Suggestions for next upgrade.

Paul in Canada

I am looking for some suggestions, I'm not ready to upgrade right now but would like to know what you people think I should be keeping an eye out for.

I have:
Denon 2805, RTi 8, CSi 5, Paradigm Atoms, and Paradigm Sub.

I use my system about 50/50 movies and music. I usually listen to music channels that I get from Bell dish and sometimes I'll listen to cds. I was thinking that maybe I would try and find a amp. If I did get an amp would a 5 channel be what I would want to get or would a 3 channel be enough and how many watts would I want to get. I think the Denon is 90 watts per channel.

I was also thinking of upgrading my surrounds after getting an amp. Would using the RTi 8s as surrounds and getting Rti 10's be a good idea or would it be a waste of a great pair of speakers.

schwarcw

I think a two channel amp would probably satisfy your needs. You could adjust the center channel to blend with the two fronts. The Denon should give you the surround effects that you need. I would suggest a two channel amp of 200 wpc or more. I would also suggest RTi4's or RTi6's as surrounds. Bith the 4's and 6's can be had on eBay for a reasonable price. Good luck1

audiobliss

I think I'd agree with what schwarcw said. I would either focus on an external amp or speakers next. Either would probably do your system good, and you're going to need to do both, so just whichever you want to do first.

200wpc from an external would certainly make your speakers sing. Two channel or three channel is what I'd be looking at. I might lean towards a three channel, just so that all three of my front speakers are getting the same juice.

As for surrounds, yeah, RTi8's would make for some thunderous surrounds, but you'd also need to have a lot of juice to make it worth while. It'd probably suit your needs better to just replace the Atoms with RTi4's or RTi6's as schwarcw mentioned. With a good sub, you won't really notice a big difference moving up to RTi10's up front anyways.

AndyGwis

I would go the three channel route if I were you. I added a stereo amp for fronts and a mono for center to my system, and it's much improved for both movies and music. Dynamics are great compared to just running off the AVR. I would've gotten a three channel if I found one that met my needs and budget.

I think Satan makes some 3-channel amps that are supposedly going for good prices on ebay. B&K has some good 3-channel options on ebay/audiogon, and Adcom makes some as well.

Monster Power Signature 3 Channel Amp MPA3250
B&k 200.3, 125.3, 1430
Adcom 5503

just to name a few.

Holydoc

Paul in Canada wrote:

I am looking for some suggestions, I'm not ready to upgrade right now but would like to know what you people think I should be keeping an eye out for.

I have:
Denon 2805, RTi 8, CSi 5, Paradigm Atoms, and Paradigm Sub.

I use my system about 50/50 movies and music. I usually listen to music channels that I get from Bell dish and sometimes I'll listen to cds. I was thinking that maybe I would try and find a amp. If I did get an amp would a 5 channel be what I would want to get or would a 3 channel be enough and how many watts would I want to get. I think the Denon is 90 watts per channel.

I was also thinking of upgrading my surrounds after getting an amp. Would using the RTi 8s as surrounds and getting Rti 10's be a good idea or would it be a waste of a great pair of speakers.

Tough call, Paul. As long as you have a good subwoofer, upgrading from RTi10's does not really make sense. I would recommend getting matching timbre surrounds instead. A seamless sound field is awesome.

As far as amplification goes, you have been given some really good advice in this thread. Buy the best amplifier you can afford. There is not a big need to constantly upgrade amplifier like you do with speakers and even pre-amps. Therefore by investing a bit now, you will not have to worry about that expenditure in the future.

Have a good time planning!

cfrizz

Ditto on the amplification! However, I would bite the bullet & get a 5 channel amp. That way when you are ready to go to all separates you just have to get a pre-amp!

EricBurg

I would keep the Rti8's up front with the Csi5 and think about adding Rti6's for your surround. While I do think the 8's would make good surrounds, I like the size of the 6's for higher placement. I would also forget about a 3 channel amp and go for a 5 channel, like cfrizz said. You could get into one of the 5 channel offerings from outlaw or rotel for about the same as the adcom 3 channel amp. Check out audiogon and see what you can pick up used for a good deal.

Eric

Paul in Canada

Thanks to you all for your suggestions, they are all helpful. I'll start saving some money and I'll keep my eyes open for deals on amps. It will be a while before I make that purchase but now I have a better idea of what I should be looking for. I will be sure to post when I do make a purchase.

Thanks again.

Ern Dog

Question for Holydoc,
I noticed that your amp is 200wpc and the specs on the Fxi3's says it can take 20-150 watts. This confuses me because it appears that 200 watts would blow out the speaker. Please clarify this as I'm still learning about amps.

danger boy

providing an amp that is rated higher than your speaker recommend will not damage your speakers. unless of course you overdrive them. a amp with less output WILL damage your speakers faster than a larger amp with more power. there again as long as you don't drive them to distortion.

SuperDave

listen to your speakers, if they aren't distorting more power is better for sure