Do I need an XPA7 for my Denon 5308

[AcuDefTechGuy]

He also has some lower mid range Denon such as the 3312 and X3100W. I think he considers them just as good for his music listening using RBH, 802 Diamond, Salon 2 (he sold them), and other reasonably expensive speakers. He owns some powerful ATI amps apparently just because he can afford them, not that he absolutely need them.

I think wattage/power is over-rated 99% of the time.

I had a client (auditioning speakers) say to me once that his 50WPC amp is more than enough for him and that 50W is a lot more power than people think. I told him I agreed with him and that 100W is plenty for 99% of people.

But cool amps are just cool (but not all amps ).

 

[herbu]

the math suggests may not a huge change in perceived loudness

Ummm... no. The math does more than "suggest" it. It proves it.

Your biggest audible improvement will come from speakers or subwoofers. Period. If you're ready to spend ~$3500 or more for a pair of speakers, you can do that first and save the sub for later. If your budget is not that fat, go w/ a good sub first.

 

[markw]

I estimate a difference of 20 to 30 db between the Denon and the XPA 7 but that's just a rough guess based on what's reported here and without doing the actual equation.

Twenty to thirty decibels?

You must have either not read, or totally misread that chart in the link I provided in post # 2 of this thread.

First off, doubling the watts results in a 3 decibel increase in loudness, which is barely audible under ideal listening conditions. Now, it gets interesting.

A 10 db increase in loudness (2x as loud) requires ten times the power.

That 20 db increase (4x as loud) you tout, requires ANOTHER ten times the power, or 100 times your original power. I can't think of any speaker that could handle this.

Another 10 db increase, for your 30 db (8x as loud), requires YET ANOTHER ten times the power. You do the math.

but, hey, if you simply want that amp, go for it. That's perfectly acceptable. You don't need to justify it to us. Just don't expect an epiphany.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Bottom line is, no, you don't need to buy an external amp, but you can if you want.

 

[herbu]

but, hey, if you simply want that amp, go for it. That's perfectly acceptable. You don't need to justify it to us. Just don't expect an epiphany.

Agree. In fact, it is exactly what many of us have done... with exactly the expected result. It is why we feel very comfortable giving this advice.