Yamaha pro amp for home theater?

[cutter]

I have a pair of RBH 1044SE speakers:

Frequency Response: ... 30Hz-20kHz (±3dB)
Sensitivity: ... 88dB (2.83V @ 1 Meter)
Recommended Power: ... 100-250 Watts
Impedance: ... 4 Ohms

being powered by Yammy RX-V659 100 wpc 8 ohms, (says it will power 4 ohm speakers, but doesn't say anything else)


The speakers sound good, but I am wondering if more power would make them great? The problem is I have a limited amount of space in my rack, and anything over about 4in height will not work. I was considering emotiva and parasound, but realized they are way to big.

SO, my question is this:
Has anyone used a pro amp like the yamaha P2500S in a home theater/2 channel application?

Do the experts here think a digital amp is a bad idea for 2.1 channel applications?

Or should I just suck it up and get a bigger stand and bigger amp?

thanks in advance,

 

[Nomo]

Pro amps are great if you can stand the look of them.
My concern would be where the 4" you speak of would come from.
Recievers in general need a minimum of 4" to breathe.
If you plan on stacking anything on top of the Yammy, then man up and get a new rack.
The 659 was a good receiver with a great amp section.
Not sure if you actually need an amp.

 

[jostenmeat]

Nomo, I do think there are concerns that need to be addressed with pro amps, but not for the reason of vertical ventilation. Receivers cool off at the top, but pro amps cool off forward/backward, as they are designed to be stacked on top of each other. In fact, I think you are SUPPOSED to stack them for best cooling, as giving them space vertically does weird things to the circulation/venting. MidnightSensi posted some really interesting cooling diagrams with different stacking scenarios, it might have been from Middle Atlantic, but I'm not sure.

cutter, I would see if you can find out if your Yammy has adequate preout voltage to get the full benefit of the pro amp. I would say that most receivers out there have plenty, including just about every Onkyo and Denon I have read about, I'm just not sure about Yammy. However, even if the preout voltage wasn't quite adequate, you are probably still fine.

I like how the Yammy looks, but if you could possibly find out how bright the LEDs are I would advise doing so. My Crown XTi2000 has a display that is just insanely wicked bright, as is the power light. I had to cover both with black electrical tape, as even window tint was not even close to being helpful enough.

Pro amps don't have triggers, but you can buy an aftermarket one or something if you wanted.

Pro amps sometimes have loud fans, but I've never ever once heard mine go off.

Otherwise, pro amps are a great value, and I've read good things about that Yammy line, I say you go for it. The one plug I'll put in for the XTi line is the free BandManager software, very cool and flexible, can load up to 20 presets (inputs, notch filters, varying Q, shelf filters, distance/phase, and more) that can all be accessed from the front panel. But again, the display is somethin' fierce with brightness.

 

[cutter]

cutter, I would see if you can find out if your Yammy has adequate preout voltage to get the full benefit of the pro amp.

what would you consider "adequate"?

Pro amps don't have triggers, but you can buy an aftermarket one or something if you wanted.

how does an aftermarket trigger work? would the amp just be "on" all the time otherwise?

The one plug I'll put in for the XTi line is the free BandManager software, very cool and flexible, can load up to 20 presets (inputs, notch filters, varying Q, shelf filters, distance/phase, and more) that can all be accessed from the front panel.

the only thing I understood in that sentence was distance/phase. I'm so sorry...probably a good indication that I don't need the software though!

I wouldn't be stacking the amp on the receiver. I'd be stacking the amp on my dishnetwork receiver or vice versa.

 

[jostenmeat]

1. I can't remember the numbers, but the point is to make sure the preout signal doesn't clip before the potential power of the amplifier itself is unused. (But, see, you may never get it that loud anyways, so you might just fine even if it was "not adequate".) You might have to measure for yourself if you can't find anyone who knows.

2. I've never used one myself. Yes it would be on all the time if you didn't turn it off.

3. Probably not I suppose, but I think it's cool, and I use it conjunction with my Audyssey EQ as well. I do a "before", then Audyssey on top, then "after" to personal preference. Another issue I forgot with the XTi is that it takes a LONG time to be fully powered up and ready to go. I don't mind as it currently is setup, but if I ever bought a power center with programmable power up delays, it has to have a very long delay, as even several seconds is not long enough for the XTi.

4. No, I'd stack the amp at the bottom. Your other components need airspace above, but not this amp. Putting the pro amp on top of a typical consumer unit is just backwards.

 

[cutter]

the pre-out is 2v/1.2 kohm

I guess I'll have to give it a try and see how it goes!

thanks for the advice,

 

[Nomo]

Nomo, I do think there are concerns that need to be addressed with pro amps, but not for the reason of vertical ventilation. Receivers cool off at the top, but pro amps cool off forward/backward, as they are designed to be stacked on top of each other..

Dont get me wrong. My concern was for the Yamaha receiver. Not the intended amp.
I was worried about where the OP was gonna stuff another component given the inference that he's short on space already.

 

[Mika75]

The speakers sound good, but I am wondering if more power would make them great?

If u are happy now, what benefits are u hoping to hear from adding a power amplifier?

Unless ur pushing very high volumes, I don't think it's necessary.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

cutter, I would see if you can find out if your Yammy has adequate preout voltage to get the full benefit of the pro amp.

what would you consider "adequate"?

Look for the article on gain structure in my signature. Part 7 has an easy procedure you can follow to determine your AVR’s clean pre amp voltage output.

Pro amps don't have triggers, but you can buy an aftermarket one or something if you wanted.

how does an aftermarket trigger work? would the amp just be "on" all the time otherwise?

You could eBay a vintage Adcom ACE-515 line conditioner/power manager. It has switched outlets for amplifiers.

It works pretty much like the 12v trigger that car amps use: The heavy-duty primary power cable plugs into the wall, and a light-duty sensing cable plugs into the AVR’s switched outlet. When it gets power it switches on the Adcom’s outlets. The amplifier outlet has a ten-second delay on power up, and 30 seconds on power down. I think a few other companies such as Panamax make something similar.

Regards,
Wayne