upgrading to separates

keeneyrm01
keeneyrm01 Posts: 80
edited January 2010 in Electronics
I accidentally posted this in the speaker section too but heres my questions again:
I was just wondering peoples suggestions for a good amp and receiver preamp combo in a budget price range. A few months ago i upgraded my receiver from a budget Harman to a Sony DH800 cause i was able to get it for very cheap. I knew I would still want to upgrade to separates eventually but still have a little while before i'll have extra money for that seeing that i have one year of college left.

My sony doesn't have preamp outputs so i would need to get a new receiver or preamp along with an amp. I was looking at the emotiva amps as those seem to be decent power and quality in a reasonable price range. Would it be worth it to buy a nicer receiver if i'll just end up bypassing the built in amps anyway or should i just get the cheapest one that has preamp outputs and lossless decoders?

Also it looks like a lot of people use external 3 or 5 channel amps and power the surrounds with the receivers amps. Is it easy to balance the speakers when the front 3 are getting 200 watts of high current power and the surrounds are getting the typical low watt receiver power?
HT basement room:
TV- 42in Panasonic S1 Plasma
A/V Receiver- Onkyo NR807
Blu-Ray- 80GB Sony PS3
Power Supply- Monster HTS-1600
5 Disc Sony CD/DVD Changer
Time Warner HD Cable Box
Speakers:
Front- Polk RTi A3
Center- Polk CSi3
Side Surround- Polk RTi4
Back Surround- Polk RM6750
Sub- Outlaw Audio LFM-1 EX
Bedroom:
32in Visio LCD, Sony STR-DE685 AVR, MTX Monitor 12, Sony 5 disc DVD changer
Post edited by keeneyrm01 on
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Comments

  • rcrook317
    rcrook317 Posts: 280
    edited January 2010
    i took same route.hk354 does all decoding,upscaling,hdmi,etc but has preouts.I got it refubished thru their ebay store for only 300 and this unit sells for round 500 or more new.
    so far im using a friends amp but plan on going with adcom,or emotiva.
    using the recievers speaker setup menu u should be able to tweak and balance your speakers to your liking.
    hope this helps
    fronts=rti12s(cherry)
    center=csi3(cherry)
    sub=psw125(cherry)
    emotiva xpa-2
    harmon kardon 354
    sony cdp
    ipod 8gb
    audioquest diamondback 1m
    "Maesto" straightwire cables
    pangea ac-9
    playstation3/120gb=blu-ray/media server
    monitor=lg 55inch lcd(1080p)
    TT Set-up=Pro-Ject RM 1.3
    Kenwood Phono
    bren1 Clamp
    Herbies Slipmat

    "It doesnt mean that much to me,to mean that much to you"
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  • Hoosierbronco
    Hoosierbronco Posts: 60
    edited January 2010
    Same boat as you right now.
    I'm liking what the used Pioneer Elite recievers have to offer. Good power AND pre-outs , so you can still use it and buy amps as $$$ allows.
    Saw a Denon in BestBuys Magnolia room the other day , on sale/clearance , I recall that the price was good , but cannot recall what it was or what the model was. 500 to 800 iirc. Want to go back and get the model# , see if it has pre-outs.
    Plasma : Panny 54G25
    Receiver : antique Sony :mad:
    BD/DVD/CD : OPPO BDP 93
    Fronts : Polk Monitor 10B
    Center : CSi5
    no rears yet , no sub ... Looking at RTia3's first then 9's and a NAD T 747 ... maybe
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited January 2010
    Another vote for the HK. Ignore the watt ratings. Where others overate their AVR's HK under rates them.
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    edited January 2010
    If anyone is in the market that SC-07 in the flea market is an outstanding deal and should drive any speaker package with ease.
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

    Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580
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