Big amp on center or surrounds? What's your opinion?

[jrlouie]

So, if you have this...
- center:LsiC
- surrounds:2 Lsi7's

And this...
- 2 channel pro-audio amp: Crest Audio vs650 with 325 X 2 @ 4ohms
- center channel on Onkyo AVR rated at 100watts @ 8ohms or 130watts @ 6ohms

Would you do? Please take into account only the units listed, no other components.
Option A: AVR powers center and vs650 powers surrounds
Option B: use 1 channel of vs650 for center and AVR powers surrounds
Option C: bridge vs650 to 850watts @ 4ohms to the center and AVR powers surrounds
Other: Please explain.

When utilizing the center and surrounds (i.e. - 5.1), setup mostly used for TV, then movies, SACD, radio, dvd-audio; in that order from greatest to least. Left/Right channels in the 5.1 setup is accounted for with other amps I'd like to not change. So just thinking about the center and surrounds here.

[mldennison]

are you using this more for HT? i would assume so, and in that case you really want the center to sound good. but it would really be a waste to have an unused channel on the amp...

[bankshot]

Tough call, I would personaly put most of the power into the center and (if the amp could handle it)use the other chanel for the surrounds. If its possible maybe bi-amp the surrounds with your reciever. That might get kind of complicated though.

[lanion]

The center is much more important. I'd bridge the amp to your LsiC.

[amulford]

To be honest with you, If I had the choice, it would be none of the above. To keep your front soundstage seemles, you want to keep it as close as posssible. This means timbre matching it AND supplying it with good clean power. If at all possible, you should keep the electronics the same also, as all have their own signature.

[jrlouie]

amulford, I agree. Just not possible right now. Eventually I'll purchase a 5 channel amp and run everything with it. Always a work in progress ;)

I guess I could bi-amp the center with the vs650, but I would need to round up another (quality) speaker cable if I did that.

Hmm.

[McLoki]

I would run the center channel off of one channel of the amp. Bridging not only adds power, but distortion. Your extra channel could run a passive sub, the back surround in a 6.1 system, or surrounds in a 7.1 system. (just say it is a 6.1 system in the avr and wire the back surrounds in parralel or series depending on how your amp handles low impedance loads. The rear channels in a 7.1 system are mono anyway)

Until you get to the 6.1 or 7.1 stage, just let the amp channel run idle. It will still offer (slightly) more power that way. (look at your avr specs for 5 channel vs 2 channel operation. same thing with 2 channel vs 1 channel operation (not bridged))

Michael

[bankshot]

amulford, I agree. Just not possible right now. Eventually I'll purchase a 5 channel amp and run everything with it. Always a work in progress ;)

I guess I could bi-amp the center with the vs650, but I would need to round up another (quality) speaker cable if I did that.

Hmm.

From what I heard LSi speakers arent really worth bi-amping because you have to dedicate a whole amp to the tweater, but if you cant take advantage of the extra power on your amp you might as well bi-amp the center.

[jrlouie]

Okay, let me ask this. If I choose to bi-amp, and I have one fairly good quality speaker cable going to it now, and the second one would be something I'd pull out of the closet not quite of the quality, would you put the better cable on the upper frequency posts, or lower frequency posts?
I'm not sure what I have yet, I'll have to dig around and see what cabling I can find. It may not even be an option if I don't have any extra long enough.

[bankshot]

Okay, let me ask this. If I choose to bi-amp, and I have one fairly good quality speaker cable going to it now, and the second one would be something I'd pull out of the closet not quite of the quality, would you put the better cable on the upper frequency posts, or lower frequency posts?
I'm not sure what I have yet, I'll have to dig around and see what cabling I can find. It may not even be an option if I don't have any extra long enough.

The thicker gauge wire should go on the bottom. If there both the same gauge, then put the higher quality cable on the top.

[scubamike]

Dont mean to cut into your thread but I have a csi5 center and rti100s for surround and was going to hook my adcom gfa-5500 to the surrounds but would I be better off hooking it up to the csi5 untill I can afford another one to power my surrounds?
Would I have to run a Y off the receiver to split to two interconnects and then run one side to one set of post and the other to the other side? In effect this would put 400 watts to my center channel right? I am still new at the separate amp thing and just want to make sure I am doing the right thing. My front rti150s will be running off my gfa-5800 when it comes in tommorow.