Amplifier for my polk speakers?

finfan66

By the end of this year I was looking at upgrading my home theater amp. I narrowed the amp down that I wanted but I was just curious what other people think? I read a couple of reviews that said they blew there Polk speakers so I am worried about that. The amplifier that I want is the Yamaha - 980W 7.1-Ch. Satellite Radio-Ready A/V Home Theater Receiver
Model: RX-V3900BL. Will this be too much power for my speakers?

Also one side note just curious if there is any way to find my Polk Audio 5.1 theater system online again? I used to be able to do a search on google and find it with the whole picture system from polk and the specs. However now that it has been 10 years I can't find it anymore.

kawizx9r

Welcome to Club Polk! By the way what speakers are you running?...I can't imagine an AVR alone having "too much power" for Polk speakers and you'll soon see others chiming in about how they run separate amplifiers at over 200 watts per channel for their bad boys.

kawizx9r

Just looked at the amp, lot of bells and whistles on that thing...but if you want better performance for that kind of money I think we need to steer you onto the "separates route"

WilliamM2

I wonder which speakers you are using? Hard to say how much power they need without knowing what they are, let alone start pushing separates.

kawizx9r

WilliamM2 wrote: »

I wonder which speakers you are using? Hard to say how much power they need without knowing what they are, let alone start pushing separates.

Oh I know, its what I stated in the first post...he needs to be more specific about what hes running but if its anything really good then for the money he'd drop on that yammie we can probably find him a better alternative and up his SQ too.

AudioGenics

separate components is the way to go
for flexibility and ease of upgrading

wutadumsn23

I'm with the guys on this one. We need to know what you are pushing before we can recommend what to push them with. Are you refering to the Polk 5.1 HTIB you talked about towards the end of your post? If you are then I would recommend getting some better/newer speakers before you buy the AVR. It may not have "too much power" for them but if you are going to buy that nice of an AVR, you may as well get something that is going to benifit from that monster.

-Jeff

kawizx9r

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

I'm with the guys on this one. We need to know what you are pushing before we can recommend what to push them with. Are you refering to the Polk 5.1 HTIB you talked about towards the end of your post? If you are then I would recommend getting some better/newer speakers before you buy the AVR. It may not have "too much power" for them but if you are going to buy that nice of an AVR, you may as well get something that is going to benifit from that monster.

-Jeff

Lol nice catch, when I posted my first post the "also one side note..." wasn't added just yet. Didnt care to reread the OP. But +1 with what Jeff said

jinjuku

Just an FYI, you are talking about a receiver not an amp.

Also post what speakers your are using (make and model). The danger is not having enough amp to drive your speakers properly.

If you tend to get on the volume knob and the amp starts sending out a clipped signal it can damage the voice coils in your speakers. More speakers get damaged with an under powered amp/receiver than an over powered amp/receiver.

apphd

jinjuku wrote: »

Just an FYI, you are talking about a receiver not an amp.

Also post what speakers your are using (make and model). The danger is not having enough amp to drive your speakers properly.

If you tend to get on the volume knob and the amp starts sending out a clipped signal it can damage the voice coils in your speakers. More speakers get damaged with an under powered amp/receiver than an over powered amp/receiver.

+1 Not enough power damages more speakers than too much power.

finfan (is that as in Dolphins fan?) you probably need to look under Support (at the top of page) > More > Looking for an older product.

this link will take you there.

BTW welcome to CP

WilliamM2

kawizx9r wrote: »

Oh I know, its what I stated in the first post...he needs to be more specific about what hes running but if its anything really good then for the money he'd drop on that yammie we can probably find him a better alternative and up his SQ too.

