john toon Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 Hello, I am trying to decide if adding two external amps to my avr is worth while. I currently have a Denon 4308ci which is a highly rated avr at 140 watts 8 ohms @ .05 THD, but I came across a good deal on two crown cts4200's giving me 8 channels of external amplification at about 190 watts 8 ohms @ .05 THD. I have khorns as mains, belle center, forte II surrounds and a single heresy rear all in a 20x20 room that extends back into the kitchen/hallway so its not exactly a square room. would it be beneficial to add these to my system or am I just wasting money. I'm actually just trading a gibson les paul for the amps so no money out of my pocket. would like to hear some opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 24, 2013 Moderators Share Posted November 24, 2013 If you don't need the guitar, the amps are selling on Ebay between $300 - $400 each so if it didn't make much of a difference, there definitely seems to be people buying them on Ebay. If I had to guess, I would think that the Crown would provide more bottom end to your speakers than the Denon as well as better separation. That has been my experience adding a dedicated power amp to my setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 I would think having heritage that you have plenty with just the denon. But I guess it never hurts to try. If you like the guitar very much I prolly wouldn't do it. Cause I know how little power it takes my Cornwalls to get insanely loud. But if you got a whole bunch of other guitars then why not. Can't hurt. And if youth says you can sell for 6-800$ then might be a fun comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 24, 2013 Moderators Share Posted November 24, 2013 And if youth says you can sell for 6-800$ then might be a fun comparison. Recent Ebay Sales - Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john toon Posted November 24, 2013 Author Share Posted November 24, 2013 thanks for the replies, more bottom end and separation is just what Im looking for. Im gonna see if he will let me try them out in my room before making the deal. I think my room acoustics are playing a big part of what im missing from my speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldred Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 (edited) To be honest...it could be the Denon... Had one for a while... Did not seem to have the seperation no matter what I did. Edited November 24, 2013 by oldred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J M O N Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 It's not about how many Watts you have, it's about the quality you are getting. Klipschorns can vary quite a bit with amps. I have Denon AVR receiver that doesn't make my Khorns sound all that great. Match them up with the right amps and you will be amazed at what the Khorns are capable of. If you are looking for solid state, I can recommend Classe as I had great results with them. Don't know what your price range is but you can get a Classe Model Seventy for somewhere around $500 or so. Tube amps can yield even greater results if you find the right amps. I'd say before you go trading things away, figure what the best option for you is considering budget and how complex you are willing to get. You've got a great foundation with your speakers, but I think you can still improve upon that by a fair amount with the right amplifier combination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 External amps will certainly help. But you will still be hamstrung by the preamplifier section of your AVR. Ok for movies, not so much for music. Shakey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tromprof Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 (edited) Keep your guitar and ditch the Denon. In my experience K-horns are murder on amps, some that sound fine on other speakers just don't cut with them. Two lower cost options I like are: A vintage (mid to late 1970s) Yamaha receiver or integrated. I have a CA-1010 that sounds very good with K-horns, also had a CR-2020 receiver that was quite good as well. There is just something in the synergy between vintage Yamaha and Klipsch. I rediscovered that yesterday when I moved my CA-1010 back into the room with my Fortes. The HK receiver I had been using was ok, the Yamaha is magic. The new Pioneer receivers with the class "D3" amps. I liked the sound so much I sold my very expense tubes. Edited November 27, 2013 by tromprof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 The new Pioneer receivers with the class "D3" amps. I liked the sound so much I sold my very expense tubes. It took me about 6 months to realize that the beauty of the Pioneer Elite avrs was the preamp and not just the wattage and efficiency. I don't think I can get a better preamp without spending several thousand dollars. Economy of Scale is a nice benefit with a larg companies for R&D that can be handed down to the consumer level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psg Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 And now for something completely different... KHorns don't have funky impedance curves and are easy to drive. I use an external amp but don't really hear the difference if I use it or not. Maybe I am limited by the pre-amp of my cheap HK receiver, but it sounds great to me with texture in string intruments and pin-point imaging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldred Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 (edited) Hey ... I didn't mean to cut down the 4808 CI... But I had a 3808CI... I felt I could never get it to sound great.... I don't know is it an auto calibration thing or what...my guess is NOT . I even pulled out the trusty Radio shack sound level meter and set thing up myself and still did not like it... Still I wasn't hearing the surround seperation .... so after owning it for about 2 months I gave it to my brother inlaw...ended up buying an amp and processor. All I can say is " what a difference" I see some guys are talking about the new Pioneer Elites... I first hear one at a freinds town house I think it was the SC77... My first impression was ...not impressed.. See my buddy was running it through a bose acoustimass (POS)... last week went I over to watch football on Sunday and he pulled his real system back out of the closet. Chorus II's,RC7,RS7 surrounds and RS3's for the rears and of course and the Infra 18 BagEnd sub (weighs a ton)... Well I have to say I have changed my mind about Pioneer... Holy ----. I glad I'm not his neighbor. He did a demo with the movie Gi Joe Retaliation in what he calls " the great room"... Vaulted sealing (with a sealing fan that is 8 feet wide). It sounded fantastic. Like I said ... I changed my mind about Pioneer Edited November 27, 2013 by oldred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john toon Posted November 28, 2013 Author Share Posted November 28, 2013 thanks for the advice. I decided not to get the crown amps for now and wait awhile longer to update my system. I may sell the denon down the road and get an emotiva set up. who know, I might even try the pioneer route. I am pretty happy with how my systems sounds, I just want to hear the Khorns at their full potential. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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