Sony AVR 444ES vs. HK PA5000 AMP for Rti8?

nhhiep

Speakers:
Rti 8
CSi 5
small Infinity Sats for surround.

Spec at 8 ohms:
Sony AVR 444ES - 120 WPC both in stereo/surround mode, 20-20khz, THD .05%. Weight 37lbs. Drop to 110 WPC and .09% THD in 4 ohms. Has Pre-Amp out

HK PA5000 AMP: 80 WPC in All channel driven mode, 20-20khz, THD .03%. 110 WPC in 4ohms. Weight 30lbs.

But now how would I set them up for best sound/max power usage? especially tone down the bright tweeters in the Rti8 a bit. I do 50/50 of music/video.
Note that the Rti8 is ampable. but the AVR can't do it.

Help.........thanks

dpowell

Hi and welcome to CP! I had a Sony 333ES and it is a decent receiver. Adding a separate power amp definitely helped power my RT series speakers at the time. I found that adding a Signal Cable Digital Magic power cable to my DVD player helped tone down the shrillness in the speakers.

Is the HK a power amp or an integrated AVR?

nhhiep

The HK PA5800 is a 5 channel AMP. What confuse me is that the WPC is very low(80 vs. 120), but it has a massive power supply compare to the ES. Both very have good THD.

hey, I want to tone down the brightness of the Rti8 too, but how does adding a power cable to a DVD player help?

ohh yeah, from brand to brand, between Sony and HK, which one is more bright?

cnoat

I just replaced my 5200 es,The power rating was way overrated.I know the Harmons are under rated.I also have a pair of 8's for my mains.They are very easy to push.Imo the sony's sound quality is just not good.

nhhiep

wait. you didn't like the 5200ES? not enough power for your Rti8? and your ES is a few generations better than mine

dpowell

Acutally, the newer ES series aren't as good as the 444ES or 4ES series. They started cutting corners in recent years. Honestly, the HK is probably underrated compared to the Sony but you have to use what sounds best to you. You might be better selling the HK and buying another 5-channel power amp with a bit more wpc and use the Sony as a pre but that's up to you.

WRT the power cord, I just found that putting in a better quality power cord on my DVD player tamed the shrillness in my system. I guess it is getting a cleaner (less noisy) connection which translates into less shrillness. Some say it is snake oil; I just know what I hear. No guarantees it will work for you but you can usually pick one up here on the forum for around $50 and resell it for the same amount if you don't like it.

mantis

The Es Sony receivers are some of the very best Sounding receiver on the market. They also have plenty of Dynamic range.

This to me is an easy choice.