5 Channel Amp, teach me...

[ryounglaw]

I have Denon 2809ci, with 115 watts per channel why upgrade to a amp with the same or less power. Is the Denon estimation BS. I have spent a ton o $$ over the past few months upgrading almost everything. My last piece is the Amp. I am going to wait a while but i need to learn. What are my options and what companies should I be looking at. I really would like to be around or below $1k if possible. But as with all things HT I may spend more to have something that will last a long time. Finally, I assume that when you add an amp the power from the receive does not add to the power of the amp, correct, sorry clueless here…

Thanks

The reason I am looking at 5 channel is b/c my 5.1 surround, just to make sure.

 

[PENG]

I have Denon 2809ci, with 115 watts per channel why upgrade to a amp with the same or less power.

You should upgrade to amps with more power.

Is the Denon estimation BS.

I have seen no evidence of BS on their part. Unlike some manufacturers, Denon does not use misleading specs such as "805W total". They simply say something like 115W for each of the 7 channels. If they are as good as their earlier version such as the 2807 (link provided to a review with lab measurments), their ACD power output should be quite respectable.

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/node/6454

What are my options and what companies should I be looking at. I really would like to be around or below $1k if possible. But as with all things HT I may spend more to have something that will last a long time. Finally, I assume that when you add an amp the power from the receive does not add to the power of the amp, correct, sorry clueless here…

Option 1: Add a 2 channel amp.
Option 2: Add a 3 channel amp.
Option 3: Add a 5 channel amp.

Your speakers are not particular hard to drive so you could conserve your cash and start with a 2 channel amp for now and see if you like the results. To make sure you only have to do this once, get an amp that offers at least 250 to 300WPC into 8 ohms and say 350 to 500W into 4 ohms. I strongly recommend proven products such as Adcom, Rotel, Parasound, Outlaw but there are a lot of more affordable alternatives out there especially if you don't mind pro amps.

You are correct, the unused channels of the receiver does not add to the power of the added amp but the remaining amps in use for the other 3 channels will benefit from the increased power reserve of the receiver resulted from having two less mouths to feed.

 

[Highbar]

The main reason that people upgrade to an external amp is for more headroom for the dynamic peaks in music where more power is always better. If you read through so of the amp posts you will see that for everyday listening you might not notice any difference but you might for the dynamics. If you like the way your system sounds than I wouldn't worry about it. Now if you feel something is lacking I would go with either a 2 or 3 channel amp and just amp the fronts or the fronts and center. The surrounds are not as important unless you are listening to alot of 5.1 music.

 

[greggp2]

I would also look at Emotiva Amps.. For the money, they are tough to beat. An XPA-2 or XPA-3 should more than suffice your power needs. You don't need a separate Amp for your rear channels. Your Denon receiver is more than capable of driving them.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Some higher-end Polk speakers will go down to 3 ohms, which means you probably "need" an external amp. But I believe your Polk model does not go down that low on the impedance load - I heard around 6 - 8 ohms.

Does it hurt to get a more powerful external amp? No. It does not hurt. I think most people just get a more powerful external amp just to be "safe than sorry".

You see, underpowering can be damaging to your speakers. Thus, most of us choose to have more than "enough" power.

I say get a 200 watts per channel x 5 ch amp or more - like the Emotiva XPA-5 or similar.

 

[popotoys]

Now if you feel something is lacking...

I would answer this question first.

 

[lsiberian]

I have Denon 2809ci, with 115 watts per channel why upgrade to a amp with the same or less power. Is the Denon estimation BS. I have spent a ton o $$ over the past few months upgrading almost everything. My last piece is the Amp. I am going to wait a while but i need to learn. What are my options and what companies should I be looking at. I really would like to be around or below $1k if possible. But as with all things HT I may spend more to have something that will last a long time. Finally, I assume that when you add an amp the power from the receive does not add to the power of the amp, correct, sorry clueless here…

Thanks

The reason I am looking at 5 channel is b/c my 5.1 surround, just to make sure.

Improvements can be made using an external amp in conjunction with an EQ Crossover system like a Behringer DCX2496. Which is capable of integrating 3 channels with your subs. If you run the Center, L, R channels all in large and feed them to the inputs on the Behringer. If you want to use 2 then you can do that and cover an entire 5.1 system.

I suggest you look for an amp with XLR inputs if possible. It may cost more, but then if you ever want to use a DCX2496 you won't have to convert the signal back to RCA. Emotiva I believe has amps to do this. Audiogon also has great deals from time to time.

This is just one option, but the possibilities are incredible once you set this up.

 

[cfrizz]

Do it once & do it right. Get a 200wpc 5 channel amp & be done with that upgrade. The amp will stay with you through all other upgrades.

And you will be in good shape to upgrade at some point to Polk's LSI series should you wish to do so, which do require at least that much power to play to their full potential.

Outlaw, Emotiva, Rotel, Sunfire, Parasound, Adcom, Nad, B & K are all good companies to provide you with a good amp.

You can get more bang for your buck if you buy used via Audiogon.

 

[mnnc]

Do it once & do it right. Get a 200wpc 5 channel amp & be done with that upgrade. The amp will stay with you through all other upgrades.

And you will be in good shape to upgrade at some point to Polk's LSI series should you wish to do so, which do require at least that much power to play to their full potential.

Outlaw, Emotiva, Rotel, Sunfire, Parasound, Adcom, Nad, B & K are all good companies to provide you with a good amp.

You can get more bang for your buck if you buy used via Audiogon.

Thumbs up...do it once and right...buy a xpa5 from emotiva...later add a xpa2.

 

[ryounglaw]

the xpa 5 is in the correct price range. All others are over 2k and i am noot spending that much at this point. It gets great reviews. I could get the xpa-3 for the fronts and center. i does not seam there is another choice for the price and quality product?