RX-V659 vs Behringer A500

[ivseenbetter]

I have been back and forth over this. I have Swan Diva 4.1 speakers rated for 4 ohms and I am confused on what to push them with. I was already convinced that I should get a receiver as a pre/pro and then a Behringer A500 as an amp to drive them. This sounded great but my curiousity got the better of me and I decided to look around for more convenient options. Now I have been reading about the RX-V659. Everything in Gene's review here at audioholics makes it sound like a killer deal. It has the amplification to do the job from what I can tell.

The Behringer comes out at: 180 watts @ 4 ohms @ 20Hz @ 0.056% THD+N, 1 channel driven

The 659 comes out at: 170wpc x 2 with less than 0.1% THD + N with 2 channel driven

I'm no expert on the numbers but to me it seems like a wash. Since the Yammy comes in a single box (convenience) and actually costs less I am thinking that is the way to go now. I'm worried that I am overlooking something though. Is this too good to be true?

I noticed doing a search here on the 659 that a lot of people use them but that a few folks only use it as a pre/pro. That makes me wonder if there is something wrong with the amp portion that I missed. Maybe the Behringer "is" the way to go.

Sorry to keep beating a dead horse. Ridicule me all you want but I gotta know before I pull the trigger what some of you more seasoned vets would do...and why.

Oh, and my speakers supposedly max out at 150 watts so both go over my max.

 

[Seth=L]

Two things, first of all the RX-V659 and RX-V663 I believe are using the same amplifier section.

Second, the Behringer is going to be more stable with 4 ohm loads and will have more overall output power. The Power measurements done by Gene are at 1khz, a single frequency that is easier for amplifiers to handle. You will notice the Behringer is measured at 20 hz, a very difficult and demanding frequency to drive. The wash is in favor of the Behringer. Will you need the Behringer, maybe, maybe not. It will perform better for power than the receiver for certain though.

 

[mike c]

if you bought the A500, what would you use as a pre-pro?

 

[ivseenbetter]

Two things, first of all the RX-V659 and RX-V663 I believe are using the same amplifier section.

Second, the Behringer is going to be more stable with 4 ohm loads and will have more overall output power. The Power measurements done by Gene are at 1khz, a single frequency that is easier for amplifiers to handle. You will notice the Behringer is measured at 20 hz, a very difficult and demanding frequency to drive. The wash is in favor of the Behringer. Will you need the Behringer, maybe, maybe not. It will perform better for power than the receiver for certain though.

Thanks Seth. You have been a very helpful through all of this. Lots of very useful info. Unfortunately you have brought me around full circle back to the A500 combo. The extra overhead is worth a few extra dollars to ensure I am getting good clean power to my speakers. I had hoped that the similarities between the two pieces would equate to a wash in the amount of wattage being produced.

 

[ivseenbetter]

if you bought the A500, what would you use as a pre-pro?

I was planning on getting a refurb Denon from Ecost or Dakmart. Probably the AVR 1905 or AVR 1906. Either of these with the A500 would put me at about 400. The Yammy would put me around 300 spent.

 

[Seth=L]

The Denon's are fine too. Do you think you might get a Blu-ray player in the near future?

 

[ivseenbetter]

Nope. No Blu-ray for me anytime soon. This is going to be my living room system. I have a regular upconverting DVD player, Dish, and Wii hooked up to this and that is it. My tv doesn't have HDMI and I won't be upgrading that anytime soon so Component is good enough for me. Really, I just want to provide my speakers with the chance to open up and sing as much as possible. Will I hear much of a difference between the Yammy and the Behringer? I just don't want that haunting feeling that I "could have had better sound if only I had spent a few more dollars". Right now, I am honestly leaning toward the Yammy. It has pre-outs. If that nagging feeling doesn't go away, I will just eventually get an external amp and see what happens. Maybe I am just over analyzing this and just need to settle.

 

[Seth=L]

I think the sound will be less strained. Even though the amplifier sections on those receivers tested quite well they get pretty compressed sounding when they encounter low impedance loads. Expect that the speakers won't stay at 4 ohms, they could easily dip lower depending on the frequency they are playing. Getting the Denon paired with a A500 is a very good idea.

 

[WmAx]

If you are going through the trouble of using an external amplifier, I would recommend gong with something with higher power and a wider load driving ability. The Behringer EP2500 is a superbly built amplifier with excellent performance. It will drive virtually any load you present. The only drawback is that the EP2500 is fan-cooled, and the fan can be heard on quiet parts of music. But, for 8 bucks plus shipping you can buy a drop in replacement fan that is virtually silent.

-Chris

 

[ivseenbetter]

I was really considering getting the Yamaha anyway and just adding an external to it at a later date...I changed my mind when I looked up the Frequency Response on the Component connections and realized they are only listed at 60 MHz. My understanding is that this is a little low to get the best video signal through these connections. The Denon has 100 MHz and when coupled with the external amp I figure it will give me the best picture and the best sound.

Thanks for everybodies input. Again, sorry for beating a dead horse.

 

[thisonekidmongo]

My two cents, but I have the RX-V659 and can't detect any video degradation on the component inputs whatsoever. That said, I'm sure the Denon would do an equally fine job in that department, so maybe the peace of mind is worth it.

 

[Seth=L]

60mhz component video is plenty, you won't notice a difference.