Help. Need 2 channel amp - Toslink in and L+R+sub out

[jayelwin]

Hello,

I just bought a set of Orb Audio Classic Two's with the larger 10 inch sub woofer. I plan on driving them 100% from the mini toslink output on an Apple Airport Express. The satellites are driven directly by the amp and the sub woofer is powered and needs RCA line level. (after all the research it was all the wife approved).

I am looking for a simple 2 channel amp in the 100 watt per channel range but I need toslink input and line level output for the sub woofer. I don't need ANYTHING ELSE, No HDMI, no remote, no blinking lights, additional channels or inputs. I'm sort of overwhelmed by what's out there since it's all geared towards fancy home theater. And I have not thought about audio in so many years I'm sort of out of it in terms of knowing what's good.

I'm looking to spend in the $300-$500 range. Because my needs are so simple I figured advice would lead me towards value in sound since I really don't need the "silicon".

The speakers are in the living room but the rest of the components are going to be in the basement out of sight. Control will be completely from various iphones and ipads.

Thanks.

-Josh

 

[j_garcia]

That would be a stereo receiver, but "silicon" is still going to be in there. This can't be done with a typical amplifier, unless you pick up a preamp also. An integrated amp might get you there, but the "silicon" is where the processing happens and since an integrated amp generally doesn't have that or digital inputs or sub outputs (no processing), that's out. The next best thing would be the Outlaw Audio RR-2150 which is above your stated budget.

http://outlawaudio.com/products/rr2150.html

 

[jayelwin]

Sorry, semantically Amp and Receiver are not truly synonyms but I hope people figure out what I mean.

I guess I am looking for a solution. If the unit came with a remote or some unneeded bells and whistles they would just go unused. But the current crop of stuff out there is all multichannel craziness where the selling points are not audio but the bells and whistles themselves.

The outlaw has what I need (although I don't see toslink), but yes it is a bit pricey for me.

I'm confident someone here will think of something.

 

[j_garcia]

Hm, thought it had that, but just looked at the pic of the back panel and there definitely are no toslink inputs. It is going to be a world of trade-offs for you for what you are looking for. I don't think a single device is going to have everything you are looking for.

I have the same issue with my integrated amp - no bass management or sub pre-out, so I hooked up one sub via speaker level outs, but it has to be manually crossed over and level set. The other sub I have does not have speaker level inputs. Same will occur on a stereo receiver, they have sub pre-outs, but they are not bass managed.

The Audiosource Amp100 is an amp that has just a basic volume control on it, but it is 50WPC and has no sub out either. I have one of these for my garage and it is surprisingly powerful. No problem filling my 24x24 garage with sound from two bookshelf speakers.

 

[jayelwin]

I'm pretty confident I just need line level pass through for the sub - no pre crossing over. That should simplify things. The sub definitely has an adjustable cross built in.

I'm going to assume that a receiver with optical input still has line level pass through even though it's really not "passing through" anything.

 

[jinjuku]

Harman Kardon HK3490

I would just get a receiver and use it in direct or pass through mode.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

What you want is a a full receiver. No stereo receiver I know does proper bass management anyways
Amazon.com: Yamaha RX-A800 7.1-Channel Audio/Video Receiver (Black): Electronics

This one is a solid unit, almost within your budget and does everything you need. You need to realize that cutting features out, will only increase the price and complexity and not other way around. Yamaha's analog pre-pro sections in their receivers measures on the bench better than many dedicated pre-pro anyways.

The next best think is Onkyo TX-8050 - Network Stereo Receiver | Model Information | Onkyo USA Home Theater Products

but it's Sub-out is actually a full range and it does not actually have bass management.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Harman Kardon HK3490

I would just get a receiver and use it in direct or pass through mode.

Same thing applies to 3490 as well

but it's Sub-out is actually a full range and it does not actually have bass management.

but otherwise both very capable units with plenty of power

 

[j_garcia]

What you want is a a full receiver. No stereo receiver I know does proper bass management anyways.

The RR2150 does But it is out of the price range.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

The RR2150 does But it is out of the price range.

ok, let me correct that "No stereo receiver I know which has spd/if in and bass management"

 

[j_garcia]

ok, let me correct that "No stereo receiver I know which has spd/if in and bass management"

Along with what BSA said, you are either going to have to go with a surround receiver or have the tradeoffs that come with a stereo unit.

