Newbie - Amp or no Amp

[mapex636]

Hi everyone, new guy here and this is my first post. I've been doing a lot of reading up on this and I know almost everyone says to go with an amplifier for the extra power / clarity / head room / etc. I am just wondering if going with an amp will really make THAT much of a difference with my current setup:

- 2 Polk Audio RTiA9s
- 10" Polk Audio 200 watt powered subwoofer
- Denon AVR-x4000 receiver, which is rated at 125 watts @ 8 ohms when running 2 channels

I am just looking to run with those 2 speakers for stereo sound - not interested in surround. I am looking at an Emotiva XPA 3 Gen 2 which will give me 200 watts per channel at 8 ohms. My question is this: will that amp really make that much of a difference given my current set up to justify the price? Any help / advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[BMXTRIX]

Why not hook things up and see? Power isn't linear for audio, it's logarithmic. To double the sound output you need ten times the power. So, you may find that the output from the Denon is perfectly acceptable, and if it isn't than you may want new speakers which can deliver more and handle a great deal more power properly, then go to a amp with a lot more power behind it.

If your intent is to drive the speakers for hours, at high volume, then you may get higher reliability from a dedicated amplifier, and certainly I love them, but I would try out what you have first.

The amplifier should not improve sound quality if you are happy with the volume levels you are currently listening at.

 

[j_garcia]

Does it sound like it needs an amp now? If you don't feel it sounds strained, you don't need an amp.

 

[ski2xblack]

Hola, Mapex, welcome to the forum.

Check THIS out, it may help you determine the answer.

I suspect you would be fine with that Denon, but you don't mention room size or listening habits.

BMXTRIX's post is spot on, and kinda makes me wish for dbW ratings, as it removes the logarithmic ambiguity. dbW = the base 10 log of the power in watts. 200 watts sounds impressive, should crush a puny 125 watt AVR, right? Convert to dbW and compare ~21 db to ~23 db, and it's far less impressive, isn't it? The dbW approach corresponds more closely to our hearing, but the high watt numbers probably sell more amps.

 

[mapex636]

What I have is already hooked up and I've been using it for a bit. What it's mainly used for is cranking the classic rock tunes, but also the odd bit of TV / movies.

The system certainly seems loud enough. But I've seen so many say how an amp will increase the quality some how. Right now I have no complaints about the quality so I honestly don't know if it can even improve as I don't have an amp to compare it to.

On a side note, my AVR seems to be running quite warm to the touch? Is this indicative of anything? Nothing is on top or if or beside it ...

 

[ski2xblack]

Well, your main speakers are sporting multiple woofs, and as a result probably present a pretty low impedance load to the AVR, which will cause it to run a bit hot. Long term, this is not advisable, and may be a case where off-loading at least the front L and R channels to an external amp is not a bad idea.

 

[lovinthehd]

...or just add a cooling fan, AVRs run a bit warm. One way to find out if an amp is worth buying....buy it and see. It might be disappointing....but depends somewhat how excited or not you get by buying stuff

 

[mapex636]

I get extremely excited from buying stuff. My wallet, however, does not. I think I'll keep an eye out for used amps and go from there. Thanks guys.

 

[lovinthehd]

I get extremely excited from buying stuff. My wallet, however, does not. I think I'll keep an eye out for used amps and go from there. Thanks guys.

Or look at more cost effective solutions like a Crown XLS1502

 

[tyhjaarpa]

If you can play as loud as you like without distortion/clipping then you wont need separate amp. As you say your AVR runs hot you might want to add a fan to cool it down.

 

[killdozzer]

But I've seen so many say how an amp will increase the quality some how. Right now I have no complaints about the quality so I honestly don't know if it can even improve as I don't have an amp to compare it to.

This, right here, is the crucial statement.

Here's a non-expert opinion: it would seem to me that someone managed to boost the "missing out" feeling in you. This is unfortunately a quite common strategy in marketing today and it has pass on to people's everyday conversation: "if you never heard your speakers on a separate (exotic, strong) amplifier, you don't know what you're missing on.

Don't get hooked on this. You enjoy your system, that's great. If you really want to probe its possibilities, perhaps ask one of the people recommending a bigger/better/faster/pricier amp to lend you one for just one day or one listening session, preferably without them doing this:

And then you decide is it worth the money.

 

[PENG]

I get extremely excited from buying stuff. My wallet, however, does not. I think I'll keep an eye out for used amps and go from there. Thanks guys.

In that case you can get a very low cost 2 channel Crown amp as others suggested, to drive the L/R RTiA9 subwoofers(that's what Polk Audio call them). Or you can use it to drive the whole L/R speakers and let the very capable Denon AVR do the rest.

https://www.amazon.com/Crown-XLS1002-Two-channel-Power-Amplifier/dp/B011TI97VE/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1484913897&sr=1-1&keywords=crown+xls+1002

Also, be sure to run Audyssey, follow the instructions to the letter, otherwise those 3X7" bass drivers and the 10" subwoofer may not interact optimally to the point the overall bass may actually be weaker.

 

[lovinthehd]

In that case you can get a very low cost 2 channel Crown amp as others suggested, to drive the L/R RTiA9 subwoofers(that's what Polk Audio call them). Or you can use it to drive the whole L/R speakers and let the very capable Denon AVR do the rest.

https://www.amazon.com/Crown-XLS1002-Two-channel-Power-Amplifier/dp/B011TI97VE/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1484913897&sr=1-1&keywords=crown+xls+1002

Also, be sure to run Audyssey, follow the instructions to the letter, otherwise those 3X7" bass drivers and the 10" subwoofer may not interact optimally to the point the overall bass may actually be weaker.

Just one note on the XLS 1002 vs the 1502,2002,2502 models, is the lower model has a lesser SNR (97 vs 103 as per Crown spec). May make a difference with sensitive speakers and for the small price bump easier to just get the 1502....IMO.

 

[PENG]

Just one note on the XLS 1002 vs the 1502,2002,2502 models, is the lower model has a lesser SNR (97 vs 103 as per Crown spec). May make a difference with sensitive speakers and for the small price bump easier to just get the 1502....IMO.

I missed that important point. In that case, I would go for the XLS 1502 for $100 more.

 

[mapex636]

Just pulled the trigger on a Crown XLS1502 from Amazon on a whim. Screw it. Hard to say no for $335 and free shipping. I'll let you know how it sounds when it arrives.

 

[PENG]

Just pulled the trigger on a Crown XLS1502 from Amazon on a whim. Screw it. Hard to say no for $335 and free shipping. I'll let you know how it sounds when it arrives.

Good choice, the big RTiA9s will thank you for the unlimited juice supply machine (unlike the emos) whenever they feel thirsty.