Newbie amp help..

[sts9fan]

I have no clue about amps and was wondering if anyone had good links to faq articles. I have no clue what a monoblock is or when you need two amps or which ones can run both speakers. Anyway any help would be great. I have Paradigm studio 60 v3s and a Yamaha rx 777. Does anyone have amp suggestions for Paradigm's? Can a receiver be used as a preamp/tuner if I want to up grade. So many questions so little time......

 

[MDS]

I would suggest Googling to find out more info on amplifiers, but here is a link that has some good overview information on amplifier fundamentals: http://rocketroberts.com/audio.htm. See the 'Power Amplifier Fundamentals' and 'Audio Power Amplifier Power Rating Mysteries Explained' articles.

To answer some of the questions:
- A Monoblock is a one channel amplifier. If you use all monoblocks you would need one for each channel.
- Amplifiers come in multi-channel variations: 2, 3, 5, and 7 channels.
- You can use any combination of amps, like a 2 channel amp to drive the front left and right speakers and a 3 channel amp to drive the center and surrounds or a single 5 channel amp to drive them all.
- You can use a receiver as a pre-amp as long as it has amplifier pre-outs. Most receivers over $500 have pre-outs. You can use all of the pre-outs to feed a single 5 or 7 channel amp or again mix and match amps. Many people like to use only the front L and R pre-outs to a 2 channel amp to drive the fronts and let the receiver drive the other channels. If convenience and space are considerations, its better to use a single multi-channel amp rather than having multiple amps.

 

[sts9fan]

cool thanks!! Anyone have suggestions of what goes well with Paradigm?

 

[zumbo]

You can find great prices on Adcom stuff on the net from authorized dealers. I use Adcom, and have nothing but praise for the product and customer support!
Here are a few links:

One Call

Wild West

Audio Advisor

 

[Leprkon]

outlawaudio.com is another decent source for monbloc and multichannel amplifiers and pre-amps.

 

[warnerwh]

Before you buy an amplifier one of the most important things to figure out is how much power do you need. Most solid state amps these days are well designed but some are better than others. Your Paradigms are an easy load and will do well with alot of amplifiers but your listening practices volume wise and room size and whether the room is live or well damped is what you need to consider. There's not much difference in sound quality to speak of but build quality and power and possibly even aestetics can be very important.