HT Beginner Looking for Advice - Power Amp Needed?

C

classic_erik

Enthusiast
Hi Everyone,

Long time listener, first time caller. I am assembling my first lifestyle home theater and was looking for some quick advice on whether I need, or should consider, adding a power amp to my current 5.1.4 setup.

My single open bonus room is approx. 500 square feet with a vaulted ceiling ranging from 11-15 feet. I am 50/50 on Movies/Music. I won't be cranking the system to the limit but I am wondering if I would gain any benefit from external amplification for my front soundstage.

Existing Setup:
Marantz AVR SR-7015 (9x125W at 8 ohm)
LG G1 OLED
Dynaudio Evoke 20 Bookshelves (180W @ 6 ohm)
Dynaudio Evoke 25C Center (200W @ 4 ohm)
Monitor Audio C280-IDC Atmos Speakers (x4) (120W @ 6 ohm)
Monitor Audio W280-IDC Rear Surrounds 120W @ 6 ohm)
SVS SB-4000 Subwoofer
Xbox Series X

I am looking at both a budget option of the Emotive BasX-A3 3 channel and a companion Marantz MM7055 5 channel power amp. I am about a month away from completing the construction so can't comment on how the SR-7015 can handle this set up. I will most likely see how it goes before pulling the trigger on anything but I am curious on gut reactions to my question.

Thanks!
Erik
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
I'd think for the most part the avr is fine on its own, but depends on your playback levels and how far away from the speakers you are. Soundstage is a recording artifact in combination with your speakers. An external amp would give you an spl and perhaps lower impedance capability at higher levels, if needed. I'd definitely try without the external amp to start and see if you have any audible issues first. The wattage ratings of the speakers are fairly meaningless, tho. You might play around with this to get an idea of your amp needs for your speakers and use http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html.
 
Verdinut

Verdinut

Audioholic Spartan
The wattage rating of a speaker usually is the maximum wattage which it will handle for instantaneous peaks lasting less than one second before being damaged.
 
C

classic_erik

Enthusiast
I'd think for the most part the avr is fine on its own, but depends on your playback levels and how far away from the speakers you are. Soundstage is a recording artifact in combination with your speakers. An external amp would give you an spl and perhaps lower impedance capability at higher levels, if needed. I'd definitely try without the external amp to start and see if you have any audible issues first. The wattage ratings of the speakers are fairly meaningless, tho. You might play around with this to get an idea of your amp needs for your speakers and use http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html.
Thank you for the guidance. From your calculator I am seeing a dB SPL of 103.5. I guess I’ll be just fine with the AVR!

I guess my follow up is - what’s a scenario where I may benefit from an external amp given my room setup?
 

Attachments

Last edited:
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Thank you for the guidance. From your calculator I am seeing a dB SPL of 103.5. I guess I’ll be just fine with the AVR!

I guess my follow up is - what is the application for some of these massive power amps when considering this dB SPL formula? 250-300W per channel seems like a recipe for hearing loss.
So how did you use the calculator to get that particularly?

Assuming it's a reasonable calculatation, not quite reaching THX reference movie volume would be okay with you (peaks from speakers 105dB) ? Reasons for a power amp..... Allowance for cleaner peaks / more overhead when playing at higher volume perhaps, or being able to be used with a wide variety of speakers / rooms without worrying about power as much, driving lower sensitivity / impedance speakers (or "difficult to drive" speakers), or just because you want to :) ....a variety of reasons.

My particular take is in a large room at higher volumes it can be a nice thing, did it for years and I do generally buy avrs with pre-outs simply to have the option. In the last few years have deliberately backed off on volume (-20 dB generally, maybe once in a while some music a bit louder) and have more sensitive speakers in my main system than I used to....but adding a power amp at these levels yielded no audible difference to me vs. using my avr alone (but have some extra amps so I hooked 'em up anyways....LOL). That's where I'm 14 ft from the mains, 7ch system, 32 x 15 ft room, my avr is similar power to yours, perhaps a bit more powerful (150wpc).

Takes a doubling of power to gain 3dB spl so if you do go external amp go fairly big, I'd aim at that 250-300 wpc range. Didn't look at your speaker spec but I've noticed some Dynaudios I've read about are somewhat low impedance, and wouldn't be surprised if the MA's are also; but not familiar with the brands generally (never saw them in my visiting stereo stores days). Bookshelves tend to be low on the sensitivity side, too. You might still be a candidate but I'd still use the avr alone; it's easy enough to add amps later....
 
C

classic_erik

Enthusiast
So how did you use the calculator to get that particularly?

Assuming it's a reasonable calculatation, not quite reaching THX reference movie volume would be okay with you (peaks from speakers 105dB) ? Reasons for a power amp..... Allowance for cleaner peaks / more overhead when playing at higher volume perhaps, or being able to be used with a wide variety of speakers / rooms without worrying about power as much, driving lower sensitivity / impedance speakers (or "difficult to drive" speakers), or just because you want to :) ....a variety of reasons.

My particular take is in a large room at higher volumes it can be a nice thing, did it for years and I do generally buy avrs with pre-outs simply to have the option. In the last few years have deliberately backed off on volume (-20 dB generally, maybe once in a while some music a bit louder) and have more sensitive speakers in my main system than I used to....but adding a power amp at these levels yielded no audible difference to me vs. using my avr alone (but have some extra amps so I hooked 'em up anyways....LOL). That's where I'm 14 ft from the mains, 7ch system, 32 x 15 ft room, my avr is similar power to yours, perhaps a bit more powerful (150wpc).

