So I may need an Amp...

[inder19]

I ended up ordering 2 pairs of RB-81iis, one pair will go with my current setup and make it 7.1 with the rears serving dual purpose as zone 2 music only. The surround was lacking during movie most likely due to the width of the room so I tried an old pair of speakers I had and they made a difference which made me pull the trigger on the RB-81s.

The second pair I purchased for a stereo set up in another room (wanted the rf-82s but they are too big...). I was looking for a cheaper AVR to power them and came across some clearance Harman Kardons, AVR2600. Out of curiousity I tried comparing it to my Onkyo 5007 on my RF-7s....... I was very dissapointed that a receiver I paid under $500 for was out performing the 5007..... I played with settings for hours and at the end of the day found the HK hit harder deeper and louder! I always thought the onkyo sounded great volume was never really an issue but the HK made me think my Subs were on while listing to music. Movies did not sound as good at all but there was a lot more sound coming from the fronts with the HK....

So now I think I need/want an amp. It feels like the RF-7S are not working at all right now and that I am missing out on what they can do.

Does anyone else feel the onkyos lack power?

Now on to a new Amp. I am considering the XPA-2 or XPA-3... My use is 50/50 music and movies. Should I be looking to pay more for a better quality amp? or will these ones be good enough.

I also don't know if I want the XPA-2 and not worry about the centre so the 2 channel is more improved or whether the XPA-3 is good enough that I will not notice an improvement in 2 channel by going to the XPA-2. If anyone has any suggestions that would be great, I have an itchy trigger finger and I'm ready to buy lol.

[jjennings2510]

I've heard a lot of people say Onkyo AVRs are great on movies but alright on music and Harman fans have said the opposite. Harmans are more musical but decent on movies. I've also heard that Harman actually underrates their specs. I know Onkyo measures watts per channel with 2 ch driven which means that number will drop once you activate 5 channels and it'll drop even more once you do 7 channels. I'm not 100% sure but I think Harman rates their units on all channels driven which would explain why their known to be underrated. Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong! But any system will pretty much benefit from an amp. Amps will deliever more current and they are always rated on all channels driven......not only that but their ratings are usually minumum power. Which means it will push out a minimum of 100wpc but it could go higher if needed (dynamic rating) while AVRs are usually rated at their max. They could hit 100wpc under the best of cirumstances......So your system will come alive even more with an amp. Emotiva is known as a very good company that gives a good bang for the buck. There are a lot of satisfied Emotiva users on this forum. I' sure they'll chime in soon. I feel like those will be good enough, The only way I would pay more is if you wanted more headroom (more watts per channel) but Klipsch are very effiecient speakers. I'm currently driving my 7 IIs with an Integra amp that onlu pushes 100wpc and I can't turn it up past the halfway mark. So XPA amps should be plenty. I would go with the XPA 3. Since you are going to be driving 4 surrounds. True surrounds don't need a lot of power but just to be on the safe side I would let the XPA handle your front 3 and let the receiver handle the rears. I think you'll be satisfied with the results!

[nezff]

I started out with a XPA3 to run just my front three, and my Onkyo 876 ran my rears. Sold the Onkyo and XPA 3, got a Onkyo pre/pro and XPA5 and never looked back!

[inder19]

After a little more research I am considering the XPA-2 or XPA-5. Hoping to eventually get both. The rear RB-81s will also be used as zone 2 so I am thinking that the XPA-5 may be the better option now and power the L/C/R/RL/RR and then when I can add the XPA-2 i can switch that to the the L/R. I do agree that the HK did not sound nearly as good on movies as the onkyo. The HK seemed to have a warmer deeper sound while the Onkyo had MUCH more detail and was more lively. I checked out some Anthem ones but they are out of my budget.

[elitedemo]

i started with the xpa-3 then the xpa-2/5, i dont see much reason to do the xpa-3 if i was you, id probably get the 5 first then the 2 like you said, they are crystal clear all the way up to max and youll never need to listen at that level keep an eye out used, emotivas forum just had a xpa2 for 425 shipped...

[kelntash]

What will realy drive you crazy is listen to Klipsch on a NAD reciver. It will blow the HK outa the water

[nezff]

emo has great bang for the buck.

[inder19]

Just ordered my XPA-2. Should be here in 4-5 days.

Also had a chance to properly test the RB-81iis. They are very surprising speakers. I was switching back and forth between the RB-81s and RF-7s and obviously there is no comparison but I just wanted a reference point. The RF-7s are much more dynamic and have a room filling sound. Highs are higher and lows are lower and overall sound better as expected. The RB-81s sound very good and filled my room which is 22'x36'. When I used them with the 5007 in bridged mode they sounded excellent. Room filling sound and noticeable bass. They sound much better with the subs on but even without the sub I think A lot of people, including myself, would be impressed. I have yet to try them in 7.1 mode so I can't comment on that.

Having heard the RF-82s on many occasions I would say that with a 10" sub the RB-81s are a better package. Head to head the RF82s hit harder. I would not consider these "bookshelf" speakers either. They sound much bigger than they are. My wife went to pick them up for me and I told her there will be 4 small boxes.......she responded "THESE ARE NOT SMALL" after having them put in her car lol....

I will do a further review and comparison when I have everything completely set up and will also determine if an XPA-5 is necessary once I get a chance to compare the XPA-2 to the Onkyo 5007. My initial guess is that the Onkyo is more than powerful enough for movies especially once the fronts are run off the XPA-2. My only concern is that the RC-64 may sound lacking but I am hoping that the calibration fixes that. If anyone has a similar set up with just fronts off XPA-2 maybe they could chime in.

If anyone has any questions regarding the RB-81s I am willing to try and answer them as I found there was not very much information on them around the web.

[SuBXeRo]

if i had caught this thread before you pulled the trigger, i would have suggested getting the XPA-3 or XPA-5. XPA-3 would be great to power your fronts or the xpa-5 would have been great to power everything OR biamp the 7's and leave the 5th channel for you center. Fortunately all is not lost i suppose! You can test out the xpa-2 on the fronts and maybe the center too, see how it sounds. You have 30 days to return it if you dont like it. For the money, emotiva is fantastic and does the job clean and clear. Its a massive upgrade from an AVR IMO. You can also wait and see what emotiva comes out later in the year as far as new 5 channel amps go. I think there is a new 5 channel amp coming out that is replacing the UPA-5. Its less power than the XPA series but better quality power and sound than the onkyo and isnt too much power.

Having the xpa-5 power my 7's and entire HT on full range, you quixkly realize how awesome it is to have the high current power available at your fingertips. I hate to say it but AVRs just dont have the power on hand to push the 7's well. 10" drivers are not small and there are two of them. If you have the money its best to power everything with the same brand, the similar engineering will help keep the sound the same and plus, it will all be good power.

Just my .02 Welcome to the club, separate amps are like a gang, once you are in, there is no getting out...alive.

[inder19]

I am most likely adding an XPA-5 later on but will test everything out first. Movies so far have sounded great but I wanted more from 2 channel. I primarily listen on direct/pure modes and always have found the bass to be lacking. Plus having 7.1 I thought it would be better to go XPA-2/XPA-5 so everything is on external amps.

If I had done enough research last year before making my purchases I probably would have opted for a pre/pro. On the other hand the internal power is nice for additional speakers or, knock on wood, if there is ever an amp issue. I noticed the same thing regarding the 10" drivers. Even in bridged mode the onkyo barely moved them. The RB-81s on bridged were moving like my sub lol. I am hoping I can add the XPA-5 around christmas and go FL/FR on XPA-2 and C/SR/SL/RR/RL on XPA-5.