What amp for RTi A7

[bevo]

What amp should I buy to push a pair of polk RTi A7 and a csi a6 center?

I have rm8s that I am currently using, but will move them to the sides and rear when I buy the new speakers. I have a denon 1909 that puts 90 watts to 7 channels for now. It does fine with the smaller speakers, But there is no way it will push the larger floor standing speakers.
I'm eventually going to also buy RTi a3's for the sides and rear. I might even buy them first, because the A7's would make my rm8's sound awful.

I really know nothing about amps, so any help would be appreciated. I guess what I am wanting is a 3 channel amp. The A3's only take 125 watts, so should my reciever be alright to push them?

[JohnLocke88]

Well, I'd recommend checking out Emotiva. I don't have any personal experience with them (not yet at least) but people here seem to really like them.

You might look into either the UPA-7 or the XPA-3 (probably the better choice; use this to power your fronts and center, and let your AVR power the rears)


www.emotiva.com

[leroyjr1]

I would look into a 5 channel vs 3 since you plan on upgrading your rears in the future. You should be able to find a 5 channel for about the same price as a 3 channel.

[comfortablycurt]

I would look into a 5 channel vs 3 since you plan on upgrading your rears in the future. You should be able to find a 5 channel for about the same price as a 3 channel.

I second this suggestion.

Emotiva XPA-5 maybe?

[javygonx]

Hi Bevo. I have RTiA7 too, and Im using right now an Onkyo 706 and the receiver moves the speakers very good, how is that the Denon 1909 can't move it? Mine sounds pretty loud with the Onkyo and I try bi-amp too and the voices sounds more clear, and very loud too.

maybe Im missing something with my Polks, or something is wrong?

[BlueFox]

I guess it is time for everyone to throw away all their other equipment and buy an Emotiva, since that is all everyone recommends.

Personally, I have a Sunfire TGA-5400 for the home theater, and two Cambridge-Audio 840W amps for the living room stereo. Does anyone want these amps? I need to buy some Emotivas to replace this stuff.

[comfortablycurt]

I guess it is time for everyone to throw away all their other equipment and buy an Emotiva, since that is all everyone recommends.

Personally, I have a Sunfire TGA-5400 for the home theater, and two Cambridge-Audio 840W amps for the living room stereo. Does anyone want these amps? I need to buy some Emotivas to replace this stuff.

I might take them off your hands if the price is right(possibly free). :D:D

[leroyjr1]

I guess it is time for everyone to throw away all their other equipment and buy an Emotiva, since that is all everyone recommends.

Personally, I have a Sunfire TGA-5400 for the home theater, and two Cambridge-Audio 840W amps for the living room stereo. Does anyone want these amps? I need to buy some Emotivas to replace this stuff.


Can't wait till they come out with a TV.:)

[comfortablycurt]

Can't wait till they come out with a TV.:)

I hear the new Emotiva motorcycles are in the developmental stages.;) Guess they're following in the footsteps of Yamaha and producing everything.

[mmadden28]

I'm waiting on the Emo Toaster :cool:;)

[comfortablycurt]

I'm waiting on the Emo Toaster :cool:;)

Hell...I already have a couple of them. It'll toast some bread like you wouldn't believe. I won't even get into what it does when you put a bagel in it...lol

If you were interested I could probably let you demo the Emo toaster for a week or so. Try before you buy and all that. ;) You just have to let me demo the Onkyo 805 and Emotiva XPA-5. Good deal right?...lol

[bigred7078]

What amp should I buy to push a pair of polk RTi A7 and a csi a6 center?

I have rm8s that I am currently using, but will move them to the sides and rear when I buy the new speakers. I have a denon 1909 that puts 90 watts to 7 channels for now. It does fine with the smaller speakers, But there is no way it will push the larger floor standing speakers.
I'm eventually going to also buy RTi a3's for the sides and rear. I might even buy them first, because the A7's would make my rm8's sound awful.

I really know nothing about amps, so any help would be appreciated. I guess what I am wanting is a 3 channel amp. The A3's only take 125 watts, so should my reciever be alright to push them?



what are your tastes music or HT?

here is a list of amps to choose from that may help ya out...

