Do I need, or even want a power amp?

ibewbrother
ibewbrother Posts: 186
edited March 2010 in Electronics
I am running an Onk-807, Mon 60 fr, CS2, and Mon 30 surr. I have also ordered and waiting on delivery of a SVS PB12-NSD to replace my old PSW-300. I have a friend who has an old Onk M-5150(?) power amp that I might be able to acquire through trade for some of my old stuff(old amp, sub, speakers)
I am running all of this in a 12'x12" room (old spare bedroom). I am using this mostly (90%) for home theater.

Question is this..do I even need to give the 60's more power? Do I need the extra to balance out the more powerful sub? If I amp the fronts will it drown out the rest of the channels? I think it sounds pretty good (even with the old sub), but would I like it that much more if I really drove the 60's?

I am also thinking of buying a pair of Mon 40s and using them for surrounds and moving the 30s to the front "height" channel.

Any thoughts are always appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

....Brother
"Making life enjoyable through expensive electronics." BillD

Pioneer Elite SC-57
M70 series 2 mains
CS2 center
M40 surround
M30 front height
SVS PB 12 NSD

Carver TFM-45 (mains)
Carver A753x (center, surround)

320GB PS3, 42" Panasonic G10,

M60's as a Zone 2 off of the Pioneer in the living room

R.I.P. Onkyo TX-NR807
Post edited by ibewbrother on
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Comments

  • concealer404
    concealer404 Posts: 7,440
    edited March 2010
    I'd do it. The fronts won't drown out everything else, you can still control the volume.

    The M5150 is a decent sounding amp and should pair nicely with the M60s.
    I don't read the newsssspaperssss because dey aaaallllllllll...... have ugly print.

    Living Room: B&K Reference 5 S2 / Parasound HCA-1000A / Emotiva XDA-2 / Pioneer BDP-51FD / Paradigm 11se MKiii

    Desk: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / ISK HD9999

    Office: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / Dynaco SCA-80Q / Paradigm Legend V.3

    HT: Denon AVR-X3400H / Sony UBP-X700 / RT16 / CS350LS / RT7 / SVS PB1000
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  • ibewbrother
    ibewbrother Posts: 186
    edited March 2010
    @ Sal

    I'm in Glencoe, AL..northeast AL...60 miles NE of Birmingham

    ...Brother
    "Making life enjoyable through expensive electronics." BillD

    Pioneer Elite SC-57
    M70 series 2 mains
    CS2 center
    M40 surround
    M30 front height
    SVS PB 12 NSD

    Carver TFM-45 (mains)
    Carver A753x (center, surround)

    320GB PS3, 42" Panasonic G10,

    M60's as a Zone 2 off of the Pioneer in the living room

    R.I.P. Onkyo TX-NR807
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  • hockeyboy
    hockeyboy Posts: 1,428
    edited March 2010
    Look man you are obviously into your system and want to get the most out of it. Get an amp. Yes, you need it.
    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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  • adabro
    adabro Posts: 212
    edited March 2010
    I have the 807 and the M60's..the 60's are not that hard to drive, I don't know if you'll see any difference with an amp.

    Not saying don't get it, but as others have said try auditioning first....
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  • tcrossma
    tcrossma Posts: 1,301
    edited March 2010
    I've had some Monitor 60's and I didn't really notice a different with an amp over my reasonably powerful (for an AVR) receiver. The m60's are pretty easy to drive, and my gut feeling is that you won't notice much of a difference. But if you can try out a friend's, go for it! First hand experience is always the way to go in this hobby.
    Speakers: Polk LSi15
    Pre: Adcom GFP-750 with HT Bypass
    Amp: Pass Labs X-150
    CD/DVD Player: Classe CDP-10
    Interconnects: MIT Shortgun S3 Pro XLR
    Speaker cables: MIT MH-750 bi-wire
    TT:Micro Seiki DD-35
    Cartridge:Denon DL-160
    Phono Pre:PS Audio GCPH
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  • digitalvideo
    digitalvideo Posts: 983
    edited March 2010
    A 12x12 bedroom is a pretty small room for an amp if you have a good reciever already. I have a 27x27 room over my garage and my Pio Elite SC-05 av filled it up before I got an amp, I added the amp for the hell of it, but I could live without it.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited March 2010
    Like others have said...it doesn't hurt to listen to how it sounds. IMO it will ONLY really make a noticeable difference in how those M60s sound in 2 channel. That's an awfully small room and the Onkyo is powerful enough. Surround is 'easy'....stereo not so much!

