i purchased 2 xpa-2's, bridged one to power the center and used the other to power the fronts. would that be to overkill for the center as it relates to the fronts?

can u bridge any amp or does it have to have a bridge compatibility?

[Brac]

The spec's will tell you if an amp is bridgeable.

Did you try using the receiver as a pre, while you had it, I'm sure a receiver at that price would have pre outs?

[willland]

Yes your amps have to have bridge capability. One question, why would you want to pump double the power into the center and half that into the front's? It seems like it would get kind of tricky with your Pioneer's EQ settings. If you want crazy power, why not get this.

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1255534682&/Sunfire-Cinema-Grand-signature

Here is a review:

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1255534682&/Sunfire-Cinema-Grand-signature

Bill

[-BC-]

So how do you plan to use a high end 2 channel amp, when you are running 3 speakers?

Here is an awsome used Bryston- http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/123748.aspx

Just wondering if you should be looking for a 5 channel..

i would like to find a 3 channel amp so i can push what i have and in the future upgrade to more speakers and more amps. its a build in progress.... but u have a good point, why dont i go with the xpa-5? well my concern is that 200w wont be enough to drive these speakers like i want, but on the other hand, ive never heard what 200w can do. so here i am asking what will it do and what gear i should look into to fit my needs.

another option i was thinkin about was to purchase 2 xpa-2's, bridge one to power the center and use the other for the fronts. not to sure if thats overkill though.....

[-BC-]

So how do you plan to use a high end 2 channel amp, when you are running 3 speakers?

Here is an awsome used Bryston- http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/123748.aspx

Just wondering if you should be looking for a 5 channel..

i would like to find a 3 channel amp so i can push what i have and in the future upgrade to more speakers and more amps. its a build in progress.... but u have a good point, why dont i go with the xpa-5 or even the xpa-3? well my concern is that 200w wont be enough to drive these speakers like i want, but on the other hand, ive never heard what 200w can do. so here i am asking what will it do and what gear i should look into to fit my needs.

another option i was thinkin about was to purchase 2 xpa-2's, bridge one to power the center and use the other for the fronts. not to sure if thats overkill though.....

[Bill H.]

If I had the chance I would get the XPA 2 for the front two channels. On sale for 699.00 .

http://emotiva.com/xpa2.shtm

Power the Center with your current receiver.

Call it a Fantastic Improvement.

JMHO..............

[Coytee]

I'm not too familar with these other amps so they might be 'bigger' than this one but... perhaps look into a dbx BX3. I've got one and it's a nice stout amp. Furthermore, it's configurable as a 2 or 3 or 4 speaker amp.

You can find these at nice prices on ebay from time to time. I think I paid $350 for mine??

[Brac]

If going that route, I would just use 1/2 of the second amp, rather than put twice as much power to the center.

The XPA or my Bryston to power your fronts, (put the center on hold) will blow you away, then your gonna want to go 5.1

[-BC-]

Yes your amps have to have bridge capability. One question, why would you want to pump double the power into the center and half that into the front's? It seems like it would get kind of tricky with your Pioneer's EQ settings. If you want crazy power, why not get this.

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1255534682&/Sunfire-Cinema-Grand-signature

Here is a review:

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1255534682&/Sunfire-Cinema-Grand-signature

Bill

ive never had an amp nor do i know a whole lot about them......... it was just something that poped in my head. sounds like a bad idea now though...

ive looked at sunfire and they seem to be really really good. there also really really expensive, well the new ones are anyway. im not to sure about buying a used amp though.

[-BC-]

If going that route, I would just use 1/2 of the second amp, rather than put twice as much power to the center.

The XPA or my Bryston to power your fronts, (put the center on hold) will blow you away, then your gonna want to go 5.1

thats an idea. i guess i should just go with the xpa-3 to power what i have........ when it comes to power i dont want to say coulda shoulda woulda

[willland]

im not to sure about buying a used amp though.

I understand your concern but an outboard amp is one of if not the most reliable piece of audio equipment you will have. An amp takes a signal from a receiver/processor and amplifies it and sends it out through your speakers as sound. That's it. No moving parts,no processors inside.

I bought my one owner 10 year old B&K for $100.00. I sent it to the shop for a good checkup and cleaning($90.00) and it runs cool and quiet and has transformed my system. I am not saying that you should by from the used market but you can find many like new pieces out there for a fraction of the cost of new.

Bill

[-BC-]

im not to sure about buying a used amp though.

I understand your concern but an outboard amp is one of if not the most reliable piece of audio equipment you will have. An amp takes a signal from a receiver/processor and amplifies it and sends it out through your speakers as sound. That's it. No moving parts,no processors inside.

I bought my one owner 10 year old B&K for $100.00. I sent it to the shop for a good checkup and cleaning($90.00) and it runs cool and quiet and has transformed my system. I am not saying that you should by from the used market but you can find many like new pieces out there for a fraction of the cost of new.

Bill

you sound pretty confident that and extra 200w into my 3 speakers will do the job......at least this is what i understand from the output u got from your system

[russ69]

A solid 200/watt a channel amp (separate amp) will blow your socks clean off. I had a high current amp that was 360 watts (8 ohms) on the weak channel, I had a lot of fun with that one. I'm using a 25 watt tube amp now, so power isn't everything but if you like to play loud or want a big punch, a big amp is the way to go!

Thanx, Russ

P.S. Like the boys are saying, a good used amp is the way to go, unless you have money to burn.