Adding an Amp to my HT...

Slyder01 · December 2010

Hi all,,, would adding another amp to my system improve sound quality much, and if so, does anyone have any suggestions on an amp and how i would hook it up to my system,, like, should i power certain speakers for better sound quality or do some kind of pre-amp to add more power to the whole system. Im also going to need to power the front presence somehow.. I was looking at a couple of these adcoms but i have no idea if they are what i need..
http://www.amazon.com/GFA7605-Black-Silver-Channel-Amplifer/dp/B00182LD1O/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1293500252&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.com/Adcom-GFA-6002-2-Channel-Multi-Room-Amplifier/dp/B000BNDJYU/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1293500252&sr=8-6

Thanks

disneyjoe7 · December 2010

First question does the AVR you're using have a pre amp outputs?

Slyder01 · December 2010

yes. http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/aventage/rx-a2000_black__u/?mode=model

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/aventage/rx-a2000_black__u/?mode=model

tonyb · December 2010

However many channels you want to add power to, is the amount of channels to look for in an amp, or combination of amps.

angelsfann02 · December 2010

If its Adcom you desire, then eBay has some good gfa-7500 for sale. Very dependable from what I have heard. I considered one before going with my Emotiva xpa-5. The Adcom will easily run your set-up.

TORI3 · December 2010

Both our receivers are more than adequate to power our speakers. Some will debate that the "golden rule" is to invest in a 2 to 1 ratio (speakers to amplifier). Others will state that amplifiers don't add performance to already efficient speakers.

I ignored this advice and purchased an amp to drive my fronts and center, instead of purchasing a whole new speaker package. Since the addition of an amp, [I believe] my speakers have opened up with clearer dialogue and better dynamics between scenes. To me, the difference was significant and immediate.

For some it may not be worth the investment, but for me it was.

In terms of connection, just connect the preouts of the receiver to the inputs channels on the amplifier, and then connect the adjacent speaker terminals on the amplifier to your speakers.

Slyder01 · December 2010

Thanx for the input so far fellas,,
I figured since i need another amp to either power the surround backs or the front presence i would get a little bit better of an amp to power the center and fronts since they take the grunt of the sound

jinjuku · December 2010

What are your room dimensions? What is your seating distance? What volumes do you like to listen too?

Slyder01 · December 2010

room is 15x30. i sit about 12' away. On this reciever i listen to movies at about -18 to -20db and music not as loud. my old reciever played the same listening level at -40db...

also, do the volume levels link together on the avr and the other amp

thanx for the suggestion xcapri, i'm goin to stick with just one amp,, at least for now.

Slyder01 · December 2010

that is a nice price for that emotiva, thats right in my range, i was lookin to spend about 800

jinjuku · December 2010

Slyder01 wrote: »

room is 15x30. i sit about 12' away. On this reciever i listen to movies at about -18 to -20db and music not as loud. my old reciever played the same listening level at -40db...

also, do the volume levels link together on the avr and the other amp

thanx for the suggestion xcapri, i'm goin to stick with just one amp,, at least for now.

So it sounds like (pun intended) that you are not pushing your receiver too hard. Be forewarned that you may or may not hear a big difference. I have experience on the older ZX Yamaha models and they were no slouch SQ wise nor power wise.

I can't tell you that you are going to notice a substantial difference. With my 3 channel Adcom I noticed that the mids and low mids punched up a bit and a little wider presentation, dialog pretty much stayed the same, but I am driving 4 ohm speakers and I tend to listen to movies at 0 or maybe a few ticks above in a 17X23X10 room. TV with the family is more in the -25 to -30 range. I like what my Adcom 5503 does for me. YMMV. I think you would be fine with a 3 channel amp for the LCR and let the Yammy handle every thing else. It wouldn't even break a sweat.

If you get an amp make sure it has a 12volt on/off trigger. My Adcom doesn't and I miss that feature. I also wish it ran cooler.

Have you played with speaker placement from the walls or toe in/out to see what that does for you?

jinjuku · December 2010

Slyder01 wrote: »

also, do the volume levels link together on the avr and the other amp

A lot of home / hi fi amps will be a fixed gain design. Just plug it in and run the YPAO. No worries about tying the volume levels together.

Slyder01 · December 2010

jinjuku wrote: »

So it sounds like (pun intended) that you are not pushing your receiver too hard. Be forewarned that you may or may not hear a big difference. I have experience on the older ZX Yamaha models and they were no slouch SQ wise nor power wise.

I can't tell you that you are going to notice a substantial difference. With my 3 channel Adcom I noticed that the mids and low mids punched up a bit and a little wider presentation, dialog pretty much stayed the same, but I am driving 4 ohm speakers and I tend to listen to movies at 0 or maybe a few ticks above in a 17X23X10 room. TV with the family is more in the -25 to -30 range. I like what my Adcom 5503 does for me. YMMV. I think you would be fine with a 3 channel amp for the LCR and let the Yammy handle every thing else. It wouldn't even break a sweat.

If you get an amp make sure it has a 12volt on/off trigger. My Adcom doesn't and I miss that feature. I also wish it ran cooler.

