Outlaw 755 or 770 with Klipsch

[jzupgrade]

I am currently in the process of adding a power amp to my current set-up which consists of the following.
Klipsch RF-7 towers, RC-7 center channel, matching surrounds, RSW-15.
Pioneer Elite VSX-53TX receiver.

Would the outlaw 755 or 770 be a good match with klipsch speakers or does somebody have any other suggestions on a good power amp for my set-up.

Thanks for any suggestions...
jon

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Either would be

JZ,

Those are some impressive towers. 90lbs, dual 10" woofers, and a spl of over 100. I guess if you like it loud, they deliver. Either of those amps would be great. Your Pioneer also makes a nice preamp, so you would definitely benefit from the addition. Are you not satisfied with the output of your Pioneer?

www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=362&s=specs

 

[jzupgrade]

I am content with the receiver that i have now. If i could do it again I probably would have shelled out the extra money to get the 53txi from pioneer or perhaps a Denon. My main concern with choosing a power amp with Klipsch speakers is the fact that they are a horn loaded speaker that will play bright if you are not using the right equipment to power them.

 

[Nick250]

I am currently in the process of adding a power amp to my current set-up which consists of the following.
Klipsch RF-7 towers, RC-7 center channel, matching surrounds, RSW-15.
Pioneer Elite VSX-53TX receiver.

Would the outlaw 755 or 770 be a good match with klipsch speakers or does somebody have any other suggestions on a good power amp for my set-up.

Thanks for any suggestions...
jon

The speakers you have right now are very efficent. I can not imagine you are taxing the capabilities of your current receiver as it takes proably no more than 5 to 10 watts to drive your Klipsch(s). So an external amp would add nothing that you do not already have. I can certainly understand if it is a case of upgradeitis and having a new toy if that is what you are going through, but any change in sound would be the dreaded placebo effect.

 

[jzupgrade]

The speakers you have right now are very efficent. I can not imagine you are taxing the capabilities of your current receiver as it takes proably no more than 5 to 10 watts to drive your Klipsch(s). So an external amp would add nothing that you do not already have. I can certainly understand if it is a case of upgradeitis and having a new toy if that is what you are going through, but any change in sound would be the dreaded placebo effect.

So you are telling me I am wasting my time looking to upgrade my components by adding a power amp. The Klipsch speaker is so efficient that power amps are not necessary and will add no benefit in anyway to the home theatre experience (music and movies) Thus, Klipsch has put me in the position to only upgrade my reciever if necessary to improve the performance...

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Nick,

Right and wrong.

His speakers are highly efficient, but also can handle 250watts continuous, which means he can purhase a dedicated two channel 250 watt amp and safely drive his speakers. (why anyone would do this I don't know)

POWER HANDLING:
250 w max continuous (1000 w peak)

Very few receivers (other than possibly the Denon 5805 or Harman Kardon 7300) will ever be able to put out that type of power continuously into 2 channels without overheating. A dedicated amp with more heat sinks will allow longer run time and less chance of breakdown. More wattage may not mean better sound, but it will mean at louder volumes, less distortion. It may not be tolerable to listen to continuous music at those levels, but for those peaks in music or movies, you may notice a difference. His speakers get loud fast, but they also will distort fast with a lack of clean power.

 

[mtrycrafts]

So you are telling me I am wasting my time looking to upgrade my components by adding a power amp. The Klipsch speaker is so efficient that power amps are not necessary and will add no benefit in anyway to the home theatre experience (music and movies) Thus, Klipsch has put me in the position to only upgrade my reciever if necessary to improve the performance...

In essence, this is correct. The speakers will not change their so called sound by changing amps, good amps, that is. And what you have with those speakers and what you contemplate, you would gain nothing.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I am content with the receiver that i have now. If i could do it again I probably would have shelled out the extra money to get the 53txi from pioneer or perhaps a Denon. My main concern with choosing a power amp with Klipsch speakers is the fact that they are a horn loaded speaker that will play bright if you are not using the right equipment to power them.

Your preamp/processor determines the brightness of the speakers, not the amp. Adding a more powerful amp will not decrease the brightness. Deadening your room will do that. If you have hardwood floors, add an area rug. Plaster walls - add tapestries or heavier window coverings. Play your music in a pure direct mode instead of tweaking the parametric eq to brighten the horns. Speaker placement will also increase or decrease the brightness of your setup.

