Upgrade time???

[RVJII]

I've been toying with the idea of upgrading lately but have been holding off because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. Yesterday I had my system really cranked up and decided I just wasn't getting what I wanted out of my RTi12's.

So, right now I've got an Onkyo TX-NR900 running my RTi12's, CSi5, and FXi3's. I have been pretty happy with the processing and I like the ability to rip my CD's to my server and stream it (320kbps) over my network. This, to me, is a better solution than a few "mega" changers.

Anyway, I have been considering upgrading the left/right with seperate amplification and just using the Onkyo for center/surround duties. So, with that in mind, I have been looking at a pair Outlaw M2200 (replacement for the M200), a Rotel RB-1080 or a Rotel RB-1090. (if I go Rotel it would probably be used)

So here are my main questions:
1. Am I going to really be able to hear a noticable difference? I have noticed that the Onkyo seems a bit bright and the 12's don't seem to have quite as much "punch" as I'd expect. It could just be me though...

2. If I upgrade the left/right amplification is it going to cause a problem for HT since the center will still be run off of the Onkyo?

3. How would you compare the Outlaw's vs. the Rotel? From a price standpoint the Outlaws seem to be almost unbeatable.

4. Should I just go for a seperate pre/pro while I am at it? I haven't found anything else that would let me use my music server...

Any other input would be greatly appreciated. I really don't want to be thinking that I need to upgrade again in another 6 months.

[cfrizz]

Hi RVJII. Yes you will notice a difference from just running the speakers off of the reciever. I have a Parasound 2 chnl amp for my mains & 1 Outlaw 200 for my center. It made a world of difference. If I had to do it all over again I would have gotten an Outlaw 755 to run all of my speakers.

Rotel & Outlaw are both good companies, with Outlaw winning the value side. You can't go wrong with either one.

[Mike Reeter]

Your 12's NEED a lot of juice,driving all those woofers takes power...I have mine bi-amped with 200 wpc. powering the lower end and 125 wpc.driving the mids/tweets...

You will notice a difference in the impact of good DVD tracks,and on music playback...

I also use the AVR to power our side and rear surrounds,taking the load off of the receiver by using external amps. for your mains /center is a good thing...

You just need to recalibrate your system,anytime you change something,amps.,DVD player,etc...

All of the amps. you mention would be a great choice...check out Outlaws B-stock section,they still have M-200's at a good price.

[organ]

The external amp will make a big difference. Even if you only use it on the mains, after calibration you should be ok for HT.

Maurice

[Holydoc]

RVJ,

I have the very same setup as you even down to the receiver. Once you decide and hook up your new amps, PLEASE...PLEASE...PLEASE come back and tell us how it sounds, what kind of difference it made, and exactly how you hooked it up, and a good idea of the cost of adding these amp (s).

BTW...I recently purchased a SVS sub. I am very happy with the amount of bass it gives out for my HT enjoyment. You did not mention what sub you had, but I can definitely recommend the SVS sub to go nicely with your system if you have not purchased a sub.

[RVJII]

Holydoc...I haven't purchased a sub yet as I wasn't sure how much it would add to the system. If I do get one I'd go SVS...just talked a buddy into buying one based on advice from here. (Also, until I move I don't really have the room for such a beast as the SVS)

If I do go ahead and make these changes I will absolutely come back and let you guys know the results. This has been a real challange as I try to figure out what to do. I first toyed around with bi-amping, using the receiver to run the tweets/mids and a couple of outlaws for the woofers. Changed my mind after talking to Outlaw...they thought that would be a very bad idea...no way to balance the two sources into the same speaker. Thus now I am looking at just Outlaws or the a Rotel. I've even considered going with 4 M2200's in a bi-amp configuration or the Rotel RB-1090. I am really concerned about how the center will sound in comparrison though for HT.

This may take me a few months to figure out what to do so any added input/advice is very appreciated. I may need to demo some equipment as well. (Just found a place that will let me demo Sunfire.)

[Fallen Kell]

RVJII, just a FYI about going for seperate Pre-pro and amps. It might be out of the spending budget, but the Integra Research RDC-7.1 will support the same net-stream setup that you have (since Onkyo/Integra/Integra Research are all the same group, just different lines/divisions).

It would be nice if they Integra released a pre-pro based on the same technology, but I think they wanted to reserve this only for the "high end" line from IR. I personally was really looking forward to the RDC-7.1, but I have been holding off until they have the "4 device HDMI v1.2 card" available before buying the product (it also doesn't help that the nearest IR dealer is about 1 hour away and its not like I don't live in/near a major metro area either!).

A few good amplifiers will do wonders though for your setup. I was personally amazed of the difference I had when moving from the "ok" built in amplifiers in my HK DPR-1001 to the Emotiva MPS-1 that I picked up (I know the matching reciever is built on the SunFire system with lots of modifications, not sure if they licensed the amplifier as well). Decent power will do amazing things for both the soundstage and clarity.