Amp Questions

[hxcmassacre]

When do you need to include an amp in your ht setup? I've seen pics of some members setups and they had an amp as well as a receiver.

I've done a couple searches about this and I'm still not sure about the answer.

I own a LN46A650, a RXV663, PS3, and the polk RM6750; and plan to upgrade the right and left to a pair of TSI400's and the sub to a SVS PB12NSD further down the line

 

[Matt34]

When do you need to include an amp in your ht setup? I've seen pics of some members setups and they had an amp as well as a receiver.

I've done a couple searches about this and I'm still not sure about the answer.

I own a LN46A650, a RXV663, PS3, and the polk RM6750; and plan to upgrade the right and left to a pair of TSI400's and the sub to a SVS PB12NSD further down the line

You just need Pre-out connections which your Yammy receiver has.

 

[hxcmassacre]

Thanks, I figured I would be okay with what i already have, but at what point would i need to add an amp?

 

[OttoMatic]

The short answer is -- when you run out of power or your receiver can't drive your speakers because they present a difficult to drive load (low impedance). It also kinda looks cool, so some people do it for that. Some people use receivers as preamps to feed the signal to an external amp. Others skip the receiver and just go for the preamp itself. Using a receiver as a preamp is fine, but you're "wasting" the amplifiers in the receiver. Getting a proper preamp (or pre/pro, as is more likelty the case) is probably more expensive, though. You can get receivers with tons of features that might not be implemented yet on a pre/pro from a "high end" vendor. Either way...

 

[hxcmassacre]

So i look at the ohms right? If all of the speakers require more ohms than what the receiver can push, I would need an amp? or is it less ohms...

 

[captiankirk28]

So i look at the ohms right? If all of the speakers require more ohms than what the receiver can push, I would need an amp? or is it less ohms...

The lower the # in ohms the harder they are to drive.

 

[BMXTRIX]

A more traditional answer is that if you purchase and use external amplification you can shop for the best amplification for your speakers that is available, and then you can use a receiver/preamp which is the best, regardless of internal amplification.

For my needs, I struggle, because I personally use an external audio/video switcher for all of my stuff and all I need my receiver to do is decode digital audio and amplify it. If I went with a dedicated external amplifier of good quality, I could then buy an inexpensive A/V receiver with the latest audio decoding, but maintain the top shelf amplification.

I think mostly it is for people with big speakers and big budgets who really want to get that last 5% of quality out of their audio, regardless of price. On the practical side, there is less there because of the current pricing of A/V receivers.

 

[Pyrrho]

When do you need to include an amp in your ht setup? I've seen pics of some members setups and they had an amp as well as a receiver.

I've done a couple searches about this and I'm still not sure about the answer.

I own a LN46A650, a RXV663, PS3, and the polk RM6750; and plan to upgrade the right and left to a pair of TSI400's and the sub to a SVS PB12NSD further down the line

Most people don't need it, even if they have it. The reasons you might need it have already been covered; if your speakers are too low of an impedance for your receiver, or if the speakers are too inefficient and you need more power. Otherwise, it is a waste of money.

Now, if I had posted a picture of my home theater setup, you would see a power amp. But in my case, it is used to drive my subwoofers, not the main speakers, as the main speakers are an easy impedance to drive and are of normal efficiency, so there is no need for special amplification. My subwoofers do not have amplifiers built in, so an external amplifier is necessary.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I use an amp secondary to a huge room and the fact that I need more headroom. 99% of the time, I probably don't need the power but I want it for that 1% of the time.