amp for lsi9

olilugo

I know there have been lost of post on amps but most of them are just saying go for 200W/chanel 8ohm or better.

How about 125w 8ohm and 180-200w for 4ohm? should these amp work just fine for the lsi9.

My plan is to have only bookshef size speakers. I don't see going to floor standing speakers anytime soon or ever.

some people say that for the lsi the Rotel 1075 should not be use, those that apply to the lsi9?

presently I have rti6(20-125W) , csi5(2-200W), Fxi3(20-150W) all at 8ohms.

Do you thing a 125w 8ohm and 180-200w for 4ohm amp will work?

engtaz

I would go tube amp or 200 watt amp why penny anty things. You have great speakers, why try to penny anty things?

MADGSF

Do you thing a 125w 8ohm and 180-200w for 4ohm amp will work?

Yes.

It would help to know your budget and if you are planing to drive all the speakers or just the LSi9? I have heard the Halo A23 does great with the LSi series and if your budget allows a A52 would also work.

If you don't mind used and have the money look for a Proceed Amp-5 on Audiogon. Don't worry about the wattage rating on an amp that doubles it's output when the resistance halves. It will drive all your speakers easily.

olilugo

my budget is about 1500.00 in the upper limit. I only have a 5.1 setup today.
In the future I would like to upgrade to LSi's, which will include LSI9's for my mains.
I am looking for a 5-7 channel amp in the 120-200W in 8ohms.
I notice I can get a rotel 1075 for 1000. or a Outlaw 7125 for 1000. all new.
I don't mind buying used, but I don't have a paypal account and I don't know the "rules of the game" on audiogon.

Gaara

This has been covered many times, try using the search function up top.

I'll concur with madgsf, I had a full LSi setup being run off a Parasound Halo A52 and it sounded phenomenal. Very good synergy there or with the A23. They did run quite warm though, the hottest amps I have ever owned.

olilugo

Gaara, Thanks, you are right I did find over 200 hits on the search, I also found that I great percent of them give the 200W answer but looking at it closely most answers are based on the speakers being floorstading, that includes lsi15-25. or Rti10, 12.

So I wanted to really get some feedback if was to use an amplifier for bokkself speakers.
I looked at the A52 if I use it inside a built-in cabinet, can I just keep the doors opened while in operation or does it get too hot that I need to get some sort of fan?
Thanks.

cyberhazard

Check my sig.
All LSi's powered by a Outlaw 7125. 190W @ 4ohms, all channels driven. Mains (LSi9's) are Bi-amped via the unused rear channels.

Gaara

olilugo wrote: »

Gaara, Thanks, you are right I did find over 200 hits on the search, I also found that I great percent of them give the 200W answer but looking at it closely most answers are based on the speakers being floorstading, that includes lsi15-25. or Rti10, 12.

So I wanted to really get some feedback if was to use an amplifier for bokkself speakers.
I looked at the A52 if I use it inside a built-in cabinet, can I just keep the doors opened while in operation or does it get too hot that I need to get some sort of fan?
Thanks.

It would depend on how much space is around it. I used mine in an open rack powering LSi9s, a LSiC, and LSiFXs and it got quite hot. Ran very warm to the touch when idling and after a movie it was to hot to touch.

I had maybe 4in of open space above it, and a component within 3in to the left of it, open in the back, front and right.

AndyGwis

I have a decent powered receiver (HK 3480) which is 120 wpc 8 ohms and about 150 wpc 4 ohms.

I'd run LSi9s off them if I had the chance. Get a used amp like that Rotel, try it out for a while, and if you have more fundage come your way, you can sell the Rotel without losing much/any money and get something a little more powerful.

The Rotel won't hurt the speakers. It will sound good, and there will be some room for improvement if upgraditis hits later on.

cfrizz

I'm sorry, but buying an amp twice is just plain crazy. Exercise some patience, save more money, buy a 200wpc amp the first time around & be done with it! Stop wasting money buy the same kind of gear 2,3 4 times over.

You will have an amp that will run the 9's, 15's, 25's & any other speakers you decide to throw at it!

If you decide to upgrade, put the 9's in the back & get the 15's upfront.

dkg999

cfrizz wrote: »

I'm sorry, but buying an amp twice is just plain crazy.

So if twice is crazy, what have I upgraded to after I have bought about 30 different amps?

Do I get a prize?

Gaara

dkg999 wrote: »

So if twice is crazy, what have I upgraded to after I have bought about 30 different amps?

Do I get a prize?

You get to say that you really know how your speakers can perform, since you have heard them with many different amps you know what works best with them.

I personally think you should never buy just one amp and be done with it, as you have nothing to compare it to. As long as you buy used and wait for a decent price you should be able to try lots of gear for little to no money lost on your part.

cfrizz wrote: »

You will have an amp that will run the 9's, 15's, 25's & any other speakers you decide to throw at it!

We disagree again. I have had amps that work really well with my LSis (Cinenova) not work well with other speakers (SIA Rothschildes). I think an amp should be purchased to mate well with the speakers, if the speakers change the amp may have to to.

This is my experience from trying ~9 different amps with three different pairs of speakers talking.

AndyGwis

I'm sorry, but buying an amp twice is just plain crazy.

