jfg02 Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Hi there, I own a 5.1 HT system (4 x RF82 + 1 RC62), drived by an Harman Kardon AVR3600 (85 wpc). Also having an Emotiva 12 Sub. I want to improve my system, mainly for stereo music listening. I was wondering what would be the best thing to get the most of my system. I was looking for power amps, actually for Emotiva products (but I am flexible, should you have any suggestion) : XPA-5 - 200W x 5 : 899$XPA-3 - 200W x 3 : 719$XPA-2 - 300W x 2 : 799$ XPA-200 - 150W x 2 : 399$ Would any of them would bring a significant amelioration ? Which one would you suggest ? Or any other brand ? Or should I invest in a dedicated CD player (I actually use a Sony BDSP) like the ECR-3 (or any other ?), even if it's passing through the AVR ? Or a DAC ? Thanks ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 A 5 channel amp should take care of things for HT and music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 If your more music than home theater I would invest in the xpa-2 or a nice dac or the erc-3. Or you could find a used erc-2. I just sold an xpa-2 for 525$. Erc-2 for 325$. Used deals are out there and 9/10 comes with a emotiva warranty still. So used could save you some bucks. But if you do watch a lot of movies as well then an xpa-5 would also get you some extra juice since you run four towers. Your setup will pull some serious juice when listening near reference levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 150 watts per channel should get your speakers singing nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psg Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Are you using the sub for music? If so, forget about DACs and the like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Can't use a sub and a dac at the same time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 OP avr only does 85 watts. My VF 36 Icon with the same power rating needed a power amp to really sing. Once we get started in this hobby, it is natural to want more and a good 5 channel amp is not much more than a 2 or 3 channel amp. Future proofing is not a bad ideal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psg Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Can't use a sub and a dac at the same time? No point, unless the DAC has an embedded crossover and two outputs and a volume control. The analog signal from the DAC will be digitized again in the AVR to apply bass management. Unless you use a sub with speaker-level inputs and let it do the bass management. OP avr only does 85 watts. My VF 36 Icon with the same power rating needed a power amp to really sing. Once we get started in this hobby, it is natural to want more and a good 5 channel amp is not much more than a 2 or 3 channel amp. Future proofing is not a bad ideal. Except that there's only 4 dB between 80W and 200W and driving the speakers to 200W will lead to compression anyway. If 200W were required for speakers to sound good, then they would have very little dynamic range. I listen with volumes appropriate to the content. You might want 100W peaks for drums, but be very happy with a jazz trio at 1/100th W. If the impedance curve of the RF-82 difficult? Otherwise, HK receivers are still high-current and should be able to handle a normal load, specially in stereo when only two of them are in use. Tough call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuBXeRo Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 The more power the better your headroom. HK makes awesome receivers btw. Take a look at outlaw audio too. Their site is underwhelming but their products are solid and made by ATI in the US. I had a tree xpa-5 and found my outlaw to be smoother all around even though it's 75 watts less per channel. I use it on my 7's without issue but I plan to boot the low end with their 200 watt monos in the future just because I can haha. Emotiva makes a solid product that's for sure and they are stylish too. The floor noise my xpa-5 drove me nuts and prompted my change. I am pleased with my purchase and happy to have an American designed, engineered and manufactured product Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfg02 Posted November 20, 2013 Author Share Posted November 20, 2013 Thanks all, Actually, I am not really looking for more power. I think PSG got the point, saying the 4dB gain would not be significant. Think that for the moment I'll let the system "as is" ... ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 don't look at is a 4 db gain. look at as headroom for when you do need the power. when i had my rf-63, rc-64, rs-62, rb-61 7.0 setup i was watching ghost protocol one day after removing my xpa-5 from my setup and when stuff was crazy, blowing up and what not, it sounded terrible, strained, harsh. a couple weeks later xpa-5 back in the mix i decided to try that movie again. boom no strain what so ever. sounded like what i had become used to having that extra power that the emotive provided. to me if you have a couple thousand dollars in speakers, why not spend 5-700 on a used power amp and give them what they like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max2 Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 I tried the XPA-5 and in 10 minutes of use figured out the noise floor was too much to deal with my LS's and I really couldn't hear an improvement in SQ over my Receiver. I then had a friend bring over his Rotel 1075 which had a little less power and the idle hiss was much less, but in that instance I figured out the first 3 watts of power was more important to me than the last 100+ or so. I guess Im getting old Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splitnail Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I have a Denon x4000 and 2-RB61 and 1-RC62. The RMS says 150w on the RC62. I have access to 2 crown XTi 1002. Im just worried that 275w would be a bit too much power. But at the same time the peak is 600W on the RC62. Thoughts? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 (edited) You will never come close to putting 600 watts into any of the Klipsch speakers. The Crown may be a little overkill but, it should work without problems. With Klipsch, it is even hard to use the RMS wattage unless you are in a church. Edited March 20, 2014 by derrickdj1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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