This might do the trick also:

Dayton Audio APA150 150W Power Amplifier 300-812

Again, no digital inputs.

 

[jayelwin]

I will look closer at the HK.

To go for a 7.1 and use 2 channels seems silly, no?

I definitely don't need bass management. Just line level out. The sub has a crossover.

 

[j_garcia]

The sub has a crossover but your speakers will be playing full range, so you have to dial the sub's x-over in yourself. If that isn't a problem, then you are good to go with a stereo receiver. I used a Onkyo stereo receiver in the past for a distributed system and it worked well too.

 

[jayelwin]

The sub has a crossover but your speakers will be playing full range, so you have to dial the sub's x-over in yourself. If that isn't a problem, then you are good to go with a stereo receiver. I used a Onkyo stereo receiver in the past for a distributed system and it worked well too.

I'm sure the satellites are "crossed over" by default given their size. Orb audio doesn't recommend or feel the need to block bass frequencies going to the satellites.

So I really just need a receiver with two channels, no bass management just line level out, and a toslink input.

Amazon is all out of the HKs - I'll look around.

-Josh

 

[jayelwin]

Grrrr... The HK is pricey and the only thing it has over the others is Toslink.

I'm wondering if I could get an inexpensive DAC and use it to make the transfer to analog then use a receiver that lacks it.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I'm sure the satellites are "crossed over" by default given their size. Orb audio doesn't recommend or feel the need to block bass frequencies going to the satellites.

So I really just need a receiver with two channels, no bass management just line level out, and a toslink input.

Amazon is all out of the HKs - I'll look around.

-Josh

Orbs are not crossed over, they do try to play 80Hz, but not very good at that
even look at their spec sheet here:
Frequency Response
80Hz - 20,000Hz
(120Hz-18,000Hz optimal)
Specifications

You see the optimal is 120hz? How do you think you can block them from playing mediocre from 80 to 120 ??

The economy of scale goes vs your idea. If you shop around you can find a decent receiver with features you are looking for within your budget without a problem and No - it's not silly to use 7.1 avr for 2.1

 

[jayelwin]

I wasn't aware that any receivers had the ability to do high pass filtering into any main channel. I would love to send only 120 hz and above to the orbs. The sub has a crossover that I could set to 120.

It seems you are correct and using 2 out of 5 or 7 channels would not be horrible if I get the features I want. This will expand my search. I was hoping to get 100 good watts per channel.

Can you recommend a specific receiver that has 100 watts per channel (but any amount of channels), toslink input, line level out for a sub, and a high pass filter for the satellites. Keeping it under $500 if possible.

Forums are great. There are always people who know a lot more about something than I do.

And the HK that might have worked (had everything except the high pass mains, and only 2 channels) is unavailable everywhere. It's either popular or discontinued.

 

[j_garcia]

The model you were looking for is about 3-4 years old, replaced by a new model every few years. All you need to do is search amazon for "stereo receiver harmon kardon" or "onkyo" and you will get more than enough choices in just a few seconds.

You may also be interested in a refurb model Onkyo, which carries a 1yr warranty.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKTX8050/Onkyo-TX-8050-2-Channel-Network-Stereo-Receiver/1.html

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKTX8255/Onkyo-TX-8255-50-watts-2-channel-Stereo-Receiver/1.html

Based on your speakers though, you are going to need one with a crossover unless you will be connecting the Orbs to the sub, which should have a crossover built in for these speakers. Meaning you would send a full range signal to the sub and the sub performs the crossover and passes only that portion of the signal to the speakers. This is most likely how they intended them to be setup.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

John, I right you could use subwoofer's crossover to connect orbs using high level connection. This will work for both high pass the speakers and low-pass the sub, however this is not recommended by most manufacturers - use this one if there are no better choices

As for AVR under $500 with all bells and whistles:
Onkyo TX-NR708 7.2-Channel 3-D Ready Network A/V Receiver | Accessories4less
or
Onkyo TX-NR808 7.2-Channel 3-D Ready Network A/V Receiver | Accessories4less

This one Marantz SR5006 AV Receiver with Networking and AirPlay | Accessories4less is a bit over the budget but has double the warranty and better overall brand (Denon and Marantz brands are from same company)

AC4L is a trusted vendor and the Refubs are done by manufacturers themselves and carry manufacturer's warranty

 

[j_garcia]

(Denon and Marantz brands are from same company)

They are owned by the same holding company, but they are completely separate functioning companies.