kelA Posted June 29, 2005 Share Posted June 29, 2005 I was thinking of picking up a 3 channel, 200 watt amp from either Adcom or B&K (if B&K still makes a 3 channel)to power my front 3 speakers (RF-3II & RC-7). Any other recommendations in the $1000-1200 range. I want to use my Denon 2805 as a pre/pro, and to power the 2 rear surrounds. Since the Denon is only 100 watts, will I have a hard time integrating this with the seperate amp? Will my front soundstage overpower my surrounds, or will I have to really boost the rears to compensate? What are your guys' experience with this type of setup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted June 29, 2005 Share Posted June 29, 2005 If you like the sound of your Denon try a Denon POA-8300 it is a 3-channel amp and you could probably get it for a good price since I think that it is no longer in production. The power difference with a larger amp can be compensated for with the receiver's individual channel gains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelA Posted June 29, 2005 Author Share Posted June 29, 2005 Thanks for the quick reply. I saw one listed on ebay, but it is only 120 watts not much more than what my receiver is putting out. I would like a amp with a little more headroom. Or do you think it wouldn't blend very well having two different brands of amps running front, and rears. I think a lot of the people on here buy a separate amp to drive ALL channels. Am I barking up the wrong tree to split the amp duties with differing MFG? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 It's no problem to mix and match manufacturer's. You don't need more than 120W across the front, an outboard power amplifier is going to make the internal amps in that receiver sound as if they were sick. It is rated at 120W minimum and probably puts out more than that. I am sure it also has dynamic headroom to spare as well. If you really think you need megawatts across the front go for it! My amps are configurable and I tried running them at 400W X 2 but they sound so much cleaner and noise free when running them at 100W X 4. Klipsch speakers are efficient and you are not going to be using more than a few watts on average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckears Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 keIA, I am going to offer up a name of brand of amplifier that, when coupled with Klipsch speakers, has brought tears to my eyes on some of my better recordings. McCormack (not to be confused with McIntosh) makes some of the sweetest sounding solid-state amplifiers I have ever heard. They have made two different 3-channel amps; the HT1 and the HT3... I have the HT1 for my Forte-Academy front soundstage, and it is glorious. The HT3 is the current-production unit, and has a more modern appearance than the HT1, but you cannot go wrong with either unit. I recommend that you take a look at the reviews for the McCormack brand amplifiers on audioreview.com, and google some more. I had a Rotel 1095 for about a year, having given up a McCormack DNA1-Deluxe (2-channel) when I expanded my system to include home theater... the Rotel was a solid performer, but never brought the performance to my house. I sold the Rotel, and came up with the McCormack HT1 and DNA 0.5 for my five channels, and I am once again experiencing bliss with all my recordings. BTW, I picked up my HT1 for around your $1200 budget; if you are patient, you should be able to snag one on the used market, but it might take some time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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