-Odyssey audio: Fantastic for music http://www.odysseyaudio.com/products.html

-Emotiva: awesome bang for the buck
http://emotiva.com/featured.shtm

-Sunfire: amazing power capabilites
http://www.sunfire.com/amp.htm

-Outlaw: awesome bang for the buck
http://outlawaudio.com/products/index.html

-NAD: great audio company with great quality equipment
http://nadelectronics.com/products/home-theatre-amplifiers

-Rotel: always known as a great company with great products
http://www.rotel.com/NA/products/index.htm?cat=18

and many many others but that should get you started ;) And also dont forget to check out audiogon.com for MUCHO cheaper used gear.

[cfrizz]

BF, I also have Sunfire gear, but you & I both know that it is VERY expensive. Even purchasing it used can cost a pretty penny.

The point is to encourage them to get good amplification, not scare them off with how outlandishly expensive it can be to get that amplification!:)

I guess it is time for everyone to throw away all their other equipment and buy an Emotiva, since that is all everyone recommends.

Personally, I have a Sunfire TGA-5400 for the home theater, and two Cambridge-Audio 840W amps for the living room stereo. Does anyone want these amps? I need to buy some Emotivas to replace this stuff.

[cfrizz]

Hi Javy. It's not that the receiver can't move the speakers. It's just that those of us who have separate amplification have discovered that having more power than what a receiver can put out, enables the speakers to operate to their full potential. It has nothing to do with more volume.

There is better separation of instruments, better bass, much greater clarity in vocals & instruments & dialog. You will also have much more headroom for loud passages that your receiver would possibly distort on from being overdriven.

You have biwired your speakers to your Onkyo rather than biamped. It might help but since you are still using the same amp in the receiver it is probably just putting more of a drain on the receiver.

Enjoy your system, but if you ever want to find out what your speakers are truly capable of, look into getting a separate amp for them.:)

Hi Bevo. I have RTiA7 too, and Im using right now an Onkyo 706 and the receiver moves the speakers very good, how is that the Denon 1909 can't move it? Mine sounds pretty loud with the Onkyo and I try bi-amp too and the voices sounds more clear, and very loud too.

maybe Im missing something with my Polks, or something is wrong?

[Keiko]

Hi Javy. It's not that the receiver can't move the speakers. It's just that those of us who have separate amplification have discovered that having more power than what a receiver can put out, enables the speakers to operate to their full potential. It has nothing to do with more volume.

There is better separation of instruments, better bass, much greater clarity in vocals & instruments & dialog. You will also have much more headroom for loud passages that your receiver would possibly distort on from being overdriven.

You have biwired your speakers to your Onkyo rather than biamped. It might help but since you are still using the same amp in the receiver it is probably just putting more of a drain on the receiver.

Enjoy your system, but if you ever want to find out what your speakers are truly capable of, look into getting a separate amp for them.:)
You're slacking Cathy. You didn't mention the 200wpc thing.

That's all ;)

[Fongolio]

Consider also some good used Carver gear. I have a Carver TFM-25 powering my RTiA7's in two channel mode and they sound fantastic. What Cathy (cfrizz) says about power being about clean articulate sound and NOT about sheer volume is bang on. On my HT rig the A7's sound good with my Yamaha 6160 Receiver but on two channel with the Carver they sound unbelievable. Deep clean bass, huge soundstage, clear but not over bright highs. A huge difference.

[Kex]

Consider also some good used Carver gear. I have a Carver TFM-25 powering my RTiA7's in two channel mode and they sound fantastic. What Cathy (cfrizz) says about power being about clean articulate sound and NOT about sheer volume is bang on. On my HT rig the A7's sound good with my Yamaha 6160 Receiver but on two channel with the Carver they sound unbelievable. Deep clean bass, huge soundstage, clear but not over bright highs. A huge difference.
As I posted in another thread: I would add Adcom to that list. There are several venerable members here at CP that think Adcom amps match especially well with Polk speakers. I'm not sure if that holds more true for the older series, such as SDA or older Monitors, or equally so for newer gear such as the RTi products, or RTi A.

http://www.adcom.com/

The problem with chosing amplifiers, at least for me, is that there is no standard for specifications. People usually focus mostly on watts per channel - the more the better, and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) - the lower the figure the better it is. A respected member here on CP believes that an amplifier with at least 200w/ch (8 ohms) is the only way to go, and the only way to ensure a noticeable difference with a good receiver or an entry level amplifier. I think it might be more complex than just w/ch and THD, and things don't always work out as you would expect. I've had one receiver rated conservatively at 40w/ch deliver equivalent performance with my speakers to an external amplifier rated 125w/ch. I've had another receiver, also conservatively rated at 70w/ch, deliver much better results with my sytem than that same amplifier (sorry bigred, I know you don't believe me, but it is true nonetheless). So, IMO, the specifications are not a reliable measure of what true life performance may be in all cases. You may possibly prefer some 100w/ch amplifiers to other 200w/ch amplifiers from a different brand.

