Yamaha 3030 or emotiva separates

[agarwalro]

My comments were more generic, explaining why it is that someone might reasonably go with separate amplifiers instead of simply relying on the amplifiers in a receiver. For most people, the amplifiers in a receiver are fine.

I completely agree. The OP PM'd me the same question and here was my PM back.

Philosophically I am anti-dedicated pre-pros. Modern AVRs, specially mid range and higher have all the bells and whistles of their pre-pro brethren. In fact, if you compare the dedicated pre-pros from Denon, Marantz, Yamaha, Onkyo/Integra, etc. they are simply the corresponding flagship AVR with amps removed. My primary reason for this stance is that in an average satellite-subwoofer speaker system, the surrounds/presence channels need very very little power and only the main LCR may present a difficult load depending on speaker used and crossover setting. To be fair, there are setups where all channels need a robust power because someone is sending full range signal to difficult speakers. In that case, a beefy amp may be needed even for surround channels.

difference of $797, is this amount worth going the separates path???

As you may have noticed from the aforementioned philosophical opinion on AVR vs pre-pro + amp, the decision is governed by how difficult your speakers will be to drive. Which ones will you be using? I reserve comment on the amp selection till you reply on this.

Emotiva UMC-200 7.1 Pre-amp Or Yamaha 3030

Now this is an interesting question. Specifically, does the UMC serve as better pre-pro than the Yamaha (or any upper mid range AVR)? Say theoretically you were to use the 3030 with the same combination of amps as the UMC. The 3030 has more inputs, more outputs, more more features, can scale to 11 speakers. You's have to add the XPA200 and UPA700 to the UMC200 to have similar amps as the 3030. Then, the price difference is pretty insignificant. Though the amps are better with the XPA+UPA combo. IMO, for someone with the average satellite-subwoofer speaker setup, a great compromise is to use an AVR with pre-outs (like the 3030) and get a dedicated amp for the main LCR speakers (then too, only if they are difficult speakers). Most of the uppder mid AVRs, like the Yamaha 3030, can handle all but the most difficult speakers without even needing a dedicated amp for the LCR.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Which subs you need depends on how much bass you want. If you don't care for earthquake-like bass, then you don't need earthquake-like subs.

My family room is 18' x 20' x 12' (4,000 cubic feet) and very open to 3 sides. I had a single 12" sub in this room some time ago. It was able to shake and rattle all the walls like an earthquake and knock down magazines on the coffee table.

So it's not always about 120dB+ output.