What would dedicated AMP do for me? Is it all a nonsense?

[3db]

Because I already spent the money on the speakers for their response, accuracy, and freedom from compression.
They are not that easy to drive 84 DB at 1 watt that dip below 4 ohms. Occasionally, I like high SPL's.

IMO, everyone should have an amp that delivers sufficient, clean power, to provide the SPL's desired. To do that, it will have to be capable of properly drive your speaker load: impedance and phase angles.

That does not mean an AVR is not sufficient, it depends. I know it is not sufficient for me.

- Rich

Hey Rich, maybe for your speakers and setup , an external amp is required but we're talking about the OP and his equipment. From what I've gathered from his posts, he never comes close to straining the power delivery of his AVR.

 

[herbu]

"Anyway ... for a long time I've been hearing how great it is to add a dedicated amp for even the front (L,R,C) speakers. All great stuff about Emotiva XPA-3"

I was in similar boat. Got Denon X4000. Mine is 125wpc, yours is 140wpc. Then got Emotiva XPA-5 for 200wpc. It sounds GREAT!!!

BUT, it sounded GREAT before!!! Don't play it any louder, and can't say it sounds any better than before the amp.
(BTW, no babies, live in the country, and I crank up some movies loud enough for LFE to shake the whole house.)

My conclusion is that w/ my system and usage, there is no audible benefit of 200wpc over 125wpc.

HOWEVER... the 5 little lights on front of the amp look really cool as they sequence through a power-up!!!!!!!!!

 

[RichB]

Hey Rich, maybe for your speakers and setup , an external amp is required but we're talking about the OP and his equipment. From what I've gathered from his posts, he never comes close to straining the power delivery of his AVR.

Agreed.
However, I get the feeling that if the wife and kids go out. The volume is going above -16

I am not saying that he would be clipping, I am just saying that it is difficult to determine if that is happening. And even if it is, would it produce a significant difference in the sound to warrant the expenditure? Not sure.

Concerning buying used amps, that can be a mixed bag. I had good luck with a used Sunfire and bad luck with a used Outlaw 7500. Thankfully, ATI serviced the Outlaw for $175 including shipping (which was a great deal). That brought the price to within a few hundred dollars of a new one. So, had I known that, I would have just bought a new one.

If you do buy used, you might want to contact the manufacturer and get a feel for the service and repair policy. Personally, I am happy with the service I have received from Outlaw/ATI and Parasound. Marantz, meh.

- Rich

 

[ImcLoud]

There is nothing wrong with your sub. He's just a got a hate on for Rythmik for some reason or another.

I don't hate rythmiK, lol.. If he likes rythmik just add another one, or two new ones, that will make a bigger difference than an amp if he isn't using all the power the avr provides...

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Didn't know you could see other's future. I am sure you are right about the OP getting an amp regardless. Can you see mine where I would have a pair of 201/2 or Salon 2?

You will have Salon3 + JL Audio subs.

Monk will have Salon4.

Rich will have Salon1. Irv and I will have Salon2.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Agreed.
However, I get the feeling that if the wife and kids go out. The volume is going above -16

Or when they have a boisterous party.

When that happens, I would rather have an external amp like ATI/Parasound/Crown, etc., than any AVR alone.

I think something like a $500 Crown XLS 2500 with 440W into 8 ohms & 775W into 4 ohms might be good for rowdy parties and karaoke.

Yup, I know a thing or two about karaoke and AVRs.

 

[j_garcia]

Because I already spent the money on the speakers for their response, accuracy, and freedom from compression.
They are not that easy to drive 84 DB at 1 watt that dip below 4 ohms. Occasionally, I like high SPL's.

IMO, everyone should have an amp that delivers sufficient, clean power, to provide the SPL's desired. To do that, it will have to be capable of properly drive your speaker load: impedance and phase angles.

That does not mean an AVR is not sufficient, it depends. I know it is not sufficient for me.

I agree with this. I ran a big AVR with some higher sensitivity 8 ohm bookshelf speakers for a long time and didn't really need all of that power. Then I bought all 4 Ohm speakers and it wasn't enough. Now I am back to all 8 Ohm speakers and I don't really need the amp that I bought for the 4 Ohm speakers. Now that I have the pre/pro though, I have to use the amps and it isn't like my system is complaining. The main setup is in an apartment right now so I can't really even crank it up that often.

 

[ichigo]

Salon 3, hah! Wonder if they will jump in the Ribbon tweeter bandwagon like so many other brands these days.

 

[Nestor]

AVR going into protection mode a few times was the primary reason I purchased an external amp.

A gunshot at the end of Mel Gibson's Edge of Darkness shuts down my amp while near reference levels every time.

I've also had my AVR overheat a couple of times during parties.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Alex2507]

Based on the spec's found here:

Sierra Tower Bamboo Loudspeaker

I can't see how OP's 4311 could fail. The whole point of a 4311 is power. The fancy features are nice as well but it will handle the 4 Ohm load of the Sierras and until you hit a Walter Grade Amp it's going to be difficult to get much more than a decibel or two above what the 4311 will pump out.

Having said that, my theory is that your amp should be worth about 50% of your wife's car.

 

[ImcLoud]

Having said that, my theory is that your amp should be worth about 50% of your wife's car.

lol, my wife's car is not worth much