    But 2 channel is an ENTIRELY different beast. You WILL hear a difference!

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • digitalvideo
    digitalvideo Posts: 983
    edited March 2010
    BlueFox wrote: »
    My HT is in an 11x12 bedroom. I have 4 LSi15s and a PSB Synchrony One Center. Originally I was running off my AVR, which is a 175W/ch Sony DA7100ES. Later I added a Sunfire TGA5400 amp,and use the AVR as a preamp. This gives me 800W/ch with 4 ohm speakers. Adding the amp made a postive improvement in the sound quality, especially the bass.

    So yes, if you want better sound with more detail and better dynamic range then you do need an amp.

    And upgrade your speaker wire and analog interconnects if you do get the amp.

    Don't you ever find that over bearing in that room? Personally for me that size room is too enclosing for all that power. I really like big rooms, theaters, churches where you can power it and it's not right in your face.
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  • phuz
    phuz Posts: 2,372
    edited March 2010
    tcrossma wrote: »
    I've had some Monitor 60's and I didn't really notice a different with an amp over my reasonably powerful (for an AVR) receiver. The m60's are pretty easy to drive, and my gut feeling is that you won't notice much of a difference. But if you can try out a friend's, go for it! First hand experience is always the way to go in this hobby.

    This.

    It would be fun to try and an amp never hurts, but you probably won't notice much of a difference at all.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited March 2010
    BlueFox wrote: »
    Just because the amp has more power does not make the sound louder. The SPL is that same, the differance is the sound is clearer, more precise, and the bass is tighter.

    +1, that's the real difference...'quality' of sound. And you notice it quickly. I know when I bought my first power amp...an Adcom GFA-555 and hooked it up to my Denon AVR 2807--man what an improvement..even at the same volumes! Better detail, tighter deeper bass, cleaner mids and better stereo imaging, etc.

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited March 2010
    cnh wrote: »
    +1, that's the real difference...'quality' of sound. And you notice it quickly. I know when I bought my first power amp...an Adcom GFA-555 and hooked it up to my Denon AVR 2807--man what an improvement..even at the same volumes! Better detail, tighter deeper bass, cleaner mids and better stereo imaging, etc.

    cnh

    Yup, this is the true benefit of having an 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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  • LuSh
    LuSh Posts: 887
    edited March 2010
    If you're interested in better sound for two channel why not buy an integrated amplifier with HT By-pass. As per usual people will jump on the power amplifier band wagon; however a good integrated amplifier will improve two channel reproduction and you'll get much more bang for your buck. An amplifier will simply amplify all short comings of your AVR for music. A SimAudio, Classe, Krell, Naim, Blue Circle integrated will be a VASTLY better upgrade over any amplifier you could purchase on the new or used market.
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  • thuffman03
    thuffman03 Posts: 1,325
    edited March 2010
    IMO you can never have too much power.
    Sunfire TGP, Sunfire Cinema Grand, Sunfire 300~2 (2), Sunfire True Sub (2),Carver ALS Platinum, Carver AL III, TFM-55, C-19, C-9, TX-8, SDA-490t, SDA-390t
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  • hockeyboy
    hockeyboy Posts: 1,428
    edited March 2010
    BlueFox wrote: »
    Just because the amp has more power does not make the sound louder. The SPL is that same, the differance is the sound is clearer, more precise, and the bass is tighter.

    +1 This to me is a discussion ender. Just about any decent system has a separate amp. Hell, I have a pretty darn nice receiver but it sounds pretty average without my Sunfire.
    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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  • phuz
    phuz Posts: 2,372
    edited March 2010
    hockeyboy wrote: »
    +1 This to me is a discussion ender. Just about any decent system has a separate amp. Hell, I have a pretty darn nice receiver but it sounds pretty average without my Sunfire.

    You're also talking about LSi speakers and a freaking Sunfire amp.

    It makes no sense to add the Onkyo amp the OP mentioned to the setup he has. That reciever and his speakers are an excellent match.

    ibewbrother, you may want to look into other amps if you are interested in an upgrade. If you want to play around, sure try your friends amp. I wouldn't bet on it making much of a difference though.
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