looking for more upgrade ideas

[Jetblack3]

You guys helped me upgrade my man cave sound system awhile back by turning me onto a Sherbourn 4z-75 amp. This powers things well but running 2 pair of Polk LSI 9's is all it can handle and this satisfies my game room. I have a large room 48x52x16 that has only one set of speakers and with this size of room it desperately needs another pair. Had a pair of Infinity Aplha 50's that I could add but would then need to replace them from the HT set up at the house and this would leave me with a mismatched system at cave and house. Not sure this is the best route, but what ever I do I need to buy another set of loudspeakers possibly two and another amp. Looked at a couple pair of cerwin vega xls-215's, figured the large twin woofers would void the need for another sub but these babies need alot of power. You guys have any suggestions for another amp thats affordable and can push good power at 8 ohm ?

 

[JohnnieB]

My experience with CV is that they are very easy to power. I used to run 2 AT 80S with a small Sony receiver.

I looked at the specs tho and they are a 6 ohm load. Haven't found an impedance graph but I would feel safe saying they dip to 4.

An Emotiva XPA 200 would do the trick.

 

[zieglj01]

You guys have any suggestions for another amp thats affordable and can push good power at 8 ohm ?

The Sherbourn is still for sale
SHERBOURN 4Z-75 4-Zone Amplifier w/ Speaker Selector | Accessories4less

If you can spend more - then the XPA 200 Amp
https://emotiva.com/products/amplifiers/xpa-200

 

[zieglj01]

Also, Crown XLS1000
CROWN XLS1000 DriveCore Series Power Amp | GuitarCenter

The XLS2000
http://www.guitarcenter.com/CROWN-XLS2000-DriveCore-Series-Power-Amp-105914923-i1516456.gc

 

[ImcLoud]

How about a pro amp for the cv's? Crown xls? For a room that size I would be looking at the 215's also...

 

[Jetblack3]

The Sherbourn is still for sale
SHERBOURN 4Z-75 4-Zone Amplifier w/ Speaker Selector | Accessories4less

If you can spend more - then the XPA 200 Amp
https://emotiva.com/products/amplifiers/xpa-200

At 8 ohm the Sherbourn only puts out same wattage as the 95 Watt Yamaha reciever thats pushing it. The Vegas are speced at 6 ohm but say 8 ohm compatible.
The Sherbourn at 8 ohm seems like it would be a wash.

Have stumbled across a used set of the vegas and a more powerful Onkyo reciever TX-SR805 that I'm going to go check out tommorrow. Suppose to push 130 per channel at 8 ohm. Figure I can upgrade the Yamaha in the system and get the vegas to expand the big room if it all works out ?

Another question that comes to mind though; The Sherbourn I have is currently pushing 150w/p channel to 2 pair of Polk LSI 9's at 4 ohm. If I upgrade to the more powerful Onkyo reciever Im edgeing closer to the same wattage as the Sherbourn. Would the Sherbourn still be worthwhile using in the system or have I already expanded beyond its purpose ?

 

[zieglj01]

At 8 ohm the Sherbourn only puts out same wattage as the 95 Watt Yamaha reciever thats pushing it. The Vegas are speced at 6 ohm but say 8 ohm compatible.
The Sherbourn at 8 ohm seems like it would be a wash.

Have stumbled across a used set of the vegas and a more powerful Onkyo reciever TX-SR805 that I'm going to go check out tommorrow. Suppose to push 130 per channel at 8 ohm. Figure I can upgrade the Yamaha in the system and get the vegas to expand the big room if it all works out ?

Another question that comes to mind though; The Sherbourn I have is currently pushing 150w/p channel to 2 pair of Polk LSI 9's at 4 ohm. If I upgrade to the more powerful Onkyo reciever Im edgeing closer to the same wattage as the Sherbourn. Would the Sherbourn still be worthwhile using in the system or have I already expanded beyond its purpose ?

The Sherbourn will put out more watts at 6 ohms - compared to what it does at 8 ohms

The Cerwin Vega will be more like a 6 ohm speaker, compared to 8 ohms

One thing to note about the Onkyo, is that it will run hot - so if you buy it and play it loud,
it will need good ventilation (air space) around it.

The Onkyo may have some more watts - however, the loudness level will not be that big a
difference compared to the Sherbourn.

Also need to note, the Cerwin Vegas will be around 91+ average sensitivity - and they will be
easier to drive, compared to the Polk speakers.

