power amp with yamaha rxa-3000 avr for psb image 6t?

[razzy]

hey dudes i haven't been on here in a year or two but i'm in a sort of rut with my audio setup currently and want something new.
i'm looking for a wow factor that i've never really had before in my own place sitting at my own couch.

best speakers i've actually heard so far were paradigm studio 100 v5 but those are too much $ for me right now so i'm trying to see what i can do with what i have and maybe a bit more

since i've last posted i've owned and sold
-dual HSU vtf3 mk3 subs
-polk monitor 70 series ii and matching center / surrounds
-polk rt800 and matching center / surrounds

i currently have
-PSB Image 6T mains
-no center
-PSB image 1b surrounds
-outlaw lfm1 plus sub
-yamaha rxa-3000 avr

by far the best setup i've had is the one i own currently but compared to what i've heard before it's lacking and i'm wondering how i can improve it

should i upgrade my speakers or grab a power amp and run that with my yamaha and image 6t's
i am wondering if giving the psb's greater power than what the yamaha is providing now would dramatically increase their output, imaging, and clarity or if i just need a speaker thats WAY better than the psb's i have now

(Polk is running a 50% off sale til december 6 so i'm eyeing the LSiM707 and rtia9 but who knows if they're even that much better)

thanks for any help fellas
justin / razzy

 

[3db]

What is it that you think you are missing? Lo, mids, or highs or any combo of ? Dynamics? Low or loud level listening? What have you heard before? How big is the room Need more info

 

[razzy]

What is it that you think you are missing? Lo, mids, or highs or any combo of ? Dynamics? Low or loud level listening? What have you heard before? How big is the room Need more info

looking for an overall improvement of my sound - looking for additional clarity and a physical feeling from the music and movies
i've heard
legacy whisper and focus
martin logan electrostatic high end stuff
psb synchrony, image, and imagine
paradigm studio, signature and monitor series
b&w 800 diamond, CM9, and 600 series
polk monitor, rt800i
totem hawk
def tech mythos st
and a few others

aside from the legacy whisper which I have had extensive listening (my dad owned them), out of all of these the studio 100's were my absolute favorite price aside - interesting that highest price does not equal favorite

room is about 1k square feet

 

[3db]

looking for an overall improvement of my sound - looking for additional clarity and a physical feeling from the music and movies
i've heard
legacy whisper and focus
martin logan electrostatic high end stuff
psb synchrony, image, and imagine
paradigm studio, signature and monitor series
b&w 800 diamond, CM9, and 600 series
polk monitor, rt800i
totem hawk
def tech mythos st
and a few others

aside from the legacy whisper which I have had extensive listening (my dad owned them), out of all of these the studio 100's were my absolute favorite price aside - interesting that highest price does not equal favorite

room is about 1k square feet

I would think that the Outlaw sub could easily handle the bass in a room that size. The first thing I would do is to play with the sub's location WRT to the listener position to see if that will help bring that physical feeling you are looking for.

 

[razzy]

I would think that the Outlaw sub could easily handle the bass in a room that size. The first thing I would do is to play with the sub's location WRT to the listener position to see if that will help bring that physical feeling you are looking for.

the sub is directly to the right of the lp in the rear right corner of my room

 

[3db]

the sub is directly to the right of the lp in the rear right corner of my room

Sounds like a good location. However, if you really want to test it, to the sub crawl.

 

[j_garcia]

If it doesn't sound good the way it is, an amp isn't going to do anything for you. The LSiM towers will want a bigger room than that. Your room might actually be working against you. Room modes are worse in a smaller room. That means more reflections higher up and more standing waves lower down, so potentially not good in either place. Placement and treatments become more important in a smaller room IMO. I'd experiment with some different placements as well as the seating position relative to the mains.

 

[PENG]

I think the PSB Image 6T are not that great but the Image T6 are. If you are willing to pay for the big Studio 100 V5 then you may as well go for the PSB Image T3 or the older Synchrony One that I think are much better speakers than the Studio 100 for serious music listening.

 

[mtrot]

looking for an overall improvement of my sound - looking for additional clarity and a physical feeling from the music and movies
i've heard
legacy whisper and focus
martin logan electrostatic high end stuff
psb synchrony, image, and imagine
paradigm studio, signature and monitor series
b&w 800 diamond, CM9, and 600 series
polk monitor, rt800i
totem hawk
def tech mythos st
and a few others

aside from the legacy whisper which I have had extensive listening (my dad owned them), out of all of these the studio 100's were my absolute favorite price aside - interesting that highest price does not equal favorite

room is about 1k square feet

What is the shape of the room? Is it a square? I've heard that square rooms will induce a bass null in the middle area of the room. My room is like that and when you walk from the side of the room to the middle, you can hear the drop off of the bass.

1000 square feet seems like a pretty good sized room to me, so maybe a bigger speaker will work out. I thought that Polk LSI M707 was supposed to be very good speaker. I would agree that you will get a bigger change/improvement with speaker upgrades than with a bigger amp.

 

[razzy]

I would think that the Outlaw sub could easily handle the bass in a room that size. The first thing I would do is to play with the sub's location WRT to the listener position to see if that will help bring that physical feeling you are looking for.