Speakers may make a big difference in the equation too and it also depends on what you want. What I wanted mostly was more tightly controlled bass (lots of bass, but very clean and tight, not sloppy and boomy) and better detail.

There are some used Rotel on the Flea Market here, I think. There are also some great deals on NAD at Spearit Sound, a highly reputable dealer, including the two channel C272 and multi-channel T955.

http://www.spearitsound.com/nad/nadspec.htm
http://www.spearitsound.com/nad/C272.asp
http://www.spearitsound.com/nad/T955.asp

[Kex]

... I guess what I am wanting is a 3 channel amp. The A3's only take 125 watts, so should my reciever be alright to push them?
You do not have to limit yourself in this respect. Speakers are usually damaged from trying to play them too loud with too little power, which causes a distorted signal, which in turn puts tremendous strain on the tweeter especially, not playing them with too much power. You can exceed the 125w/ch without fear.

[bevo]

Great info everyone.
I can't believe the feedback I got overnight. This forum is great for a beginner like me.
Everyone in here seems to really love their systems.

[cfrizz]

Of course choosing an amp can be a complicated process. This whole damn hobby can be complicated.

What I try to do is to make it as simple as possible to get the best results in the fastest manner possible.

Like it or not, getting a nice beefy 200wpc or more amp will show immediate, clear cut improvements to a system. Starting out with an amp say 120wpc that might be the same supposed wattage of a receiver may or may not yield noticable results.

I know this because I had a Rotel 50wpc amp and a 110wpc Denon receiver & couldn't hear any improvement. Switch over to a 205wpc Parasound amp was truly an ear openning experience. Hence my preference for 200wpc or more for power.

Now you chose to take the cheaper way out for your first amp Kex & got disappointed. Deciding that Emo products were not up to snuff. So now you recommend whatever, good for you.

If people are inclined to experiment & spend all kinds of money to find synergy, they can go your route.

If they want to hear a nice big improvement the first time around, then sit back & enjoy their systems they will be willing to spend more money up front, and be done with that particular upgrade to their systems once & for all.

I just like to keep it simple and effective.

[CaligulaPolk]

I hope this will help. I decided i will power Polk speakers (A9 or LSi 25) with Emotiva XPA-2 or 3. From my researching i find these sufficient for RTi a floor speakers.

[cfrizz]

It will be. Keep us posted when you put it all together.

[Kex]

... Now you chose to take the cheaper way out for your first amp Kex & got disappointed. Deciding that Emo products were not up to snuff. So now you recommend whatever, good for you. ...
That's not quite true, in fact, although you may have understood it that way if I did not express myself clearly. Firstly, I have not decided that Emo products are "not up to snuff", nor was that the point I was trying to make here (I did not even mention them by name, until now). I have only tried one of their products, which, with my given set of parameters, did not measure up to expectations, true. Nor do I recommend whatever, BTW (and it is perhaps a little hasty on your part to suggest such a thing). I merely suggest that IMO, and FWIW, all watts are not created equal and a 50w/ch integrated amplifier is perfectly capable of shocking the living daylights out of some amplifiers with much higher ratings. Similarly, it is not certain that 125w/ch will not be enough to make a difference, either in an amplifier or even some receivers, and 200w/ch may not always yield the intended results either, when compared to something with less lofty published specifications, since there is no real fixed standard for the measurement. It all depends on the parameters of the comparison. JMO though, and I am no scientist, technician or engineer, merely an audio enthusiast.

I'm also quite happy to be proven wrong at some point, or at least misguided, but it hasn't happened yet to my knowledge!

[bevo]

I started this thread trying to figure out what amp I would push the RTi a7s. I just figured out that my denon 1909 only has 1 pre out, and that's for the sub. Does that mean I'm screwed and can't run an external amp with it?

[broncsrule21@]

yes, I think so.

[cfrizz]

You're right Bevo. So unless you upgrade your receiver first, you are out of luck.

Whatever Kex, the point is since you never tried 200wpc you don't know if it will make a difference or not. I'm glad you found your sound.

If you want to experiment, go right ahead. Like I said, I keep things nice & simple and want people to hear a difference right away & do it just once the right way & not over & over again. (for those who only want to do it once)

I'm out of this!

