Stupid Amp question and lesson needed

[ryounglaw]

i am upgrading my system. Just bought a denon 2309ci. I have polk rti8 fronts (ordered the rti a7's), csi5 center, fxia4's rear, with a ln52a650 samsung 52 inch lcd, PS3 blue ray with all hdmi 1.3a., ready to buy the pb13-ultra or the ps12-plus (SVS)in the next month or so

Do i need an amp. how are they used in context of an HT system. i am a newb and have no idea. i did some searches and found nothing. can anyone school

also, was wondering if an amp would upgrade the sound. If so how does it connect.

 

[greggp2]

You do not need an Amp to power your Subwoofer. The subwoofer has its own built in amplifier. The only thing you need is an RCA subwoofer cable to run from the Sub Pre-Out of your receiver to the back of the Subwoofer.

You would only need a separate amp if you decided you didn't want to use the amplifiers in the Denon Receiver. A separate Amp for this will give you better power and sound to your speakers, but may not be necessary right now, since you are just starting out..

Good luck

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Nominal Impedance 8 ohms and Efficiency 89 dB.

You are right on the edge where an amp may be needed if you have a big room or like loud music. Try it with just the Denon and see if it sounds strained and then go from there.

It will not "upgrade" the sound but will allow you to properly push higher volumes, giving you more headroom and dynamics.

Amps just connect with RCA cables from the AVR.

 

[ryounglaw]

any recommendations on ones that will not break the bank but give me a good product

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Budget?

Do you care about the looks?

Do you care if it has 12v triggers or not?


Does it matter how many power cords it has?

Does it need a quite fan?

Do you want a 2 channel, 5 channel or 7 channel amp?

 

[greggp2]

Budget?

Do you care about the looks?

Do you care if it has 12v triggers or not?


Does it matter how many power cords it has?

Does it need a quite fan?

Do you want a 2 channel, 5 channel or 7 channel amp?

He can pick up a Marantz SR7002 on Ubid for under $700 right now. That's a great receiver for the price and should push his speakers fairly well. What do you think?

 

[ryounglaw]

well i have a 5.1 set up with the 2309ci denon and i run two outside bose all weather. I would say 5 or 7 channel

i am going to buy the acp 15H on sale here now, triggers maybe
quite an yes b/c near the ht and TV and is should look nice have to put it in the rack

 

[ryounglaw]

can i do it for up 500 or will that be a bad product

 

[greggp2]

Ubid has about 3 of these marantz receivers they are blowing out. They are factory refurbed, but like new and with warranty. This receiver retails for $1,400 new and got a great review by Audioholics as well as other sites online.

If you bid $500, I doubt you will win. There is 9 Hours left for bidding in one auction. I'd give it a try, but I'm guessing you'll have to spend around $700 or close to it. This is Marantz's 2nd best receiver and marantz has recently went back to their heritage with their manufacturing. Their sound quality and features list rivals any receiver $2000 or less...

Under $500, I'm not so sure. Let's see what PDawg and others have to say. You may want to look at pre-owned stuff, but then you'll have to make sacrifices on current DSP's, video switching,etc, which honestly isn't that big of a deal IMO. A good solid Rotel Unit would be adequate and you can purchase an RSX-1056 for around $500. I have one for sale right now, not that I'm trying to push it on you...

 

[greggp2]

Here's the link if you want to give the Marantz a shot:

http://www.ubid.com/Marantz_SR7002_7.1_Channel_THX_Select2_Home_Theater_Receiver/a11326752-rsearchone.html

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Seeing as he just bought the Denon 2309--I don't think that is something he wants to do....

To answer your questions regarding amps....there are alot of misconceptions with the need/usage of outbaord amplification...

First off, the Polks you have are not the all the heavy of a load to power...I have all my Polks running off of my 3808 (granted a totally different unit) with no issues. As Paradigm already said unless you have a huge room and/or like to listen at ear-bleeding levels you will very likely not need an outoard amp...

Outboard amplification becomes an issue with difficult speakers to power like 4ohm 86db sensitivity...that a difficult speaker to drive. The other time is when you want to gain more dynamic headroom in your system to play louder. But remember that doubling amplificaiton power does not yeild a doubling in output volume....you gain only +3db by DOUBLING amp power. It's always better to have to more power as pushing and underpowering or clipping your amp can be a death sentence for speakers...

Another thing is that an outboard amp does not magically make your speakers sound better....there's a misconception there--speakers reproduce sound...not the amp. The amp's job is to transparently amplify the signal...

Lastly, if you are on a budget and want the most power for your money...go with pro-amps as they bar-none give the most power for your $$$ over the commercial brands...

 

[ryounglaw]

i have a brand new denon avr 2309ci

http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/4527.asp

can a additional amp help me?

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I would just run a 3 channel amp and let the Denon handle the surrounds. For 500 bucks the Emo would fit the bill. I don't like their gear but most people on here love them and own them.

http://emotiva.com/xpa3.shtm

 

[ryounglaw]

ok will that give me 200 watts in addition to what hte denon puts out

 

[ParadigmDawg]

The Denon will not be powering your 3 main speakers once you add the outboard amp. The power from it will be used for the surrounds and your zone 2 patio speakers.

 

[greggp2]

The Denon will not be powering your 3 main speakers once you add the outboard amp. The power from it will be used for the surrounds and your zone 2 patio speakers.

This is a very good idea. Again, see how it all sounds and runs and if you feel you need extra power, then look to purchase a separate Amp..

 

[Swerd]

Make sure that the Denon 2309CI has pre-amp out jacks for those channels you want to add an external amp. I only see one for a subwoofer in this photo:

 

[Juan Fonseca]

I agree with Swerd. You can't use a external amp with the 2309. You would have to move up to the 2809 to get pre-outs for an external amp.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Good catch, I didn't know what model number pre-outs started on Denon AVRs.

Make sure that the Denon 2309CI has pre-amp out jacks for those channels you want to add an external amp. I only see one for a subwoofer in this photo:

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Goodness....I cannot believe I missed that as I just put a 2308ci in my office set-up not three days ago and it didn't even dawn on me while reading this thread that for Denon full sets of pre-outs start at the 28** line...

Looks like, unfortunately man, you will have to stay set with the 2309 or return it if you must have the pre-outs...