Jbl cinema speakers, denon 4700. Amp needed or no?

[shimmy]

I was fortunate enough to get a great deal on some pro cinema speakers and have the space for them too.

They sound great and get pretty damn loud, but I know they recommend 500w rms per speaker which is a lot more than my reciever pumps out.

I have tried a couple amps and they all sound horrible out of the preamps on my reciever. I tried my onkyo reciever with the same results, so 2 different amps, 2 different receivers, multiple cables and connections - same outcome. My phone 1/4 headphone jack to the amps works great. Not sure what I am doing wrong on the external amp side. I have turned every setting every direction with no good results.

I am pretty happy with the internal amp, but I don't want to burn out the receiver or speakers. What do you think I should do.

Denon 4700 reciever
Qsc mx1500a amp
Jbl 3830 speakers for lcr
Jbl 8330 surrounds

 

[everettT]

I was fortunate enough to get a great deal on some pro cinema speakers and have the space for them too.

They sound great and get pretty damn loud, but I know they recommend 500w rms per speaker which is a lot more than my reciever pumps out.

I have tried a couple amps and they all sound horrible out of the preamps on my reciever. I tried my onkyo reciever with the same results, so 2 different amps, 2 different receivers, multiple cables and connections - same outcome. My phone 1/4 headphone jack to the amps works great. Not sure what I am doing wrong on the external amp side. I have turned every setting every direction with no good results.

I am pretty happy with the internal amp, but I don't want to burn out the receiver or speakers. What do you think I should do.

Denon 4700 reciever
Qsc mx1500a amp
Jbl 3830 speakers for lcr
Jbl 8330 surrounds

You're good, even in a very large room. It only takes a few watts for those to get very loud in a residential setting.

 

[Verdinut]

I was fortunate enough to get a great deal on some pro cinema speakers and have the space for them too.

They sound great and get pretty damn loud, but I know they recommend 500w rms per speaker which is a lot more than my reciever pumps out.

I have tried a couple amps and they all sound horrible out of the preamps on my reciever. I tried my onkyo reciever with the same results, so 2 different amps, 2 different receivers, multiple cables and connections - same outcome. My phone 1/4 headphone jack to the amps works great. Not sure what I am doing wrong on the external amp side. I have turned every setting every direction with no good results.

I am pretty happy with the internal amp, but I don't want to burn out the receiver or speakers. What do you think I should do.

Denon 4700 reciever
Qsc mx1500a amp
Jbl 3830 speakers for lcr
Jbl 8330 surrounds

With a loudspeaker having a sensitivity of 105 dB with 2.83 V @ 1 m (3.3 ft), and as already stated by @everettT, you definitely don't need much power to drive it in a home situation.

Did you find that your AVR amps were struggling when you tried them? Or are you thinking about getting external amplification because you cannot actively bi-amp the 3830s with the X4700 AVR?

In my theater system, I'm using 3 QSC DCA 1222 Cinema amplifiers to bi-amplify the front channels. You can get their XC-3 two-way electronic crossover which fix to the back of the amplifier therefore simplifying the installation. I'm using it with each amp. If the crossover filter frequency required doesn't appear in the instruction manual, I'm sure QSC people would be glad to inform you on the right resistor value.

The DCA series of amps have better distortion specs than your MX 1500A.

I strongly recommend you try one of those DCA 1222s. It is amply powerful enough and you shouldn't regret its performance:

DCA 1222

Crystal-clear, breathtaking, seat-shaking cinema sound is here with the DCA 1222 Digital Cinema Amplifier by QSC

www.qsys.com

By the way, the 600 watt rating for the 3830 is a maximum power input. Bear in mind that you have to protect your ears and three times 600 watts in a home environment is insane.

 

[JackieCGall]

I was fortunate enough to get a great deal on some pro cinema speakers and have the space for them too.

They sound great and get pretty damn loud, but I know they recommend 500w rms per speaker which is a lot more than my reciever pumps out.

I have tried a couple amps and they all sound horrible out of the preamps on my reciever. I tried my onkyo reciever with the same results, so 2 different amps, 2 different receivers, multiple cables and connections - same outcome. My phone 1/4 headphone jack to the amps works great. Not sure what I am doing wrong on the external amp side. I have turned every setting every direction with no good results.

I am pretty happy with the internal amp, but I don't want to burn out the receiver or speakers. What do you think I should do.

Denon 4700 reciever
Qsc mx1500a amp
Jbl 3830 speakers for lcr
Jbl 8330 surrounds tap road

This amp is a beast of a powerhouse! It can drive most home theater speakers with clarity and depth.