In need of advice on adding a 5 Channel Amp to a 9.2 Set-up

[Moodyda55]

Currently running my 9.2 HT with with my Yamaha AVR 3060 rated at 165 W 2 channel @ 8 ohms, 0.9% THD @1khz and 150 W 2 channel @ 8 ohms, 0.06% THD @20hz-20khz. In my closet I have a B&K AV5000 series ii 5 Channel amp rated at 125 Watt - 8 Ohm - 5 channels and 185 Watt - 4 Ohm - 5 channels. The 2 mains are Sonus Faber GP Home @ 6ohms. Center Channel is a JBL Stage 125c @ 6ohms (Sitting in that same closet is the Sonus Faber GP Home Center channel speaker). Surrounds are Klipsch Synergy 2 @ 8ohms. Height Channel speakers are Polk owm3 (2 pairs) @ 8ohms. And the the .2 are dual SVS PB2000 pros.
If I were to add the B&K to the mix, what would be the best option? Put the front 3 with the B&K and let the Yamaha handle everything else or include the surrounds on the B&K to take away some of the duties for the Yamaha? Or any other recommended configurations.
Thanks

 

[Moodyda55]

I have been advised that I am actually running a 5.2.4 set-up.

 

[lovinthehd]

The amps between your avr and external amp are very similar in power, altho the B&K manual indicates the 125wpc and 185wpc ratings are spec'd at 1khz (and no thd), so seems just a little less powerful than your avr. I'd probably just use the avr alone myself but since you have the amp, if you want to use it probably put it on surrounds duties rather than mains. Keep in mind the speaker max wattage ratings don't mean a lot.

 

[TLS Guy]

Currently running my 9.2 HT with with my Yamaha AVR 3060 rated at 165 W 2 channel @ 8 ohms, 0.9% THD @1khz and 150 W 2 channel @ 8 ohms, 0.06% THD @20hz-20khz. In my closet I have a B&K AV5000 series ii 5 Channel amp rated at 125 Watt - 8 Ohm - 5 channels and 185 Watt - 4 Ohm - 5 channels. The 2 mains are Sonus Faber GP Home @ 6ohms. Center Channel is a JBL Stage 125c @ 6ohms (Sitting in that same closet is the Sonus Faber GP Home Center channel speaker). Surrounds are Klipsch Synergy 2 @ 8ohms. Height Channel speakers are Polk owm3 (2 pairs) @ 8ohms. And the the .2 are dual SVS PB2000 pros.
If I were to add the B&K to the mix, what would be the best option? Put the front 3 with the B&K and let the Yamaha handle everything else or include the surrounds on the B&K to take away some of the duties for the Yamaha? Or any other recommended configurations.
Thanks

I would use the B & K amp to power your bed layer.

The impedance of the Sonus faber system does seem to be 6 ohms or close, although the surrounds and center probably closer to 5,
That JBL center is definitely four ohms from the impedance curve. I have no idea what the impedance of the Klipsch speakers actually is, as nominal 8 ohms means nothing.

The B & K is by far the more powerful amp as it will provide full power to all five channels.

Receivers have poor power amps. I know people here don't believe it here, but they do. They get away by using one and two channel driven specs and not specifying the power into four ohms.

So I would just use the receiver to power the rest. This will very likely extend the life of your receiver significantly.

 

[Trebdp83]

As was mentioned, connect the Yamaha's FL, FR, C, SL and SR pre outs to the external amp and the Yamaha can power the FPL, FPR, RPL and RPR speakers. The 3060 can process 11 channels for a 7.2.4 setup when using the 7.2.4 [ext. Front] configuration. If adding SBL and SBR speakers for the 7.2.4 configuration, the Yamaha can power them as well when using the external amp.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

How old is the B&K? If it’s close to 20 years old, I would use it for the surrounds.

The Yamaha RX-A3000-series can output almost 300 Watts into 4 ohms. The Yamaha Z11 could output almost 400W into 4 ohms. So pretty beefy.

I don’t know if anyone has ever measured the Yamaha down to 1-ohms. But the old Denon-3000 AVr series was measured down to 1-ohm. Not many separate amps can survive the 1-ohms test. So the amps inside AVRs can be very good when you look at the actual measurements - at least the amps inside Denon, Marantz, and Yamaha AVR.

 

[lovinthehd]

FWIW bench test of the avr https://www.soundandvision.com/content/yamaha-aventage-rx-a3060-av-receiver-review-test-bench

I wouldn't put too much importance into the ACD spec as that's not a normal circumstance.

 

[Trebdp83]

Without knowing what is being played on the system or how loudly it is being played, better to risk an amp that has been collecting dust in a closet than an AVR that cannot be replaced or repaired on the cheap. Heat is your enemy so just power the least demanding channels with the receiver so it will last that much longer.