If money were no object and you just had to get the best AVR

[AcuDefTechGuy]

why they gotta make them amps so ugly

Yeah, pro-amps are ugly. I guess they thought, "Oh, it's a pro-amp, let's make them all UGLY. If they're pretty, they can't be pro-amps."

Unfortunately, even some consumer amps are made ugly.

 

[Gmoney]

Sure. It's not the first option, which would be using a regular amp. But you can use an integrated amp. Some people even connect the pre-out to a cheap Stereo Receiver to power the extra surround speakers.

Which one is used for volume?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Which one is used for volume?

The answer is BOTH.

But I would set the volume on the Integrated amp as FIXED (like 25%, 50%, 75%, etc.) and use the AVR Master Volume to control the overall volume.

It's also kind of like using Pro-amps or even Parasound Amps with GAIN LEVEL CONTROL. You control the Volume of the speakers on the Main AVR and on the Parasound Amp's Gain Control. But I would set the Parasound Amp's Gain level as FIXED (100%) and let the AVR control the overall volume.

Again, this would not be the first option.

 

[Gmoney]

The final stage - the amp connected to the Speakers.

But the answer is BOTH.

Like in the AVR, you can increase the speaker volume by both the TRIM (speaker channel levels) and the MASTER Volume.

Smooth I can dig it, never thought of using a Integrated like that before.

 

[Sachb]

Do you think the newer Flagship model RX-A8A will have built-in amplification for processing 7.2.4? Looking at the back panel, it looks loaded. Thank God they still have components.

Link: https://www.avsforum.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,onerror=redirect,width=1920,height=1920,fit=scale-down/https://www.avsforum.com/attachments/a8a-jpg.3034168/

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Do you think the newer Flagship model RX-A8A will have built-in amplification for processing 7.2.4? Looking at the back panel, it looks loaded. Thank God they still have components.

Link: https://www.avsforum.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,onerror=redirect,width=1920,height=1920,fit=scale-down/https://www.avsforum.com/attachments/a8a-jpg.3034168/

I think the new RX-A8 will have 11Ch of amps inside because the MSRP has also increased to $3K.

 

[killdozzer]

Yep very Solid AVR, I joke around about some gear, like just buy Yamaha, that started as a joke between Andrew and I. But in reality Denon, Marantz just to name two others are good even better in other uses than Yamaha. As far as reliable, outside of my Onkyo THX-NR818 that crashed which by the way Onkyo repaired at their cost was a very nice sounding AVR. As far as me being a Yamaha fan yeah I like them, but if the price is right I wouldn't hesitate getting a Denon or Marantz.

True, but I went for the special edition and did so because of the title of the thread. Both Marantz with the Model30 and Yamaha with 5000 series opted to make "collector/audiophile/top-of-the-line/flagship" in the stereo domain. Sure, you could throw in 3080 Aventage or such, but that's just regular line of products. Meaning 3080 would compare to regular 8500 Denon. If Yamaha decided to make a special edition of 3080, than, apples to apples, that one would go against the 110.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Meaning 3080 would compare to regular 8500 Denon.

Well, that's $2K Yamaha AVR vs $4K Denon AVR.

So that's a huge compliment.

 

[PENG]

Which one is used for volume?

He knows, but he made it clear that for him, preamp/avp/avr/power amp must be by the same manufacturer (he's honest about the OCD thing), so he has to pretend the integrated amp is a power amp.

 

[VMPS-TIII]

He knows, but he made it clear that for him, preamp/avp/avr/power amp must be by the same manufacturer (he's honest about the OCD thing), so he has to pretend the integrated amp is a power amp.

The Purifi, NC252MP and NC502MP all offer great sound. The weight is low and the value is amazing. All of them measure better than any AVR. I would rather use them than a matched amp. Times are changing quickly for the better.

Eventually, receiver makers will consider these parts as well.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

He knows, but he made it clear that for him, preamp/avp/avr/power amp must be by the same manufacturer (he's honest about the OCD thing), so he has to pretend the integrated amp is a power amp.

I'm gonna blame Yamaha for that!

But hey! Aesthetics and name brand are important!

For around $300-$400, what options do you have for a consumer 2Ch amp for surrounds? There are cheaper amps from Monoprice, Russound, Niles, AudioSource, etc. But they are REALLY cheap looking amps that definitely won't sound any better.

