2 channel amp questions

[BigSkreen]

So I am currently all over the place with my next purchase and have tons of questions. I am working up a budget and have a question about 2 channel amps. I am looking at Salk SongTowers and Axiom M80s. Both of these speakers are 4 ohms. I have a Yamaha 3900 AVR which I believe is not rated for that. I was thinking of a fairly inexpensive 2 ch amp like something from Emotiva. The question is can I still use the AVR to control the output for the 2 fronts hooked into the 2ch amp as well as the rest hooked directly into it?

 

[TLS Guy]

So I am currently all over the place with my next purchase and have tons of questions. I am working up a budget and have a question about 2 channel amps. I am looking at Salk SongTowers and Axiom M80s. Both of these speakers are 4 ohms. I have a Yamaha 3900 AVR which I believe is not rated for that. I was thinking of a fairly inexpensive 2 ch amp like something from Emotiva. The question is can I still use the AVR to control the output for the 2 fronts hooked into the 2ch amp as well as the rest hooked directly into it?

Your receiver has pre outs, so the answer is yes you can.

 

[BigSkreen]

Thanks TLS guy

So I assume that I can set the levels and from there on out it is a 1:1 ratio of volume for every dB I give my other speakers I get a db from my fronts?

Will have my front 2 channels powered by an external amp cause them to sound different than my center channel powered by the AVR?

 

[bandphan]

Thanks TLS guy

So I assume that I can set the levels and from there on out it is a 1:1 ratio of volume for every dB I give my other speakers I get a db from my fronts?

Will have my front 2 channels powered by an external amp cause them to sound different than my center channel powered by the AVR?

You can use the YAPO or manually level match the speakers. Im running a 2ch for my mains and an avr for the rest

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks TLS guy

So I assume that I can set the levels and from there on out it is a 1:1 ratio of volume for every dB I give my other speakers I get a db from my fronts?

Will have my front 2 channels powered by an external amp cause them to sound different than my center channel powered by the AVR?

Yes, you can set levels, it should not make your center and mains sound different from a spectral balance point of view.

 

[Swerd]

Is your receiver the Yamaha RX-V3900, rated at 140 wpc at 8 ohms? I wouldn't worry about using that AVR with SongTowers. Despite being as low as 4 ohm impedance, they are an easy load for most AVRs.

I own a pair of those speakers, and I could easily drive them with an older Denon AVR rated at 70 wpc. Jim Salk and Dennis Murphy both say SongTowers are easily driven by any receiver that delivers an honest 50 wpc at 8 ohms. I've heard SongTowers driven by amps ranging from as low as 30 to as high as 200 wpc and all of them worked well .

I can't speak for the M80s, but I once heard M60s, and they were not at all in the same class as SongTowers.

 

[BigSkreen]

4 ohms after all

Swerd you were dead on with my receiver but I did a little more digging. It turns out that it will support the front two speakers at 4 ohms. I'm assuming that the rating they gave that receiver was at 8 ohms. I was considering the Emotiva UPA-2 especially because it is on sale right now but its 125 wpc into 8 ohms and 185 at 4.

While I have your attention Swerd can I assume that you are the same R. Swerdlow who posted in the Salk forum? I live in NOVA and I'm hoping to find someone who would let me demo there STs. I'm also thinking of asking Dennis Murphy but if the Salks are is good as people seem to think I'm afraid to hear the HT3 that he has because that would not only blow my budget it would destroy it.

 

[Swerd]

Swerd you were dead on with my receiver but I did a little more digging. It turns out that it will support the front two speakers at 4 ohms. I'm assuming that the rating they gave that receiver was at 8 ohms. I was considering the Emotiva UPA-2 especially because it is on sale right now but its 125 wpc into 8 ohms and 185 at 4.

While I have your attention Swerd can I assume that you are the same R. Swerdlow who posted in the Salk forum? I live in NOVA and I'm hoping to find someone who would let me demo there STs. I'm also thinking of asking Dennis Murphy but if the Salks are is good as people seem to think I'm afraid to hear the HT3 that he has because that would not only blow my budget it would destroy it.

I'd try your Yamaha AVR first before thinking about an external amp. With SongTowers, it will not have any problem driving them.

Yes, that is me on the AudioCircle forum. I'd be glad to have you over to listen to my SongTowers. Send me a PM and we'll arrange a time. If you have some speakers now that you'd like to compare to the STs, bring them along too.

Don't be afraid to ask Dennis Murphy, he's a real nice guy. He will have plenty of single copies of other Salk speakers. The HT3 and HT4 are in a different class, in both price and sound quality. The HT3s do require a big amp that is stable well below 4 ohms, and that usually costs a lot more than the Emotive you mentioned.