Noob looking for advice amp and receiver

[clipea13]

Hi All,

I just moved to a new place with in wall speakers and I have a system of my own.

I have a klipsch 5.1 (2 f-300,r-100sw subwoofer, 2 R-41M bookshelf and 1 R-52C).

Downstairs there are 8 in-wall and ceiling speakers. I would like to have 2 of those connected to my system to have dolby atoms while watching TV and the rest operating by zones.

Upstairs there are 4 ceiling speakers. I wanna keep this project for later on.

What do you I need to get to achieve this? amps, receiver...? how to get around an expensive 13.2 receiver while keeping the cost low?
Much appreciated!
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for the help and advice

 

[lovinthehd]

What's your budget? Your Klipsch 5.1 are speakers only, you have no current avr and/or that avr has Atmos capabilities? Don't know why you'd need 13.2 for a 5.1.2 system and the four speakers particularly. What are the plans for the room with the four ceiling speakers?

 

[clipea13]

Thank you Lovinthehd for your reply.
I don't have a specific budget but I would like to keep it as low as possible since it's a rental place
I don't have an avr but I'm looking to get one with atmos capabilities.
small Clarification: living room has 2 ceiling speakers which I'm planning to add them to my speakers to have atmos.
Dining room has 2 ceiling speakers which I would use when I'm playing music through the whole house.
And there are 4 in wall speakers outdoor which I would use when I'm playing music outdoor.

 

[lovinthehd]

Sounds like an Atmos avr with two zones could work, although you would possibly need to add external amps for the two zones; many avrs in the budget range will only have seven channels of built-in amplification. That 13.2 channel amp could possibly handle the whole thing but you could probably do better cost wise with a basic avr and a whole-home audio type amp. Still, need a budget.....

 

[clipea13]

I was thinking 1500$ or less. would that work?
A basic avr and an amp sounds great and in budget.
can you give me an example of a whole-home audio type amp? or a setup example that could work?
Thank you )

 

[lovinthehd]

Denon 3600s have been selling at great prices. This is somewhat along the lines of what I was thinking, altho didn't find a 6ch version.... https://www.htd.com/DMA-1240ADS

 

[mazersteven]

Denon AVR-X3600H (2019 model)

9.2-channel home theater receiver with Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, Apple® AirPlay® 2, and Amazon Alexa compatibility

www.crutchfield.com

 

[clipea13]

So to my understanding, I'm going to need a 9.2 channel avr and a 12 channel amplifier?

Than should I plug the 5.1 speakers and 2 for atoms in the receiver and the rest of speakers, I should plug them to the amp? is this accurate?

Thanks!

 

[lovinthehd]

So to my understanding, I'm going to need a 9.2 channel avr and a 12 channel amplifier?

Than should I plug the 5.1 speakers and 2 for atoms in the receiver and the rest of speakers, I should plug them to the amp? is this accurate?

Thanks!

Well, for a 5.1.2 setup you'll need at least 7 channels of amps for the main zone. AVRs with pre-outs for zones is what I was thinking (altho I generally think it's good to have an avr with a full set of pre-outs for more flexibility), or using available on-board amps are possible, or combinations as permitted by amp assignment in the avr or how you want to use external amps. The external amp need not be 12 ch particularly, but this power range would likely be fine for your zone purposes. I was just trying to find an example of a one-box solution....and had no luck in a quick look for a 6ch amp (but have seen such) that would work for you. You could use several two ch amps, too.

 

[clipea13]

Well, for a 5.1.2 setup you'll need at least 7 channels of amps for the main zone. AVRs with pre-outs for zones is what I was thinking (altho I generally think it's good to have an avr with a full set of pre-outs for more flexibility), or using available on-board amps are possible, or combinations as permitted by amp assignment in the avr or how you want to use external amps. The external amp need not be 12 ch particularly, but this power range would likely be fine for your zone purposes. I was just trying to find an example of a one-box solution....and had no luck in a quick look for a 6ch amp (but have seen such) that would work for you. You could use several two ch amps, too.

As a noob, I still don't even understand amps lol.
So from your expertise, what's the best combo to have (since 6ch amps are not widely available)? does the 3600 have all the pre-outs?

Thanks!

 

[lovinthehd]

As a noob, I still don't even understand amps lol.
So from your expertise, what's the best combo to have (since 6ch amps are not widely available)? does the 3600 have all the pre-outs?

Thanks!

Yes, the 3600 has a full set of pre-outs as well as fairly flexible amp assign features. You might look around the used market. I picked up a used 8 ch Crest pro amp a few years back for little money ($240 I think?) and a lot more power than that one I linked earlier. Look around the classifieds in various audio groups/fora (and here) and craiglist/ebay/hifishark etc and see what you can find. If buying new I'd think in terms of maybe Crown XLS or Behringer but be aware of possible fan noise (the Crown XLS amps are very quiet, tho...I use several, the Behringer A800 I believe is fairly quiet, not sure about the NX or 4ch amps Behringer offers).

 

[clipea13]

Great, so I will get the 3600. I will also look for either 6 or 8 ch amp from the brands you mentioned.
Just to confirm with this setup I will be able to power all of the 13 speakers and one sub. Correct?

Thanks!

 

[lovinthehd]

Great, so I will get the 3600. I will also look for either 6 or 8 ch amp from the brands you mentioned.
Just to confirm with this setup I will be able to power all of the 13 speakers and one sub. Correct?

Thanks!

The avr doesn't "power" a sub, just provides either a single pre-out or in some cases, like the 3600, dual sub pre-outs capable of separate level/delay adjustment.

You need the right combo of pre-out terminals and processing to handle what you want to do....but the 3600 with both zones used via external amps should give you basic functionality (control of zones/levels/content will depend on your remote/app setups). You need an amp channel for each speaker you want to use simultaneously at least....

 

[clipea13]

Hard to explain to a noob . To make it easier, can you list what I need to buy in a simple language. then I will go ahead and just buy them.
Thanks much.

 

[lovinthehd]

That's uncomfortable preparing a buy list for other than myself....Altho you do have a good choice in avr, just need some external amps. I already made some suggestions....or pm me for more in depth discussion.

 

[clipea13]

I'm still confused on the amp side. I don't know how many I need and what specs to look for. Can you help me on tha amp side?
thx!