Outboard amp recommended?

[Mpsafranski]

Hey all! New house coming along. Going to have 5.2.4 set up in the great room which opens to the entry to the side, and kitchen to the back with 10’ ceilings in the great room. Speakers are Sierra ribbon towers and the horizon center. Surrounds and atmos speakers are all monitor audio CP series because they have the built in back boxes.

my AVR is a marantz sr7011 so I know I’ve got built in amplification for each speaker…but an AVR running 9 channels….I’m wondering if I should get a 3 (front 3) or 5 (front 3 and surrounds) channel amp such as the Monolith amps. Would this be recommended?

would not be driving to “reference” except to show off a scene or two to company and when watching alone (as if there’s such a thing as alone time). While my AVR has most features I need I realize it’s already outdated but would like it to continue being my system’s hub for the foreseeable future.
And no, that will not be a fireplace where a fireplace will typically go haha. Told them we didn’t want one in there.

Thanks!

 

[ryanosaur]

You may not need it, but Amps won't hurt.
I would recommend Outlaw 2220s or some Hypex or Purifi Class D combo. I am an avowed fan of Monoblock Amplification. Nothing like giving each Speaker it's own Power Supply.
The Monolith wouldn't be bad either.

 

[Mpsafranski]

Haha I thought you might bring those up. I’d prefer to keep things simple as possible. I know those monos in particular Are quite slim and stackable but I’d like as clean a look as possible.
Thank you though that is an option I’ll keep on the table especially considering I’ve seen them on their Black Friday sale at quite the discount.

 

[ryanosaur]

I’ve seen 3- channel monoblock Hypex builds in a single small chassis, too. In fact I’m doing one with NC400s and a Ghent Chassis. anyway. It is your system. Like I said, I’ve heard of no issues with the Monolith.

 

[Verdinut]

Since you want a simple system, I would suggest the Monoprice 3 channel amp which is a well designed product built by the American firm, Amplifier Technologies Inc.:

Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts Per Channel Multi-Channel Home Theater Power Amplifier with XLR Inputs - Monoprice.com

The Monolith™ 3X is a state‑of‑the‑art, high‑performance, audiophile‑grade multichannel home theater amplifier. Rated at a full 200 watts per

www.monoprice.com

You would benefit from ample power for your 3 front channels. Surround and Atmos channels don't require much power, so the AVR is perfectly suitable to drive them.

 

[Mpsafranski]

Thank u for the replies!

 

[fmw]

Amplifiers, I'm sorry to say, are pretty trivial to sound quality. Speakers, on the other hand, are what audio is all about and the best place to spend your money. I would recommend nice furniture or perhaps a refrigerator before spending it on replacing an amplifier you already have.

 

[lovinthehd]

Most of my avrs I don't use separate power amps, and the one I do I don't particularly need to (I have a coupla extra amps at this time), altho maybe for that extra loud session/demo there's a bit of an advantage (except to my ears). OTOH doesn't hurt to reduce the load on the avr, and you're running quite a few speakers but if not in all-channel stereo mode probably not a particular concern. Sometimes ya just gotta get an amp, tho. We understand

 

[Mpsafranski]

Amplifiers, I'm sorry to say, are pretty trivial to sound quality. Speakers, on the other hand, are what audio is all about and the best place to spend your money. I would recommend nice furniture or perhaps a refrigerator before spending it on replacing an amplifier you already have.

Yeah……..the question had zero to do with subjective sound quality, rather objective “does the AVR really have enough juice to supply power to 9 channels” when I want to crank it. But thanks for chiming in.

Besides, we all know the #1 determining factor of sq is what power cord you use and I’ve got one with a battery pack. Makes the sound very chocolatey.

 

[ryanosaur]

Marantz and Denon claim a 70% output of rated power when running all channels.
Do not confuse this with Multi-channel stereo.
(And pls. Don't use MCS. K? Thx. )

So, depending on your Mains, and all your Speakers power needs, you should play with a calculator like the famous:

Peak SPL Calculator

Anyway...
So much of this is about preference and need. Only you can really determine your values. Ordinarily I would have led with this, but we know you a little, and I didn't feel like giving you the full sweat.

