Receiver to Power Lsi9

alebastardo

I am planning in getting a pair of LSi9 and need help in deciding on a receiver. After reading several posts in this Forum on similar subjects I am not sure I have the knowledge to make the right decision.

I would like one unit. I don't intend to listen to music at very high volumes. Would like to get a unit that would allow to build my HT. Primary use would be for music. Budget? Well, I want the minimum possible that would allow to appreciate the LSi9s.

Any advice?

okiepolkie

It is going to be difficult to find a receiver that will do justice to the LSi9's. If you just have to have a receiver, then look to spend close to $1000. Maybe look at Marantz or NAD as far as power goes. You would probably be better off getting a cheaper receiver with preamp outputs($300-$400), then get a decent two channel amplifier for $400-$500. Just suggestions. Others might have better ideas for receivers.

pjdami

The NAD T753 would be the bare minimum at an even grand brand new. The T763 would be a better choice if you like it a little louder. Next up would be the Rotel receivers or Outlaw Audio separates. These will be in the $1,200 - $2,000 range depending on what you get. Finally, B&K or Sunfire receivers, but those are the most expensive.

I had the LSi 9s and now own the LSi 15s. The Rotel RSX1055 powered the 9s nicely. I now have a B&K powering the 15s in a complete LSi HT.

The LSi require the "red carpet" treatment and must have a 4 ohm compatible high current receiver / amp to power them to their full potential.

Been posted on the forum here many times.

Check out www.audiogon.com for used deals.
Paul

Johnny Mac

I recently dug deep and threw down some coin for the B&K AVR 507 Series 2, largely based on recommendations from this forum.

All I can say is "WOW!"

Admittedly, this AVR is overkill for my speaker setup, however, I'm hard pressed to believe that there is anything else on the market today that could improve on the sonic quality of this beast. Besides, I haven't even begun to tweak this thing into audio shape...

Good luck in your search for the right equipment,

John

alebastardo

Thanks a lot.

I going to read about the equipment recommended and get back if I have more questions (probably!)

LuSh

If its just for 2 channel for the moment, consider this
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?intatran&1112217005

I own this amp and its drives my LSi9's nicely for the time being. They are built like tanks. This is a "budget" intergrated from Simaudio but one feature you might like is the HT by pass option. It allows you too hook this intergrated to an HT receiver and allow all preamp, amp sections for two channel to be done by the Simaudio. The HT receiver only acts as gain or volume control. All pre-amp sections for music is contained within the Simaudio. Classe' also has intergrateds with such features. The Simaudios come with a standard 10yr non tranferable warrenty. Don't worry they are built like tanks. I'd grab this one while you still can, or move up to a Classe' CAP 151 which is considered one of the best intergrated to buy regardless of price. And when I say regardless of price, I mean it will compete with Jeff Rowland stuff upwards of $9k.

okiepolkie

I thought about an integrated amp, but didn't know if many had the HT bypass like that one.

alebastardo

Thanks Sean.

My budget is +/- $700 for the receiver.

I have read a lot of good stuff about HK but I don't like their look. If I going to spend that I might as weel try to get something that would look witht the rest of the stuff.

I would prefer to get a Denon or Yamaha, if possible.

LuSh

I'd really encourage you to pickup that intergrated...HT receivers sound like poo for 2 channel music....you could always add HT stuff later.

alebastardo

Zero, I enjoyed your comments.

Those brands are the ones that I had more opp. to listen to. I am open to other brands as well. I also prefer sound quality than eye candy.

The more I read it seem that it would be best to get separate units, recevers+amp. This seems to be the best way to build a good system that you can enjoy for many years.

Thanks every body for your comments/suggestions.

alebastardo

I found more postings in the Forum about powering the LSi9's and using separate components seems to be the best way to go.

Couple of questions. What is the role of the receiver when you add an amplifier? Do they share the "load"? If you add an amp, how good of a receiver you need?

Thanks.

okiepolkie

The receiver and separate amplifier don't necessarily share the load for a single speaker. The receiver essentially passes the load to the amplifier so the rec doesn't have to work as hard.

The receiver acts as a pre-amp in this setup. If you were willing(and had the means), a true pre-amp would be the best way to go. A receiver, such as the Denon 1905, Yamaha RX-V550(I think), and HK 135(I think this one as well) have pre-amp outputs and can be bought refurbished for around $300. These are not the top of the line receivers, but they will get you by for a while. Your next would be to get a two channel amplifier or a pair of monoblock amplifiers. You might look at www.outlawaudio.com at their monoblocks. They can also be bought used for between $400 and $500 used. A decent two channel amp from Rotel, B&K, and the like can be bought for between $300-$500.

Hope this helps.

alebastardo

okiepolkie ... yes it helps. Thanks.

bigsexy1

NAD T743 or T753 either one would EASILY drive these speakers.

Check out the following very recent review on the 753:

www.hometheatermag.com/receivers/105nad/index.html

And check out these power measurements from the bench test:

www.hometheatermag.com/receivers/105nad/index2.html

Almost 94 watts for 5 channels and 110 in stereo at 8 ohms and .1% THD over 20 to 20 KHZ. Not too bad at all.

dorokusai

Home Theatre Mag is a good source of real world, credible data when it comes to power ratings IMO....S&V is a joke, and always has been.

pjdami

alebastardo,

I missed that you said you would not be listening too loud. In that case, as mentioned above the NAD T743 may be all you need for now. It sells for $699. You can always add a two channel NAD amp like the C272 later on if you desire more power. NAD, Rotel, and B&K receivers are very powerful and almost equal to their respective entry level separates. Been there and done that myself so I talk from my personal experience and humble opinion.

http://www.yawaonline.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=YO&Product_Code=NAD_T743&Category_Code=RX

You can also call Saturday Audio Exchange and check their prices on NAD receivers too.

pjdami

Here's a great used deal on a T742. An older model but it still has DD and DTS. Can't go wrong at $250:

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?homeproc&1112715975

shiu

Based on H.T. mag, S&V mag., and others reviews, the Denon 3805 has more power output than equivalent (price) Harman Kardon model, e.g., the 630, especially into 4 ohm loads, and should be able to drive the LSI9. NAD receivers, and separates are of course better.