Possibly, but he did say 5.1. I doubt you can find a separate pre/pro and 5 channel amp for less than the Yamaha.

finfan66

Sorry for the delay I thought I would get a email when someone replied to my thread. I would love to do the separate route but I can't really afford that now because I also want to upgrade my TV too. The 5.1 home theater system I have is :

Main Speakers - Polk Audio RT 2000I
Center Speaker - Polk Audio CSI 400I
Rear speakers - Polk Audio FX 500I
10" Sub - Polk Audio PSW 450
Receiver - Onkyo TXSR600

finfan66

I was looking at the power handling for all my speakers and all of them can handle the power. The Yamaha amp pushes 140 watts to 7 different speakers and all of my speakers can handle it. Just curious what people think of Yamaha compared to Onkyo?

The reason I want to replace my old Onkyo TXSR600 is that I am disappointed with the tuner. When I watch movies it sounds great but when I want to listen to the radio the stations are distorted. Also I want to upgrade for the new bluray capabilities. However I will probably stick with 5.1 because I am not interested in buying more speakers.

kawizx9r

Nice, now are you looking for all the new formats as well such as truehd/etc. It all depends on your needs really. Btw those speakers can really handle nicely, I've got RT1000's and a CS350 and they ache for more power. I heard the center powered up by a seperate amp and it stood apart from everything else.

finfan66

kawizx9r wrote: »

Nice, now are you looking for all the new formats as well such as truehd/etc. It all depends on your needs really. Btw those speakers can really handle nicely, I've got RT1000's and a CS350 and they ache for more power. I heard the center powered up by a seperate amp and it stood apart from everything else.

I am interested in hooking my wife's i pod nano into my new amp, hd radio, bluray capabilities and more power. I also like the automatic speaker calibration too. Probably not all the new formats but most of them.

kawizx9r

Ok, think others can chime in and I also bet you can find something at an even lower price (not sure how much) that'll give you the capabilities youre specifically looking for. I personally love the warm sound of Denons but I haven't heard the latest/higher end models. Plenty of Pioneer Elite fans on this forum though and they seem very happy.

finfan66

kawizx9r wrote: »

Ok, think others can chime in and I also bet you can find something at an even lower price (not sure how much) that'll give you the capabilities youre specifically looking for. I personally love the warm sound of Denons but I haven't heard the latest/higher end models. Plenty of Pioneer Elite fans on this forum though and they seem very happy.

Just curious if I should also go with a tuner in addition to a new amplifier. It just seems like the new amplifiers are great at spitting out home theater but if you want to listen to music on the radio the quality is not there yet.

Does anyone else have this problem? I even bought an expensive antenna but still the stations come in distorted. The only reason I was leaning toward this amp was the power and new capabilities.

When you say lower price - do you mean buying a less expensive receiver and then running an amplifier to it?

kawizx9r

In regards to lower price, I mean a receiver with maybe the same or less (unneeded in your instance) capabilities that you're looking for. You could also save some coin by picking up a receiver (weak on the amp end) but with all the bells and whistles of a pro that you're looking for and pick up a seperate 5 channel amp. There are really too many variables to take my advice to heart, its merely a suggestion.

concealer404

finfan66 wrote: »

Just curious if I should also go with a tuner in addition to a new amplifier. It just seems like the new amplifiers are great at spitting out home theater but if you want to listen to music on the radio the quality is not there yet.

Does anyone else have this problem? I even bought an expensive antenna but still the stations come in distorted. The only reason I was leaning toward this amp was the power and new capabilities.

When you say lower price - do you mean buying a less expensive receiver and then running an amplifier to it?

What they're saying is that a reciever, while even though it looks good on paper (140watts x7 is not chump change), it probably won't actually put those numbers out in real world scenarios.

You're also looking at it backwards.... yep, your speakers can handle 140watts, but it's better to have MORE power than necessary, so you can supply cleaner power without straining the power source. Your speakers can handle 140watts easily. Will they handle 140watts out the yamaha for an extended period of time? Probably not. They'll probably blow due to clipping/distortion.

What they're suggesting is to get a cheaper receiver that has "pre-outs," that being outputs that you can connect to an external amplifier (purpose built is always better!) to use the reciever as a processor only. (which, it's good at.) The dedicated external amplifier then gets the job of pushing your speakers, which it will do far better than a reciever by itself.

