A lil advice on some power amps please

arttymus
arttymus Posts: 12
edited November 2005 in Electronics
Hi all..............jus recently dived into the hifi market after having no sounds for a while. Stopped in at my local tweeter and picked up some gear to get me started. just got a stereo setup for now and I will be adding center, rears and sub sometime in the future.

Ok heres what I bought, polk rti 12s, yammie 2500, denon 3910. rti 12 wired with kimber 4tc, I'm using audioquest quartz for dvd and occassionally switching to a cheapo elec dig lead until I find a nicer dig lead.

I plan on buying a Polk csi 5 center and maybe rti 6's for rears, might go with rxi 5's haven't decided yet....and I'm still debating a sub.

Setup is in my basement which is about 13ft X 30ft, although I'm containing my setup to about 13X16.

Oh yeah back to my main question about amps.....when I bought my gear the tweeter guy told me the yammie would be enough power for the rti 12's, I knew that there was no way that the yammie could really makes those rti 12's sign but I like yams so I bought it with the intention of adding a power amp.

...so I'm looking for some advice/suggestions as to what amp to get. I like listening to music more than movies, don't know whether to go for a 2 channel amp or a 5channel.
I've read a lot of posts and Outlaw and Parasound amps seem to get good reviews.

So a lil advice on this decision would be greatly appreciated.


many thanks....................art
Post edited by arttymus on
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Comments

  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,536
    edited November 2005
    I'd suggest a B&K amplifier. Built at least as good as the Parasounds, but a little smoother sounding and a good match for the new RTi sound. The older series (7270, 7250, etc) are identical internally to the newer series which just added balanced inputs, so you could save some by buying used.
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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,093
    edited November 2005
    Arttymus,
    I have a room almost exactly as yours (13x32) I sit approx 16' from mains & tv same as you. My suggestion would be to purchase an integrated amp, whether it be a tube or ss that's up to your preference & let the Yammy run the center & surrounds. I personally like the receiver completely out of the chain when it comes to 2 channel music. And I do have a beast of a receiver - NAD T773 - which can drive anything you can throw at it, still I prefer it out of the loop when it comes to 2 channel. For that I have a Jolida 502B int. tube amp. The Jolida runs my mains in both HT & 2 channel. I couldn't be any happier with this set-up. This way I get the best of both worlds. Good luck to you!!!
    PS - where in Pa. do you live, I'm in the Philly area if you want to give a listen.
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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  • arttymus
    arttymus Posts: 12
    edited November 2005
    Thanks Emlyn.......jus checked the B and K website and ebay, saw some of the models you mentioned up for grabs. I'll certainly be considering a B and K amp.

    Regards.......art
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  • arttymus
    arttymus Posts: 12
    edited November 2005
    Thanks pearsall001 for your input and kind offer, sounds like a nice setup you have. I live about 30 miles west of philly in chester county.
    I'm not actually 16' from my mains, sorry, what I maent was although my basement is 13x30 my mains/amp etc will be in a 13x16 area.

    regards...art
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  • reeltrouble1
    reeltrouble1 Posts: 9,312
    edited November 2005
    The mentioned products are excellent, I have the 7270 its a great amp for a theater, it also calmed my receiver down a bit on the high end of treble. The NAD I have used with excellent results nice smooth warm sounding amps. Never heard a Parasound I did not like, so there you go.

    Welcome to Club Polk, join in the fray.

    RT1
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  • arttymus
    arttymus Posts: 12
    edited November 2005
    Thanks reeltrouble1............art
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited November 2005
    13 x 30'... Good God. not only will you need a sub, you need a big one...

    Amp-wise... Look at a 5 ch Sunfire Grand. 5 x 200 wpc and run about $900 used on ebay. You can then bi-amp your 12's, and also run your center. Not essential that your front stage be sourced from same amp, but you might notice some timbre issue if you just do the mains.

    There are other 5 ch amps worth considering as well.

    Welcome to the Club...
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • Holydoc
    Holydoc Posts: 1,048
    edited November 2005
    I have a 7.1 system with the RTi12's, CSi5, FXi3's, and SVS sub. I am pushing the speakers with an Outlaw 770 amp (7x200watts) that I purchased new. Though I can only speak for the Outlaw, I have not tried any other amps, it does a wonderful job of pushing my Home Theatre.