I tend to disagree with this as well. Call me crazy, because I think trying out different amps is a lot of fun. I had a Carver M4.0t (350 WPC!!!) hooked up to my Thiel's and liked it, but not nearly as much as the B&K amp (only 200 WPC 4 ohms) or my current MF A3.2 (185 WPC 4 ohms).

And, when you break even or make money by getting a good deal when purchasing used amps, pretty painless to buy and sell a few to see what you like best.

I now know what sounds better with my system and even helped pay for my current setup along the way. So. . . buying a 200+ WPC amp and being done with it seems CRAZY to me!

cfrizz

Well now he has 2 different points of view. 1 view is for people who don't live to constantly change very expensive gear & the rest of you who love to spend & spend & spend.

AndyGwis

like I mentioned, if you find a good enough deal on a used amp, you can actually make a little money on the deal. If you get a decent deal, well then you can usually break even.

It is more convenient to just buy an amp you know is "sufficient" and be done with it. But, if you don't mind checking audiogon every once in a while, changing out gear in your rack, and reselling gear, then trying out new stuff is the way to go.

olilugo

These are all fine points. I would add, since this will be my first amp ever, and I don't even have a clue what to expect. I am a bit nervus about spending 1500+, this is the most expensive purchase I will do when it comes to sound.

On the other hand, my built in is only about 17 3/4 (W) x 23(D)x 24(H).
so I will need and amp that is 17 1/2 Wide or less.
Last and also important I am incredible worried about the weight of these amps. If I get a 120/8ohm amp they tend to be about 40-60lb. which I think it will hold. going 200/8ohm amp is easily 80 -120lb which I would not have enough room to hold and slide into place.

Last I will only have room on the top part to decipate heat. any amp with heat vents on the side I will not be able to use since the inside is only 19" wide.

Did I mentioned that when I built my entertaiment center, I was not educated enough to know I might need an amp to go with the rest of my sound setup.

hockeyboy

I personally run a Sunfire TGA 7200 which I will never part with. This will stay in my arsenal as other products may come and go. I run all an all LSI system without so much as breaking a sweat. I bought mine new at HiFiTrader.com. To get closer to your budget buy the 5200. Run it for the rest of your lifetime and leave it to your grandkids. The nice thing is that it gives off very little heat. Not sure if the dimensions would work, check it at Sunfire.com.

cfrizz

The other great thing about Sunfire is that they are relatively lightweight which is why I got it. My 5 channel 405 wpc Sunfire weighs in at a whopping 43lbs!!! It is just 2lbs heavier than my 2 channel Parasound. So I snatched it up as soon as I found out about the weight.

Here is one for sale on Audiogon.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1191177815

SolidSqual

I used an a Halo A23 to power my Lsi15s with great results. That being said . . . my PS Audio Trio A-100 puts the Parasound to shame. Moral of the story: Lsis like good clean power. The speakers are also quite responsive to good cabling.

wz2p7j

Olilugo,

You say "I know there have been lost of post on amps but most of them are just saying go for 200W/chanel 8ohm or better.

How about 125w 8ohm and 180-200w for 4ohm?:

Actually, all (maybe most) of the posts I have read regarding the LSI line just say go for 200 WPC, impedence unspecified. My question has always been, how about something like the Rotel RMB-1075, which boasts around 200 WPC at 4 ohms, since I am interested in Rotel as well. Olilugo, is that your question?

Regards, Chris

cfrizz

Welcome Chris.

What we mean is 200wpc @ 8ohm. The LSI series loves power & the more they have, the better they sound. Also the more headroom they have the less stress will be on the amp when you decide to crank the volume. (within reason)

You also have to think about the impact having 5 4ohm LSI speakers on the RMB 1075 running all at once. Will it work? Sure, but it will be a strain.

olilugo

Hey Chris, I do agree with you the impedance is almost never mentioned, however some of the replies have the equipment that people are using, and you can clearly see that their amp is 200W on 8 ohm. At least that is the way I am interpreting the information :-)

heiney9

From experience it's sort of an unwritten rule if one is quoting power specs that the wattage is at 8 ohms unless stated otherwise. If in doubt it's always good to ask.

Chicomoralessxm

Gaara wrote: »

This has been covered many times, try using the search function up top.

I'll concur with madgsf, I had a full LSi setup being run off a Parasound Halo A52 and it sounded phenomenal. Very good synergy there or with the A23. They did run quite warm though, the hottest amps I have ever owned.

Just wondering, i live in the caribbean dont have airco in my flat. Does this amp really get that warm(Halo A23)??? Does a rotel run cooler? or should i be looking at on of the class D amps?

Gaara

The halo when idling would run very warm on the top of the unit and warm on the sides. After use it would be hot on top and very warm on the sides. If the room was hot (80+) the A23 could get to hot to touch after a while of use.

The Rotel is one of the coolest amps I have used. While idling it would run a slight bit warm on top and cool over the rest of the unit. After use the whole thing would be a little warm, but it never got nearly as hot as the A23 did when in idle.

The class D amps I have tried have been even cooler. I currently use a pair of EVS 500Ms, they use the 500+wpc Icepower module. They run cold when in idle, and cool when in use. When I first got them I thought they were broken as I had them plugged in for a hour and they weren't warming up.

These are cooler then the other Class D amps I have tried. All of the icepower amps I have tried have ran cooler then any SS amp I have tried.