[Kex]

yes, I think so.
You, kind Sir, are quite correct! Sorry Bevo, I bet that's quite a disappointment for you. Take some time to think about it, there are other options that will work for you, and it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg (just one or the other will suffice :eek:). Decide on your priorities and budget, and then you can figure out what your new options are.

Good luck!

Edit: Cathy beat me to it ... and BTW, Cathy, we're on the same side here, just a different approach, perhaps!

[bevo]

I hate when I make spontaneous purchases. I just want to hide in a corner and cry myself to sleep.

Anyone want to buy a denon 1909 for about 450$ It's very lightly used.

[Kex]

I hate when I make spontaneous purchases. I just want to hide in a corner and cry myself to sleep.

Anyone want to buy a denon 1909 for about 450$ It's very lightly used.Don't be too hard on yourself. It's an easy "mistake" to make, and many clever people have been there before you.

[bevo]

Is there any kind of converter, where I can run my speaker wires into from my receiver, and it converts them into pre outs.
Come on guys, there has to be something. PLEASE,PLEASE!!!

[Kex]

Is there any kind of converter, where I can run my speaker wires into from my receiver, and it converts them into pre outs.
Come on guys, there has to be something. PLEASE,PLEASE!!!Nope ... not to my knowledge ... but you're not the first to wish it were true either. I suggest you sleep on it for a while, and take time to figure out your options.

[mmadden28]

Is there any kind of converter, where I can run my speaker wires into from my receiver, and it converts them into pre outs.
Come on guys, there has to be something. PLEASE,PLEASE!!!

Yes, its a speaker level to line level converter. Its commonly used in the car audio world. But that is all I know about it.

[Hawkeye]

Signal to noise ratio (S/N) and Damping Factor should play just as importantly as watts and THD.

A high Damping Factor should be considered especially when driving towers with many large woofers. If this number is too low or not published, one runs the possibility of fat or loose bass. Normally, the higher the number, the tighter the bass.

Signal-to-noise ratio compares the level of a desired signal (such as music) to the level of background noise. The higher the ratio, the less obtrusive the background noise is.

Also, consideration needs to be made on the location and positioning of the plugs and ICs. For example: Do you need them to be vertical to fit in a rack? Do you need/want RCA or XLR? Does it need to be balanced?

There are a lot of variables in choosing an amp which need to be looked at prior to purchase.

Gordon

[bevo]

Here it is.http://www.amazon.com/AUDIOPLEX-SPKCNV-SPEAKER-LEVEL-CONVERTER/dp/B000YYW0GY
What do you guys think. Shouldn't that allow me to run an external amp. It looks like it, but as you guys have discovered I know nothing.
If it does work I owe mmadden28 a big fat thank you. And if your a raiders fan mmadden(I'm assuming you are) I feel your pain, because I too love the silver and black.

[bevo]

Sorry for the double post, but I needed to send someone a private message and hadn't had enough posts yet. This one will do it.

[mmadden28]

Here it is.http://www.amazon.com/AUDIOPLEX-SPKCNV-SPEAKER-LEVEL-CONVERTER/dp/B000YYW0GY
What do you guys think. Shouldn't that allow me to run an external amp. It looks like it, but as you guys have discovered I know nothing.
If it does work I owe mmadden28 a big fat thank you. And if your a raiders fan mmadden(I'm assuming you are) I feel your pain, because I too love the silver and black.

You'd be better off asking the question about the best speaker to line level converter in the car audio section. ;)
I hope it works out for you though.

Raiders? oh heck no-What gave you that idea? :p
Do you see where I am from? Eagles all the way baby!! :D:cool:

[bevo]

You'd be better off asking the question about the best speaker to line level converter in the car audio section. ;)
I hope it works out for you though.

Raiders? oh heck no-What gave you that idea? :p
Do you see where I am from? Eagles all the way baby!! :D:cool:

I guessed I missed the P.A.
I can't believe an eagle fans neam would be Madden, especially since he beat you in a super bowl.

[mmadden28]

I guessed I missed the P.A.
I can't believe an eagle fans neam would be Madden, especially since he beat you in a super bowl.
Even within families there are sports rivalries ;)

[leroyjr1]

You'd be better off asking the question about the best speaker to line level converter in the car audio section. ;)
I hope it works out for you though.

Raiders? oh heck no-What gave you that idea? :p
Do you see where I am from? Eagles all the way baby!! :D:cool:

Not a Eagles fan but they're getting the job done.