New amp

doug lang · June 2005

I have to ask this question. I recently installed a Sunfire grand amp on my present system. I hooked it up to my onkyo 989 receiver. I have a lsi center, two lsi 9's for the front, and fx's for the rear. I have to say right now there is not much of a difference. Is there a break in period for the amp, and should I hear a drastic change in sound right now. Thanks all.

dragon1952 · June 2005

That Onkyo is pretty beefy to begin with. Are you comparing multi-channel sound or 2-channel sound? If 2-channel sound what type of music?

ND13 · June 2005

Hell, you don't need that raggedy ole Sunfire. I might be willing to take it off your hands..;)

Seriously though, nice amp. Enjoy.

doug lang · June 2005

I have tried all types of music. Cd's, Dvds and sat tv. Should i consider bi wiring the fronts and center.

Early B. · June 2005

Yeah, I would expect you hear a significant difference, especially with music. Have you re-calibrated your system?

Bi-wiring won't help much.

dragon1952 · June 2005

Well I think the deal is that your amplification wasn't too shabby to begin with so yeah, there probably wouldn't be a huge difference. I would think maybe a tad cleaner and maybe a little more headroom. You're still going through the Onkyo's preamp which has alot more to do with the sound than the amp, all other things being equal. If you really want stellar 2 channel sound you really need a dedicated 2 channel system with a quality preamp and source. BTW, what is your CD source?

doug lang · June 2005

My cd player is a denon 1815. My system may be a little clearer, but I guess I was expecting a bit more.

Early B. · June 2005

My cd player is a denon 1815.

I think you just identified your problem. You're definitely gonna need a better source to get the most out of your speakers and the amp.

What kind of speaker cables and interconnects do you have?

F1nut · June 2005

Improvements in the audio world can be night and day, but more often are little. A little more clarity, a little more volume, a little more....you get the idea.

As Mr. Dragon alluded to, your use of a receiver for the pre amp is most likely now become the weak link along with the cdp. IMO, if you really want more out of your gear, get tubes in the mix and forget about bi-wiring.

doug lang · June 2005

My interconnects are monster thx 800. My wire or speaker cables are 16 guage. As It was said the onkyo is big and maybe it is to big. This being said I will have to live with it. Thanks Guys

steveinaz · June 2005

Differences with amps can appear to be subtle, but there's alot more going on than meets the ear.

You've got way more dynamic headroom, your bass (though because of the limited bass in the Lsi9, harder to notice) should be tighter, deeper and more accurate. Treble and midrange will be better "sorted" and less grainy. Most of the benefits will be noticeable at higher volumes where an amp upgrade really struts its stuff...

If I had to rate, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 having the most subtle effect, and 1 having the most significant effect:

1. Speakers
2. Source or DAC
3. Preamp
4. Cables
5. Amp

Now this assumes that all the equipment is of equitable quality and in the same "tier", not a change from an Emerson 15 watt boombox to a Rotel 200 watt amp.

Lsi9 · June 2005

I heard a difference when I added a amp to my receiver, then when i got the outlaw 950 I heard an even bigger improvment, ebay the Onk and get a preamp

Frank Z · June 2005

Some serious listening time might be in order as well. I'd try picking out just a few songs that you are very familiar with and try short passages with the receiver only and then with the amp. Listen for speration of the chanels, clarity of the individual instruments as well as placement in the sound stage, and depth of the sound stage.

New amp

Comments