RoboKlipsch Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 12 minutes ago, fuzzydog said: How well does a pro amp work for your mains? I've no doubt that it provides the power, but i'd wonder how it compares to more home theater/audiophile oriented amps in other parameters. That's a good question for sure. I have the pro amps, and have heard many people's consumer versions that are designed for quiet use etc. I did a bit of research before moving forward. The INUKE amps are usually used in HT for subs, but many people and lots of DJ types use them for their main speakers. The issue with the INUKE amps is you can't use them at 2 or 4ohms and get flat response from 20 to 20khz. The roll off in the high end. The 8 ohm output though is flat past 20khz, and digs plenty low as we know from using them with subs. So that was the one concern I had that I was able to address after reading enough and finding some bench tests people did at 8 Ohms. Distortion was excellent also and under 0.1% range up through most of its output. The INUKE has DSP, which could be accomodated with a consumer amp with a miniDSP, if desired. The consumer amps have dead quiet fans, and that is a very nice feature. What happens when you add an external amp? In my opinion, if you listen at medium high volume or higher, you will notice a dramatic difference in the "attack" of sounds i.e. instruments, sound effects and explosions. I believe I can hear better separation of instruments and sounds. The difference is definitely big enough that it is instantly noticeable. That is just my experience. I could easily see many people adding external amps and noticing no difference...it would depend really upon how loud you listen and what content. It is important enough imo that it warrants serious consideration. I don't think there's any real reason to get an INUKE for this and would steer towards consumer. In my particular case, I built MBMs to sit on the floor by the mains to achieve flatter response in the mid-bass, and to integrate with the mains requires DSP delays...so it was either this setup, or consumer with a miniDSP. I could switch and may some day, but see no reason to now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novisnick Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Love me some Yamaha Burr-Brown Baby!! But I do add external amps for two channel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzydog Posted August 1, 2017 Author Share Posted August 1, 2017 Just received this B&K AV125.5 power amplifier to try out in my HT. It'll be a few days before I can get it hooked up, but I can hardly wait. The power supply is way beyond anything I've ever seen in a receiver. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teaman Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Yeah, that transformer is pretty big. Keep us posted once you get er going! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 20 hours ago, fuzzydog said: Just received this B&K AV125.5 power amplifier to try out in my HT. It'll be a few days before I can get it hooked up, but I can hardly wait. When I first added an outboard amp(B&K Reference 4430) to my AVR(Onkyo TX-SR705) in my main HT rig, the difference was immediately noticed, at low and high volumes. 20 hours ago, fuzzydog said: The power supply is way beyond anything I've ever seen in a receiver. Only a select few AVRs have been equipped with power supplies that approach or surpass what is in your B&K. Bill 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoboKlipsch Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 I completely agree with Willand that I noticed the difference instantly and even at lower volume. Good luck it should be fun to implement. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiet_Hollow Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 The old man wrote about this. It's not a race to strap into as much power as possible. In HT, almost all the power gets routed to the sub. That's smart money. That's also where the majority of time researching proper equipment selection and setup (types, room interaction, crossover/filter theory) should be spent. Not all of it of course, but in large part. It really pays to try to understand how the equipment can be made to fight itself or work together in concert. Advanced DSP and digital signal routing are also a wild card here. These features can easily make or break a system...often times with a simple push of a button. Not all AVRs are created equal, and not all power amps are silver bullets simply because they are discrete. As was said before, with HT it's about obtaining synergy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novisnick Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Nice, like the looks of your B&K. Heres a little eye candy 1750 watts @4ohms Emotiva XPR-1 Monoblock 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teaman Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Amp porn! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loudly Does It Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 If you're happy with it, that should be enough. IMHO! Before dropping money on another amp, how is your listening environment? Room acoustics have a big effect on your system. I thought my system wasn't "loud" enough either. I have a Pioneer Elite receiver. I did some research and asked around here and after some recommendations, I set up a few panels to catch my first reflections, ran MCAAC again and the difference was like night and day. I just added some felt pads under my center and mains, I have tile floors and the center sits on a mahogany table, and while the audio didn't get any clearer this time, I am hearing so much more detail than even before. I experimented with a few scenes from the Transformers movies and they sound like different movies now. Not trying to talk you out of buying an amp. if that's what you want. I get it, a man has to have his toys, but if money might be a concern, there are cheaper alternatives. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novisnick Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 2 hours ago, Loudnobnoxious said: If you're happy with it, that should be enough. IMHO! Before dropping money on another amp, how is your listening environment? Room acoustics have a big effect on your system. I thought my system wasn't "loud" enough either. I have a Pioneer Elite receiver. I did some research and asked around here and after some recommendations, I set up a few panels to catch my first reflections, ran MCAAC again and the difference was like night and day. I just added some felt pads under my center and mains, I have tile floors and the center sits on a mahogany table, and while the audio didn't get any clearer this time, I am hearing so much more detail than even before. I experimented with a few scenes from the Transformers movies and they sound like different movies now. Not trying to talk you out of buying an amp. if that's what you want. I get it, a man has to have his toys, but if money might be a concern, there are cheaper alternatives. I agree! Room treatment is a must before spending money on almost anything else. Best dollar you can spend. Reflection, defraction and absorbers aren't just pretty words. Learn what they do and how to achieve. They will pay dividends beyond belief. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzydog Posted August 6, 2017 Author Share Posted August 6, 2017 Well I spent an hour crouched behind my tv console rewiring everything and have been rewarded with buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz through all channels powered by the B&K. It's quite loud. Pretty sure I have a grounding issue, but no idea how to resolve it. I've already unplugged my cable coaxial to no effect. The buzz is worse when the amp for my DIY sub is turned on. Let me know what you guys suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiva Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 See if you have a cheater plug to help find out if you have a ground loop issue or get one from the nearest hardware store if not. Try it out on the amp and see if the hum goes away. It is generally not for full time use as the amp will no longer be grounded but is a nice tool for discovery. cheater plug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 Big difference between buzz and hum...... Hum is typically a ground issue and is at 60hZ I dealt with the hum when I connected two different systems into the L & R inputs on my subs. PITA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstrickland1 Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 I have 2 B&K amps and they hum like hell unless I use balanced input/cables Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzydog Posted August 6, 2017 Author Share Posted August 6, 2017 13 minutes ago, USNRET said: Big difference between buzz and hum...... This is a buzz coming through the tweeters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzydog Posted August 6, 2017 Author Share Posted August 6, 2017 7 minutes ago, wstrickland1 said: I have 2 B&K amps and they hum like hell unless I use balanced input/cables That's a bummer, my receiver doesn't have balanced outputs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstrickland1 Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 They did it with every pre-amp and processor I ever had to; McIntosh C2500, various receivers and even a matching B&K Reference 50. Tried balanced cables after 8 years of living with it and bingo. It was a buzzy hum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzydog Posted August 7, 2017 Author Share Posted August 7, 2017 I think I'm going to test it in my family room system to rule out any interference from other components or wiring in my HT. As it stands, the buzzing overcomes any other sound quality improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstrickland1 Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 Have you tried to disconnect everything except the speakers? I'd be curious to know if it buzzed with just the speakers hooked up and no inputs. That will at least tell you if it's the amp or a ground loop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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