I plan to use my mint, Pioneer SX-1010 receiver (amp section only) to drive front L/R speakers. I want to buy a 3 or 5 channel amp to drive 5.1 or 7.1 system.
My Yamaha RX-V1400 sounds pretty anemic compared to the Pioneer so I rather not use the Yamaha except as the pre-pro sending Fronts to Pioneer and the rest to new amp/amps.
I have a budget around $1,500.
PROBLEM:
Assuming I can't listen to a variety of amps locally, what's the most reliable way to select a multi-channel amp so that the surrounds will "blend" well with the richness and depth of the SX-1010 on the fronts? I'm not sure what specs are most important if specs are all I have to shop by.
Pioneer SX-1010 amp specs:
100wpc 20-20k
Power Bandwidth - 5Hz-40kHz THD <.1%
Freq Resp - 7Hz to 100kHz
Input sens/impedance - 1V/50k ohms
Damping Factor - >50
18,000 micro-farad capacitance
Any tips are welcome.