 

[Leprkon]

if you are just wanting some more juice for the fronts, the ATI 1502 is a cost-effective way to get there.

http://www3.shopping.com/xPR-Amplifier_Technologies_AT1502~RD-162851229316


I use one with a Yamaha RX-V2500. I think you can pick them up at OneCall for a tad under $ 450.

http://www.onecall.com/ModelSearch.htm?L_TK=777_1_0_10_0_0_0_0_0_0

 

[Tempest]

close to same setup

I'm using a Pioneer Elite VSX-53TX receiver with Klipsch speakers in a 6.1 setup with a Velodyne subwoofer. I had to do a bit of tweaking to get this combo to sound smooth, but I'm very happy with it at the moment. I've always come back to setting the crossover at 80 Hz and all the other speakers to 'small', which does help the front three speakers do their job with less distortion during intense moments of a movie.

I've also messed with speaker placement quite a bit and found that in my room the subwoofer sounds much better away from the corner. I've learned a lot at this forum. *Most of the reading you do here should be treated as options you can try until you get what you want. These things take time, but it is worth the effort.

 

[jzupgrade]

I set my towers to large mainly because they are. The remaining speakers in my set-up are set to small with my sub set to plus. I have integrated this all together with my MCACC from pioneer and have had good results. I have always been under the impression that despite the efficiency of the RF-7/RC-7 that a power amp willl bring out the full range of the speakers which demand higher outputs of power to drive the 10" woofers during music and movies.

 

[Nick250]

So you are telling me I am wasting my time looking to upgrade my components by adding a power amp. The Klipsch speaker is so efficient that power amps are not necessary and will add no benefit in anyway to the home theatre experience (music and movies) Thus, Klipsch has put me in the position to only upgrade my reciever if necessary to improve the performance...

Yes, except for your last sentence (I am not exactly sure what you are getting at there) I am saying that the efficiency of the Klipschs are such that you do not need, nor will you benefit from an external amp or a more powerful receiver. It does not matter whether you are playing music or watching a movie, it's all the same. As I mentioned in my earlier post the design of the Klipsch's are such that they are not taxing your receiver even a little bit even when you are playing the movie or music very, very loud. Hope this helps.

 

[Nick250]

His speakers are highly efficient, but also can handle 250watts continuous, which means he can purhase a dedicated two channel 250 watt amp and safely drive his speakers. (why anyone would do this I don't know)

POWER HANDLING:
250 w max continuous (1000 w peak)

QUOTE]

True, but I suspect permanent ear damage would kick in aound 25 watts or so (if that), so what's the point.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

25 watts?

 

[Nick250]

25 watts?

Having the volume set so that the reciever is cranking out 25 watts to the speakers.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Having the volume set so that the reciever is cranking out 25 watts to the speakers.

ear damage would kick in aound 25 watts

If his ear is within 3 feet of the speakers, possibly. Not with 25 watt peaks at a normal 8' sitting position. I think you are referring to a continuous white noise 25 watt signal. These types of debates get people nowhere. We can argue symantics if you want. How about a Panasonic 130 watt receiver versus a McIntosh 50 watt monobloc. If both show signal peaks at 25 watts, which will have less distortion? We are well within the amplifiers rated wattage, right?

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Having the volume set so that the reciever is cranking out 25 watts to the speakers.

ear damage would kick in aound 25 watts

If his ear is within 3 feet of the speakers, possibly. Not with 25 watt peaks at a normal 8' sitting position. I think you are referring to a continuous white noise 25 watt signal. These types of debates get people nowhere. We can argue symantics if you want. How about a Panasonic 130 watt receiver versus a McIntosh 50 watt monobloc. If both show signal peaks at 25 watts, which will have less distortion? We are well within the amplifiers rated wattage, right? If receiver A has less headroom than amp B, which will sound better?

 

[radchad3]

I disagree, respectfully, with many of the comments here regarding the RF-7's. They will most definetely sound better with a dedicated amp that is high current and able to push a 3 ohm load. The RF-7's, although very efficient on paper, actually have been know to dip into the 2.8 ohms in certain instances. This would obviously be hard to push with the "average" receiver. I am not an expert by any means but I have read exstensively on these speakers and have become a recent owner. I am sure the folks over in the Klispch forum could explain this better than I could. I am not writing to play the "who is right game". I just don't want to see you damage those expensive speakers!! Thanks. Chad