Receiver for Infinity Primus 7.1 Setup?

[rjcombo]

Hi folks,

I'm moving into a new house and am in the market for a new receiver. My speaker setup will be:

• Sub: Outlaw LFM-1 EX
• Front: Infinity Primus P363
• Center: Infinity Primus PC351
• Surround: Infinity Primus P163
• Rear: Infinity Primus P143

Some of the parameters I've been using in my search are:

• 7.1 channels
• 7+ HDMI ports
• HDCP 2.2 compatible
• AirPlay support
• Remote control app for mobile

I've found a number of units that meet the above requirements, but my question is: How much power (watts per channel) should the receiver have to get good performance out of my speaker configuration? Infinity recommends between 10 and 200 wpc, but I'm wondering where the sweet spot is since more power adds more cost.

Thanks in advance!

 

[slipperybidness]

Hi folks,

I'm moving into a new house and am in the market for a new receiver. My speaker setup will be:

• Sub: Outlaw LFM-1 EX
• Front: Infinity Primus P363
• Center: Infinity Primus PC351
• Surround: Infinity Primus P163
• Rear: Infinity Primus P143

Some of the parameters I've been using in my search are:

• 7.1 channels
• 7+ HDMI ports
• HDCP 2.2 compatible
• AirPlay support
• Remote control app for mobile

I've found a number of units that meet the above requirements, but my question is: How much power (watts per channel) should the receiver have to get good performance out of my speaker configuration? Infinity recommends between 10 and 200 wpc, but I'm wondering where the sweet spot is since more power adds more cost.

Thanks in advance!

Be sure the receiver is 4 ohm stable! Infinity says nominal 8 ohm, but read the Audioholic review and measurements show 4 ohm.

Any receiver that can drive 4 ohm and is an honest 80 watts or more continuous will be good for at least up to medium sized room. After that, it comes down to the avr features that u want and the room correction that u prefer.

I drive my 363s off 2 channels of a parasound 1206 and it can do 120wpc mostly. Also use 35wpc tube amp from time to time.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[KEW]

It is pretty hard to find an AVR that has 4 ohm specification even though several can.
I would not buy an AVR without pre-outs. This way, you can add an amp to share the load with your AVR

 

[Bizarro_Stormy]

I don't know guys...

I have a Pioneer VSX-1016TXV (owned 9 years) and a very similar setup to the OP (see sig), and I've never had a problem with running it hard in 8 OHM mode with a full Primus setup...

The VSX-1016TXV is on top of my rack with a silent fan on top to draw hot air out though...

The fan is plugged into the VSX-1016TXV (turns on with it) and does help keep it cooooool...

I think an AVR with a robust amp section should be able to handle the Primus setup just fine...

 

[slipperybidness]

I don't know guys...

I have a Pioneer VSX-1016TXV (owned 9 years) and a very similar setup to the OP (see sig), and I've never had a problem with running it hard in 8 OHM mode with a full Primus setup...

The VSX-1016TXV is on top of my rack with a silent fan on top to draw hot air out though...

View attachment 16653
The fan is plugged into the VSX-1016TXV (turns on with it) and does help keep it cooooool...

I think an AVR with a robust amp section should be able to handle the Primus setup just fine...

Yeah, I'll go for that, esp if you have some extra cooling going on. The main item to point out is the discrepancy between the manufacturers ohm rating and the actual measurments.

I doubt that my Pio Elite VSX-82TXS is truly rated at 4 ohms, but I wouldn't be too worried about driving the Primus line off of it. I would just hook it up and drive it hard for a while and get temp readings every few minutes with my IR thermometer. I never tried it, that's not the area that I bought the 363s to play in.

 

[slipperybidness]

Hi folks,

I'm moving into a new house and am in the market for a new receiver. My speaker setup will be:

• Sub: Outlaw LFM-1 EX
• Front: Infinity Primus P363
• Center: Infinity Primus PC351
• Surround: Infinity Primus P163
• Rear: Infinity Primus P143

Some of the parameters I've been using in my search are:

• 7.1 channels
• 7+ HDMI ports
• HDCP 2.2 compatible
• AirPlay support
• Remote control app for mobile

I've found a number of units that meet the above requirements, but my question is: How much power (watts per channel) should the receiver have to get good performance out of my speaker configuration? Infinity recommends between 10 and 200 wpc, but I'm wondering where the sweet spot is since more power adds more cost.

