Would a Seperate Power amp help? Input needed plz :)

[ruk]

Heya There!
I have Martin Logan Mosaic Fronts 5 ohms each and ML Fresco Center 6 Ohm. Curently being driven off of a Poineer elite 82.. I like the sound, but most of my previous exp. with speakers is from car audio world and in that world more power you can give a speaker the better! I assume he same applys in HT world!
What would I gain Amping my 3 fronts? Certanly alot more "head room" but sonicly would I notice it? Futher more I would be forced to power the amp on the same circut as the rest of my HT sys.( reciever, tv etc) again with that being said would A sep amp be worth it? Finaly if so what is a good 3 channel power amp? I see no point in just amping my fronts due to I listen to 95% Movies! My rear suronds are 8 ohms and 98 db senative (klipsch).

As a side note I do have a Monster Power conditioner if that helps the situation at all..


Thank you for any inpuy

 

[tlqualman]

I like you was driving my upgraded speakers with a reciever (Denon 5700) rated at 140 watts/ch which on paper sounds like enough. After talking with a good friend who owns an audio store he convinced me to use the reciever as my processor and use a seperate power amp, in my case a Parasound Halo A51, 250 watts/channel. All I can say is the difference was all that I had wished for. The bass tightened up, everything was cleaner, and the noise floor in my system dropped. I will save up to get the matching processor next year. So from my experience you won't be disappointed.

----------------------------
Denon 5700 for my processor
Halo A51 for my front L/R ch
McIntosh MC126 bridged to 3ch for center/rears
Pioneer Elite 47A DVD player
Montana SPX SPC speakers
Velodyne sub
Pioneer Elite 64" PRO730HDI TV

 

[mtrycrafts]

Heya There!
I have Martin Logan Mosaic Fronts 5 ohms each and ML Fresco Center 6 Ohm. Curently being driven off of a Poineer elite 82.. I like the sound, but most of my previous exp. with speakers is from car audio world and in that world more power you can give a speaker the better! I assume he same applys in HT world!
What would I gain Amping my 3 fronts? Certanly alot more "head room" but sonicly would I notice it? Futher more I would be forced to power the amp on the same circut as the rest of my HT sys.( reciever, tv etc) again with that being said would A sep amp be worth it? Finaly if so what is a good 3 channel power amp? I see no point in just amping my fronts due to I listen to 95% Movies! My rear suronds are 8 ohms and 98 db senative (klipsch).
As a side note I do have a Monster Power conditioner if that helps the situation at all..
Thank you for any inpuy

That power conditioner is not a factor. What is the sensitivity of those speakers? How loud do you drive your system? Do you have a sub?
Rarely to never you need full power to all your speakers at the same instant.
If you like the sound now, you will like it equally if you do amp separately. I would not worry in that case.

 

[ruk]

Awesome!! Thanks for the input! I still have two questions if you all dont mind I am more or less broke after the Martin Logan speaker upgrade not to mention my wife is no more tollerant of "foolish spending". That being said I assume a three channel reciever would be my best option? It is foolish to just amp my sides I assume considering I listen to mostly movies that are very center dependent! If that is correct what if any amps would be recamended for my 2 fronts and center? Would there be a "power issue" or little gain due to the fact the amp would be driving off of the same circut as the rest of the HT for a time?

Thank You again for input

 

[Seth=L]

Power conditioners are tricky, they aren't a garenteed advantage. Sometimes they can make your setup look and sound better, if video is part of it. Then again they can make things go sour. The only way for you to know is to try one in your home, if it makes a difference for the better then keep it, if it is no different as far as you can tell or gets worse, then return it.

I would suggest starting another thread about your power conditioner inquiries. Find if something better than Monster can be had for less.

 

[ruk]

That power conditioner is not a factor. What is the sensitivity of those speakers? How loud do you drive your system? Do you have a sub?
Rarely to never you need full power to all your speakers at the same instant.
If you like the sound now, you will like it equally if you do amp separately. I would not worry in that case.

I have two subs atm and i would say I listen to movies at -13db max is +4DB I think with my settings. I cant say it is referance volumes, but it is movie theature volumes. The speakers are 90 dB sensitive at /2.83 volts/meter humm now that I checked odd that it is not 1 watt 1 meter no? Anyway suronds are 95 sen at 1 watt 1 meter. I love the sound now I am just worried about driving my Panny at that ohm load at 130 a channel will it die on me alot sooner? I can never stop upgrading as well never mind $$

 

[MDS]

The speakers are 90 dB sensitive at /2.83 volts/meter humm now that I checked odd that it is not 1 watt 1 meter no?

