Yamaha 661 upgrade to another Yamaha

[swank501]

I ordered my 661 recently and had a few issues so I'm sending it back. I'm really thinking about going ahead and upgrading to the 1800, but i still haven't made up my mind.

Has anyone here gone from the 661 to the 1800? Is it really a noticeable difference ie worth the $$$$$$$$? FWIW I have a Klipsch reference 5.1 speaker arrangement

 

[rnatalli]

How about a 661 with an external amp?

 

[swank501]

How about a 661 with an external amp?

Well, I'm still a newb to all this so I really don't know much about them. One of the main reasons i want to upgrade is definitely for the extra power. There are other reasons, but that is high on my list

 

[swank501]

What about something like this:
http://www.parkaveelectronics.com/product.asp?itemid=CROXLS402A&l=Froogle

I'm guessing I would need more than one though? How would you go about setting these up? I only ask because the hookups on the back look like nothing I have ever seen before

 

[Highbar]

I don't have experience with either, but what were the issues you had with the 661? I'm just wondering so many people love them and praise them. If power is the main problem I would suggest just adding an external amp.

As for the Crown amp you linked to, the inputs on it are Balanced XLR inputs, and not your standard RCA inputs which are not balanced. It's a 2 channel amp so you would need more then 1 if you wanted to power all of your speakers, at least 3 for a 5.1 system.

T

 

[swank501]

I was having some video transmission problems, which seem to be an isolated case since nobody on the forums nor at Yamaha know why it's doing it. It is still under the 30 day return period and they suggested that I may want to upgrade my receiver.

I'm really curious about using the external amps. It seems like quite a few people are using those crowns. Can they be used with the Yamaha with some type of special cord?

Can I just use one on my front mains and one on my center and then use the yamaha for my back surrounds?

 

[jcPanny]

External amps

Several people including one of the mods have the Behrninger A500 pro amps. They lack some of the conviences of an HT amp like a 12V trigger and RCA inputs, but cost less than $200 each and can be bridged.

I have been very happy with the entry level Emotiva LPA-1 6/7 channel HT amp. It is driving my 4 ohm Onix Ref speakers and 2 channels power my distributed audio system and it barely gets warm. I am using a Yamaha receiver as my pre-pro but plan to upgrade to a matching Emotiva.

The Klipsch speakers have high efficiency so they don't usually need lots of power.

 

[fmw]

The upgrade is likely to get you better digital processing and more features. It might also provide stronger amplification. I couldn't give you any details because I've only spent one day with the 1800 and I've never even seen a 661. Yamaha has a brand new model that looks like it might be just the ticket. Sorry, I don't know the model number but it seems like it is a 661 with an upgraded digital processor.

 

[rnatalli]

The 661 is an excellent receiver. You probably just got a dud. I'd second the LPA amp as an add-on to a 661. My only complaint is its weight and getting it to fit in a tv stand can be a pain.