What seperates on a $1000 budget?

[Deathwish238]

I don't know if this is possible or not...but what pre-pro and amps should I look at with a $1k budget? Thanks in advance.

 

[mike c]

1k total? that would be a bit hard ... most 5 channel amps I know are already near the 1k mark.

check out outlawaudio.com for their pre/pro and amps. (cheapest brand I know of)

 

[xboxweasel]

I don't think you are going to make it. Bump that up to $4k and you should be able to get a receiver, a 2 channel amp, and a 3 channel amp (after taxes too).

 

[tomd51]

Mid-Level Receiver w/Pre-Outs...

I don't know if this is possible or not...but what pre-pro and amps should I look at with a $1k budget? Thanks in advance.

One consideration may be a decent 3 or 5 channel amp in conjunction with using a mid-level AV receiver with pre-outs. Some receivers that come to mind are the Denon 2805, Yamaha RX-V2500, Onkyo 703 and Harman Kardon 435.

Most of these mentioned (if not all) are the previous generation receivers, so you likely could find a decent deal on them and still be mostly up to date w/the options (less newer HDMI, XM radio, iPod compatibility features, etc.).

These, coupled with a good outboard amp for (at least) your front sound stage, should offer excellent 2 channel & multichannel music listening as well as excellent home theater/movie soundtrack performance. One reason this may be a bit more appealing is if you decide to step up to a stand-alone pre/pro, you'll be able to get a decent return on the receiver if you decide to sell it.

In order to keep the price down on the amp side, consider previously owned (Audiogon, eBay, etc.). Amps are one of few electronic components that hold their value well. A two channel amp that's gotten pretty decent press here and other HT forums is the Behringer A500. Three of these, a Yamaha RX-V2500 from uBid as mentioned above would give you a very nice setup for right around $1000... TD

 

[Deathwish238]

I thought all receivers can be used as preamp? Or is that not the case? I'm a bit new to the seperates market.

Is it possible to have the receiver power the center and surrounds and use an amp only for the fronts?

Thanks for all the fast replies guys.

 

[corysmith01]

I thought all receivers can be used as preamp? Or is that not the case? I'm a bit new to the seperates market.

Is it possible to have the receiver power the center and surrounds and use an amp only for the fronts?

Thanks for all the fast replies guys.

You're on the right track. To your first question, no, not all can act as a preamp. Only receivers with dedicated pre-outs can do this. If the receiver doesn't have pre-outs, then it has no way to pass the signal to an outboard amp that can then amplify that signal. This is the route I'm going. I'm currently using a Marantz SR8400 with the hopes of getting a 2 channel amp down the road for my fronts. Which leads into your next question...and a benefit of receivers.

The answer is yes, you can send a signal for your fronts, via pre-outs, to a 2 channel amp, and at the same time, let the receivers amps power your rears, center, etc. So yes, that is possible.

Happy hunting and good luck.

 

[corysmith01]

Oh yeah, almost forgot...to your first question. The $1K mark is hard, but if you want to wait for them to be released (they're pre-order right now), these will probably be the best you can do (new) @ $1098...and it's 7 channels, not 5, so bonus:

http://www.av123.com/products_product.php?section=processors&product=30.1

AV123 is known for making quality stuff and tend to get favorable pub on their equipment. May be worth considering.

 

[tomd51]

Similar to Cory's description of this configuration, I'm running my Denon AVR-3803 as a pre/pro with an Outlaw 755 5 channel amp and an HK PA-2000 running my surround backs. Should've mentioned that earlier...

Many folks testing the waters for the first time go this route and similar to what you'd asked, they run their surrounds, surround backs and even at times their center from their receiver's amp and use a two or three channel amp for their mains or L/C/Rs. -TD

 

[Hi Ho]

This may be possible. If you bought three Behringer A500's and a good receiver with preamps such as the Yamaha 2500, Yamaha HTR-5860, or Pioneer 1015, you would have a killer system for about $1,000.

 

[Deathwish238]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I think I'll run my surrounds off my receiver and my fronts and center off of an amp. What 3 channel amp do you all recommend that can do 100W RMS per channel?

 

[Deathwish238]

Another idea is simply running my front left and right off of the $180 Behringer amp and then running the center and surrounds off the receiver. How much power does an Athena AS-C1.2 need to sound good? Considering the receiver is only outputting 3 channels it should do a good deal more than what its rated at for 7 channels...is this a correct assumption?

 

[mike c]

do you already have a receiver? so does that mean you have 1k budget just for the amps?

 

[Hi Ho]

Considering the receiver is only outputting 3 channels it should do a good deal more than what its rated at for 7 channels...is this a correct assumption?

