bertsummerkids Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 I have a denon 3802 with reference rf3, rc3 rs3 and ksw12. I want to use the denon as the preamp and separate amps for more power. My 2 options are the Aragon 2005 5channel amp rated at 200 watts per channel or using 3 B&K 2 channel amps rated at 200 watts per channel I will be using them for home theater and listening to cds at equal frequency.. Will the multiple 2 channel amps sound better than the multichannel amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jheis Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 My vote is for the 3 B&K separates -it never hurts to have an additonal two channel amp at your disposal & B&K amps are sweet with Klipsch. I don't have any experience with the 3802, but was very disappointed with the sound quality of a Denon AVR-1804. Since it sounds like you're prepared to spend some coin, you might consider a better pre/processer. It made a HUGE difference in my system. James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 I believe that you will be better off using three two channel amps. I used a receiver as a processor to a multi channel McIntosh MC206 amp and then switched to McIntosh MC202 two channel amps. The two channel amps sound a lot better then the Multi channel amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 Have you seen the insides of the Aragon 2005 or 2007? I would go with the B&K's hands down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 ---------------- On 1/24/2005 2:15:35 AM bertsummerkids wrote: I have a denon 3802 with reference rf3, rc3 rs3 and ksw12. I want to use the denon as the preamp and separate amps for more power. My 2 options are the Aragon 2005 5channel amp rated at 200 watts per channel or using 3 B&K 2 channel amps rated at 200 watts per channel I will be using them for home theater and listening to cds at equal frequency.. Will the multiple 2 channel amps sound better than the multichannel amp ---------------- All things being equal (quality of the amplifiers), it is always better to go with separates amplifiers over multichannel amps. The biggest reason is the number of power supplies. Your 3 B&K amps will have 3 power supplies to give you a "true" 200 watts per channel. Even though aragon makes a very fine amplifier, it still only contains one power supply for all five of it's channels. 5 x 200 watts = 1000 watts. Since Aragon is a standard SS design (non-digital), it might be 50% efficient in converting wall current to power to your speakers. At that effiency level, you would need 2000 watts of power to hit full power on all channels. A standard 15 amp circuit will only give you 1800 watts. (A 20 amp circuit can provide up to 2400 watts). Many will point out that you will probably not need 200 watts simultaneously on all of your channels, but separate amplifiers are still the best way to go esp. if you are considering multichannel SACD and/or DVD-audio music discs. Another consideration is that in the future you can always upgrade one of the amplifiers to higher quality amp for your mains for two channel listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 I use a Denon 3801 as a preamp along with an Acurus 125x5 and an Acurus 100x3. I have Klipsch Synergy Premiere speakers. The amps drive the speakers to higher levels than ever necessary, and the sound is clean at any level. I think either choice you make will drive your current speakers or any Klipsch speakers easily. My amps never even get warm, even after hours of use. I would be more concerned about the sound of the amps that you choose complementing the speakers you will use. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkot Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 ---------------- On 1/24/2005 7:59:45 AM minn_male42 wrote: 5 x 200 watts = 1000 watts. Since Aragon is a standard SS design (non-digital), it might be 50% efficient in converting wall current to power to your speakers. At that effiency level, you would need 2000 watts of power to hit full power on all channels. A standard 15 amp circuit will only give you 1800 watts. (A 20 amp circuit can provide up to 2400 watts). ---------------- yes three amps are better than one, for all of the above reasons minn_male also makes a valid point! make sure your electrical is up to the task of powering the amps before i upgraded to dedicated circuits for my multi amp system i could hear the breaker getting hot long before it blew!! jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMcGoo Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 A six or seven channel amp is not the way to go as already pointed out. On the other hand, a five channel and a two channel amp is an option. The two channel amp drives the mains and the five channel drives the center and surrounds. The big amp drives the center where 75% of the sound goes, and has to send very little power to the surrounds. So, the big power supply goes to the channel that will use it. The point about the limitations of power availble in home systems is an important one. I use amps that waste very little power because I would have a difficult time adding another 20 amp circuit. There are several designs that work well. I elected to go with Sunfire amps because of low power consumption and low heat production. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.