I need an amp... and I'm clueless. Any help appreciated.

[nnmsgst]

I need an amp to run a Bass X W-10 in wall powered sub and my rear center surround speaker. This will need to work with an Onkyo HT-RC270 receiver. I am wayyyyyy over my head now that I need an amp, and want to spend as little as possible to properly power this sub and the rear center channel.

The in-wall powered sub is the Speakercraft Bassx-W10, that should let you know how much power I need

I saw the Onkyo M-282, but would prefer to spend less. If I could get into something under $150, that would be ideal. My brain is melting from this.

Should I just be using another receiver to do this? How would I set it up? Should I be checking eBay?

I found an Onkyo 5140 and 5150 both on eBay, but not sure if they'd be sufficient.


Feel free to send me links, check craigslist in my area (Minneapolis) possibly?

I appreciate the help - after buying a TV and choosing a new receiver, I'm overwhelmed.

 

[jonnythan]

Why does your rear center speaker need an amp? The Onkyo should be taking care of that.

And I'm also wondering why you need an amp for a powered sub..

 

[nnmsgst]

The way I've got it figured, the Onkyo (not purchased yet, so I'm open to suggestions) will drive 5 of the 6 surround speakers PLUS 2 adjacent speakers I've got over a bar as "zone 2." The Amp would push the subwoofer and the rear center.

My current Denon receiver has A/B switching, which I would prefer, but it doesn't switch HDMI and A/B switching is not available on any HT receiver in my price range that I can find.

What I ultimately need to do is drive a 6.1 in-wall speaker set up, plus 2 adjacent speakers when I listen to music in my bar, AND a sub that needs an amp to power it.

To me, this is a nightmare.

 

[jonnythan]

The Onkyo will do 7 channels in zone 1 PLUS two additional outputs for either zone 2 or front high/wide (although you can't use more than 7 channels of audio simultaneously). You don't need a separate amp for your rear surround unless you plan on using 7.1 at the same time as Zone 2, in which case you should use a 2-channel amp in Zone 2.

As for the sub, you say the sub is powered. That means it already has an amplifier built-in and you don't need another.

 

[markw]

Personally, I'd think running a standalone two-channel power amp for the two bar speakers and using the internal amps for the "zone 1" speakers would make more sense.

You can find used or reasonable two channel amps almost anywhere. Even vintage stuff (amps/receivers) will be fine for zone 2 use.

As for the sub, I think you're gonna need a pretty big boat to do it justice. Their sister amp for this pumps out 1 kilowatt, and when you skimp on bass watts, you can really hear it.

As The Lovin' Spoonful said, "You better go home, son, and make up your mind.

Sorry... Dunno what else to say.

 

[nnmsgst]

The Onkyo will do 7 channels in zone 1 PLUS two additional outputs for either zone 2 or front high/wide (although you can't use more than 7 channels of audio simultaneously). You don't need a separate amp for your rear surround unless you plan on using 7.1 at the same time as Zone 2, in which case you should use a 2-channel amp in Zone 2.

As for the sub, you say the sub is powered. That means it already has an amplifier built-in and you don't need another.

Here is the layout of this receiver:

Center channel
Surround R/L rear
Front High R/L
Front Wide/Zone 2
Surround BACK R/L
Front R/L

He insisted that I would not be using the Front high channel at all, and instead would assing my bar speakers to Front WIDE.

The sub is not powered after all. That is my mistake. From the mfg:

BassX W10
• 10" Custom Woofer
• Cast Aluminum Basket
• Inverted Magnet Structure Design
• Included BBXW10 250 Watt Powered Amplifier with Rack Mount Brackets
• Front Mounted Volume Control
• Rear Mounted Low Pass Crossover & Phase Control
• Baffle & Mounting Bracket Included
• Woofer Can Be Mounted Separately From Baffle, Allowing Woofer to be Used
In A Variety of Applications

 

[jonnythan]

OK, well unless you're going to be using 7.1 and the bar speakers simultaneously, you're fine with just the receiver.

As for the sub, I still see "included 250 watt amplifier." What's wrong with that amp? If you don't have it for some reason, you can just pick up a plate amp from Parts Express and either hide it or build a small box for it:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-805

 

[nnmsgst]

I would only use the bar speakers and 6.1 setup simultaneously in stereo when listening to music.... and I don't have the amp that came with the sub... the previous owner of my house took it with him.

 

[jonnythan]

And if you do want to use a separate amp for Zone 2, you can use almost anything. Pretty much any used or new amp will do fine. I have one of these I use for some bedroom speakers, and it's really neat:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-380

Can't drive the speakers very loud though. For something with a bit more beef you can look at this:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-812

Or, of course, whatever used amps you can find.

