Receiver advice just for music

[shiloh]

Hello freinds,
I have some huge 20yr old Klipsch speakers with 12" woofers that I brought back from Germany. I am looking for a receiver to power them. I plan to add a subwoofer and surround speakers. I will only use the receiver for music, sometimes loud.
All of the 2 channel receivers I have looked at do not have hook-ups for subwoofers, rear or surround speakers.
Could I please get a couple receiver reccomendations to give me an idea of what type of recevers I should be looking at?
Thanks very much in advance,
Mark

 

[rollinrocker]

What size is both your room and your budget?

 

[shiloh]

Thanks for the reply,
The room is pretty small 12x12, and I can spend up to 500.00 or so.

 

[rollinrocker]

Klipsch are very effecient speakers, so i don't think you will go wrong with a denon, marantz, yamaha or pioneer in that price range. Go take a look and a listen, and make sure the remote is one you would consider easy to use.

 

[anamorphic96]

Take a look at this HK. It has everything you want including a sub output.

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=3960817

 

[shiloh]

Thanks guys,
yeah, the HK3480 looks very good.

 

[buckyg4]

I was going to reccomend an intergrated stereo amp, but in your original message its says you are going to add surround speakers? You looking to do SACD/DVD-A? Or some Pro Logic surround decoding?

 

[shiloh]

Buckyg4,
My system would only be used to play back music cd's. I was contemplating adding a couple rear or surround speakers to enhance the sound. My intention was to build a decent system around the Klipsch's to play my old rock n' roll, Cream, The Stones etc... I was confused that the dedicated stereo receivers I've looked at have no outputs for extra speakers. Not a good idea? I'm by no means an audio expert. Please advise.

 

[MacManNM]

You really don't need a subwoofer for that type of music. Those speakers should put out plenty of bass down to 35Hz. For what you are doing a good old fashoned 2 ch receiver will work fine. Use the A speaker output for the mains and the B output for your presence speakers. Most new CD/DVD players have a volume control so you can use an older pioneer or marantz (2250, or the like) unit. Prob pick up something that will fit the bill perfectly for under $125 shipped.

 

[j_garcia]

Stereo receivers don't have outputs for other speakers because they are stereo. They do not have any processing built in to "simulate" surround to the additional speakers because there are no other speakers. If you don't think you need surround, then a stereo receiver is the way to go if you ask me. The amp sections are usually pretty solid because the amp section is designed to drive just those two speakers.

 

[shiloh]

Excellent advice and info. Very much appreciated, Thanks!!
-mark

 

[jaxvon]

You might consider the new Outlaw stereo receiver:

http://outlawaudio.com/products/rr2150.html

It's $599+S&H, but it might do what you want. If you're only listening to normal stereo CDs, then there's no reason to add extra surround speakers. It just messes up the sound. I have a multi-channel setup and I listen to each disc the way it was meant to be, stereo in stereo, surround in surround. The other suggestions are also very solid.

 

[rschleicher]

As others have said, if you know you are only going to listen to stereo CDs, for now and in the future, then getting a good stereo amp (or maybe receiver) makes a lot of sense. Plus, with 12" woofers in your old Klipsch speakers, you already have all of the bass response you need for music.

BUT, if you think you might also get into SACD or DVD-A listening at some point, with multi-channel content/mixes, (or things like DVD concert videos), then you might want to get an A/V receiver, and add additional speakers later. Even then you probably don't need a sub-woofer except for movies.

The A/V receiver will also let you play around with various modes of creating multi-channel sound from a 2-ch. source (e.g. PLII, PLIIx, as well as some of the proprietary soundfields that the various receiver vendors have). But in the end there is a good chance that you go back to straight 2-ch. listening for all of your 2-ch. music source material. For that reason you might appreciate a receiver that offers some form of "Pure Direct" mode that bypasses all or most of the signal-processing circuitry, for when you are listening to 2-ch. music.

When I listen to music on my system I am usually in 2-ch. "Pure Direct" mode (my receiver is a Yamaha, but I think Denon uses the same name). So to some extent I wasted money on the other 5 amplifier channels and all of the signal processing circuitry, that I could have put into a higher-quality 2-ch. amp. But, I also watch movies on my system. Not to mention concert videos in Hi-Def, with Dolby Digital mixes. So even if your focus is on music, there may still be reasons for a muti-channel receiver.