Help with seperate amp

[geebolt]

Thinking about going with a seperate 5 channel amp. Looking at Emotiva UPA-5. I'm currently using an Onkyo TX-NR807 with TSI500's up front, a CS20 center and R40's in the rear.
Could I use the 5 channels of the Emotiva to bi-amp my fronts as well as power the center and then use the Onkyo to power the rears?
Would it be better to forget about bi-amping and just use the Emotiva to power all 5 of my speakers.

And lastly, would the improvements (if any) of either of the above be worth it?

George

[tonyb]

All your speakers are pretty easy to drive,and you have a good receiver. The improvment in SQ may or maynot be worth it. Depends on what your idea of worth it is. Personally,I would invest in upgrading your front 3 speakers before searching out an amp. I think you'll get the better improvment in sound that your looking for that way.

[cnh]

The only speakers you might need extra power for are those TSI-500s so a 2 channel or 3 channel power amp would do you....as tonyb points out, all those speakers are easy loads but the TSI-500s really shine in two channel more with a power amp of around 200 watts a channel! That's what I would do.

It seems premature to upgrade your entire speaker system as I assume it is not that old and you're probably NOT rolling in money?

Good Luck,

cnh

[Ric5811]

A simple upgrade in amplification will do better than upgrading speakers with your current power source.

Good speakers only reflect what you put into them. Put some power to those Tsi's and you will hear a diff.

[texas ed]

Test Test...I posted in wrong section,

[geebolt]

Thanks for the responses but I still have these 2 questions:

1. Could I use the 5 channels of the Emotiva to bi-amp my fronts as well as power the center and at the same time use the Onkyo to power the rears?

2. Would it be better to forget about bi-amping and just use the Emotiva to power all 5 of my speakers.

George

[tonyb]

Just use the emotiva to power all the speakers.

[geebolt]

And if I later decide to add 2 more channels, will I still be able to use two of the Onkyo amps? Sorry, but I'm just not clear if I can use pre-outs and at the same time use the built in amps.

[bluecomet]

Yes, you can add more speakers and make it a 7.1 system without any issues using your Onkyo. I agree with others here that buying an external amplifier is not needed with your setup and if you have a burning desire to spend money then you should upgrade your front three speakers. That is where you will hear the greatest improvement in sound, if that is what you are looking for. If you were using the Lsi line or large speakers like the RtA9's then yes an external amplifier would be worth it but not in your case at this time. Also to answer your question about bi-wiring with the Emotiva, I would download the owners manual from the Emotiva sight and make sure you can bi-wire the speakers you want. I believe you can but better to be sure before you spend the money. Hopes this helps.

[cfrizz]

Welcome to Club Polk Geebolt.

I am firmly in the camp of external amplification. ALL speakers no matter what they cost, or how easy they are supposed to drive will benefit from a seperate powerful amplifier.

Most receivers exagerate the amount of power that they give to the speakers. A powerful amp will allow the speakers to operate to their full potential something that doesn't happen with a receiver, but until you hear the difference, you won't know it.

To this day getting an amp has been the single best improvement to my system, that is anchored with 20 year old Polk RTA-8T speakers! Some would probably say that they don't need it, aren't good enough for it etc., but they would be wrong.

I always recommend getting at least a 200wpc @ 8ohms amp. This much power is usually the amount where most people hear a clear improvement to their system. It also allows to upgrade to more difficult to drive speakers like the LSI series.

So I would recommend getting an Emotiva XPA-5 amp, or an Outlaw 5-7 channel amp.

If you don't mind going with a used amp it will expand your choices to Rotel, Parasound, Sunfire, Adcom, Nad, B & K

This will cost you more money up front, but if you do it right the first time, this will probably be the ONLY time you will have to purchase an external amp.

You won't need to biamp/biwire with this much power. Once you hook up an amp, the internal amp of the receiver is bypassed for all the channels hooked up to the amp. Now if you got a 5 channel amp but had 7 speakers, the 2 that aren't hooked up to the amp will be powered by the receiver.

[cfrizz]

Some used options.

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....-Grand-5-x-200
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....law-770-7-200w
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....1095rmb-5x200-
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....50--S2-w/-audi

[geebolt]

Well, it look like I'm getting differing opinions and thats good.

Some say upgrade speakers first. If I do that (say some RTI's) will my 807 drive them well enough or will I need a new amp right off the bat?

Convincing the wife that I need to replace 2 month old speakers would be harder than spending half that amount for a new amp.

If new RTI 7's or 9's are in my future, would a UPA-5 be strong enough?

I'm pretty much set on Emotiva because of the good pricing and the fact that they're located about 30 miles from me. I've read good thing about 'em, too.

Thanks,
George

[bluecomet]

You can go either way. If you buy the RTi 9's you will hear an immediate improvement. If you then want to hear the speakers at there full potential then you will need an external amplifier. I have used Emotiva in the past. It is nice equipment. Do I like my used Sunfire amp better. Yes I do but either way it is an upgrade with what you have. Take your time, audition the speakers you are interested in and pick what sounds the best to you. It is your system. If you go the speaker route don't forget about the vintage SDA's. Good luck.

