Separates or Oink 806 for LSi 15's ?????????

Murray1

Looks like I will be purchasing LSi 15's and wondering if features (i.e. HD Audio-True Dolby,etc) found on Oink 806 or other current receivers are included in pre amps. Also have a Sony S300 Blue ray player in case it factors into decision making. Will be purchasing LSi-C and LSi 7's for the rears. Any specific suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks all....

mmadden28

Yes, but you won't likely find them in BB or the like. Think of the Onk 806 or any AVR as a combo Reciever, Processor, Preamp and Amp.

You can also use an AVR as the preamp (bypassing the internal amps), as long as it has preamp outs (the Onk 806 does). So you can just look for an AVR with the features (latest surround decoders/processor) that you want.

Others here will be able to chime in better on other brands, that meet what you're looking for.

Murray1

Thanks for the fast reply mmadden28. I have a pretty good handle on AVR's but totally ignorant on preamp/amp set ups. Since I have not purchased an AVR yet, wondering if separates are the way to go and if they are feature and price competitive.

raidersrule76

you could go with a avr for the majority of your system but I would highly encourage you to get at least a 2 channel amp for the 15's b/c they are very power hungry speakers, just make sure that if you do that the avr has pre outs to hook the amp to. Ther avr will act as your pre. You should be able to save a little money this way.

Murray1

mmadden28 wrote: »

Yes, but you won't likely find them in BB or the like. Think of the Onk 806 or any AVR as a combo Reciever, Processor, Preamp and Amp.

You can also use an AVR as the preamp (bypassing the internal amps), as long as it has preamp outs (the Onk 806 does). So you can just look for an AVR with the features (latest surround decoders/processor) that you want.

Others here will be able to chime in better on other brands, that meet what you're looking for.

Anyone have info on specific brands and possible pricing scenarios? Also needing confirmation that firmware features such as HD audio (True Dolby/DTS-HD), THX, Audyssey, etc. are incorporated into pre amps.

Thanks again......

apphd

There are lots of threads here with AVR suggestions. As stated you will want TRUE 4 ohm high current capabilities for a full 5.1 LSi setup. Many ways to go about this from high end AVRs like NAD Rotel etc which come with a good price tag many feel are worth it, which can run 4 ohm loads. Or entry level AVRs from mainstream manufactures like Yamaha, Pioneer, Harmon Kardon, etc mated up with external amps. It is all pretty much budget that dictates the path and options.

The biggest thing you need to keep in mind is if you wish to go AVR and amp you must get an AVR with pre outs.

You can pick up a Pioneer 1018 or Yamaha 663 for around $400 then add anEmotiva 7ch amp like the UPA-7 for $600 and still probably be under the cost of a NAD or Rotel AVR. But some of the components used to produce the entry level AVRs probably won't produce the sound quality of the NADs and Rotel class AVRs. Only your ears can be the judge of that.

Then there is always the used market where most of the best bang for the buck deals are.

Post back with a budget you have in mind and any features you must have and you should gets lots of suggestions.

Murray1

Thanks apphd for your reply. Guess I need to know if preamps offer HD audio(True Dolby/DTS-HD, THX, Audyssey,etc.. Also interested to know if I would notice much difference between and AVR with supplemental amp versus a preamp/amp scenario. Since I will need to stagger purchasing my components, I would like to go the AVR route initially so I can enjoy my speakers then pick up an amp down the road.

Thanks again all.....

daboyz

Make sure the AVR/Pre you purchase has preouts to add the amp. What is your budget and maybe you can get a couple suggestions.

Poee7R

Hey Murray,

The Lsi's will require an amp, they can present a difficult load on an avr and give you a bunch of problems (low volume, clipping, going into protection, maybe even damage etc). The going recommendation for HT is 200wpc @ 8 ohm, not hard to come by.

We will need a budget and preference to buying new or used to give any suggestions, your money will go alot farther used.

As for the front end (pre-amp/avr), you will need an avr with pre-outs, as said. Im not current with all of the newest formats at the moment, so someone else will need to chime in there. But depending on your BD player, if it does all the processing, then you shouldnt need the newest pre/avr out there, using the analog inputs/outputs. But I digress as I'm more of a 2ch guy and dont have much experience with the new BD audio formats. I would, if budget allows, go for a pre vs an avr though.

Good luck, you're building a rocking rig.


Dave

mmadden28

Murray1 wrote: »

... Guess I need to know if preamps offer HD audio(True Dolby/DTS-HD, THX, Audyssey,etc.. Also interested to know if I would notice much difference between and AVR with supplemental amp versus a preamp/amp scenario....

Like the AVR being a combo function unit, a pure preamp will NOT decode any audio formats-it will only function as a volume control and maybe have multiple inputs and maybe multiple outputs.

A Processor will do the decoding, and they also make them as a separate device.

Murray1 wrote: »

Also interested to know if I would notice much difference between and AVR with supplemental amp versus a preamp/amp scenario....

