JBP Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 I'm going to be purchasing an amp in the near future but I'm not sure how many channels I should go with. My receiver is rated at 100 wpc and I'm planning on letting it take care of the surround channels. I'm getting either the B&K 200.2 or 200.3, just not sure which configuration would work best. Is 100 watts enough to run an RC-7 or does it need more? Would it work best to let the RF-7's have a dedicated amp? 200.2 for RF-7's or 200.3 for RC-7 and RF-7's? It will be sometime before I'm able to upgrade to additional amp or amps for the remaining channels so I want the go with the option that I'll be happy with, performance wise, for an extended period. Thanks for your opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 Just for consistency's sake, I'd power all 3 front channels with the same amp (or 3 identical monoblocks). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 go ahead and post your room dimensions, music tastes and the components of your home movie and music reproduction system in your Forum profile that way, we can look it up anytime we provide expert advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBP Posted June 7, 2004 Author Share Posted June 7, 2004 I put the information on my system profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 Thanks, even in a room that big, 100 watts should be plenty, but yes, dedicated amplifiers will sound better, though you may only notice it during loud and deep passages Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 I agree with DougDrake to the respect that you should have similar sounding amps running your front three. However, according to B&K, their 125 and 200 watt models sound similar sonically until you start getting into the mid-upper range of the 200 watter. Therefore..... You could run a 200.2 for your RF-7s, and a 125.3 for you RC-7, and two of your RB-75s. Then run 100 watt for your remaining RB-75s (rear center, I presume) or a 125.5 for the remaining shooting match. Two reasons. First, I like running a separate amp for my RF-7s. It improves their sound marginally by doing so, but it also allows you just to power up one amp, when listening to two-channel. Second, I think the RF-7s benefit from running a 200 watt amp. You do not need all of the amp, but the extra headroom helps the bass response. That way, with your RF-7s putting out decent bass, you should not need two PB2+s, even for that size of room. One hundred watts, of Pioneer Elite watts, may not give you all of the headroom you need for that center speaker. Of course, running a 200.3 amp for all three fronts is not a bad idea. I just question the ability of your 100 watter to keep up with the mains (at least if/when two RB-75s are running in five channel music, SACD, DVD-Audio). Of course, these are just some thoughts. I could be wrong. Are you going to run the Pioneer as a pre/pro or upgrade that as well? Carl. P.S. You may want to look up SteelerFan's recent posts regarding his new B&K 200.5. He's running it with another pre/pro with his RF-7s and really likes it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBP Posted June 7, 2004 Author Share Posted June 7, 2004 I would like to eventually upgrade to a higher end pre-pro but I think I'll be stuck with the Pioneer for quite a while. I'm leaning towards the 200.3 just because I think it will have a longer shelf life, since I may not be able to purchase another amp right away. I would hate to get the 200.2 and immediately notice that the center was lacking but not have the funds to do anything about it. I will mainly be using this set-up for movies, so do you still think the 100 wpc would be insufficient for the surrounds? Thanks for the opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelerFan Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 B&K would be a good choice. My suggestion would be to try and have the same amount of power for your center as your mains if you're heavily into home theater. I say that because the center channel does most of the work during movies. The 200.3 would work great for that. If 2 channel is more your thing then as Carl says, a 200.2 for your mains and to save money over the 200.3, a 125.3 would work fine for occasional movie watching. I originally tried going with 2 amps myself but had hum problems with both and decided simpler would be better in my case and ended up with the 200.5. I also like the idea of having some space left in my rack for future equipment expansions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 With mainly HT in mind, John's suggestion for a 200.3 is probably the best one. The pioneer's 100 watts per should be enough to drive your side and rear surrounds. Just be forewarned, the RB-75s make really nice surrounds, and eventually you will want to get into multi-channel music with at least two of them. But, cross that bridge much later when you get there. Carl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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