willland Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 i am thinking that if i go all out on spending this much then why not do it proper and get the amp.... even if i am sure i will never push them to reference levels... What I like most about having outboard amplifiers, specifically my two Acurus amps, is the detail and bass drive they bring to the table at low to mid volumes. Of course the reference volume headroom they produce is very nice too. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K5SS Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I am all over the charts with my thoughts on amplifiers.. I have had quite a few Parasound and Emotiva amplifiers and I have noticed a difference and I have also not noticed a difference. I have loved some Denon and Marantz receivers but I always felt that their amps were a little weak and I added amps to cure those thoughts. I have also owned the I.C.E and D3 amps by Pioneer Elite and when I compared them to the Emotiva XPA-5, I couldn't tell a difference. I might be a little crazy though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 How about this. Get the 4520 cause it's a beast. Add the amp down the road if you think you need it. Bet you won't though. To get an equivalent model like the x4000 and have the same features your gonna spend 600ish. Can get the 4520 for 1000. 400$ difference. 4520 much more capable of the impedance dips on those two particular models. I've had tons of different amps. Only speakers I felt they were night and day better were the thx ultra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K5SS Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Yeah, the amps in the 4520 seem to be much more robust than the X4000. I had the x4000 and I added an amp because I felt the amps were anemic. Could have been me though, the X4000 is very well regarded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 What i understand is that the amp will help me get better lower frequencies at lower volumes... is that right? i will rarely turn them really up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) I used to think that until I had an Avs friend come over and make me do a blind test with my own gear. I couldn't tell my receiver from an xpa-2/5 combo I had. Amps are really only necessary if you NEED the power at higher volumes. My 4520 runs 7 speakers in a 12x23 room to 120db no problem. A 4520 will run three speakers all day and sound great doing it. Keeping things like dynamic eq on helps everything sound much more full at lower volumes also. Trust me you can't go wrong with the 4520. Edited October 16, 2015 by Scrappydue 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InVeNtOr Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 The easiest thing would be to get a good preamp and attach something like emotiva xpa3 with it(even though not available in my country and i would have to import it). This would yield the best results. Can you find an amp locally? agree ^^^^^ i have a LPA-1 that i bought first and used it to power my RF-7's and RC-7. i preferred the XPA-3 after the upgrade. the LPA-1 then powered the 4 surrounds. side note, a LPA-1 powering 3 speakers has more Watts per channel than a XPA-3. (still prefer the XPA-3....lol....) did i say i preferred the XPA-3? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) I've heard these speakers on a (msrp) $7,500 amp and $4,000 Marantz preamp, it was shocking before I even knew what it was hooked up to. As much as I'd like to believe that my receiver could hang with that, it just doesn't. Do a search for a thread called "DYNAMICS". Of course if you're just going to turn around and cross it over at 80 and listen at low volumes, you're giving up much of the advantage, but dynamics was still better. Edited October 16, 2015 by MetropolisLakeOutfitters 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) What i understand is that the amp will help me get better lower frequencies at lower volumes... is that right? i will rarely turn them really up... My experience, absolutely. Punchier, faster, more defined soundstage, are just a few ways to describe the difference when I added an outboard amp to my system. Now a lower level AVR(with preouts of course) with an amp may not yield such great results but an AVR with a better preamp section or a dedicated preamp/amp combo will usually have better performance even at lower volumes. Bill Edited October 16, 2015 by willland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted October 16, 2015 Moderators Share Posted October 16, 2015 What i understand is that the amp will help me get better lower frequencies at lower volumes... is that right? That is what my ears heard but for a long time, I ran my RF-83's at Full Range. By adding the amp, the bass was full and present even at low volume which was not the case with just the receiver. With just the receiver, I had to crank it up quite a bit to wake up the RF-83's. This was in a room with acoustic treatments and carpet for flooring so bass was not exagerated like you have with hardwood floors or tile. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapsnb01 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Again...want versus need. You will not find agreement on the forum as to whether an amp is definitely something you "need." With a 3.1 like you're planning, a flagship receiver is all that you really "need." Now, would an amp make things sound a little better...maybe/maybe not, and that's where you're finding the disagreements above ^^^. But do you "need" the amp...no. A strong receiver will provide you all the power that you "need" for your planned setup. But, there's that nagging set of "what if" questions that only you can decide on. If those are going to bug you, then by all means, get the pre/pro with an amp. If not, then get a high quality receiver and just enjoy it without worrying about the rest. A good quality receiver will get you 90%+ of the way there (and some of us may argue that it's even more than that). The other 10% (or less) you may or may not hear...as evidenced by the disagreement here in the forum. To a certain extent, we all hear what we want to hear, especially when it comes to our gear in our room. Go with what will make you happy with your gear in your room. Best wishes on the decision. