bi-amping polk rti70s - 7.1 setup with Rx-v2400

cshelp

Hi, folks

I have
4 Rti 70s - 2 fronts and 2 surrounds
1 Csi40 center
2 Rti28 rear surrounds

My receiver is rx-v2400 from yamaha

I am intereted in bi-amping rti-70s and the center
Want to do it fairly cheaply

I saw HK PA2000 for around $200 and HK PA4000 for around
$400, also onkyo 2 channel amp around 220

I'd like a fairly detailed walk trough on how to get this working

Also should I consider getting 2 or 3 PA2000s or ?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Any advise on weather I should do it with Receiver and Amp or Receiver and two amps - receiver acting completely as pre-amp

OttoGraff

keep in mind that different amps will have different sound characteristics, and that will play a role...

You shouldn't have a problem with bi-amping a single speaker with two different brands of amp, becuase one channel should be the tweeter and the other the driver(s). However, you may want the same amplification across the same comonents across your whole system, or at least the front side (so all tweeters being driven by H/k and all mids driven by Yamaha, something like that.

Then again, the above may not make a difference to you, just something to consider.

For a more detailed walk through, do a search on here for bi-amp, you should find plenty of information, that's how I figured it out.

Personally, I don't think you'll hear much of a difference with bi-amping those speakers with the suggested amps. To get a noticeable improvement in sound, you'd probably need to look at a dedicated amp for those, not using the receiver at all for amplification. H/K makes a fine amp, but you may want to look at something like Parasound or Outlaw to get an improvement. I know it doesn't fit your bidget, but maybe save what you've got now and include another couple hundred down the road and then upgrade. Just my opinion.

cshelp

thank you for your help

So far I was planning on using RX-v2400 for mids on the front 3 speakers and HK for tweeters.

Here are my other (more expensive options) :

Marantz MM9000 - can be had from audiogon for about $799 - 5 channel 150W/ch

Outlaw 7100 - 7 channels 100w per channel for $825 (B stock from Outlaw)

Do you think these would work better then HK2000/4000

Now any thoughts on these and should I try to go with two amps per chanel and just use Yamaha completely as a pre-amp

dkg999

I currently drive my RTi70's with an HK PA2000 and have been very happy with the results. I tried bi-amping and didn't really hear any difference. I eventually plan to drive my RTi70's with Outlaw M200's, but haven't spent the money because the HK PA2000 works really well! It also seems to have a very similar sound to the Yamaha receivers. I found the biggest improvement was getting the center and main channels off of the receiver and letting it give full attention to the surrounds and back channels.

cshelp

thank you fior helpful feedback

question : I read your equipment setup and wondered why u have to centers ?

also what makes u want to go to Outlaw later on ?

dkg999

I was having some issues with the presence of the center channel when the volume was really low, or there was very low level, quiet dialogue in movies. Also, sometimes it seemed like the mains overpowered my center channel. There has been a good bit of discussion on this in these forums. I have my HT setup in an apt., so good presence of the different channels at relatively low (i.e.sane) volumes is important. I managed to pick up a CSi5 for $179 at a CC during the Polk sell-off, so I decided to take the CSi30 I had in the bedroom system and experiment. I was totally amazed at the result. Like I said, if I let the Yamaha EQ know about the extra center, it downplayed the result. If I added it after the EQ had done its thing, then I got the result I wanted. I also did this with the two subs. Using the two, one front and one rear, I get lots of bass presence without having to crank up the volume. Again, use the EQ with only the front sub, then plug in the back sub.

I went with the Outlaw M200 based on references from various AV forums. I'm really impressed, very high value to dollar ratio. Are they the absolute greatest in all aspects, nope. Outlaw makes good products at attractive price points. I have also liked HK products for a long time, I have several Citation amps in my storage room. I saw the PA2000 on a close-out deal and thought it would work great for my side surround channels. I had only bought one Outlaw M200 at the time, so I figured I would use the PA2000 for my mains until I acquired 2 more M200's. The PA2000 really surprised me, it is a high-current, high-reserve amp and digs deep while running very cool. So, I haven't been real motivated to get the extra M200's! I did also pick up a PA2200 signature series amp. at an electronics flea market a few weeks back. It's now powering a set of RTi6's.

What the people on this forum have taught me is to experiment and play. See what sounds best to you. I didn't hear any difference when bi-amping or bi-wiring. I did hear a difference when I used good quality banana plugs and cable to replace the stock metal jumper on my RTi70's, CSi40, and RTi6's. You may not hear the same differences. Most of all, don't get so hung up in what amps, what cables, what electronics that you miss out on the best part, setting back and enjoying a good movie!

Early B.

I agree with others on this thread re: bi-amping. I tried it with the exact configuration you're contemplating (Rti70's and HK PA 2000). You're not really going to derive much benefit with bi-amping, so I would recommend that you don't even go down that road.

Take your time and start with the two front channels. Get the best amp you are willing to afford. Try the used market at www.audiogon.com or ebay. Get as much power as possible. Minimum 200 wpc. You'll get the most benefit from amping your fronts. The center and rears can be a one of your last HT tweaks when you someday have a wad of extra cash to throw at them.

cshelp

ok folks - so far the consensus is that I shoudl forget bi-amping

would love to hear from some one who decided to stick with the bi-amped setup, just wanted to see if there are configurations - hardware wise - that make folks like that setup.

Saw a Parasound 2003A amp on audiogon for $650

3 channels at 200 wpc -- what do you gus think abou that one?

also any thoughts on using two PA2000 to power L/R rti70 in bi-amp setup

Early B.

Can't go wrong with a Parasound, dude. Check out Acurus 200x3 also. Should be a little less expensive than the Parasound. I believe Adcom and others make 3-channel amps. You should also consider getting monoblocks. Check out Outlaw Audio. They go used for around $200 each. However, if you've got $800+ bucks to spare, go directly for a 5 or 7 channel amp with at least 200 wpc. Just makes hooking things up a little easier. Again, start with Outlaw. Great value for the money.

cshelp

thanks for everyones help - more info before plunking down the cash is always welcome

I'm hearing so far no votes for bi-amping and everyone suggesting to get a 200 wpc for the front and center amplification

Any thoughts on my using of Rti 70s for L/R surrounds.

When I move L/R/C to the new amp I might actually be able to run 9 speakers from the Yamaha Rx-v2400 - can any one comment on that setup - anyone tried?

Also considerring a sub upgrade - someone here mentioned running two subs and running two centers - I've got another csi 30 hanging around that I could use that for.

How does the hookup looks when u do that - 2 subs and 2 centers ?

Alex

Tour2ma

Probably not mentioning bi-amping based on the 70's. Not a huge power demand there as opposed to RTi 12's or 150's.

Once you start applying 200 wpc to five or seven channels, you'll likely find that to ample. Unless of course you are power mad, as I am...

The 70's should make good rears, if your seating is far enough in front of them. They are not strong candidates for side surround use.

Can't comment on the Yammie. If you like the acoustic effects it generates, more channels will deepen the experience. If you rarely use the progammed effects though, adding more channels is a waste.

Sub-wise, consider one strong one rather than two weak ones. Two sub's do not necessarily double your pleasure. You'd likely end up stacking them in one spot to simplify bass management.

Twin centers, one above and one below your monitor, can help center the sound from your front channel. An alternative use for your second center is as a rear in a 6.1 arrangement.

All you need to dual out your center or sub, are a couple RCA Y-connector/ splitter. Rat Shack has 'em as do a bunch of other stores...