I've since purchased a HSU VTF15H and it is SO much better! I'm just a bass freak and though the outlaw sub would be enough for some it wasn't for me

If it doesn't sound good the way it is, an amp isn't going to do anything for you. The LSiM towers will want a bigger room than that. Your room might actually be working against you. Room modes are worse in a smaller room. That means more reflections higher up and more standing waves lower down, so potentially not good in either place. Placement and treatments become more important in a smaller room IMO. I'd experiment with some different placements as well as the seating position relative to the mains.

i've heard completely different reports that amps make a world of a difference - if they didn't what would be the point? if an avr gave the peak in performance, why would anyone be in business making power amps?

as far as placement goes i'm totally ignorant - wife and i are going to be moving in less than a month and will have a dedicated HT room i'll need a lot of help when i set it up and room treatments are a must - thanks for your info

I think the PSB Image 6T are not that great but the Image T6 are. If you are willing to pay for the big Studio 100 V5 then you may as well go for the PSB Image T3 or the older Synchrony One that I think are much better speakers than the Studio 100 for serious music listening.

have you heard the t6, 6t, and studio 100 to compare? if you haven't then you need to - i have heard all three and owning the 6t,
the studio 100's are leagues above both psb speakers to my ears without question

What is the shape of the room? Is it a square? I've heard that square rooms will induce a bass null in the middle area of the room. My room is like that and when you walk from the side of the room to the middle, you can hear the drop off of the bass.

1000 square feet seems like a pretty good sized room to me, so maybe a bigger speaker will work out. I thought that Polk LSI M707 was supposed to be very good speaker. I would agree that you will get a bigger change/improvement with speaker upgrades than with a bigger amp.

i'm moving in a few weeks and the new place has a great rectangular shaped HT room which I will be setting up ( with a lot of help )

i agree that a speaker upgrade will grant a larger improvement in sound than a amp upgrade on my current pair



this is quite embarrassing but i've since discovered that my yamaha avr was not running my speakers with bi-amp power nor was it at a good crossover setting - i have fixed both of those problems and now my setup is much much better sounding. LOL

still not paradigm studio 100 level by any means but MUCH better than it was before

 

[PENG]

I've since purchased a HSU VTF15H and it is SO much better! I'm just a bass freak and though the outlaw sub would be enough for some it wasn't for me



i've heard completely different reports that amps make a world of a difference - if they didn't what would be the point? if an avr gave the peak in performance, why would anyone be in business making power amps?

as far as placement goes i'm totally ignorant - wife and i are going to be moving in less than a month and will have a dedicated HT room i'll need a lot of help when i set it up and room treatments are a must - thanks for your info



have you heard the t6, 6t, and studio 100 to compare? if you haven't then you need to - i have heard all three and owning the 6t,
the studio 100's are leagues above both psb speakers to my ears without question



i'm moving in a few weeks and the new place has a great rectangular shaped HT room which I will be setting up ( with a lot of help )

i agree that a speaker upgrade will grant a larger improvement in sound than a amp upgrade on my current pair



this is quite embarrassing but i've since discovered that my yamaha avr was not running my speakers with bi-amp power nor was it at a good crossover setting - i have fixed both of those problems and now my setup is much much better sounding. LOL

still not paradigm studio 100 level by any means but MUCH better than it was before

Not only I have heard the Studio 100 but also the S8. The PSB syn 1 sounded better to me. It is a subjective thing though so it is hard to say one is better sounding in absolute sense. The PSB syn 1 should be more accurate than the Studio 100 from graphs I have seen. It is obvious by now the Studio is the one for you but I wasn't so sure in the beginning.

 

[3db]

i've heard completely different reports that amps make a world of a difference - if they didn't what would be the point? if an avr gave the peak in performance, why would anyone be in business making power amps?

In the current room given your current speakers, there would be no difference in sound quality between the Yamaha and a dedicated power amp. Don't swallow the audiophile kool-aid to quickly. The audio industry is rife with out right lies and false claims. The point is for the manufacturer to take your hard earned cash, nothing more.

 

[razzy]

Not only I have heard the Studio 100 but also the S8. The PSB syn 1 sounded better to me. It is a subjective thing though so it is hard to say one is better sounding in absolute sense. The PSB syn 1 should be more accurate than the Studio 100 from graphs I have seen. It is obvious by now the Studio is the one for you but I wasn't so sure in the beginning.

yes i have also heard the synchrony and signature s8 - they are great but for the price and overall i'd go studio 100

In the current room given your current speakers, there would be no difference in sound quality between the Yamaha and a dedicated power amp. Don't swallow the audiophile kool-aid to quickly. The audio industry is rife with out right lies and false claims. The point is for the manufacturer to take your hard earned cash, nothing more.

i'll see if i can get an amp to compare w/o spending anything to see what's up - thanks for the help

 

[3db]

yes i have also heard the synchrony and signature s8 - they are great but for the price and overall i'd go studio 100



i'll see if i can get an amp to compare w/o spending anything to see what's up - thanks for the help

To make this a valid test, output levels need to be matched (Speakers must be producing identical measured SPL when switching between amps) and you cannot know whether its the amp or the receiver thats being used at that particular moment. Its called a single blind listening test.