Not only will you have more volume available without destroying your speakers, it'll also sound better in the first place.

kawizx9r

concealer404 wrote: »

What they're saying is that a reciever, while even though it looks good on paper (140watts x7 is not chump change), it probably won't actually put those numbers out in real world scenarios.

You're also looking at it backwards.... yep, your speakers can handle 140watts, but it's better to have MORE power than necessary, so you can supply cleaner power without straining the power source. Your speakers can handle 140watts easily. Will they handle 140watts out the yamaha for an extended period of time? Probably not. They'll probably blow due to clipping/distortion.

What they're suggesting is to get a cheaper receiver that has "pre-outs," that being outputs that you can connect to an external amplifier (purpose built is always better!) to use the reciever as a processor only. (which, it's good at.) The dedicated external amplifier then gets the job of pushing your speakers, which it will do far better than a reciever by itself.

Not only will you have more volume available without destroying your speakers, it'll also sound better in the first place.

Hey thats what I got at above! Thanks for breaking it down

finfan66

I was looking at a Yamaha amp but when you add that in with the price of the receiver its almost the same as the original receiver that I am looking at. However I might invest in a tuner if I continue to be disappointed with these home theater receivers.

concealer404

finfan66 wrote: »

I was looking at a Yamaha amp but when you add that in with the price of the receiver its almost the same as the original receiver that I am looking at. However I might invest in a tuner if I continue to be disappointed with these home theater receivers.

So you're saying that getting a yamaha amp and a receiver costs about the same as getting the original reciever?

If the reciever that you would pair with the amp does everything you want on a processing level, then do that first scenario.

I would invest in a tuner either way. An analog tuna!

concealer404

kawizx9r wrote: »

Hey thats what I got at above! Thanks for breaking it down

Hahaha, i think we were posting at the same time.... i didn't see your post before i went for it.

I hope i explained it all right.... i'm kindof distracted by some crazy storms right now.

kawizx9r

Oh man, its nice out here and I'm not TOO far from you...it better continue to be nice, the car's kind of clean! :mad:

finfan66

concealer404 wrote: »

What they're saying is that a reciever, while even though it looks good on paper (140watts x7 is not chump change), it probably won't actually put those numbers out in real world scenarios.

You're also looking at it backwards.... yep, your speakers can handle 140watts, but it's better to have MORE power than necessary, so you can supply cleaner power without straining the power source. Your speakers can handle 140watts easily. Will they handle 140watts out the yamaha for an extended period of time? Probably not. They'll probably blow due to clipping/distortion.

What they're suggesting is to get a cheaper receiver that has "pre-outs," that being outputs that you can connect to an external amplifier (purpose built is always better!) to use the reciever as a processor only. (which, it's good at.) The dedicated external amplifier then gets the job of pushing your speakers, which it will do far better than a reciever by itself.

Not only will you have more volume available without destroying your speakers, it'll also sound better in the first place.

Thanks a ton for all your help. Now I understand what you are talking about. So look for a cheaper receiver that has the inputs for a amplifier. Do I need to get a multichannel amplifier to push all of my 5.1 speakers or just a regular amplifier?

kawizx9r

Better said....get a cheaper receiver that HAS pre amp outputs so you can connect it to an external amp. You won't have to worry about multichannel amplifier as that comes standard now for good/new receivers. Just take your time in searching for a good receiver that has what youre looking for AND pre amp outputs.

concealer404

kawizx9r wrote: »

Oh man, its nice out here and I'm not TOO far from you...it better continue to be nice, the car's kind of clean! :mad:

Check out the radar for Indianapolis or Louisville, it's nuts. It's dark as midnite here.

I posted some pics up in the picture thread.

finfan66 wrote:

Thanks a ton for all your help. Now I understand what you are talking about. So look for a cheaper receiver that has the inputs for a amplifier. Do I need to get a multichannel amplifier to push all of my 5.1 speakers or just a regular amplifier?