I do not need really need Amps, but I use them. I am going to be 2 Monoblocks short of running my whole rig off Monoblock Amps. The reason is that I want the Headroom to push my Speakers to their fullest potential on those rare occasions I need to. That's it.

Again, you have to determine where your values lie and how you want to proceed.
It is your system and your ducats.

 

[Mpsafranski]

Haha thanks ryanosaur. 2 short of everything off of monos is great. “Do you need all of those?” “No”. “Then why?” “Just in case

my other consideration is I don’t plan to always have my current speakers. I get too restless, and some of the leading contenders for next purchase are lower sensitivity and tougher loads so it’d be nice to snag an amp before prices inevitably rise yet again.

thanks again all for the replies.

 

[ryanosaur]

Haha thanks ryanosaur. 2 short of everything off of monos is great. “Do you need all of those?” “No”. “Then why?” “Just in case

Yeah...
*coyly kicks the dirt at my feet...

To be fair, it started off with a great Sale on the 2200s from Outlaw... 5 Amps shipped at $1500. You find a 5-channel Amp that does all that!

Then I bought a bunch of DIY Hypex Modules (the NC400s and the SMPS units to match, and got a deal again).

It's not like I'm blowing loot on $7500 BS Audio Monoblocks!

But I also knew what power I needed to run my Speakers to "reference," and I knew that would be very rare and only if I chose to risk blowing them, I could...

(I usually listen around -10dB, so rare is the occurance that I push these past +5 (90dB), probably, in dynamic peak situations. And I also run two very capable Subs that take the pressure off low end reproduction.)

 

[Mpsafranski]

I remember you bringing up the outlaw deal around Christmas a few years back. I had 3 of them in a cart at one point won’t see those prices again

 

[ryanosaur]

I remember you bringing up the outlaw deal around Christmas a few years back. I had 3 of them in a cart at one point won’t see those prices again

Sadly, no... and the newer models, the 2220s are actually larger in size.
They still measure well.
But not the same thing. *sighs wistfully

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Hey all! New house coming along. Going to have 5.2.4 set up in the great room which opens to the entry to the side, and kitchen to the back with 10’ ceilings in the great room. Speakers are Sierra ribbon towers and the horizon center. Surrounds and atmos speakers are all monitor audio CP series because they have the built in back boxes.

my AVR is a marantz sr7011 so I know I’ve got built in amplification for each speaker…but an AVR running 9 channels….I’m wondering if I should get a 3 (front 3) or 5 (front 3 and surrounds) channel amp such as the Monolith amps. Would this be recommended?

would not be driving to “reference” except to show off a scene or two to company and when watching alone (as if there’s such a thing as alone time). While my AVR has most features I need I realize it’s already outdated but would like it to continue being my system’s hub for the foreseeable future.
And no, that will not be a fireplace where a fireplace will typically go haha. Told them we didn’t want one in there.

Thanks!

I don’t think you need an external amp for 5.2.4.

But the Monoprice amp (made by ATI, 5YR warranty) or the ATI AT1823 (200x3, 7YR warranty) would be good if you just gotta have an amp.

 

[Pogre]

You may not need it, but Amps won't hurt.

That's my sentiment. You will hear from us the truth about the need for an amp (usually not), but that hasn't stopped the majority of us from getting additional amplification! I like the idea of having more power on tap for the front 3. Going that route I'd say try to double or come close to doubling your avr's capabilities for that. Usually about 200 wpc or so. The other alternative would be to get smaller, cheaper amplification for the surround speakers. That can work out better on a budget.

I went with big amplification for my front 3 and let my avr power the surrounds. I turn on eco mode too which makes my avr run MUCH cooler. Eco mode doesn't rob any power from your mains and center if your using an amp on them