If you want to have more power and a loudness level - then buy an amp with around 250+ watts
per channel - something like the Crown amps

Your call - however, if you have good ventilation (air space) - then the Onkyo may work for you.

It all comes down to your budget, and what you want to spend

 

[Jetblack3]

Zeig, Thanks for the quick reply !

My initial thought to fill that big room with big sound would be big speakers, then I ran across the CV's and thought their twin 15's would be just the ticket. Your probably gonna roll your eyes on this but I've got 25 year old speakers in there now from my old Technics system that I had in high school. They have twin 12's, rated at 240 watts max at 8 ohm. They still sound and rock great. Kind of excited to see if there will be a noticable difference with a more modern speaker. Then while net surfing at work I ran across the CV's and the Onkyo on Craigslist almost in my backyard at a good price so I figured why not have a look. Wasn't looking for a reciever but figured if it was a good one and the price was right...why not ?

I can peddle the old Yamaha or find another use for it down the road if the Onkyo proves to be much better. With the heat issue you speak of, my Yamaha gets quite warm when I'm rocking out but I solved that one. Had some old 4 inch ventilation fans from my aquariums, i layed one on top of the reciever and the heat issue is gone.

The onkyo puts out 130 at 8 ohm so i figured about 150-160 at 4 ohm / the Sherbourn is 95 at 8 and 150 at 4 so at 6 it would be around 130 I'm thinking. Thats why I feel the Sherbourn would be worthless pushing the CV's when the Onkyo could match it, basically wasting channels on the Sherbourn that could be better utilized elsewhere in the system.

Still keeping the thought of another amp in the background to push 4 speakers in the big room if necessary. Have to admit though with just the 2 old Technics 10 feet up in the air angled down and in it gets it done very well. Boxing the room should put a nice smile on my face i hope.

 

[ImcLoud]

What do you use to control the volume? I have been considering a control freak for $50 may be a nice additon to the crown amplifiers..

 

[Jetblack3]

What do you use to control the volume? I have been considering a control freak for $50 may be a nice additon to the crown amplifiers..

?? the volume knob...

Got the Vegas hooked up to the beefier Onkyo. Having a little buyers remorse right now. The speakers do crank considerably louder but cannot say I'm in love with their sound yet. Sound is more tinney like in a hall, but still have to play with the receiver more to see if I can mellow it out. Got sidetracked with the subwoofer, cant get it to play. Posted my issue in more detail in the receiver forum, have a look all. maybe this is a no brainer for you more experienced audio gurus.

Was mentioned that this receiver runs hot, man you weren't kidding / way too hot in my opinion. Ran hard for about 2 songs and WOW! that makes me nervous.

 

[shadyJ]

While the CWs will no doubt have superior dynamic range than the Polks, they will be considerably less accurate. The LSi series actually measured to have a terrifically flat response and excellent off-axis response. They are very neutral speakers. The CWs, on the other hand, are notoriously inaccurate, and are mostly thought of as party speakers. I consider them a poor man's Klipsch. If you want something that has both serious dynamic range and excellent accuracy, that will not be inexpensive. The Pi Fours measure pretty well, you might try a pair with the upgraded drivers, that will set you back around $1.5k each, depending on the finish you select. Those will have dynamic range galore. They are meant to be used with subwoofers though. You will need a hell of a sub to keep up with those, I might consider some Rythmik FV15HP subs.

 

[JohnnieB]

I found the best sound from CV with a fair, here having the meaning of A LOT, of EQing.

 

[zieglj01]

?? the volume knob...

Got the Vegas hooked up to the beefier Onkyo. Having a little buyers remorse right now. The speakers do crank considerably louder but cannot say I'm in love with their sound yet. Sound is more tinney like in a hall, but still have to play with the receiver more to see if I can mellow it out.

Was mentioned that this receiver runs hot, man you weren't kidding / way too hot in my opinion. Ran hard for about 2 songs and WOW! that makes me nervous.

I try not to perceive sound quality by the looks and the driver size of speakers - and learn to eat the fish and
spit out the bones with a lot of reviews.

The Cerwin Vega's are mainly party style speakers - they have no high-level resolution - the musical notes fall off,
you may get them to sound 5% better > the Polk LSi speakers are in the higher league. If you do not like the CV's
then you should be able to sell them - there tends to be a market for them.