Denon 3805 bi amp

[bigbassdave]

Hey guys I see that you can bi amp the two front speakers using the Denon 3805 by leaving out the rear center channel speakers. Has anyone tried this? I also read the review on this site that Denon does not officially endorse this procedure. Are there any risks involved with doing this? I assume having 240 watts running to each front speaker would be a huge improvement but would it drown out my center channel at all during movies or cause potential damge to the fronts which are rated to handle 250 watts max? Lastly, I read how to do it but I'm still a little confused. How tough would this be for someone with intermediate experience such as myself? Thanks

 

[Johnny Canuck]

You use the amps from Zone 2 or 3, not rear center.

I tried it. It degraded SQ considerably. Experts call it "tonal imbalance" . The zone 2 and 3 amps do not put out digital signal so it is not the same, thus the imbalance. As well, an annoying "hum" is heard from your fronts within 7 feet. It did add a little punch in the lower end but not worth this sacrifice. I just picked up a used amp instead and powered my drivers on my fronts.

You don't get true 240 W. Nothing is free.

JC

 

[bigbassdave]

thanks for reply. Looks like I wont even try it. I will be breaking the bank to get a receiver for the sole purpose of getting great sound so I dont want to compromise that. Other than that how happy are you with the 3805? Any regrets whatsoever? I do have one more question with it. Are you able to set up 7.1 in one room and the run two other speakers in a different zone? I know if this is possible I won't be able to run all of them at the same time but it would still be nice. Or do I have to leave out the two surround rears to run different zones? Thanks

 

[j_garcia]

Biamping with all the channels coming off a single power supply sort of defeats the whole purpose of biamping anyway.

 

[BJP]

I gave it a try a few months ago and was not impressed at all.
It sounded thin, lacking of bass and a hum. It was easy to set up but the sound quality was bad. Just better to use separates.

 

[bigbassdave]

anyone know of any 3 channel amps putting out around 200watts per channel? Or do I need to get a 2 channel and a mono? I would like to get seperates some day but it will be a while. Just dropped the last of my cash yesterday on an engagement ring so I need to wait a couple checks before I can even do a receiver but want to make sure I know as much as I can before making purchase. Is it that important to amplify the center channel as much as the fronts or would just running an amp to them and letting the center run off the receiver be fine? Thanks for all the info guys

 

[j_garcia]

Didn't you get the Betas? If so, the 3805 should be plenty for them. If you need more, a 2ch might be all you need.

 

[bigbassdave]

yeah I did get the betas and I am sure with the 3805 they would be just fine but J my good friend I am plagued with the audio addiction so many of us have. I always love my stuff for a few months then start thinking about ways I can moddify it. I could never own a completely stock vehicle, motorcycle ect... home theater is no different for me

 

[j_garcia]

Try it out as is first and see how it goes. You've got more important things on your plate at the moment though You can upgrade in stages down the road...

 

[Johnny Canuck]

I absolutely love my 3805 but if I was shopping today like you are, i would get the 3806 because it has HDMI. I bought a Panny plasma last week and it has one HDMI input. I need two, one for cable box, one for DVD player. If I had the 3806, i would run the whole set up through the receiver.

That said, the Yamaha 2600 won receiver of the year and must be seriously considered too.

JC

 

[mulester7]

I absolutely love my 3805 but if I was shopping today like you are, i would get the 3806 because it has HDMI. I bought a Panny plasma last week and it has one HDMI input. I need two, one for cable box, one for DVD player. If I had the 3806, i would run the whole set up through the receiver.

That said, the Yamaha 2600 won receiver of the year and must be seriously considered too.

JC

.....Johnny, way back, I came across a package deal....about the year 1990.....the package consisted of a Denon tuner, a Denon pre-amp, and a Denon 2-ch amp....and were at that time considered right at the top of the line, and probably were....I'm really glad I found that package, or maybe it found me....I took the amp downstairs, and my Brother, who was having a rough time dealing with life from about every direction at that time, diagnosed manic-depressive, still not sure about that, used the tuner and pre-amp with headphones to listen to local FM classical upstairs....I noticed he began smiling more when not listening....I'm glad now that worked out....all three pieces were of excellent quality, highly sought after, and that was 1990...Denon's got a rich history, I say buy with confidence........but, my Mac pre-amp never got unhooked but for about 20 minutes, and I knew the Mac would stay downstairs....there's some magic in their pre-amps....Buck, where in the World am I gonna' set a 141 pound amplifier?....I guess I went nuts....lastly, guys, will a digital SLR, let's say Nikon, meter in auto-mode up to about 30 seconds?....get on this, you camera hounds....nothing manual, metering the exposure automatically up to about 30 seconds at least, with compensation wheel/roll, if possible.....what?....well, there ain't no current camera thread....cryin' shame, two......

 

[indcrimdefense]

i have a denon 2805, which has less power than the 3805. i have had multiple amplifiers hooked up this year, and they do make a difference. the amps, in order of preference: 1) cary audio cinema 5, 2)krell showcase 5, 3) B&K reference 125.2 4) nakamichi PA-5 II, 5) rotel 1080. cary audio makes a 3 channel 200 wpc amp, the cinema 3, i would guess msrp is 3000+. all of the amps, with the exception of the rotel, sounded better when hooked w/ a pre-amp as opposed to using the 2805 as a pre-pro. my fav amp using the 2805 as a pre-pro was the krell, but best sound i have found from the demos was cary audio cinema 6 pre/pro & cinema 5 amp combo. best bang for the buck was B&K, also paired well w/ 2805, but not as clean & detailed as the krell. krell was also a black hole in terms of noise, there was none. i'm still shopping, going to eventually buy a AV pre/pro from ??? and a 5 channel amp from krell, cary audio, mcintosh or ??