pre amp and receiver

CAvolleyballguy
CAvolleyballguy Posts: 156
edited January 2008 in Electronics
So im a bit confused.

I got the onkyo 705. what is the benefit to a pre amp, does it do what a receiver does but with better sound..is it used in addition to the receiver... is my onkyo not a very good choice, it appeared a lot of people had one...

im waiting on another multichannel adcom, should I be looking at pre amp options??
Rti10 front, csi5, Rti6 surrounds, PSW505, B&K200.7s2, Onkyo705.
Post edited by CAvolleyballguy on
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Comments

  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited January 2008
    If the Onkyo has all the bells & whistles that you want it to have, it will do just fine functioning as your preamp. A preamp is a receiver without amplification.

    You will get a boost in sound quality with a separate preamp, but not as much as you will get from adding a separate amplifier to your receiver. IMHO.
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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  • Bill Ayotte
    Bill Ayotte Posts: 1,860
    edited January 2008
    cfrizz wrote: »
    If the Onkyo has all the bells & whistles that you want it to have, it will do just fine functioning as your preamp. A preamp is a receiver without amplification.

    You will get a boost in sound quality with a separate preamp, but not as much as you will get from adding a separate amplifier to your receiver. IMHO.

    Yep, an external amp will be one of the biggest jumps in SQ you will find for the $$. I agree here, if it has all of the toys you want/need in a pre-amp, go pick you up a nice multi-channel amp and get your listen on.
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  • olilugo
    olilugo Posts: 405
    edited January 2008
    cfrizz wrote: »
    You will get a boost in sound quality with a separate preamp, but not as much as you will get from adding a separate amplifier to your receiver. IMHO.


    Did you mean a pre-amp plus an amp will give you better sound than a receiver alone or receiver plus amp?

    I have always heard that the "best" sound is pre-amp plus amplifier.
    Not receiver plus amplifier.
    Current HT setup
    Mains: B&W 804s
    Center: Polk CSi5
    Surround: Polk FXi3
    Sub: Velodyne DLS-3750R
    Receiver: Pioneer SC-07
    Amplifier: Sunfire TGA5200
    TV: Sony KDS60A2020
    DBP: Sony DBP-S350
    CDP: Pioneer DV-48AV
    Interconnect cables: SignalCable analog II
    speaker cables: SignalCable Ultra Speaker Cables Bi-wire
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  • daboyz
    daboyz Posts: 5,207
    edited January 2008
    Receiver can be your preamp
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited January 2008
    I mean that I got a huge boost in sound when I added a 200wpc amp to my receiver which made me get the 5 channel amp I have now.

    My latest purchase was the matching prepro to go with the amp. Again I saw an increase in better sound. However, the difference was not as big as when I added the separate amp to my receiver.

    You will achieve the best sound with a preamp/amplifier. But for those that don't want to go that route, & to get more bells & whistles for your money the receiver/amp combo is a terrific compromise.
    olilugo wrote: »
    Did you mean a pre-amp plus an amp will give you better sound than a receiver alone or receiver plus amp?

    I have always heard that the "best" sound is pre-amp plus amplifier.
    Not receiver plus amplifier.
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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  • CAvolleyballguy
    CAvolleyballguy Posts: 156
    edited January 2008
    thanks for the info..wish I knew that before I went and got the reciever...I got the receiver knowing I was going to get an external amp...should have just got the preamp for the amp...a little knowledge is a dangerous thing..
    Rti10 front, csi5, Rti6 surrounds, PSW505, B&K200.7s2, Onkyo705.
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited January 2008
    LOL yes it is CA. But it is much more expensive going with separates & most don't want to spend that kind of money, nor do they have any idea of the difference it will make. And some just don't care.
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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  • hockeyboy
    hockeyboy Posts: 1,428
    edited January 2008
    As long as that Onkyo has preamp outs- which I am sure it does, you don't have a lot to worry about CA. The AVR will handle the switching and your amp can do the heavy lifting. I use an AVR (although a much nicer one) as a pre with no problems at all.
    My Main Gear
    Mitsu HC5000 (Proj.)
    Marantz SR8001 (AVR)
    Sunfire TGA7200 (AMP)
    Marantz DV7001 (SACD)
    Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-Ray
    LSi 15's (Front)
    LSiC (Center)
    LSiFx (Surrounds)
    DUAL SVS 20-39 CS Plus     (Passive Subs)
    Marantz IS201 I-Pod Dock[/SIZE]
    Panamax M5300EX
    Carada Criterion 106" Brightwhite Screen
    Sunfire TGA 5200 & (4) B&W 605's in the party room
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