Up-grade questions

[dannyboy]

Hello, all. Brand new user here. You all seem a really knowledgeable and helpful bunch. I've already learned a lot here by lurking. I'm sure the questions I'm about to ask here are pretty basic, but I find that the more I lurk about here, the more questions get raised for me, so I might as well just ask.

So, I'm getting up-gradeitis. About a year ago, I bought an Onkyo 605 reciever and a package set of KEF 2005 speakers (which I got a smokin' deal on from Circuit City). I like the system well enough. But, I think I'd really like the sound of some bigger and better speakers. I'm looking seriously at a Rocket 850/450/200 package. Looks to be a fantastic deal right now.
My question is, will the 90 watts per channel my AVR puts out be enough to push these speakers? Or will they just sound weak.
Then I was thinking if I do need more power, then rather than get a new AVR, I could get a pre-amp and save money. But I know nothing about pre-amps. For instance, if I have 90 watts now, and get a pre-amp with another 80 per channel, will I then have 170 watts? And is that then enough power?And is there any advantage to paying premo prices and getting a tube amp, then running that signal through a solid state system? Or would it be better to just get a new AVR altogether?

Finally, another question: if I do wind up having to shell out for additional gear I may not be able to afford the whole package right away, and might have to up-grade incrementally. I'm already planning a purchase of some gear like an i-pod dock and a dac. So, if I do that I'd probably get something like the Rocket 850's and maybe the 200 to start with, but will those little egg shaped speakers sound okay with some really nice gear like that?

Anyone dealt with av123? Do they have pretty good service? I'm a little disappointed that they charge so much for shipping unlike Aperion. But, to get anything comparable from them is a lot more dough.
Alright, thanks for all your help, everyone.
Dan

 

[Davemcc]

There's a lot of controversy surrounding AV123 about whether it will still be in business. There are plenty of other speakers to look at in that range without having to deal with the uncertainty of AV123.

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53755

 

[AVRat]

Welcome Dan, as Dave mentioned AV123 may be a little iffy right now unless you're willing to take a chance. Only order if items that are in-stock.

FYI, a pre-amp has no power, it's basically a switching/processing unit that requires a separate power amp. Combine the two and you have an integrated amp. Add a tuner and you have a receiver. To your question, you can't add an 80W power amp to your receiver's 90W for 170W. If the 605 had pre-outputs, which it doesn't, you could add the separate amp but you'd only be using its 80W.

Personally, I'd use a little more power for the 850s. How much are you budgeting for the upgrade and how large is your space?

Ascend Acoustics aren't as pretty but they're an excellent value/performance.

 

[dannyboy]

Thanks for the warning

Hello, and thanks for the warning on av123. I'm the kind of person who does a lot of research before spending. Obviously, more research is needed on my part.
Room size is up in the air. Right now, I'm in Iraq and am between homes, as it were. I live in Hawaii, so I'll probably wind up with a smallish living room in a townhome/condo or small house. My last apartment's room was about 12X20 (ish), and opened in the back to dining and kitchen. And those little KEF's do a pretty good job. ( Just recently learned that I have the sub hooked up wrong, though...I'm using the LEF connection on my receiver but the sub doesn't have that, so I just plugged it into the left channel, since it was on the left side of the room. HAHA! Seemed to work okay) When I got my KEF 2005 for 1/2 off I was friggin thrilled.

About my budget: (Long answer)
It's amazing how easy it is to talk me in to spending more money!! I started looking at some Klipsh's that were on sale for $400 a pair. Then I went to Aperion, which look like a good value. Then I stumbled on that Rocket set. I just spent most of my evening looking at DefTech's Mythos STS system, which looks BA. Since I started doing research on upgrading, I've sort of set my heart on a set of towers. can "afford" that set up, but until today, never even considered spending that much. The question is do I really want to spend that much? Sure I can--but should I? I mean, looking around you can find packages that people rave about for $6-800. And I started reading a review for some speakers elsewhere for $38k. What I'm asking is what's the sweet spot? My KEF package cost $1000 reg price (I think they are discontinued now). Will I be doing a lot better if I spend $2000?

Budget (short answer):
So, I'd like to find a good set up for about $1500-$2000.

And it looks like I'm going to need a new receiver. I'll start looking in the previous posts for advice there.

Obviously, I have a lot to learn (and I thought I knew a fair amount already), as my admission about my sub indicates. I'm just glad no one who really knew what they were doing was there to see my mistake.

The other thing is that auditioning is going to be really hard being in Hawaii. Quality audio stores are pretty rare there, and even the ID companies with free shipping, I don't think, ship free to Hawaii. So I'm just trying to do as much research as possible and try to make a good choice.

Anyway thanks for turning me in a safer and hopefully better direction. And any further advice would be appreciated.
Dan

 

[AVRat]

In a smaller space like you're contemplating, the 605 should be just fine. It really depends on your speakers. I know prices are a little higher in Hawaii so I'm not sure how far $2K will go. Since you seem more interested in towers, here's a short list of possibilities and an idea of what you're looking for:

http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/speaker_only-specification-17-1-2-4.paradigm
http://www.monitoraudiousa.com/products/silver-rs/rs6/specification
http://www.monitoraudiousa.com/products/bronze-br/br5/specification
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/rtia/index.php?s=rtia5
http://www2.kef.com/us/Loudspeakers/Q-Series/IQ50
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=2287