 

[PENG]

Yeah, the only reason I would choose the A-S301 is because Yamaha doesn't offer the 2/5/7 Ch amps like Marantz.

The A-S301 will work just fine for OCD people (like me) who must have the SAME brand for the electronics if possible.

If I owned Marantz, then I would add the 2Ch Marantz for the extra 2Ch.

But there's no way I'm adding a Marantz Amp to a Yamaha AVR.

So hopefully Yamaha will offer these 2/5/7 CH amps in the future.

But since they don't offer them currently, the only other small consumer (not Pro Amp) amp is the A-S301. Which will work just fine for the purpose of extra surround sound amp.

Understood, by the way, since I could not find my detailed voltage/current/power demand comparison measurements between the front left/right and surround speakers, as well as XO vs large, I just did a cheap, quick and dirty one using the Hobbit dragon attack and here are the results, with volume set to -15 (level trim -1)

Surround back left

XO 80 Hz - 0.13 A max Irms
Full range - 0.17 A max Irms
Full range - 0.9 A Ipeak

Front left

XO 80 Hz - 0.69 A Irms
Full range - 0.76 A Irms (1.13 A when meter set to fast)
Full range - 3.5 A Ipeak (Edit: actually 4.4 A when I set to meter to fast)

The bass drivers demand to mid/tweeter demand ratio appeared to be about 2.7 to 1, so there should be some benefits to bi-amp is there are spare power amp channels.

The surround back channel drew 1/4 the current the front channel did.

Every system may be different, but with a 1:4 ratio, I am comfortable to say in most cases, the surround channel would not need more than 50% of what the front channels need. Also, note that if I crank the volume in that test to near 0, my power amp, even the preamp will clip for sure during the peaks in that movie. I could avoid that by using the biggest McIntosh monoblocks and prepro that can output 4 V RCA/8 V XLR, but then my speaker won't be able handle it then, can't win except to forget about reference level if clipping is to be avoided.

 

[PENG]

I'm gonna blame Yamaha for that!

But hey! Aesthetics and name brand are important!

For around $300-$400, what options do you have for a consumer 2Ch amp for surrounds? There are cheaper amps from Monoprice, Russound, Niles, AudioSource, etc. But they are really cheap amps that don't look as nice and definitely won't sound any better.

For that low budget I cannot think of any other than Emotiva's, that is still cheap looking but seems well built.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

For that low budget I cannot think of any other than Emotiva's, that is still cheap looking but seems well built.

Oh HELLS NO. No cheap blue cheese.

For around $300 street price, it's hard to beat the A-S201, especially for brand and aesthetics.

 

[killdozzer]

Well, that's $2K Yamaha AVR vs $4K Denon AVR.

So that's a huge compliment.

Not even close. I didn't say how the comparison would end. It means Yamm's race horse is half the league.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Not even close. I didn't say how the comparison would end. It means Yamm's race horse is half the league.

Well, personally I recommend to everyone to get the Yamaha RX-A3080 over the X-8500. But only half of them listen to me.

 

[VMPS-TIII]

For that low budget I cannot think of any other than Emotiva's, that is still cheap looking but seems well built.

You can get a 225W Buckeye stereo NC252MP, XLR inputs (Neutrik), 12v trigger, Power LED = $499 shipped

Buckeye Amps: New US based Hypex multichannel amplifier builder, line-up announcement!

Hypex NC502MP Power Specs (1kHz, THD = 1%): - 450w @ 2ohm (per channel, peak) - 500w @ 4ohm (per channel, peak) - 350w @ 8ohm (per channel, peak) Hypex NC252MP Power Specs (1kHz, THD = 1%): - 180w @ 2ohm (per channel, peak) - 250w @ 4ohm (per channel, peak) - 150w @ 8ohm (per channel, peak) XL...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[mazersteven]

But only half of them listen to me.

I'm surprised you have that many that listen to you.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I'm surprised you have that many that listen to you.
View attachment 42791

Haha.

But yeah, you're right. Most guys already made up their minds before they even talk to me. I guess they mainly want reinforcement.

 

[Movie2099]

Well, personally I recommend to everyone to get the Yamaha RX-A3080 over the X-8500. But only half of them listen to me.

I will take an RX-A3080 for demo purposes if you had one. Haha. need to see this Yamaha superiority myself.