Essentially the same thing--Most people refer to the AVR when using the preouts, as the preamp/Processor (prepro) & amp scenario, with the exception that the Processing/audio decoding is also handled in the AVR.
Again pure preamp and amp will not do any decoding. You would have to feed the preamp's multichannel analog inputs with signal that has already been decoded, such as from the PS3 or some Bluray players.

So you could do the following:
AVR>Speakers
AVR (preouts) > amp >speakers
Preamp/Processor > amp >speakers
processor > preamp > amp >speakers

Going complete separates will probably be the most expensive route. The least expensive route would be to find an AVR that does all the decoding you want and use the preouts to an external amp. Using an external amp for the LSi series is highly recommended.

Post your budget and you will get some more suggestions for specific peices.

peace

cfrizz

I know that Outlaw is coming out with a new prepro this year that they say will support all the latest & greatest features. No official release date as of yet, but might be something to consider.

http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/997.html
http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?/ubb/forum/f/54.html

BlueFox

Murray1 wrote: »

Looks like I will be purchasing LSi 15's and wondering if features (i.e. HD Audio-True Dolby,etc) found on Oink 806 or other current receivers are included in pre amps. Also have a Sony S300 Blue ray player in case it factors into decision making. Will be purchasing LSi-C and LSi 7's for the rears. Any specific suggestions are appreciated.

That is the same speaker group I had. After a couple of years I upgraded the LSi7s to LSi15s. While many will say the surrounds are not that important, I found going to the 15s made a big differance, especially in terms of overall bass. I mostly keep my sub, PSW1000, off unless the movie is sub worthy. Your everyday dramas, comedies, etc. do not need a sub, but the 15s did improve their sound.

As a side note I ran the LSis for years off AVRs (Sony 5000ES, Denon 3805, Sony 7100ES) without any issues, and enjoyed the sound. Of course, as we all know, any speaker will perform better with more power, so I eventually added a Sunfire TGA-5400. This made a noticable, as expected, improvement is sound quality, especially in the bass area. I didn't realize the 15s has so much bass in them.

GEBBY44

Agree with all of the previous posts. If it's a separate pre-pro that you really want with all the bells and whistles, really the only stuff out there right now is the Outlaw that will come out soon and the B&K Reference 70, which is one sweet mother of a pre/pro. But it's pretty pricey. If you're looking for something good, maybe look at the B&K AVR 705 which is a 5 channel receiver with the Ref 70 built in.

apphd

Murray1 wrote: »

Thanks apphd for your reply. Guess I need to know if preamps offer HD audio(True Dolby/DTS-HD, THX, Audyssey,etc.. Also interested to know if I would notice much difference between and AVR with supplemental amp versus a preamp/amp scenario. Since I will need to stagger purchasing my components, I would like to go the AVR route initially so I can enjoy my speakers then pick up an amp down the road.

Thanks again all.....

The manufacturers of most all of the pre-pro (pre amp processor combo) always seem to be a little behind with implementing some of the newest developments in the HT world. But I think some are available now or in the near future with the latest connectivity and HD decoding, which are nice but not a must have for HD audio and video.

Again your budget is what makes a difference in any suggestions members can offer. Come up with a $$ figure give some detail as to if this amount is including the speakers what bells and whistles you want, break down as to how much this will be used for HT and music.

The AVR amp combo I mentioned earlier is probably the cheapest way to go with new gear. If you are going to run just the AVR for a while then I think you will need an AVR with a much better amp section and a warning that it still isn't enough. You should look at the upper tier models to do this. I would say you are now talking a min. $800 if you are lucky for an AVR that you might be able to drive a full set of LSi's at lower volumes until you get an amp.

Rotel ($2,000)is the only pre-pro out right now that I know of that will decode HD audio with Outlaw's ($1500) and Emotiva's ($700) coming soon.

Amps from most of the same manufactures that you would look at for pre-pros plus a few others can range a lot in price depending on how many channels and where you buy from. Emotiva UPA-7channle($600) - Emotiva XPA 2 channel ($800) Sunfire TGA-7401 7 ch. ($3700)

Anyway you get the idea, there are a lot of options out there, need more from you as to what you are looking for.

Is there a difference in what a $2000 pre-pro and a $400 AVR, of course. Can you hear it, probably. Is it worth the $$difference, only you can decide that.

raidersrule76

Poee7R wrote: »

Hey Murray,

The Lsi's will require an amp, they can present a difficult load on an avr and give you a bunch of problems (low volume, clipping, going into protection, maybe even damage etc). The going recommendation for HT is 200wpc @ 8 ohm, not hard to come by.

We will need a budget and preference to buying new or used to give any suggestions, your money will go alot farther used.

Again I agree If you are going to go with the LSI 15's I highly encourage you to look at getting an amp to drive them. Also a budget would be most helpful for us to give you suggestions.