Which amp?

[Deezer]

I was looking to get a Emotiva amp.I'm running an H/K avr 630 with psb 6t,9c,and 2b as rear surrounds.Which one of their amps should I get to power all speakers without over powering them.6t's are 150rms/300 max@6 ohms,9c is 175 max@8 ohms and 2bs are 100watts max@6 ohms.Was looking to get their pre/pro later when it comes out.

 

[bandphan]

I was looking to get a Emotiva amp.I'm running an H/K avr 630 with psb 6t,9c,and 2b as rear surrounds.Which one of their amps should I get to power all speakers without over powering them.6t's are 150rms/300 max@6 ohms,9c is 175 max@8 ohms and 2bs are 100watts max@6 ohms.Was looking to get their pre/pro later when it comes out.

id worry about under power before over

 

[Haoleb]

A good rule of thumb is, Buy as much amplification as you can afford. Of course that doesnt mean you need to go out and get the biggest most powerful amp you can find but at the same time, If you can afford to get one of Emotiva's bigger amps then thats what I would go for vs one that will just be "enough"

 

[zumbo]

X3. Don't get more power than your outlet can handle though.

 

[wire]

X3. Don't get more power than your outlet can handle though.

Hehe
Good point .

 

[fmw]

The only way you can overpower them is to turn the volume control up too high.

 

[Deezer]

"Don't get more power than your outlet can handle though"?You talking about wall outlet?

 

[PENG]

"Don't get more power than your outlet can handle though"?You talking about wall outlet?

I thought he was, were you thinking about wallet also? Wall outlet and wallet, in my case I have to consider both.

 

[Davemcc]

I think 200wpc is considered the sweet spot, i.e. the point at which you can drive just about any speaker you choose without worrying. But many of us are doing fine with 120wpc without any issues.

 

[Deezer]

I was thinking of the UPA-7, becuase I'm only running five ch. without using my other two.Look at its power rating when only using 5 ch,@8 ohms.
http://emotiva.com/upa7.html
I think 200wpc is a sweet spot but I'm worried the XP5 would be too much power @6 ohms.I play my movies up to -10 on my AVR.

 

[PENG]

I think anything more than 3 channels are a waste of money and resources unless you want the amp to heat your room too. Actually the surround channels won't be doing much most of the time but will be sitting in the same box and help cooking and deteriorating (if they are class AB) the main channels that do have to work.

I will take a 300X2 or 200X3 any day over a 120X5. The only thing I can justify a 5 or 7 channel high power amp with, is the listening of 5 or 7 Ch stereo modes. Those modes are only good for back ground music and that negates the need for high power. So I stick with mono and 2 channel power amps for the best flexibility and utilization and leave those 5,7 channel amps to people who must have them regardless.

 

[Deezer]

Never thought of it that way.I do listen to 5 ch. stereo mode from time to time but I don't think the extra power to the rear channels is all that necisary.

 

[PENG]

Never thought of it that way.I do listen to 5 ch. stereo mode from time to time but I don't think the extra power to the rear channels is all that necisary.

So you may want to consider a 300 or 400x3 and let your 630 take care of the surrounds that you probably crossover at 80 Hz anyway. Don't forget the 630 weighs over 40 lbs and should have enough juice for only 4 little mouths with or without the help from the sub. The main channels power amp should allow you to drive almost any speakers you may wish to own in future.

 

[zumbo]

I will take a 300X2 or 200X3 any day over a 120X5. The only thing I can justify a 5 or 7 channel high power amp with, is the listening of 5 or 7 Ch stereo modes. Those modes are only good for back ground music and that negates the need for high power. So I stick with mono and 2 channel power amps for the best flexibility and utilization and leave those 5,7 channel amps to people who must have them regardless.

If a better deal can be had with a 5-channel amp, there is the option of bi-amping the mains.

 

[cfrizz]

As has been pointed out you do more damage with too little power not too much power. Your ears will quit before the amp does.

All speakers benefit from more power, including the surrounds. Everyone always short changes them, probably to save money, but the extra power makes a difference with them as well.

I have 405wpc Sunfire driving all of my speakers with no issues at all. It sounds terrific!

So get the XP5 and enjoy.

I was thinking of the UPA-7, becuase I'm only running five ch. without using my other two.Look at its power rating when only using 5 ch,@8 ohms.
http://emotiva.com/upa7.html
I think 200wpc is a sweet spot but I'm worried the XP5 would be too much power @6 ohms.I play my movies up to -10 on my AVR.

 

[zumbo]

All speakers benefit from more power, including the surrounds. Everyone always short changes them, probably to save money, but the extra power makes a difference with them as well.

I disagree with this 100%. Receiver power of 80W and above is more than enough for surrounds. And, with the load of the front three taken off of a receiver, it should have the total 160W available.

This is not posted for the sake of a debate. I am just respectfully disagreeing.

 

[cfrizz]

Good enough, but HEARING is believing! Let him get a 5 channel & hear the difference for himself!

I disagree with this 100%. Receiver power of 80W and above is more than enough for surrounds. And, with the load of the front three taken off of a receiver, it should have the total 160W available.

This is not posted for the sake of a debate. I am just respectfully disagreeing.

 

[zumbo]

Good enough, but HEARING is believing! Let him get a 5 channel & hear the difference for himself!

I added a 5-channel amp to my receiver, and I didn't hear any difference at all. And, there is no way I could ever say I can hear a difference in the surrounds.

 

[Adam]

Here's my two cents. How much power you want for each speaker depends on a few factors, including the speakers, the size of your room, and how loud you like to listen. We'll be giving you our thoughts based on our experiences and preferences, which may very well be different than yours.

That said...if I were to pick one of Emotiva's amps (which, btw, I'll never do again), I'd go with the XPA-3. I agree that your receiver should have more than enough power to drive the surrounds. Where you might notice a difference at higher volumes would be in the front speakers (left/right/center), IMO. The XPA-3 hits the same price point as the UPA-7, but gives you more power where I think that you'll notice it.

You mentioned that you were worried about having too much power because you listen at -10 on your volume level. While the amps might handle transient peaks better and therefore supply more power to the speakers in those situations, they will not in general make the speakers louder. That -10 is probably a decibel offset from a reference level set on that receiver. You will want to recalibrate your system once you add the amp, but you should find that the system sounds as loud at -10 as it did before. It may very well sound more dynamic and "clean", though. If it doesn't, you should send the amp back and be happy knowing that your receiver is powering your system just fine.

BTW, if you are planning to buy from Emotiva, then I highly suggest that you wait about a month. My guess is that they will have a Thanksgiving sale, perhaps with reduced pricing and free shipping.

 

[bandphan]

Never thought of it that way.I do listen to 5 ch. stereo mode from time to time but I don't think the extra power to the rear channels is all that necisary.

No its not and remember 20 Watts is very loud x 5.