Nope, not odd. 2.83 volts is the right measurement. 2.83 volts into an 8 ohm load is 1 watt. If the measurement were specified in watts but the speakers were not 8 Ohm, you'd have to do the conversion yourself.

 

[ruk]

The speakers are not 8 ohms towers are 5 and center is 6 ohms

 

[mtrycrafts]

I have two subs atm and i would say I listen to movies at -13db max is +4DB I think with my settings. I cant say it is referance volumes, but it is movie theature volumes. The speakers are 90 dB sensitive at /2.83 volts/meter humm now that I checked odd that it is not 1 watt 1 meter no? Anyway suronds are 95 sen at 1 watt 1 meter. I love the sound now I am just worried about driving my Panny at that ohm load at 130 a channel will it die on me alot sooner? I can never stop upgrading as well never mind $$

If your system is properly set up, then you are -14 dB from reference volume.

I seriously doubt you need anything more than what you have now, especially with the two subs. That is what needs the power. I have seen subs go to at least 150 watts while the centers are loafing at 1-3 watts.

 

[JES14]

I have the Elite VSX82 as well. Agree it sounds great on it's own, but even better with an amp(especially music) I have a 2 x 100 watt Adcom amp hooked up right not and it's quite noticable even though the Adcom's power is rated lower, 100 watts compared to the 82's 130 watts. The detail in music really jumps out at you and is very natural sounding. I am in the market for a Parasound or similiar amp at 200watts+ to really push my Studio 20's. Once you try an amp you may get hooked, it really does make the entire system liven up, for lack of a better term.

 

[AVRat]

I’d say you’re getting close to pushing the receiver at the volume level you’re listening, especially with the 5 ohm loads. I’d suggest you check receiver temp after watching a sedate and aggressive movies and compare. If you think it’s too hot, then separate amping is probably a good idea. You should be able to just add it to the R/L, the receiver should handle the center just fine.

 

[ruk]

Wha would be a good 2 channel amp for that then? Somthing that is not vrazy money say 400-800$? Are home amps actualy rated corectly or is it again like car audio where 100 wats per channel is relly like 175 ish?

 

[mtrycrafts]

Wha would be a good 2 channel amp for that then? Somthing that is not vrazy money say 400-800$? Are home amps actualy rated corectly or is it again like car audio where 100 wats per channel is relly like 175 ish?

If an amp is rated as RMS power, at a certain THD and frequency band, then it is properly rated and will deliver that power continuously, period.
The Behringer A500 unbridged, in stereo will do you and is only about $180. It doesn't droop much at all at that load and is rated RMS into 4 ohms.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I have the Elite VSX82 as well. Agree it sounds great on it's own, but even better with an amp(especially music) I have a 2 x 100 watt Adcom amp hooked up right not and it's quite noticable even though the Adcom's power is rated lower, 100 watts compared to the 82's 130 watts. The detail in music really jumps out at you and is very natural sounding. I am in the market for a Parasound or similiar amp at 200watts+ to really push my Studio 20's. Once you try an amp you may get hooked, it really does make the entire system liven up, for lack of a better term.

One has to be very careful how the comparison is made though. Not so simple and bias creeps into the equation.

 

[wire]

Go look on Ebay for a 2 channel Carver TFM 25 of higher , they go for a good price once and awhile , they will have no probs with the Martin Logans . Lots of good clean power and nice speakers you have .

 

[ruk]

When hooking up an sep amp.. what should i set the gain's to? halfway ? How do I set the amp? I assume the gain should match the input voltage of the preamp? again I m using Panny eilte 82 and ML mosaic fronts 5 ohms.. Oh, one more question. If i sep amp my fronts will the panny have more power for the center and rest of the suronds? Or does it for lack of better terms save power for the fronts that are not there?

 

[MDS]

One thing to remember is that a separate amp is going to require a certain input voltage to achieve its rated output. The specs might say something like '2V for rated output'. If the Panny being used as a preamp cannot output 2 volts, you won't get the rated output of the amplifier.

You could start with the gain half way up but the only way to figure out where it should be set is to use an SPL meter to calibrate the receiver. You will have to mess with combinations of gain setting on the amp and channel level on the receiver.

Using a separate amp for the fronts will take a load off the receiver because it won't have to use any power for the fronts. There is only one power supply that is shared by all the amps in a receiver.

 

[AVRat]

Since when is a Pioneer called a "Panny"? (Panasonic)

 

[jcrobso]

Power amps.

To answer the question other factors need to be considered.
How big is your room? Is it a live room(bare floors, sparse furniture) or a dead room(carpets, lots of over stuffed furniture)?
Speaker sensitivity plays a very big part, 85db at one watt speaker takes 10 watts to produce th same level that 95db a one watt speaker would. John