LSI 9 and Denon 3805

Foz

Is anyone using the Denon 3805 with Polk LSI9's? Should I be concerned that the Denon doesn't look rated for 4 ohms?

I've been arguing with myself on this issue for a long time. Will I hate myself for buying the Denon?

bertram

I use a Denon 3803 (and even the 1905) with LSi15/LSiC/LSi9 and have no problem. I think, though, that my listening levels are modest compared to some here, although I do attain reasonably loud levels in a 24x14x8 room.

If you look at Item #9 in the Denon FAQ you'll see that using 4 ohm speakers is not out of the question by any means, although you obviously have to be more careful than with 8 ohms.

That said, I have just ordered the Outlaw 755 5-channel amp and look forward to not worrying anymore about where the volume control is.

pjdami

You should be concerned if you realize that you are not unlocking the full potential of the LSi 9s which require high current amplification.

See this thread:

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25864&highlight=denon+and+lsi

If you have already purchased the Denon and would like to keep it, consider getting some Outlaw monoblocks to power the 9s and keep the Denon as a prepro. There are some members here doing that successfully with the LSi.

okiepolkie

If you are worried about the speaker ratings(as you should be with the LSi9's), then look for something different than the Denon(or be prepared to get a separate amp).

If you would like to stay in the same price range, then take a look at the NAD receivers or the Rotel receivers(specifically the RSX-1056). They will both be 4ohm stable and have a lot of good features as well.

What other speakers will you be running with the receiver? If you have the full LSi setup(LSiC, LSi9's, and 7's or FX's for the rears), then you might want the separate amplification anyway.

With all of that said, there are several people running the LSi's off of a receiver, including the 3805, and have not had any problems.

You will get more out of the speakers if you go with the better receiver/amplifier choices.

Hope this helps.

Zach

gregure

I would like to put in my $.02 to recommend the B&K 505 or 507 depending on your setup. 150 watts of high-current amplification and a nice warm sound to boot. Can handle 4 Ohm no problem. Retails for $3100. I agree the Rotel and NAD would be a good choice too. I like the Denon 3805 quite a bit and would recommend it whole-heartedly for 8 Ohms, but when demoing 4 Ohm speakers at work on the 3805 and B&K 505 I always notice a more detailed, more open soundstage w/ sweeter highs and tighter bass, although comparatively the 3805 does pretty good. Again, would you rather do it right the first time and spend a bit more, or always know that it could be better?
Here's an even more affordable solution. The B&K Reference 125.2 amplifier runs about $800. At 4 Ohms it outputs 185 watts. Use the B&K as an amp for the mains, and use the 3805 for surrounds. From there, you could easily add a center mono if needed, although you should be fine w/ just the one separate amp for music/movies, as the Denon is a great unit for movies too. Check out the B&K amp here.
Although I have no personal experience, the Outlaw pre/amp combo would run you about $3k, and I've heard a lot of good things about them as well. Just a few options to mull over.

Toxis

I own both the 3805 and the 9's and love them both. They really don't sound to bad together but once I added the Rotel 980 stereo amp (200w/ch @ 4 ohm), the 9's really came to life. I'd highly recommend upgrading but it's at least good enough for a while. Hope you have good ventilation for the Denon. She runs hot!

pjdami

Originally posted by Toxis
I own both the 3805 and the 9's and love them both. They really don't sound to bad together but once I added the Rotel 980 stereo amp (200w/ch @ 4 ohm), the 9's really came to life. I'd highly recommend upgrading but it's at least good enough for a while. Hope you have good ventilation for the Denon. She runs hot!

I think that is exactly the information Foz was looking for. Unfortunately, it may mean that more investment is required to extract the best sound.

Tour2ma

True, but Foz can enjoy the 9's now on the Denon, and then enjoy them even more by adding an amp later. Add an amp and in essense get a "new" pair of speakers for free. Nothing wrong with ramping up. If we all bought our ultimate rig right out of the chute, what would we have to talk about?

As bertram said the Denon's chances of working, i.e., not going into protection mode repeatedly, really depends on what listening levels Foz needs to grab his HT jollies.
Other factors include:
- what does he have for center and surrounds (are they low impedance as well); and
- what, if any, sub does he have to help ligten the load?

The 3805 has a first class front end. It just lacks the amp guts of some other candidates, but that can be fixed down the road.

Foz

Thanks for all the excellent replys!! One more question. Would any of you change your advise if I said I was going to use the SVS PB12+/2 in the system. In other words. If you view the Denon 3805 as too weak to run all 6 LSI9's and a LSI/C in a 7.1 system set to large. Would the Denon still be a bad choice with all the LSI's set to small?

I'm trying to decide on the Denon over NAD t773. Why? $900.00 compared to $1800. I'd like to save the money but not at the cost of weak sound. Quality comes first. If I need to spend the extra for the NAD then so be it.

Thank again everyone !

cfrizz

Hi Foz, welcome to the club.

It's not that the 3805 is a bad choice it is an excellent receiver, just bear in mind that it doesn't have the high current amp necessary to run your LSI's to their full potential and pushing it too hard could cause problems. However it does have preouts so you can add a separate 2-7 channel amplifier to solve that problem.

As you can see, others are using Denons with LSI's Therefore you can too. Just plan to add a separate amp to it when funds allow.

Cathy

Tour2ma

... and, yes, adding a good sub (and the SVS qualifies) that handles everything below 60 to 80 Hz will help...

BTW... if you have not already talked to SVS about the best candidates of their line for your room, do so. Tom is great and gives very honest guidance, i.e., will recommend the right sub options, box and cylinder, for you... not the most expensive, not the one that fits your budget, the right one...