 

[nnmsgst]

I really appreciate all of your help.

I'm basically resolved to thinking that I need an amp to run the rear center and the sub (per the Onkyo rep I spoke with). I just need to find a low cost option to do that with enough power. How much do I need for the sub? The 2 speakers over the bar will never be turned up very high

 

[jonnythan]

You don't need an amp to run the rear center and sub. Expecting one amp to run both of those is a bad idea anyway - the sub wants 250+ watts, almost certainly at 4 ohms. That surround speaker is really only going to use 10-50 watts max, at 8 ohms. If you buy an amp that can do 250 solid watts on one channel, the other channel will be wasted on a surround speaker - you'd be better off bridging both channels of that amp into your sub and using a cheaper, less powerful stereo amp for Zone 2. The Onkyo rep you spoke to didn't know what he was talking about it seems.

Your sub needs its own amplifier. Come to terms with that.

If you want to use 6.1 AND the bar speakers simultaneously, add an amp for Zone 2 and not for the rear surround.

So you need a sub amplifier, and you can optionally get yourself a Zone 2 amp. If you don't get a Zone 2 amp, your rear center surround will be disabled when using Zone 2, which, in reality, you probably won't even notice. And a $20-$50 16-20w class-T amp is really all you probably need for Zone 2 if you want to go the separate amp route.

 

[nnmsgst]

I don't mind buying an amp for hte sub.. whatI can't figure out is what i need in terms of power per channel (or a specific amp to purchase) and why I wouldn't be able to use that same amp to drive the rear center.

Even if I buy a separate amp for zone 2... I still don't know which one to buy for the sub.

 

[timoteo]

Yes do not try to run a surround channel & a sub off the same amp!

Run your 6 channels & zone 2 off the Onkyo. If you run them at same time you will get 5 channels in theater & 2 at the bar. I agree that you wont notice 5.1 from 6.1. Very little difference honest!

Get an amp from either Parts Express or EarthQuake Sound or Audiogon or ebay. (sorry for all the "or"s )

Then if down the road you really feel that running 6.1 & zone 2 are needed then just get a 2ch Emotiva amp for the bar. But that can be later down the road & IMHO i dont think you'll ever feel you need it.

But hey what do i know!!!???

P.S: dont get too worried about this. You are in a simple to fix spot. As to any hookup questions we'll be here to help you out!!

 

[jonnythan]

You need an amplifier that will put 250 watts RMS into 4 ohms. You'd need a serious stereo amp to could handle that sort of power in one channel. Many/most stereo amps can be put into bridge mode where you basically connect both speaker outputs to a single speaker to get more output. For example, the Behringer EP2000 can do 750 watts x 2 into 4 ohms, or 2000 wats x 1 into 4 ohms in bridge mode. It runs about $300 and can be a little noisy, though.

In your place, I'd just use a normal subwoofer plate amplifier like the one I linked to above. 240 watts into 4 ohms should match the original amplifier's specs pretty closely. It's only $140. Here's the link again:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-805

It's a plate amp, so it's really meant to be built into a subwoofer enclosure, but will work just fine sitting all by itself. You can build it a little box if you like. This will probably be your most economical option other than finding a used amp that can do 250+ watts into 4 ohms in bridge mode.

 

[nnmsgst]

Get an amp from either Parts Express or EarthQuake Sound or Audiogon or ebay. (sorry for all the "or"s )

First.... THANK YOU.

Next... what should I look for in an amp that will work with this receiver? Any suggested models? Again.. my ideal price point is around $150.

 

[jonnythan]

And if you're into the idea of building a box for it:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-750

I chose the Dayton because the circuitry is enclosed so it's more feasible to leave it sitting out. The Bash has the circuitry open, and should really be built into something.

 

[timoteo]

Earthquake Sound has a very compact rack mount or freestanding amp that outputs 280w into 1 channel for 4 ohms. Its a mono amp that is meant for subs or shakers. I have one for my shaker & it cost me $149. Its very compact, runs just slightly warm almost room temp which is nice & has plenty of juice. Thats what i would get instead of a plate amp then having to build a box for it which would IMHO not look good.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I found a couple of suitable amps on craigslist:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/ele/2547902055.html
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/ele/2555410888.html

 

[jonnythan]

The $150 vintage Carver amp only does 200 watts bridged. That's not much less than 240 to be sure, but why spend $150 on a very old piece of equipment that doesn't do anything a brand new one of the same price, with warranty, does? If I'm going to spend the same amount of money as new on a piece of vintage gear, it would have to be significantly better than what I could get new.

 

[markw]

Isn't that sub four ohms? You really don't want to run four ohm speakers on a bridged amp because they see the speaker as half it's impedance, which puts even more stress on an already stressed amp..