Takes a doubling of power to gain 3dB spl so if you do go external amp go fairly big, I'd aim at that 250-300 wpc range. Didn't look at your speaker spec but I've noticed some Dynaudios I've read about are somewhat low impedance, and wouldn't be surprised if the MA's are also; but not familiar with the brands generally (never saw them in my visiting stereo stores days). Bookshelves tend to be low on the sensitivity side, too. You might still be a candidate but I'd still use the avr alone; it's easy enough to add amps later....
Thanks again, this has been super helpful. I’ll definitely make sure I break in my new setup before making a decision.

I would be in fact be happy with a 103 dB SPL upon additional research. I actually posted the calculations on my last reply as an attachment. Let me know what you think here?

Dumb question - Should I pull the trigger to gain more headroom in the future, wouldn’t a power amp with 250-300W per channel be way too much for my Dynaudio soundstage given their specs? Understood on the concept of doubling of power to gain 3 dB SPL but wouldn’t I blow apart my speakers if I cranked too much by accident? I just assumed I should match my speakers with the amp (in this case I thought the Emotiva BasX 3A would match well at 140W per channel @ 8ohm). How should I be thinking about this?
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
I usually just run the calculator a bit more conservatively by just running the L/R speakers, and don't ask for the consideration of boundaries, and if I do that with yours I get 98.7 dB. On a calibrated reference volume dial that's still better than -10 for a movie....what's your typical volume setting for a movie? The sensitivity spec of the speaker and other factors will vary a bit too....it's just an estimation tool so don't take it as an exact thing either....

You really can't have too much power....but you can put more into the speakers than you should on the other hand. With reasonable use of the volume control, not likely an issue in any case (and you can set a reasonable volume limit on the Marantz for those crazy parties :) ). It will usually sound bad before you get to their limits....except sometimes during those crazy parties where you might become numb to volume :) Many recommend to double the power rating of a speaker....I've used 250wpc amps on speakers rated less than yours just fine.

I look at the amp as a one time thing, so may as well get plenty of power for the cost. I'm not much of an Emotiva fan in any case. I am using some Crown XLS amps myself at the moment both for my diy subs as well as had some spares until my next sub build, so also on my mains. If shopping now I'd probably consider some of the Purifi or Hypex module builds available from several brands....

Sometimes ya just want an amp, it happens to a lot of us. I am no ampliphile seeking some sort of "signature" or fancy box tho. I like the feature set (adjustable gains, clipping indicators, a more comprehensive set of input connections as well as speaker connectors) of the pro amps as well as the price....aesthetics and spec won't appeal to some, tho.


Still, I would start without the external amp, then see if I wanted to spend more or not....some are hard to get now, too.
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
...

I guess my follow up is - what’s a scenario where I may benefit from an external amp given my room setup?
I would think when you have an amp, lots of power, from a past purchase still hanging around in the house looking to be used. ;) :)
 
P

PENG

Audioholic Slumlord
Thank you for the guidance. From your calculator I am seeing a dB SPL of 103.5. I guess I’ll be just fine with the AVR!

I guess my follow up is - what’s a scenario where I may benefit from an external amp given my room setup?
In addition to what HD said, I would also drop the sensitivity to 83 or 84 dB at the most for that calculator because those impedance of the Dyns are likely closer to 4 ohms than the claimed 6 ohms.

Adding a 200/300 W 8/4 ohms rated power amp is a good idea. The SR7015 can do it too if you don't listen to higher than say 10 dB below reference level at the very maximum.
 
3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
If I were in your shoes, I would save up for a 2nd sub before getting a power amp. Getting into the high 90 db is already REALLY loud and you would only hit that when the wife is out with the kids. :) Just my opinion.
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
If I were in your shoes, I would save up for a 2nd sub before getting a power amp. Getting into the high 90 db is already REALLY loud and you would only hit that when the wife is out with the kids. :) Just my opinion.
My thoughts too. Trade the sb4000 in for a pb4000, and a second one shortly thereafter.
 
C

classic_erik

Enthusiast
Thanks everyone! Sadly this is a lifestyle theater so I am bound by the better half. I was approved with bookshelves and 1 sub only! o_O

So I have narrowed down to 2 power amps at this point since everyone seems to be down on Emotiva. Do you have a gut reaction to a Parasound Halo A31 (3x250W @ 8ohm). Reading some great reviews on the unit...That said it's a little pricey so also considering the Anthem MCA 325 Gen 2 (3x225W @ 8 ohm). Appreciate any cursory feedback.
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
Thanks everyone! Sadly this is a lifestyle theater so I am bound by the better half. I was approved with bookshelves and 1 sub only! o_O

So I have narrowed down to 2 power amps at this point since everyone seems to be down on Emotiva. Do you have a gut reaction to a Parasound Halo A31 (3x250W @ 8ohm). Reading some great reviews on the unit...That said it's a little pricey so also considering the Anthem MCA 325 Gen 2 (3x225W @ 8 ohm). Appreciate any cursory feedback.
Well I say maybe she should be bound by you!!! Lol. I know. We all have our hurdles.

FWIW I would definitely see how the Marantz handles things. If you’re not pushing it, and don’t hear anything objectionable, I wouldn’t worry about an amplifier. At least not for any qualitative reason. Your sleep factor might not allow you to get away with that though lol. That’s up to you. Truth is, a meeting with the war dept about that sealed sub will gain you much more benefit, and will at least be noticeable.
 

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