Thanks in advance!

Hey, by the way, if you are ever interested in some DIY work on your speakers, there are some fairly easy mods you can do inside like peal-n-seal, sealing up the shielding, and added bracing that will likely give modest improvements (I've never seen before/after measurements but subjectively improved the sound on mine but I'm obviously biased).

There are a couple threads on this site dedicated to this work.

 

[KEW]

It is pretty hard to find an AVR that has 4 ohm specification even though several can.
I would not buy an AVR without pre-outs. This way, you can add an amp to share the load with your AVR

Thanks for your comment Bizarro. I agree. It was getting late and I never finished my post.
What I was saying (or meant to say) was to get a strong AVR, but go ahead and make sure it has pre-outs to keep your options open. However, since pre-outs are only available on the higher end AVR's there is a good chance you won't need the additional amplification.

 

[PENG]

However, since pre-outs are only available on the higher end AVR's there is a good chance you won't need the additional amplification.

Denon just changed the rule, now even the X3100 and X3200 have preouts. Prior to that you have to go with their top 2 models to get preouts. Marantz and Yamaha always offer preouts even in their lower end models.

 

[rjcombo]

Thanks for the info, all. Based on what I'm reading, and the handy filtering system on Crutchfield's site, it seems like the Denon AVR-X3200W is the least expensive option that includes all the features I want and the pre outs you suggest. Does that sound correct?

The X3100 is considerably cheaper but doesn't appear to support DHCP 2.2.

 

[Defcon]

I've read the audioholics review, but from reports on other forums I don't think the 4ohm dip is much to worry about, and any decent receiver can handle these speakers, remember they are also very efficient and don't need much power to play loud, I would not let power be a major consideration.

There are some nice deals to be had on ac4l.com for receivers, most of them are last years models though, so not sure about HDCP 2.2 support.

Your setup looks great, the only suggestion I have is to use a P163 placed vertically as center channel, it is much cheaper and will be better sonically but may not look as nice.

 

[PENG]

Thanks for the info, all. Based on what I'm reading, and the handy filtering system on Crutchfield's site, it seems like the Denon AVR-X3200W is the least expensive option that includes all the features I want and the pre outs you suggest. Does that sound correct?

The X3100 is considerably cheaper but doesn't appear to support DHCP 2.2.

That is correct. Depending on your needs and the media player you have, HDCP 2.2 may not be an issue to you. For example, if you only play 4K from your BDP (when contents are available), and if you have a BDP that has two HDMI out, you can use one for audio and the other direct to your TV. Also, some late model 4K TVs may have HDMI ARC that can return the original audio signal unaltered (i.e. including the lossless formats) to your non HDCP 2.2 AVR. For sure most can return DD+, DTS multi-channel, I am just not sure if some can return DTHD and DTS-HDMA.

 

[Ty Wayne]

Crap, I haven't even thought about HDCP 2.2 compatibility, until now that is! I wish they'd hurry up and get this 4k thing up and running. Not that I care about 4k (right now at least). And I'm sure as soon as the 4k thing is hammered out, something else will come along that will make you outdated within 12 months of buying a new piece of audio/video equipment! It never ends.

"Just when I thought I was out....they pull me back in"

 

[rjcombo]

...the only suggestion I have is to use a P163 placed vertically as center channel, it is much cheaper and will be better sonically but may not look as nice.

I already own the PC351 and the other bookshelves as part of my existing 5.1 setup. The P363s are new and I'm shifting the remaining speakers around to the new positions.

As for the 4K stuff, I don't have a display for that yet but will probably make the jump in the next few years and want to avoid any HDCP complications.

 

[Alex2507]

I have a B&K ST2140 amp running Kurt's stock 362s and I think it sounds a tad better at volume than an entry level Pioneer AVR from a couple of years ago.