Adding an amp to 1015TX

[CosmicCharlie]

Hello all, new to this forum though I've been absorbing info on here for some time now.
I'm looking to add a little headroom to my system which I use 70/30 music over movies. Room is approx. 15 by 15. I'm a little uncertain about the best way to proceed when adding external amplification.

Currently running a 5.1 system with Energy C-5 mains, matching center and Athena SB-2's for surrounds.

Would adding a two channel amp be suffice or should I go straight to five channel? I've been looking at Parasound HCA-855 and Rotel RMB-1075 for multi and no idea where to begin for two channel. So much out there. I do enjoy listening to music in multi channel mode so would adding a two channel amp for just the fronts affect the overall sound balance if I'm using multi- channel?

What are the primary considerations I should be looking at?

Thanks in advance...

 

[j_garcia]

2ch will help out a lot, but a 5ch would be even better in the case of the 1015. No a 2ch amp won't affect the balance because you will re-run MCACC and all levels will be matched again. I found the 1014 to be lacking in the power department, but if you were to offload your center and mains with a 3 ch amp or monoblocks, it should sound pretty decent.

 

[CosmicCharlie]

2ch will help out a lot, but a 5ch would be even better in the case of the 1015. No a 2ch amp won't affect the balance because you will re-run MCACC and all levels will be matched again. I found the 1014 to be lacking in the power department, but if you were to offload your center and mains with a 3 ch amp or monoblocks, it should sound pretty decent.

Would you look for amps that have similar wattage specs? I've heard many state that a high current amp with lower wattage still produces as much if not more power than a recievers with higher.
Example is that Parsound which produces 85 watts per channel. That's less than the stated power on the Pioneer but the confusing part is how well the two would combine. Is the Parasound underpowered?
Is there any rule of thumb for what type of specs to look for when adding an amp when using a reciever as a pre/pro?

It's very unlikely to be able to hear the combo in any store.

 

[j_garcia]

The Parasound will blow away the 1015. I compared the 1014 to my PM7200 which is rated for 95x2 and the 7200 clearly had MUCH more power as well, but that was to be expected because it is only 2ch and is bascially 2 monoblock amp sections in one chassis. IMO, any decent amp, like the ones you mentioned, are going to outperform the 1015, so I woudln't worry too much about the wattage on them.

 

[tomd51]

I'm currently using my Denon 3803 as a pre/pro and have done some comparisions with a few amps over the past few months.

The first was a Harman Kardon PA2000 (2x100w or 4x45w) that I hooked up to only my mains. The difference between the onboard amps of the Denon (rated at 110w), which BTW are no slouch, was noticable and not just a 'placebo' effect. The clarity of the signal at moderate to higher volumes is where the difference became apparent (-40 to -10).

The second amp was a Carver Premiere AV-705x (125x5), the front sound stage opened up a bit more with all three L/C/Rs driven by the external amp, the surrounds also perked up a bit noticably in comparison to the Denon's amps.

The third and current configuration is with an Outlaw Audio 755 (200x5), more headroom and clarity at reference levels with the additional power and (possibly) better components in the 755 than the Carver.

I can honestly say you would be hard pressed to not notice a difference with almost any receiver's onboard amps and an external amplifier. I would suggest getting close to the same power rating or higher (if only to stave off upgradeitis) than the receiver. I would also consider at least a three channel amp as the L/C/Rs would benefit from having the same pre/pro signal as well as the same amp signal and should provide a more transparent soundstage from the front three where most of your soundtracks are being carried.

Depending upon your listening habits, I'd say you could do well with a solid three to five channel amp in the 100-125 watt range. As mentioned in some of the previous posts, I'd pay less attention to the power ratings as they are less impactful the higher you go, depending upon the speakers your driving.
Happy listening... -TD