[cfrizz]

Unless you are truly unhappy with the sound, then get the amp so that you are getting the most out of the practically new speakers that you already have. Sorry I agree with the wife on this.

I didn't know how great my RTA's sounded until I put some serious power to them. I was thinking of upgrading them until I got the amp. 6 years later & I have yet to upgrade my speakers.

Again, to get the most for your money & sound, you should save a little more & get an XPA-5, this will ensure that you have enough power no matter what speakers you have now & in the future.

[PSOVLSK]

Again, to get the most for your money & sound, you should save a little more & get an XPA-5, this will ensure that you have enough power no matter what speakers you have now & in the future.

+1.

I'll add that I once hooked up an Adcom 545 to a pair of R50's and was amazed at how good they sounded.

[Ric5811]

You will see more improvement adding amplification first, than wasting money on speaker upgrades. Once you add that Emotiva, it will give you more options later in speakers. If you upgraded speakers now, you would have to add amplification to make it worthwhile.

The majority consensus here is , add amplification. It makes more sense financially and sonically.

[PSOVLSK]

If you upgraded speakers now, you would have to add amplification to make it worthwhile.

Well said! I completely agree. This is not to say that adding RTi9's (or similar speakers) wouldn't give improvement, but they would be so under-utilized. Get the most out of those TSi500's and upgrade the speakers later...if/when you feel the need.

[geebolt]

Okay, definitely leaning toward the amplifier. Now I have to battle with getting the UPA-5 now or wait to get the XPA-5...

George

[McLoki]

I agree with many posts in this thread, the speakers you own do not really need an amp. Yes - most speakers (even inexpensive ones) will benefit from using external amplification, but is the the best upgrade you will get for the dollars spent? Not with your current speakers (in my opiinion).

If your near term goals are to upgrade your speakers, then go for it (as mentioned, you may want an amp after you upgrade anyway) but if your next upgrade was to be a new blu-ray player or subwoofer - I would move the amp purchase down on the list a bit.

Long story short - an amp will not be the best bang for your buck upgrade you could perform right now, but no one can say if it is a good or bad upgrade without knowing the future plans you have for your system.

Michael

Edit - I forgot to mention as well - if you are willing to purchase used, you can get much higher quality than what you are currently looking at for a lower price..... (of course, making recommendations on a good amp that will match well with your system is difficult if we don't know what speakers you plan to end up with - another reason to wait if you are undecided on what speakers you want to end up using in your system.)

[geebolt]

I just had another thought:

What about getting the 3 channel XPA-3 @ 200wpc, and then continue using the Onkyo for the rears.

Both the XPA-3 and UPA-5 are within my budget.

George

[cfrizz]

Then get the XPA-3 & enjoy the improved sound.

[Hawkeye]

I'd reread the post by McLoki. He asks some very valid questions. Do you have sub? You're doing a HT and if you don't have one, your missing a lot of enjoyment.

If your bound and determined to purchase an amp, enjoy!

Gordon

edit: I also would not base my choice of any gear based on location. If that were so, I would have nothing in my house considering where I live!

[geebolt]

Thanks,

I do in fact have a sub but it has its own amp which is why I left it out of the equation.

And while location of Emotiva did play a small part in the decision, it was more to do with current pricing and favorable reviews I've read from users and Home Theater Mag.

Thanks to all who took the time to offer opinions. Its very much appreciated.

George

[geebolt]

I sprang for the XPA-5. And it sitting on the floor here at work and all I can do for now is just look at it....driving me nuts.
Maybe the XPA-5 is overkill for my system but I do have room to grow now.

[cfrizz]

Congrats!!! And there is NO such thing as overkill when it comes to power. Plus you now have room to grow speaker wise knowing that you have enough power to drive almost any speaker to their full potential!

[Slinger182]

Congrats on the amp looking forward to see how you think it made those 500s sound.

[Slinger182]

and the CS20

[geebolt]

Well, after 10 1/2 hours of tearing apart my system, cleaning things up, and adding the Emotive XPA-5 amp, all I can say is WOW. The first thing I popped in was David Gilmour Live at the Royal Albert Hall on Blu-Ray. Its like I was hearing it for the first time. If you can describe an amp as "faster", this is just one area that impressed me. Transients were awesome from the bass right up thru the spectrum to the highest frequencies. Everything seemed so much cleaner and unveiled. This is my first seperate amp because I never believed one could make as big a difference as everyone claimed. Boy, was I wrong. Now I'm wondering what a seperate A/V processor could make....
Gotta go now. Going to put in Eagles Farewell Tour 1 and then maybe a movie or two and then....

George

[cfrizz]

:D Congrats, just realize that you are going to be saying WOW a lot!:D Oh yeah, what does the wife think of the improvement?

[geebolt]

Oh she likes it fine. Probably more for the way it matches the equipment stand and for the smile it put on my face. (She thought my old Sony AVR with R40's sounded great).

And thanks to you and all the others that offered opinions and advice. It really did help in the decision.

George