manufanatic Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 Hello i have a yamaha 3090 which has an internal amp capable of 80 watts per channel over 5 channels. I was considering upgrading the amp then i decided to purchase a seperate amp and now i must decide to go with either a 3 channel or 5 channel amp. Is it smarter to use the internal surround amp and go with an external amp to power the front soundstage or go with a 5 channel amp. thoughts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 Guess it depends on the amps. If you would spend the same amount for a 3-channel as you would a 5-channel, I'd go for the (presumably) higher quality 3-channel amp and let the receiver drive the rears. Mine is set up that way - an Acurus 200x3 for the fronts and my Denon 3300 for the rears. But, if you can swing a high-quality 5-channel amp, go for it! DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 I would replace the receiver. The front speakers do not require much power as you are only driving the upper end of the RP's. The other speakers should be set 'small' in your receiver's bass management. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manufanatic Posted January 20, 2003 Author Share Posted January 20, 2003 Its not really a receiver as it has no tuner section but i get your point are you recommending seperates like Rotel or parasound for instance or just getting a newer reciever such as the pioneer elite 47 49 or rotel 1055 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manufanatic Posted January 20, 2003 Author Share Posted January 20, 2003 ---------------- On 1/20/2003 2:53:43 AM dougdrake wrote: Guess it depends on the amps. If you would spend the same amount for a 3-channel as you would a 5-channel, I'd go for the (presumably) higher quality 3-channel amp and let the receiver drive the rears. Mine is set up that way - an Acurus 200x3 for the fronts and my Denon 3300 for the rears. But, if you can swing a high-quality 5-channel amp, go for it! DD ---------------- Doug what is a fair price on the Acurus 3 channel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 Hard to say - one man's fortune is anothers chump change... I paid about $600 for mine, brand new from UBID, when Klipsch bought Mondial and disco'd the line. I don't think I've seen used ones go for less, but I haven't been watching for a while. They were about $1400 new, if I recall correctly. There's one on Ebay with a BIN of $750, and this is their original version. It was replaced by the A200x3 (the one I have). You can tell the difference because the A models have an oval cutout in the faceplate that spans most of the width of the unit. Here's an A200x5 that didn't sell on Ebay - maybe the seller is more motivated now. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3000552294&category=14973 And here's an A200x3 that didn't sell either: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1949919064&category=14973 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 PWK found his audio highs with a three-channel stereo rig of a pair of Klipschorns with a Belle in the middle. Optomizing three-channel stereo is a whole different kettle of fish than the ones that get fried into five or six channel sound... especially when their task is to turn an appetising DVD movie into a delicious audio main course. While one can find a neat five or six channel audio experience worthwhile from time-to-time, surround sound really comes into its own on a well mixed DVD movie. Separates, particularly the tube variety, go well with horns... especially fully horn-loaded Heritage designs, but the ability to an up-to-date receiver to play 6.1 formatted DVD's or turn 5.1 DVD's into discrete 6.1 fare brings a wonderful dimension to movie enjoyment... particularly when there's an adequate subwoofer array to scrape bottom. Perhaps the future will bring more preamps that will allow optomising the channels used for the best rendition of a particular DVD, CD, SACD, etc., etc. The wide variety of "sound pictures" that can be created by artful mixers with five or six full-range channels at their beck and call make the future of audio in our lifetime a truly great adventure from Hope... to Indy... and beyond. =HornEd PS: The point was supposed to be that set up your rig to take advantage of the best the changing audio world can serve up... and that means being able to handle everything from three-channel stereo to a full blown 6.1 (or above) video enhanced shoot-out. There has never been a time when getting the best out of a given format had so many fine alternatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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