Got me thinkin' 'bout separates!
therealjeepguy
Posts: 62
Now that I've been considering how my system may benefit from separates, the question is what amp(s) will work best with my receiver, (Sony STR-DA4ES)? And what names are the most highly recommended at the lowest price range? Mulit-channel? Two channel? I'm fairly new at this. I've never run or heard a good system set up with separates and I'm curious as to what I'm missing here! As always, everyone's input will be greatly appreciated...thanx!
If you don't drive a Jeep, then please stay on the pavement.
Post edited by therealjeepguy on
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To me, seperate amps deliver a lot more control to a speaker than a recievers amplifier can supply. As far as reccommendations for amps, depends on the financial situation. I like Carver as a good gateway amp, or adcom... Others have mor experience than I do so I'll leave it at that.There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin
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I have a Rotel RMB-1075 and I love it. It is running RT 55s, CS 400, and FX 500s. It sounds great. It retails for $1000, but if you shop around you can get a better deal (10%-15% discount usually). This amp really brought the Polks to life. Good luck.
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Just to be clear, separates means a pre amp and amp....not using a receiver in any part of the equation.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Originally posted by F1nut
Just to be clear, separates means a pre amp and amp....not using a receiver in any part of the equation.
good point.. i think sometimes we forget about this.PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin: -
Originally posted by F1nut
Just to be clear, separates means a pre amp and amp....not using a receiver in any part of the equation.
What if you use the reciever ONLY as a pre/pro? Does it count then? Otherwise I don't use seperates in my HT
There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin -
Nope, it's still a receiver.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Jesus H. Christ, your such a friggin purist....:D
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What speakers are we talking about driving?2 channel - Willsenton R8 tube integrated, Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE DAC, audio optimized NUC7i5, Windows 10 Pro/JRiver MC29/Fidelizer Plus 8.7 w/LPS and external SSD drive, PS Audio PerfectWave P3 regenerator, KEF R3 speakers, Rythmik F12SE subwoofer, Audioquest Diamond USB cable, Gabriel Gold IC's, Morrow Audio SP5 speaker cables. Computer - Windows 10/JRiver, Schiit Magni 3+/Modi 3+, Fostex PMO.4n monitors, Sennheiser HD600 headphones
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A reciever in the equation may not be separates, but there are decent receivers out there with a decent preamp. Still, the difference is definitely audible in going w/ a real preamp.
I opted for a very nice receiver in the B&K 507, and I couldn't be happier with the results. 150 wpc is more than enough to run the RTi series, with the added bonus that the B&K amp does not have a cutoff point, so that really adds to headroom.
If space or aesthetics isn't an issue, I say scrap the Sony and take a look at Oultlaw gear or some decent used units.Current System:
Mitsubishi 30" LCD LT-3020 (for sale**)
Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Concert Grand (Rosewood)-Mains (with Audioquest Mont Blanc cables)
CSi5-Center (for sale**)
FXi3-surrounds (for sale**)
Martin Logan Depth-Sub
B&K AVR 507
Pimare CD21-CD Player
Denon 1815-DVD Player
Panamax M5500-EX-Line Conditioner -
I have a pair of RTi6's for the front mains and the CSi3 center, RTi4 for surround duties and a PSW-404. I'm quite satisfied with the sound and build quality of these speakers and I thoroughly enjoy listening to them in stereo. While they do sound great to me, I just want to be sure I get the most out of them and I don't have enough experience or money to experiement with different gear to know whether or not they're performing to their true potential. I don't think my reciever is junk, but some of the opinions here seem to be swayed toward seperates---true separates that is, not a good reciever with pre outs. I just want to know if it will be a good idea to run a seperate amp using my receiver's pre outs or save up and get true separate components. I mean, will I notice a significant difference? Is this the next logical step? Then I'm left to question what type of amp to get---multi-channel, two channel? Suggestion?If you don't drive a Jeep, then please stay on the pavement.
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Considering your statements and lack of funds taking the step by step method will be your best choice. Get a good amp to go with your AVR and see what you think, I'm sure you'll like it. Then down the road you can get a real pre/pro amp.
A receiver or AVR is a compromise in sound quality, it can't be helped. Will there be a significant difference with separates? That depends on what one considers significant and what level of gear we're talking about. However, I can't think of anybody that I know that hasn't noticed an improvement when moving up the audio ladder.
I see you're in a area that should have real hifi stores, so go out and demo some gear. It's fun and will give you ideas for the future. When you're ready to make a move, shopping for used gear is a great way to get more for less. www.audiogon is a good place to shop.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
The preamp/pro is much more important then the power amp.
If forced limited to a $5k budget, I'd quite easily spend $4k on the preamp and live with a used $1k amp. Balance is ideal, but if push came to shove I'd ensure my money went closer back to the source.
Most people assume the short commings of an receiver is it amplfier section. The reality is it's not, its it pre/pro design. The same with 2 channel setups. An intergrated amplifer sounds better then a receiver not because of the power per say, but more with the quality of pre-amp section.
Imho it wouldn't make sense to go separates with the speakers you are using right now. I'd consider taking a step back, and getting a much better DVD player then the one you are using now. -
I had my STR-DA4ES pre-outs driving a 2 channel Adcom GFA-555 for about a year. My fronts were RTi38, and I also have the PSW404 at the time. With the Adcom in the loop it did seem to sound clearer, but only at very loud level. At normal listening level I really could not say it improved much. I also could not tell the difference between the Sony's pre-outs and the GFP-565 "true" pre-amp. In two channel mode, I wonder what a pre-amp does, other than attenuating the source signal. I believe it becomes more critical if it has to amplify the signal from a magnetic phono cartidge.
I do realize that my "true" Adcom separates are not the latest technology but it still does a good job, when hooked up to my Energy Reference 22 connoiseur speakers that I use for music.
To me, the Sony compared favorably with the Adcom system in two channel music. One thing I did notice, if I played music CD with a DVD player, I get better bass in pure direct mode with the RTi38 only, than in stereo mode with the subwoofer on. The only way to get the sub to do its job was to crank up the sub's volume control knob. I had the PSW404 at the time, but even after I replaced it with the PCU, I still have to crank up the volume to get bass from CDs. No such problem with DVDs. With the AVR3805, this problem still exist but to a lesser extent.
I am not sure about the RTi6, but I do find the RTi38 slightly harsh relative to my Energy Ref 22 Connoisseur and my newly acquired Veritas 2.3i.
Many people here don't like Sony no matter what, but I think it is a mistake to trash your 4ES. I now have a Denon AVR3805 and I still miss my Sony. Its bass management was superior, and I think its sound quality is just as good. If you get a 2 or 3 channel power amplifier for now, you still have the flexibilty to get a separate pre/pro at a later date. Then you can get rid of the 4ES or use it in a second system.
