Which amplifier to pair with my AVR?

[Tilmann]

Hi all,

I'm new to Hifi, so this should be the right board for me

I was reading into the topic a lot and sort of figured out the setup I (think I) need. Given that I want to have a balance of both, a decent home theater setup as well as a good music experience, as well as the option to develop/upgrade my setup at a later stage, I decided to go for an AVR paired with an external amplifier for (stereo) music. I'm looking to spend around 2,500 GBP max for the setup for now (AVR, amp, 2 proper front speakers for stereo plus additional surround speakers).

Reading through various perspectives on this topic (I know there are many out there) as well as product reviews, I decided to go for a Yamaha RX-A1010 for the AVR. It has the right level of functionality, good reviews and especially its pre-out delivers the right output level (~2.8Vrms according to a review on this site) - as I understand this is crucial to feed any (power) amp properly. I got it for a good price, however was not able to test-listen to it, so fingers crossed it holds what the reviews suggest..

Now I'm looking for the right amplifier for this setup - my questions are whether 1) to go for an integrated amp or a power amp and 2) which are good models to look at.

As for the first point: My understanding is that the integrated amp would have the advantage that if I decided to split the setup (home theater and stereo setup), I would not need any additional equipment but could run the stereo setup with the integrated amp only (I might decide to do that at some point). However an AVR should feed directly into a power amp as far as I understand, so what do I need to look for in an integrated amp to be able to bridge its pre-amp section? I saw for example that the Marantz PM8005 has a direct power-amp direct input, is this what I need? Just I barely found other integrated amps that have that feature. Or does it make more sense to go for a power amp instead (although I would prefer an integrated amp)?

As for the second point: Depending on the answer to the above, what are the core criteria/functionalities to look for when choosing an amp (integrated or power) to make sure the AVR will work with it? As for the stereo experience is it a reasonable ambition to look for 4 Ohm speakers instead of 8 Ohm (and take this into account when choosing the amp)? Or is that pointless in my price range?

Another bonus question: If I invest in decent front speakers for stereo, which I would include into the surround setup, do I still need a subwoofer or will the front speakers do the job in terms of bass (assuming that I will buy speakers that have a decent bass themselves)? FYI: I will start out with a 5.1 setup although the AVR has 7.1 - I don't want/need 7.1 for now but want the option to upgrade later.

Of course I do know that I shouldn't just buy "from my laptop" but get to a good dealer and test listen the components (at least amp and speakers), however given the vast offer available (and my lack of knowledge) I would like to narrow down my options upfront before going out.

Hope I didn't write too much nonsense and would really appreciate some guidance from pros here!

Thanks

 

[PENG]

As for the first point: My understanding is that the integrated amp would have the advantage that if I decided to split the setup (home theater and stereo setup), I would not need any additional equipment but could run the stereo setup with the integrated amp only (I might decide to do that at some point). However an AVR should feed directly into a power amp as far as I understand, so what do I need to look for in an integrated amp to be able to bridge its pre-amp section? I saw for example that the Marantz PM8005 has a direct power-amp direct input, is this what I need? Just I barely found other integrated amps that have that feature. Or does it make more sense to go for a power amp instead (although I would prefer an integrated amp)?

There is a slight advantage in that an integrated can work on its own. There are many integrated amp that comes with HT bypass feature, and most of them should have inputs for use as a power amp. If you are in Europe, or the UK, Hegel makes good integrated amps. There are of course many choices from Marantz, NAD, Parasound, even Denon (Japan only), most major brands make them. It is up to you, but my choice is always separate power amp and worry about preamp when I actually need one.

As for the second point: Depending on the answer to the above, what are the core criteria/functionalities to look for when choosing an amp (integrated or power) to make sure the AVR will work with it? As for the stereo experience is it a reasonable ambition to look for 4 Ohm speakers instead of 8 Ohm (and take this into account when choosing the amp)? Or is that pointless in my price range?