The problem is that most receivers are rated with only one channel driven. A 7 channel receiver rated at 100w/ch is most likely going to be far less then that with more than one channel going at a time. It's a deceptive marketing tactic.

 

[Deathwish238]

do you already have a receiver? so does that mean you have 1k budget just for the amps?

I do not already have a receiver. I have a 1k budget for both the pre-amp/receiver and amp. I have been considering simply getting the Panasonic SA-XR55 or Onkyo TX-SR503 for quite a while. However I talked to Athena the other day and they said I'ld need more power for the Audition series. I figured an amp would be the best way to do this and that is why I made this thread.

I was looking through the SA-XR55 manual and I couldn't find anything about using it as a pre-amp....anyone know if it can be used as a pre-amp?

 

[Deathwish238]

The problem is that most receivers are rated with only one channel driven. A 7 channel receiver rated at 100w/ch is most likely going to be far less then that with more than one channel going at a time. It's a deceptive marketing tactic.

well that sucks

 

[corysmith01]

However I talked to Athena the other day and they said I'ld need more power for the Audition series. I figured an amp would be the best way to do this and that is why I made this thread.

Unless you have an absolutely huge room, I'd say that's just not true, imo. Speaking specifically to the Onkyo that is. I don't know about Panasonics and their power ratings, but Onkyo has been known to be very conservative with theirs. So, @ 75w per channel, that should be a decent amount of power. Looking at the audition series, they don't seem to be power hungry at all. They're all 8 ohm and all have senstivities in the 90's, some as high as 93db (AS F2.2). I had an Onkyo TX-SR603 once and it was 90w per channel and I never felt like it was struggling.

Which speakers in the audition line are you looking at? I don't know...personally, I'm feeling like the info you got was a little misleading. I'd think a receiver of the Onkyo's caliber paired with any of those speakers should be perfectly fine...unless of course you're trying to fill a convention hall or something.

 

[mike c]

I agree with cory ... I say, pick a good receiver, connect the speakers and then take it from there. you can then decide if you really need separate amps.

dont limit yourself to those 2 brands, check out denon, yamaha, HK
(even my 85wpc yamaha playing 6 speakers in DTS audio didn't even need a separate amp)

 

[PENG]

well that sucks

I wouldn't worry about it. The Onkyo you have in mind, like other receivers in the same price range, is not rated for all channel driven but is NOT rated for just one channel driven neither. It most certainly can do a reasonable job on your surround channels. As others suggested, check out other models from Dennon, Yamaha or Pioneer etc.

 

[markw]

Choose your salesman carefully.

To start with, I have a Denon and Athena Audition based HT system. Click on blue link in sig line for more details.

These are incredibly efficient speakers. I have no problem at all with reaching loud volume levels. Granted, they CAN absorb gobs of power but it doesn't take a heckuva lot of watts to make them breathe fire.

My honest recommendation would be that you get those Athena speakers. Then, get yourself a nice mid/high line receiver (I love my Denon 2802) that has those pre-outs and other goodies you may need. This should not be a problem since once you reach a certain point in any manufactuter's line they are almost standard, kinda like illuminated make up mirrors or remote keyless entry in a car.

Now. listen for awhile. You may be surprised to find that you really didn't need all that extra power for your mains and surrounds after all. You'll find that a good sub makes most of the noise and they contain their own power amps and don't stress your receiver at all. You may want more power but you may find your gnawing fixation on a separate amp was not really needed.

FWIW, I don't feel a need for an external power amp in my HT system. Now, should I decide to drive my maggies with the Denon, then that's another story entirely.

And, if you do decide to go the amp route. you'll have a fine front end with the flexibility needed to grow.

 

[kay]

I say, pick a good receiver, connect the speakers and then take it from there. you can then decide if you really need separate amps. ... (even my 85wpc yamaha playing 6 speakers in DTS audio didn't even need a separate amp)

+1 for that suggestion. I say buy something like a Denon 2805, Yamaha RX-V750/1500, or an equivalent Pioneer/Onkyo/HK/<insert favourite brand here> receiver and take it from there.

I am powering a pair of B&W DM603 S3 towers and a pair of B&W DM600 S3 bookshelves off my Denon 2105 and I've never felt the need for more power. If I did, it's cheap & easy to add a Behringer A500 for the fronts...

Also, while it is true that most equipment is rated with only two channels driven simultaneously (or sometimes even one!), it is also true that you will never find source material that has peaks on all 5/6/7 channels at the same time. Add a good powered subwoofer and you've already cut in half the power requirements on the receiver (or separate amp(s) respectively).