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted October 16, 2015 Moderators Share Posted October 16, 2015 Wow Brian....very well said. Could not agree more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 Again...want versus need. You will not find agreement on the forum as to whether an amp is definitely something you "need." With a 3.1 like you're planning, a flagship receiver is all that you really "need." Now, would an amp make things sound a little better...maybe/maybe not, and that's where you're finding the disagreements above ^^^. But do you "need" the amp...no. A strong receiver will provide you all the power that you "need" for your planned setup. But, there's that nagging set of "what if" questions that only you can decide on. If those are going to bug you, then by all means, get the pre/pro with an amp. If not, then get a high quality receiver and just enjoy it without worrying about the rest. A good quality receiver will get you 90%+ of the way there (and some of us may argue that it's even more than that). The other 10% (or less) you may or may not hear...as evidenced by the disagreement here in the forum. To a certain extent, we all hear what we want to hear, especially when it comes to our gear in our room. Go with what will make you happy with your gear in your room. Best wishes on the decision. wow... awesome comment... well said and perfectly judged... i understand that the amp might be "very slightly" better and i of course don't "need" it... but that "itch" will always be there to get better and what not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Let me add again to all that has been said. If you lived in the US and you had access to the many many many outboard amps available on the used market for IMO, very little $$$, then I would definitely say go that route and try out a preamp/amp combo. Since you are not afforded that luxury the way most of us are, then a flagship AVR would be the place to start. Add an amp later if you choose. Bill 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InVeNtOr Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Again...want versus need. You will not find agreement on the forum as to whether an amp is definitely something you "need." With a 3.1 like you're planning, a flagship receiver is all that you really "need." Now, would an amp make things sound a little better...maybe/maybe not, and that's where you're finding the disagreements above ^^^. But do you "need" the amp...no. A strong receiver will provide you all the power that you "need" for your planned setup. But, there's that nagging set of "what if" questions that only you can decide on. If those are going to bug you, then by all means, get the pre/pro with an amp. If not, then get a high quality receiver and just enjoy it without worrying about the rest. A good quality receiver will get you 90%+ of the way there (and some of us may argue that it's even more than that). The other 10% (or less) you may or may not hear...as evidenced by the disagreement here in the forum. To a certain extent, we all hear what we want to hear, especially when it comes to our gear in our room. Go with what will make you happy with your gear in your room. Best wishes on the decision. AGREE^^^ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 Let me add again to all that has been said. If you lived in the US and you had access to the many many many outboard amps available on the used market for IMO, very little $$$, then I would definitely say go that route and try out a preamp/amp combo. Since you are not afforded that luxury the way most of us are, then a flagship AVR would be the place to start. Add an amp later if you choose. Bill i can import but that can make it more expensive so if i go the amp route then i would choose something that is available locally(which are the more expensive brands)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronH Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Does an SVS Ultra NEED a 1kw amp? They probably could have gotten away with putting the old 750w amp in there again, but felt like the 1000w amp was better. Same situation applies here. 120db clean vs 120db dirty are two different things IMO. Not all Db's are created equal. If you are going to spend the money to buy good speakers, get an AVR/Amp combo. . . .with the prices of a barely used amp these days, there's no reason not to. IMO of course 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) I said it before on the forum, I like amps and will keep them in the system. The Pioneer can pull around 270 watts into 4 ohm. I use an Acurus but, may not need it. I use the avr has a preamp and love the system that way. Some of this comes down to the way you want the sytem to look. I have a muscle system with lots of power amps. OP, figure out which signature look you want and go that direction. Edited October 17, 2015 by derrickdj1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 i am thinking of going with a power amp for now... many expensive brands are available but not cheap ones... i am thinking of rotel rmb-1585 or a parasound a31... which is better? both are expensive though, compared to emotiva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I think either of those choices will do more than enough to satisfy your amp fix. Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.