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Need advice for second amplifier for 7.1.4 Atmos HT setup


toomnymods

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After owning my receiver for about a week and playing some DTS-HD, and Dolby Atmos blu-rays I noticed I was only getting 5.1.4 out of my 11 channel receiver. I didn't realize that I would need a extra amp to get those extra two rear surrounds to play during the movies        

:(  Needless to say I was pretty ticked, lol Anyways I'm wanting something that either I can take most of the load off of this receiver and put all my front channels L/C/R and front atmos tower speakers onto this new amp. This would leave my Yamaha to amplify the side surrounds, rear surrounds and ceiling atmos speakers.

Any ideas of a super clean amp that'd work well with my Yamaha?

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B&K 200.3, Emotiva XPA-3 or Acurus A200x3, Parasound HCA-1203A would rock your front soundstage.

 

Do you think that would be the best thing to do youthman? take all the front speakers off of the Yamaha? wouldn't I need a 5 channel? or would you just leave the front atmos speakers on my towers playing on my Yamaha, but have the rest of the tower playing on the other amp?

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I'm sorry, I didn't see where you said "and my front atmos tower speakers). I thought you were looking for a 3ch amp.

Parasound HCA2205a (220x5), B&K 200.5 (200x5), or Emotiva XPA-5 would be great. I've owned the Parasound and the B&K 200.7 and they are rock solid.

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B&K 200.3, Emotiva XPA-3 or Acurus A200x3, Parasound HCA-1203A would rock your front soundstage.

 

Do you think that would be the best thing to do youthman? take all the front speakers off of the Yamaha? wouldn't I need a 5 channel? or would you just leave the front atmos speakers on my towers playing on my Yamaha, but have the rest of the tower playing on the other amp?

 

 

Though I am not Youthman, a 3-channel amp would work fine.  The majority of the load is on the L-C-R so a 3-channel amp "might" be a cheaper alternative to a 5-channel.  The Yamaha is plenty potent enough to drive the rest of the channels.

 

Bill

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How many speakers will your Yamaha drive? My Denon has the same issue. I have a 5.1.4 setup and use a small Emotiva integrated amp to drive two of my Atmos and receiver to drive the other 2 Atmos speakers and the XPA-5 to drive the main speakers. You can augment with a good used amp if you are only looking for the Atmos speakers.

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How many speakers will your Yamaha drive? My Denon has the same issue. I have a 5.1.4 setup and use a small Emotiva integrated amp to drive two of my Atmos and receiver to drive the other 2 Atmos speakers and the XPA-5 to drive the main speakers. You can augment with a good used amp if you are only looking for the Atmos speakers.

are you happy with your performance of the Emotiva Xpa-5? do you have the gen 2 or 3? whats the difference between the 2? looks like major power supply changes and the ability to add more channels at a later date if you'd want to upgrade it even further? if this is the case I could start out as a simple 3 channel emotive and eventually upgrade into a 5 channel in a year or so. Upgrading the amp is this something that is plug and play like installing a graphics card in a computer? just wondering if I'd have to send it in to get done or something I could do my self? this would play a major role in which amp I decide to buy.

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I just picked up a used pair of Crest Audio CM2208 amps... 200wpc x 8. They are $2700 new, but I found some on eBay for $295 each. The only downsides are Phoenix connectors, and fan noise. I swapped out the fans and they are pretty quiet now.

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Toomnymods - I have a Gen 2 XPA-5. I had a Gen 1 XPA-3. I like the Gen 2 better. I have looked a little at the GEN 3, but not a lot so I can't be much help with the differences. I really like it. The Ultra2s like the power, so it does make a difference. I have been really happy with the three Emotivas that I have owned. Good luck and let us know what you think of you get a Gen 3

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  • 3 weeks later...

Ordered me a Gen 3 Emotiva XPA-5 to power my L/C/R and side surrounds and plan to run my Yamaha on just the rear surrounds and all 4 Atmos speakers. This should give those speakers a little more wattage and give the Yamaha RX-A3050 a lot of headroom to perform a lot better.

Was able to pick this up from Emotiva for a nice discount over memorial day weekend :) Guess being prior military has its advantages sometimes :)

 

Next upgrades will be a nice 6' to 7' wide equipment console such as these.. Need something with good wire management and active cooling. Price is of no concern I want real wood, not some cheap particle wood, as most of the gear going on there will be very heavy. Both my receiver and amplifier are 45-50 lbs.

Here is some of the nice audio/video consoles I've found thus far but don't have experience with any of these.. Please let me know of the quality of these if any of you have used them before..

 

http://www.standoutdesigns.com/collections/media-consoles-stands-solid-wood-haven-ex-usa/products/media-console-solid-wood-haven-ex-82-inch-wide

 

http://www.studiotech.com/ultra-detail-1.html

 

http://www.amazon.com/Salamander-Designs-SB337C-Synergy-Cabinet/dp/B004UR4EZ6/ref=pd_sim_sbs_23_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=41VKvry84RL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0P7A35KZKSV2WZWGH5Q5

 

http://www.amazon.com/BDI-Avion-8927-Entertainment-Espresso/dp/B002M8JNX8/ref=pd_sim_sbs_23_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=315I%2BgFxjbL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=16G299B83H50AFFTW9C4

 

 

Active cooling upgrade for the salamander cabinets

http://www.amazon.com/Salamander-Designs-SA-XR20-AC/dp/B002AMNK62/ref=pd_sim_sbs_23_8?ie=UTF8&dpID=317yg35JRUL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1SHNJPZ8HB2X6YK72EYK

 

After that is bought I plan on upgrading to atleast 1 and possibly 2 SVS PB13 Ultras

https://www.svsound.com/products/pb13-ultra

 

Then lastly I plan to do a lot of acoustic remedies for my living room to hopefully trap most of the bass in the room and keep the neighbors happy. Also need to put up some sort of acoustic panels to keep the reflections down. I don't have any experience in this so will definatly need help with this area.

Edited by toomnymods
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I'll tell you I love the look and idea of the salamander designs. Saw them in person. Absolute junk. They buzz and rattle of you have REAL subwoofers. And I see your planning on buying a couple. If price were no object, no questions about it I would get the standout design. 100% hardwood and made in the us. As another vet I appreciate that kind of thing.

As for Svs subs, i used to own a pair and have moved on from them. They are not the cream of the crop anymore. Their is Better subs out there for sure.

Everyone on this forum made the pb-13 ultra sound like it was the best sub on the planet. So I bought two. Then moved back to the Midwest and started hanging out with Avs guys. Heard ones like the seaton submersive, JTR S2, JTR orbit shifter. Every single one of those will put a spanking on the Svs. Period.

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man the Seaton submersive looks very very nice for the price.. If I wanted 2 15" subs which model would you go with? looks like they have some in single enclosures and some with dual drivers. Isn't it better to have subs on opposite ends of the room to keep the sound from being able to tell where it's coming from? I have enough room for 2 15" subs on opposite ends of room in opposite corners :) For barely being priced more than the SVS I agree with you 2 15's on 4000 watts should definatly get down,lol

Edited by toomnymods
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You can do the master slave option for not much more than a pair of Svs ultras. You can call and talk to mark he might even offer free shipping for a "veteran discount".

They all have two 15's. The f2 is just upright and a different foot print. The regular submersive is dual opposed. I've seen them both but only heard the regular model. The one single I heard in a room twice the size of mine sounded better and had more output then my dual Svs ultras. That's why I ditched them and went bigger.

I guess model would depend on budget and the look you wanted. I personally think the F2 looks tougher. Both you can get gorgeous finishes on.

Edited by Scrappydue
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