    I sit ~10 feet from the FL & FR speakers and ~9 feet from the Center.

    See the links in my signature for more information about my system.
    Holydoc (Home Theatre Lover)
    __________________________________________
    Panasonic -50PX600U 50" Plasma
    Onkyo -TX-NR901 Receiver
    Oppo -Oppo 980HD Universal DVD Player
    Outlaw -770 (7x200watt) Amplifier
    PolkAudio - RTi12 (Left and Right)
    PolkAudio - CSi5 (Center)
    PolkAudio - FXi3 (Back and Surround)
    SVS - PB-12/Plus (Subwoofer)
    Bluejean Cables - Interconnects
    Logitech Harmony 880 - Remote
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  • arttymus
    arttymus Posts: 12
    edited November 2005
    Thanks Tour2ma and Holydoc , been swaying towards a 5 or a 7 channel amp now. Those outlaws sound amazing good reviews dont know if I could carry it though! I read a review on the Parasound 1205A Amplifier which sounded good too, also take a look at the Sunfire Grand you mentioned Tour2ma


    Thanks guys........art
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  • sickicw
    sickicw Posts: 456
    edited November 2005
    I would look for a seperate stereo amp for your rti12s, something that can output close to 400 watts into 8 ohms and 800 watts into 4 ohms. Then i would get a seperate 5 channel amp for the rest. Thoes rti12s sounds much better if given lots of power. If your low on funds, a 5 channel might be the way to go first, and then upgrade your fronts.
    Speakers: LSi9 x 2, LSic, LSiFX x 2, Velodyne HGS-15
    Amps & Power: Rockford Fosgate T8004 x 3, Cascade Audio APS-55 power supplies x 5, and 1 farad capacitor.
    Electronics: Denon 3806, Toshiba HD-A1, & Sony KDL46XBR2
    Accessories: Anti-IC interconnects, 8 Mondo Traps from Realtraps, and Salamander furniture.
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  • outlander
    outlander Posts: 218
    edited November 2005
    Take a look at what Rotel has to offer too. I'm very happy with my RB-985MKII.
    O
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  • Holydoc
    Holydoc Posts: 1,048
    edited November 2005
    Arttymus,

    If you are interested in the Outlaw Amps, here is a link to my review of the 770 one I bought:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33040
    Holydoc (Home Theatre Lover)
    __________________________________________
    Panasonic -50PX600U 50" Plasma
    Onkyo -TX-NR901 Receiver
    Oppo -Oppo 980HD Universal DVD Player
    Outlaw -770 (7x200watt) Amplifier
    PolkAudio - RTi12 (Left and Right)
    PolkAudio - CSi5 (Center)
    PolkAudio - FXi3 (Back and Surround)
    SVS - PB-12/Plus (Subwoofer)
    Bluejean Cables - Interconnects
    Logitech Harmony 880 - Remote
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  • janmike
    janmike Posts: 6,146
    edited November 2005
    Welcome to the forum. Another happy Rotel person here as well. I have a RB-1080 driving the mains and a Yamaha RX-V1500 driving the rest of the HT. Lots of preouts on the Yamaha. Good Luck.
    Michael ;)
    In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
    NORTH of 60°
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  • arttymus
    arttymus Posts: 12
    edited November 2005
    Thanks sickicw, outlander and janmike for your input. Holydoc thanks for the link to your review, that Outlaw sounds like an awesome amp.
    I think I am leaning towards a 5 channel amp, and then if I like in the future I can add another 2 channel amp if I want. The Outllaw looks amazing but a lil more than I had planned on spending kinda more in the 1000 buck range so things like Rotel and Parasound are good candidates.

    Still reading up...

    Thanks for advice and welcomes................Happy Thanksgiving

    art
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  • outlander
    outlander Posts: 218
    edited November 2005
    Have you ever considered used equipment? http://cgi.audiogon.com/ is a great site for used gear. If your patient you’ll find the equipment your looking for in mint condition for about half the price you’d pay at the box store.
    O
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  • arttymus
    arttymus Posts: 12
    edited November 2005
    Having a look now outlander...............thanks

    art
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  • outlander
    outlander Posts: 218
    edited November 2005
    Cool! Ckeck the Adcom's too. A step below the Rotel's but still real nice.
    O
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