Do I need a seperate amp?

firefighterchri · Jun 2, 2005

I have been reading a bunch here and have learned alot. What I am trying to figure out now is if I need a seperate amp for my system? First off I don't listen to my music or watch movies very loud, although there are times when I crank it up for a song or 2 or for a movie that seems to rock. My living room is not big at all (14X14). Right now I have the following RTI12's for the front, RTI4's for the surround, CSI5 for the center, and a PSW505 subwoofer. All are Polk Audio. They are powered by a Yamaha RXV2500 receiver. Will adding a seperate amp make any difference and if so how would I configure it? What speakers would go to which amp?

Polk Audio
Rti 12’s (front)
Rti 4’s (rear surround)
Csi 5 (center)
PSW 505 (subwoofer)
50” Sony Grand Wega LCD projection
Yamaha RXV2500 receiver
Sony DVP725P DVD player
Dish network 811 HDTV receiver
Sony Playstation 2

dillweed · Jun 2, 2005

Firefighter - Wow... is this the same person who just two days ago said the following on a RTi12 vs Rti8 thread:

"I have to tell you you will not go wrong with the RTI12's. But, you will definately need some power for them. I originally had the 10's and returned them for the 12's, not because of sound quality but because of price. I was getting more speaker for a little bit more money. I have only had my 12's about 2 weeks now with about 40 hours on them and they sound awesome!! The bass is good enough thru them to run without a sub as they go to 30HZ. I use a Yamaha rxv2500 receiver with 130 watts per chanel and it drives them without a problem. Great bass, mids, and highs. Hope this helped."

"I use my one receiver and that is it, I don't have a separate amp. I may decide to later if I get a bigger room that I will need to fill but for now it is perfect."

Some advise - When someone comes to audioholics or any other forum be careful not mislead them like you did here.

sjdgpt · Jun 2, 2005

firefighterchri said:
I have been reading a bunch here and have learned alot. What I am trying to figure out now is if I need a seperate amp for my system? First off I don't listen to my music or watch movies very loud, although there are times when I crank it up for a song or 2 or for a movie that seems to rock. My living room is not big at all (14X14). Right now I have the following RTI12's for the front, RTI4's for the surround, CSI5 for the center, and a PSW505 subwoofer. All are Polk Audio. They are powered by a Yamaha RXV2500 receiver. Will adding a seperate amp make any difference and if so how would I configure it? What speakers would go to which amp?

Polk Audio
Rti 12’s (front)
Rti 4’s (rear surround)
Csi 5 (center)
PSW 505 (subwoofer)
50” Sony Grand Wega LCD projection
Yamaha RXV2500 receiver
Sony DVP725P DVD player
Dish network 811 HDTV receiver
Sony Playstation 2

The short answer is ..... NO

Your receiver is got enough power for your speakers and your room size to generate ear bleed volumes.

But, if that aint loud enough for you, just remember basic audio rules.

In order to have a minimal audible difference (+3db), you must double the power. That means you would have to buy a 200wpc or larger amp, JUST TO BARELY HEAR a difference.

Buckeyefan 1 · Jun 2, 2005

Try this

Fire,

Try this. Unhook your jumpers on your towers. Now connect your two speaker wires to the bottom only. Now you are powering the Polk 7" subs. Put your two RTi4's on top of the Rti12's and power them using your "B" option on the amp. Compare the sound for two channel audio without your sub. If your system sounds better, then you will benefit from adding a separate amp to power your 7" Polk woofers.

If you want a real amp, get these class A Levinsons and hook the pair up to your RTi12's. I guarantee you'll hear a difference. No bi-amping needed.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67786&item=5778526045&rd=1

If that doesn't work, try this one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=23787&item=7327357969&rd=1

firefighterchri · Jun 3, 2005

Thanks buckeye and sjdgpt for your input. dillweed, that is correct I did write that 2 days ago. And I didn't mislead anybody, I don't know where you get that from. I simply stated that yes my system is great right now the way it is and I beleive I have plenty of power to power them but,was wondering out of curiousity if it would benefit any if I added a seperate amp and Is it worth the extra cash for the difference in quality! I like many others on here, are always looking to BETTER our systems. And I still stand behind what I said about the speakers but, then again everybody has a right to their own opinions.

avliner · Jun 3, 2005

Denon x Yamaha

Hi all,

just tell you that I'm improving my knowledge on an everyday-basis, just by reading this fantastic forum.

I have a question regarding the 2 "most wanted" receivers in the moment; i.e., Denon AVR-3805 & Yammie RX-V2500.

I'm willing to upgrade my system in the future. Just to mention, my current gears are:

Denon AVR - 2803 receiver
JBL mains (L/R) ND 310 speakers
JBL surround & surround back N28 speakers
JBL studio S - center speaker
JBL sub woofer PB 12
(JBL mains & surrounds belongs to the Northridge Series, while the center is from Studio Series e the sub from Powerbass Series).

Such combination really rocks the house. My listening room is small; just 20 x 9', but I'm sure if I had a much bigger area, the Denon would manange, easily.

I'm fully satisfied with the system, but I was wondering, in case of an upgrade, which one to choose from.

According to the Audioholics Review, the Denon wins over the Yammie for a very tight margin. In other hand, if you consider the specs, the Yammie is the winner and cheaper. Seems to be a difficult choice, indeed.

The logical decision lies over the Yammie (THX badge, free mike, more power, for less money).

To be honest, I'm bit afraid of moving away from Denon, which has proven to be quite reliable one, after several years, with different gears.
Another point that makes me wonder is the fact that the Yammie seems to be much more sensible for heating issues. Never read about a Denon heating issues...

Any comments will be most appreciated.

Regards.
Avliner

Buckeyefan 1 · Jun 3, 2005

avliner said:
Hi all,

just tell you that I'm improving my knowledge on an everyday-basis, just by reading this fantastic forum.

I have a question regarding the 2 "most wanted" receivers in the moment; i.e., Denon AVR-3805 & Yammie RX-V2500.

I'm willing to upgrade my system in the future. Just to mention, my current gears are:

Denon AVR - 2803 receiver
JBL mains (L/R) ND 310 speakers
JBL surround & surround back N28 speakers
JBL studio S - center speaker
JBL sub woofer PB 12
(JBL mains & surrounds belongs to the Northridge Series, while the center is from Studio Series e the sub from Powerbass Series).

Such combination really rocks the house. My listening room is small; just 20 x 9', but I'm sure if I had a much bigger area, the Denon would manange, easily.

I'm fully satisfied with the system, but I was wondering, in case of an upgrade, which one to choose from.

According to the Audioholics Review, the Denon wins over the Yammie for a very tight margin. In other hand, if you consider the specs, the Yammie is the winner and cheaper. Seems to be a difficult choice, indeed.

The logical decision lies over the Yammie (THX badge, free mike, more power, for less money).

To be honest, I'm bit afraid of moving away from Denon, which has proven to be quite reliable one, after several years, with different gears.
Another point that makes me wonder is the fact that the Yammie seems to be much more sensible for heating issues. Never read about a Denon heating issues...

Any comments will be most appreciated.

Regards.
Avliner

AV,

IMO, there is very little to gain from going from a 2803 to a 3805. A good friend of mine has the 2803 and was thinking about upgrading to the 3805. He is driving a 7.1 Paradigm setup. After many days of demo'g with him, we agreed it would not be that much of an upgrade other than some more flexibility on the back end. I'd hang on to your 2803 until Denon comes out with something that screams everyone must have it. A more logical upgrade may be a separate two channel amp to your mains if you are driving demanding towers.

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