Frank Z

Originally posted by shiu
Based on H.T. mag, S&V mag., and others reviews, the Denon 3805 .....

No offense intended but don't believe everything you read in any magazine. They make their money from advertising, not a lot from selling the actual mag. They are very biased towards anything their paying clients produce. When was the last time you read a really bad review in any of them, something along the lines Not with my Sainted Mothers last nickel would I buy this Piece of Shiznit!! Do a search for Denon receivers + Lsi speakers here and you'll get some real world reports. I'm not slamming the Denons or any other receiver, but I'd put a lot more stock into what real users have to say. The people here and on other open forums have nothing to gain by giving flowery reviews of any equipment (except perhaps the SDA fans;). ) We've discussed this one until we're all blue in the face, Bottom line is, and will always be, that Lsi's need power, and that power should come from a piece of equipment that is rated to drive a 4 ohm load. Anything else will offer lower performance than what the Lsi's are capable of, and if you're not going to get the best possible sound out of them...Why bother at all? Save the money and get a speaker that's easier to drive.

My $.02

shiu

No offense taken, in fact my Denon only drives the 8 ohm center and surround speakers. I have a separate amp to drive the mains. I was only making the point that the 3805 was tested to put out more than the 630. Same reviewer tested both and results published in the same issue (August if I remember correctly).

alebastardo

Thanks every body for your help.

I got the Lsi9s today.

A friend of mine is giving me a very good deal on his Yamaha RXV1500. If I go this way, what do you recommend for a 3-channel amp? Where would be a good place to search for a used one?

Thanks.

LuSh

Last time I'm going to post on this thread, if your worried about 2 channel music reproduction over HT then I STRONGLY urge you to get a good intergrated amp like the ones I've shown you over any separate amp. The preamp section in any HT receiver is a laffing joke compared to whats in true high end intergrated amps.

alebastardo

Ok. Done deciding.

I am getting a NAD T753 to start with. Depending on how it goes I'll consider adding an amp later.

Thanks for all the wealth of info provided.

pjdami

Very good choice. With the budget you presented and both the HT / two channel duty you requested the T753 fits the package nicely. 200 watts dynamic power into 4 ohms is just what the LSi need.

Let us know how you make out and congrats.

Paul

marker

Great choice! I recently got what I thought was a good deal on a T753. Less than $600 tax and all out the door with an extended 5 year warranty and 1 year interest free finiancing to boot! It was a customer return (open box) to a local NOW audio/video store which was bought out by Tweeter, thus they no longer carry NAD. Plus, NOW had only a 7 day return policy, so whoever had it before me didn't have it long. Plus it had a sticker on the box where their techs checked it out and declared it "mint".

I didn't really need it, but at that price, I snapped it up anyway. IMO, it is better than the Denon 3803 I already had.

alebastardo

I bought mine in YawaOnline (Thanks pjdami) at a price lower than list price. The bad is that I have to wait about 10 days.

I have a very old Onkyo (TX-820) and was wondering if I can use it in the meantime since I already have the speakers. I would use it not to play loud music. I don't care if it goes belly up and my main concern is whether i can somehow damage the speakers.

I couldn't fine much info about the TX-820 specs. The only thing I found was from someone selling one on the web (So I am not sure how accurate it is):

"Dynamic power per channel into 8 ohms with no more than 2% total harmonic distortion. Automatic Precision System. This is a Pure and not shared Powerful clean continuous power per channel at 8 Ohms boasting effortless drive of low impedance at 40 Hz - 20 kHz both channels driven with no more than 0.2% Total Harmonic Distortion"

Any ideas or should I just sit still and wait for the UPS guy?

P.D I called Onkyo and they told me that the receiver is rated @ 40 Watts/ 8 ohms continuos power.

okiepolkie

As long as you don't turn them up too loud, you shouldn't have a problem. If they are new speakers, I would recommend using the Onkyo to break the speakers in. They sound better after 50-100 hours of break-in. There are many ways to do this, but I just turned on a blank radio station for about 100 hours and let it play. I know there are better ways to do it, but this is what was available at the time for me.

Enjoy your new speakers and receiver.

Toxis

Originally posted by Zero
If you wanted to step into the prepro/amp arena - www.av123.com . Look for the Emotiva line. For about $1300-1500, you will come away with a combo that is simply jaw-dropping.

Cheers, and good luck.

Sean

not sure where you're getting your prices because my calculator is showing $5k for the seperates combo. If you know of a place to get all that for $1500, let me know because I'm ready to buy!

Frank Z

Zero,
Where did you hear the Emotiva gear?

bigsexy1

Nice choice on the 753. The best feature of any NAD receiver is always it's top notch power amp section. Even in a few years if you outgrow it and get another main unit, you can still keep the 753 and convert it to a 3 or 4-room dual-zone stereo receiver with all it's pre-ins and pre-outs.

NAD is awesome. Probably their closest real competitor is Rotel, but NAD seemingly always consistantly beats Rotel at each price point, ie., NAD's top of the line reciever is about the same price as Rotel's second from the top of the line, yet more than holds it own against Rotel's top of the line.