Almost everyone seems to be saying to go the component route and the main question has been what brand amp to use. I had seen some great reviews for the Emotiva BasX a-300, but some of these comments sound like maybe people here are not big fans? The other options are more expensive, so kind of skew the value.
Good point, but sometimes people recommend going with separate components regardless, because some members like us know from experience that many posters would likely want to hear what they want to hear in the first place and simply came for moral support...
So if they come and ask for comments on which external amp too buy, or even just seeking opinions on whether their "demanding/power hungry/low impedance.. blablabla...speakers", we know their minds are likely set on external amps already, whether actually they need them or not. Same can be said about separate processor/preamp vs AVR etc..
Regarding "fans" or "no fans" for Emo amps, there is no denying that Emo amps offer one of the best values in terms of $/W, but it is the other factors that make some members hesitate to recommend them.
More expensive does not always result in better specs/"sound quality", but it is often true that you get what you pay for, so naturally your higher price options tend to have better chance to give you better overall quality.
By the way, if you are of the type who value more on facts and figures than subjective hearsay, then your first step should be to figure out how much power you really need based on the speakers of your choice, your room dimensions, seating distance, and spl requirements. An easy way to do that is to use an online spl/power requirement calculator. Once you have the numbers, you can more easily determine which amp would fit your need, or whether one is needed at all.
Since you mentioned the Ultra Towers, just food for thought, below is what SVS said in their FAQ on external power amp requirements:
Get your speaker and subwoofer questions answered here. We'll help you find the best home theater system for your audio sound needs.
www.svsound.com
"DO I NEED AN EXTERNAL AMPLIFIER TO POWER THE SVS ULTRA LOUDSPEAKERS?
The SVS Ultra loudspeakers have excellent sensitivity and are easy to drive with any quality A/V receiver. If the Ultra loudspeakers are being placed in a large listening environment and will be driven to high playback levels, and external amplifier will help avoid amplifier clipping and maintain optimal system dynamics.."
So no, their Ultra speakers do not always need external power amps to make them perform, it depends..
Another thing, about the low/like 4 ohm impedance that sometime user seemed to think it was a bragging right....
, at least one respected speaker manufacturer's privately expressed to me the following (don't want to mention name as it was a private email):
"...Strictly defined per IEC 60268-5 - the value of Znom is no more than 1.25 * Zmin.
With that said, there are other factors to consider – like the myth (which refuses to die) that AVRs cannot drive a 4 ohm load without shutting off or bursting into flames. So it’s actually common (from a product sales and marketing standpoint) to state of nominal impedance of 8 ohms (even if it doesn’t meet the strict IEC definition) to avoid undue customer anxiety......."
So even if you are going with the Ultra Towers, it really doesn't mean your AVR cannot perform well with them, but of course more power never hurts as long as you exercise care and money is not a factor.
