Need Receiver/Amplifier Advice

pnewcomb

I'm getting a much needed upgrade for my home theater speakers. Just picked up a pair of LSi25 floor standing speakers, a LSiC center channel, and will most likely be getting the LSiFX surrounds soon also.

So, now what I'm trying to figure out is what I need as far as a receiver and amp to power these bad boys.

I currently have an Onkyo TX-SR506 and no external amp. From what I've bee reading, it looks like I'll need to be getting a decent external amp to really get the most out of my speakers. What are some good amps for running all these speakers optimally? Is wattage the main factor in an amps quality? I have no experience with amps, so I'm pretty clueless...

The question is, can my Onkyo handle the job as long as I get myself a decent amp, or do I need to upgrade? I've kinda had my eye on the Yamaha RX-V871, but not totally sure if I really need that much of an upgrade.

Any advice is much appreciated!

Lietuvis91

Well, your onkyo does not have pre-outs, so you will absolutely need a new receiver or a pre. As far as amps go, you are best off getting a 5 channel amp to run all your speakers, as they will all be 4 ohm and will be a no go to run off of most receivers out there. I am not sure what your budget is, so that will determine what components you get.

so:
Step 1 Get a receiver with pre-outs and
Step 2 Find a 5 channel amp.

As for amps, it's all about personal preference. The more poeple you ask, the more different answers you will get. The thing to remember is that LSi speakers love power, so look for an amp that puts our around 200watts per channel at 8 ohms. As for brands, Rotel, Parasound, Emotiva, Outlaw, adcom... many other good ones are out there.

Erik Tracy

Congrats on the Polks and welcome to da club! :-)

You've been reading correctly - your LSi25s would definitely benefit from some good external amplification with your current AVR> Even if you switched to the Yamaha - the same would apply - get a good ext amp.

I guess the question you need to answer for some more helpful specific recommendations is....how much ya got??

...edit....saw that your current AVR doesn't have pre-outs, so it looks like you are going to have to pony up some more bucks.

Lietuvis91

You should not try to run those lsi25s off of the onkyo by itself either. It is not designed to handle 4ohm loads and will likely be damaged rather quickly.

pnewcomb

Thanks for the tips guys, it really helps me out!

Yea, I quickly learned that my Onkyo doesn't have the pre-outs. Also, you're correct about all the speakers in the LSi line being 4ohm, so 5 channel is definitely a good suggestion.

As for cost, I have a decent budget I suppose. I suppose an arbitrary number would be somewhere around $1000 on a receiver/amp if possible, although it won't hurt my checkbook too much if I end up going over. The receiver I've been looking at is the Yamaha RX-V871, and I found one for $599 over at tristatecamera.com. How much would a good amp run me?

deronb1

JMO, but if you are gonna spend decent money on an external amp, then maybe you could skimp a little on the AVR. Not cheap, but there are nice Pioneers out there with preouts for 300 or so.

http://www.emotiva.com/xpa5.shtm

pnewcomb

Ended up going with the yamaha xr-v871 and the emotive xpa-5

Theheadsn

pnewcomb wrote: »

Ended up going with the yamaha xr-v871 and the emotive xpa-5

Not a fan of the Yamaha's at all. Sound twangy to me. Let us know how it works.

I know a lot of people give Emotiva amps grief, I still have YET to hear one. I know theres a lot "nicer" amps you can buy. But for the price of the xpa-5 and the kinda power it puts out; plus it looks damn cool, you cant really go wrong.

I think either way with those killler speakers you wont be disappointed

Syndil

If you're going to buy an external amp, why bother with a receiver at all? Money would be better spent on a better preamp rather than putting some of it towards an amplifier section that will never be used.