Atomic4877 Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 (edited) I am currently running my 7.1.4 system off a Denon x6500h for my surrounds and height channels and running my c, r, l channels off an Emotiva a-5175. I can get a good deal on a NAD t-977 and was thinking about switching. I would run all seven floor channels off it and have the x6500h run just the heights. Per the specs I would be losing about 15 watts per c, r ,l speaker but gain quite a bit for the rest of the channels. I just wanted some opinions on how much of a difference this upgrade would be? I know NAD is highly regarded and oftentimes can output more than their specs. The N-977 is 140 x 7 at 8 ohms and the Emotiva is 125 x 5 channels driven at 8 ohms. I use the system for 100% movies and my room is 14x16. We sit about 9’ away from the front stage. My speakers are: RP-8000F x 2 RP-504C RP-502S Side Surrounds RP-500M Rear Surrounds RP-500SA x4 height channels SPL-150 Subwoofer Edited April 11, 2020 by Atomic4877 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 Both those amps are d/c'd so deals are out there. The NAD is 7 channel and the Emo Bas-x is 5 channel. I'd get the Nad. Your Denon is pretty strong. Whichever amp you get I would suggest you run the amp in L/C/R to maximize dynamic headroom in the amp. The Nad is rated 140 wpc all channels driven. I would bet that if you only drove 3 channels you would get 180 wpc. Then let your highly capable 6500 run the surrounds and Atmos, which doesn't use nearly as much power as the the L/C/R does. I run an Emotiva XPA-5 200 wpc all channels driven and use three channels for the L/C/R which makes 250 wpc available for the power hungry CF-4's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 9 hours ago, Atomic4877 said: I am currently running my 7.1.4 system off a Denon x6500h for my surrounds and height channels and running my c, r, l channels off an Emotiva a-5175. I can get a good deal on a NAD t-977 and was thinking about switching. I would run all seven floor channels off it and have the x6500h run just the heights. What do you mean by "good deal"? If no issues with the Emo, IMO, no real need to change unless the good deal is an insane deal. The Denon should have an easy time with the rear surrounds and Atmos speakers. 9 hours ago, Atomic4877 said: Per the specs I would be losing about 15 watts per c, r ,l speaker but gain quite a bit for the rest of the channels. The NAD has gobs of dynamic headroom for transients so it may even seem more powerful than the Emo. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic4877 Posted April 11, 2020 Author Share Posted April 11, 2020 (edited) After selling my Emo and getting the T977 from a friend, it will essentially be less than $250 bucks to upgrade. When comparing the T-977 to lets say the Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 3, which I have heard at a coworkers and sounds fantastic, how would it compare? I have read lots of info that NAD is very conservative with their numbers and oftentimes they pack a punch that rivals much more powerful amps. Edited April 11, 2020 by Atomic4877 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 11 minutes ago, Atomic4877 said: After selling my Emo and getting the T977 from a friend, it will essentially be less than $250 bucks to upgrade. I probably would make the change also. 12 minutes ago, Atomic4877 said: When comparing the T-977 to lets say the Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 3, which I have heard at a coworkers and sounds fantastic, how would it compare? Can't say for sure because I have never heard either one. 12 minutes ago, Atomic4877 said: I have read lots of info that NAD is very conservative with their numbers and oftentimes they pack a punch that rivals much more powerful amps. They do. Dynamic headroom galore. Below is a good explanation why. The T 977 employs unique NAD technologies to reportedly maximize performance and the listening experience while minimizing damage to your speakers. PowerDrive nearly doubles the effective power on transients by adding a second high-voltage rail to a well regulated, high-current power supply. The result is an "overdrive" that can nearly double the continuous power on a short- term, dynamic power basis. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic4877 Posted April 11, 2020 Author Share Posted April 11, 2020 47 minutes ago, willland said: Can't say for sure because I have never heard either one. They do. Dynamic headroom galore. Below is a good explanation why. The T 977 employs unique NAD technologies to reportedly maximize performance and the listening experience while minimizing damage to your speakers. PowerDrive nearly doubles the effective power on transients by adding a second high-voltage rail to a well regulated, high-current power supply. The result is an "overdrive" that can nearly double the continuous power on a short- term, dynamic power basis. Bill I if there would be any noticeable difference in power/sound quality between the NAD conservatively rated at 140x7 channels vs the XPA-7 Gen 3’s 200x7. The only thing I am considering other than the NAD would be to upgrade to the XPA-7 later this year. I want to make sure that my 8000f are getting plenty of power and my bed channels are all on the same amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 Either amp will provide gobs of power that you most likely will never "need". I have been powering my RF-63/RC-64/RS-35s family room rig with Acurus 200w/ch amps for somewhere near 10 years now and have been more than pleased. With that said, I once had an older NAD 925THX(125w/ch x 5) driving this same system and believe me it was not short of power or dynamics. The NAD punched much harder than it's rated weight class. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 (edited) Russound 16 Channel Amp Edited April 11, 2020 by Sancho Panza D1650, D850 8 Channel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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