KEF Q900 series 5.1 and recommended AV receiver

[henry01]

Hello Everybody
I am very new to this forum, and I have to admit I am not very familiar with Audio setup. I recently purchased Q900(a pair)/Q300(a pair)/Q600(1)/Q400(1).

In addition to that I already have a Mitsubishi HD front projector and Onkyo TX-SR 607 AV receiver, and a Oppo 83 blu ray player.

I do enjoy both watching movies and listening to music, especially classical music and jazz. My question is regarding the sound setup.
I know that the AV receiver I have right now may not be a best candidate for the above speakers, and I would like to get some opinions from this forum. My budget is around $1000.00 for either AV receiver or separates (maybe too low for that?). But I would like to know what kind of alternatives I have in order to get the most from the speakers above.
Any suggestion is greatly appreciated.
Henry

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum, Henry!

I took a look at the specs for your Onkyo and KEF speakers. Your bookshelves and center are similar in sensitivity to my NHTs, and your towers are more sensitive (meaning that they'll play louder at a given power input, everything else being equal). I've used the similar (I believe) Onkyo TX-SR626 to power my speakers, and it can play cleanly at a level louder than I normally listen.

Have you noticed it sounding "off" when you listen? Do you listen very loudly?

 

[shadyJ]

You will want something better than a lower end Onkyo to power the Q900s. Here is the impedance chart for the Q900s:

Sell your Onkyo and get a receiver that can either handle 4 Ohm speakers or a receiver that has pre-outs for separate amps. You might look at the Emotiva UPA amplifiers.

 

[henry001]

I am still waiting for my package form KEF to reach me, but I thought by reading several forums, I may need another AV receiver or separates. So at this moment, I can not say anything at all.

 

[henry001]

You will want something better than a lower end Onkyo to power the Q900s. Here is the impedance chart for the Q900s:

Sell your Onkyo and get a receiver that can either handle 4 Ohm speakers or a receiver that has pre-outs for separate amps. You might look at the Emotiva UPA amplifiers.

Sorry, but since I am just a newbie for stereo equipment, I do not know how to read the chart in comparison a receiver that may handle fully Q900s. What are options do I have in terms of AV receiver that can handle 4 ohm speakers, or which separates should I consider within $1000.00 budget.

 

[shadyJ]

For under $1k, the only thing that I can think of which would be solid with a 4 Ohm load would be something like an Emotiva UPA-500 plus a receiver with pre-outs like this Onkyo 717. There may be better solutions, but that ought to work.

 

[Adam]

My advice is to try out your current Onkyo and see what you think. At low and moderate volumes, I doubt that you have any issues. If you begin to crank it, the sound may begin to be less clear and dynamic, and your Onkyo may go into protection mode...maybe. You already have the Onkyo, and your speakers are on the way. You might find that you don't need to spend any part of that $1000 to be happy. That said, if you want new electronics, don't let me get in your way.