Depends which route you want to take. It doesn't have to be a cheaper receiver. What i would do PERSONALLY, (please keep in mind that i'm not familiar at all with any yamaha recievers) is get a good reciever, and don't even worry about the power ratings. Just get something that you're happy with the features, what it can do, hell, even how it looks. BUT MAKE SURE IT HAS PREOUTS.

Then, when you have money again, invest in an amp. Or two. Or three.

If you're going to run a 5.1 setup, you can just amp your mains, requiring only a 2-channel amp, and run your center and surrounds off the receiver.

Or get a 3-channel amp, and amp your mains and center, and run the surrounds off the reciever.

Or a 5 channel amp, or a 2 AND a 3 channel amp, etc etc etc.

If you want it all NOW, then yes, look for a cheaper receiver that has outputs for an amplifier.

Whether or not you NEED a 5-channel amp is up to you. How ever many channels/speakers you want to power is how many channels you need to obtain in amplification.

finfan66

concealer404 wrote: »

Check out the radar for Indianapolis or Louisville, it's nuts. It's dark as midnite here.

I posted some pics up in the picture thread.




Depends which route you want to take. It doesn't have to be a cheaper receiver. What i would do PERSONALLY, (please keep in mind that i'm not familiar at all with any yamaha recievers) is get a good reciever, and don't even worry about the power ratings. Just get something that you're happy with the features, what it can do, hell, even how it looks. BUT MAKE SURE IT HAS PREOUTS.

Then, when you have money again, invest in an amp. Or two. Or three.

If you're going to run a 5.1 setup, you can just amp your mains, requiring only a 2-channel amp, and run your center and surrounds off the receiver.

Or get a 3-channel amp, and amp your mains and center, and run the surrounds off the reciever.

Or a 5 channel amp, or a 2 AND a 3 channel amp, etc etc etc.

If you want it all NOW, then yes, look for a cheaper receiver that has outputs for an amplifier.

Whether or not you NEED a 5-channel amp is up to you. How ever many channels/speakers you want to power is how many channels you need to obtain in amplification.

Sounds great! I appreciate all the help from everyone. I think I am definitely going the separate route now after reading all the replies. Not sure if it will be cheaper but I will definitely have better sound and power for the same price.

concealer404

finfan66 wrote: »

Sounds great! I appreciate all the help from everyone. I think I am definitely going the separate route now after reading all the replies. Not sure if it will be cheaper but I will definitely have better sound and power for the same price.

Ding!

Grab a nice receiver, and start snooping around the Flea Market here for some nice used amps. You'll be set to go in no time.

I used to just run a reciever for my HT, and another for my 2-channel setup.

I don't have the HT set up right now, but i'd say my 2-channel has made about a 450% improvement since i joined here, and i really don't have much money into it. Probably about what you'll spend on your reciever.

Sherardp

If he is looking for an AVR, Pioneer Elite SC05/07 will deliver everything he needs and more. Also has Ipod connection, network for internet radio, onboad tuner and can also deliver the Hi Def audio formats. Plus they are cheap right now.

wutadumsn23

The guys are right on as usual. That Yammy would def. work, but buying a cheaper AVR that has pre-outs and the HDMI pass through for the newer codecs, and adding an external 3 or 5 channel amp is the way to go, IMHO. I may have missed it, but what are you using (or going to be using) for a Blu-Ray player? The Oppo is getting rave reviews, but I have a PS3 and it is IMHO the best bang for the buck right now as far as Blu-Ray players go. For the AVR, I would recommend an Onkyo (but then again I am kind of partial since I own an 806, lol) and while people say they are not that great for music, I have yet to be dissapointed. The 700 series and higher has pre-outs and all the newest codecs available and can be had for around $700ish. If not then also check out the Denons and the Pioneer's as recommended by Freddy and Sherardp. Then look into adding a 3 or 5 channel amp, like Emotiva, Adcom, Rotel, etc. Check the for sale listings here or even your local Craigslist for some sweet deals. Good luck and hope this helps.

-Jeff