The output power rating is obviously important as it is an amplifier after all. Also look for the distortion specs that should include total THD+noise at various output level, IMD, damping factor, low impedance drive capability etc., just to name a few, design topology (class A, A/AB, D etc.). I do not think one should look for 4 ohms speakers specifically. Good speakers are good regardless of their impedance, if anything, all else being equal, 8 ohm should actually be preferred. Most AVRs have high enough pre-out voltage to drive standard power amps to their rated output, for more information, read the article (there are more on the AH site) linked below.

http://www.audioholics.com/audio-amplifier/amplifier-voltage-gain

Another bonus question: If I invest in decent front speakers for stereo, which I would include into the surround setup, do I still need a subwoofer or will the front speakers do the job in terms of bass (assuming that I will buy speakers that have a decent bass themselves)? FYI: I will start out with a 5.1 setup although the AVR has 7.1 - I don't want/need 7.1 for now but want the option to upgrade later.

You need to define "decent bass", if you mean relatively accurate bass down to the 20 to 40 Hz range then I would say you need a good subwoofer and preferable a good bass management system.

 

[herbu]

Hi all,

I'm new to Hifi, so this should be the right board for me

I was reading into the topic a lot and sort of figured out the setup I (think I) need. Given that I want to have a balance of both, a decent home theater setup as well as a good music experience, as well as the option to develop/upgrade my setup at a later stage, I decided to go for an AVR paired with an external amplifier for (stereo) music. I'm looking to spend around 2,500 GBP max for the setup for now (AVR, amp, 2 proper front speakers for stereo plus additional surround speakers).

Reading through various perspectives on this topic (I know there are many out there) as well as product reviews, I decided to go for a Yamaha RX-A1010 for the AVR. It has the right level of functionality, good reviews and especially its pre-out delivers the right output level (~2.8Vrms according to a review on this site) - as I understand this is crucial to feed any (power) amp properly. I got it for a good price, however was not able to test-listen to it, so fingers crossed it holds what the reviews suggest..

Now I'm looking for the right amplifier for this setup - my questions are whether 1) to go for an integrated amp or a power amp and 2) which are good models to look at.

As for the first point: My understanding is that the integrated amp would have the advantage that if I decided to split the setup (home theater and stereo setup), I would not need any additional equipment but could run the stereo setup with the integrated amp only (I might decide to do that at some point). However an AVR should feed directly into a power amp as far as I understand, so what do I need to look for in an integrated amp to be able to bridge its pre-amp section? I saw for example that the Marantz PM8005 has a direct power-amp direct input, is this what I need? Just I barely found other integrated amps that have that feature. Or does it make more sense to go for a power amp instead (although I would prefer an integrated amp)?

As for the second point: Depending on the answer to the above, what are the core criteria/functionalities to look for when choosing an amp (integrated or power) to make sure the AVR will work with it? As for the stereo experience is it a reasonable ambition to look for 4 Ohm speakers instead of 8 Ohm (and take this into account when choosing the amp)? Or is that pointless in my price range?

Another bonus question: If I invest in decent front speakers for stereo, which I would include into the surround setup, do I still need a subwoofer or will the front speakers do the job in terms of bass (assuming that I will buy speakers that have a decent bass themselves)? FYI: I will start out with a 5.1 setup although the AVR has 7.1 - I don't want/need 7.1 for now but want the option to upgrade later.

Of course I do know that I shouldn't just buy "from my laptop" but get to a good dealer and test listen the components (at least amp and speakers), however given the vast offer available (and my lack of knowledge) I would like to narrow down my options upfront before going out.

Hope I didn't write too much nonsense and would really appreciate some guidance from pros here!

Thanks

I would suggest altering your approach just a bit. Pick the speakers first, then the amp, (if an amp is even necessary or desired). It it entirely possibly you won't need an amp. What's more, in your price range, you likely won't be able to actually hear any difference with an amp. Your Yamaha may do just fine.

Given a specific budget for speakers, sub(s), and amp, I would shop in that order. Speakers first. Possibly the entire budget on speakers, especially the Front L/R. After speakers, a sub or subs will make the most difference you can actually hear. Then after the sub(s), you can think about an amp just for giggles.