Have you played with speaker placement from the walls or toe in/out to see what that does for you?

wow,,, listening at 0db. i never even tried that as i thought it would cause distortion and harm something. I really wasnt expecting a huge difference in sound especially with my older rt16's, but i am thinking i'll get an even more pure and clean sound which i was so impressed with when ihooked up this rxa2000 from my old v630.

havent played with the speaker placement. I think where i have them placed they sound pretty good.

As i said before i only really need another amp just to power either the fronts or rear surrounds but i believe it would be better to go the next step beyond as i may someday upgrade my rt16's.

i'm liking the emotiva xpa-3.. read some reviews on it,, but then again i dont know amps that's why i'm here and thanking all for their suggestions

mdaudioguy · December 2010

The Adcom 7500 mentioned earlier has a 12v trigger and runs as cool as an Emo.

I used to use my RTi speakers with a Yamaha/XPA-3 combo and was less than thrilled, especially when it came to music. YMMV.

Slyder01 · December 2010

I'll be using it much more for movie wathching. I dont know what the trigger is, i know my rx2000 has 2 ports.. Is it something worth considering.. So the emo doesnt have the trigger then?
the emo is amost 3 bills cheaper also,, which is nice

jinjuku · December 2010

Slyder01 wrote: »

I'll be using it much more for movie wathching. I dont know what the trigger is, i know my rx2000 has 2 ports.. Is it something worth considering.. So the emo doesnt have the trigger then?
the emo is amost 3 bills cheaper also,, which is nice

I believe the XPA-3 has a 12v on/off trigger. You can always look at used amplification. I had the XPA-3, NAD C272, my ancient Crown DC300A all out for a weekend with some PSB Synchrony 1's the XPA-3 did fine for me vs a little warmer mid range amp like the NAD. Everyone's mileage may vary.

Slyder01 · December 2010

dont know what daisy chain is,, like i say,, new to this but liking it,,lol.. gettin excited about gettin a new amp now.. i've been looking now for about a month on and off but just couldnt decide and more importantly dont have the knowledge.. I can certainly build a house though,,lol

jinjuku · December 2010

Slyder01 wrote: »

dont know what daisy chain is,, like i say,, new to this but liking it,,lol.. gettin excited about gettin a new amp now.. i've been looking now for about a month on and off but just couldnt decide and more importantly dont have the knowledge.. I can certainly build a house though,,lol

A trigger is a simple wire that goes from your Yammy to an amp. When the receiver powers on the amp powers on, when you power off, then the amp goes off.

Daisy chain means that the amp will have another 12v trigger so you can connect another, then another etc...

Slyder01 · December 2010

nice,, thanks jin.. definately like the idea of the amp powering on with my avr even though i have a logitech harmony one..

another q i have is,, i also use this system to watch regulat tv.. (not all the time but if a decent movie is on and definately during football) is that ok for an external amp. I have a 7yr warranty on my rx2000 so not worried about that. by that time i'll be ready for an upgrade

txcoastal1 · December 2010

Your yammy 2000 has 2- 12v trigger where you can turn 2 amps or other compatible devices with out looping....trigger 1 is probably active at default but you probably have to set up #2...my SC-35 was like that

mdaudioguy · December 2010

Buy whatever amp you want. Anything mentioned above, and plenty of others, will "work." Good luck, and do be sure to report back on your next step.

Slyder01 · December 2010

since i was thinking i had to spend around 800 on an amp, what if i decide to go with the xpa-5. Would that make any difference in the sound of the surrounds or should i save that money and maybe get some good cables

when i decide to pull the trigger, i'll definately let you guys know

jinjuku · December 2010

Slyder01 wrote: »

since i was thinking i had to spend around 800 on an amp, what if i decide to go with the xpa-5. Would that make any difference in the sound of the surrounds or should i save that money and maybe get some good cables

when i decide to pull the trigger, i'll definately let you guys know

I went with a higher quality 3 channel vs a quality 5 or 7 channel setup. The surrounds do so little vs your fronts, especially center channel, that I personally never found a compelling reason.

I could have gotten an Adcom 7500 5 channel amp for $400, or an Adcom 5503 3 channel amp for $400. I picked up the 5503.

Slyder01 · December 2010

I was looking at my manual and it says i am to plug an external amplifier into my sub out/pre out port. If i occupy that port with an external amp, how do i run my sub

jinjuku · December 2010

Slyder01 wrote: »

I was looking at my manual and it says i am to plug an external amplifier into my sub out/pre out port. If i occupy that port with an external amp, how do i run my sub

Your sub most likely has a 'plate' amplifier. Just run a RCA cable from the Sub out on your Yammy to the LFE input on the sub.

The receiver will have other outputs for FL/FR/Center/SRL/SRR etc...

Slyder01 · December 2010

That's how i have it hooked up now, but i believe the manual is saying to use that input for the ext. amp as well

tonyb · December 2010

Make sure you plug into Zone 1 front left and right outputs, that is if it's the front speakers you want to amp.

mdaudioguy · December 2010

Never mind.

Slyder01 · December 2010

ok thx,,, If i get a 3 channel amp and power the LCR from it, would i still be able to power my front presence because as of now i need another amp to power either my front presence or rear backs. I guess what i'm trying to figure out is, will it free up amps in my avr since it does have 7 separate amps, and then i can maybe assign them to the presence or rear backs.. A little confusing to me here,, sorry guys,, hope you can bare with me,,lol...

here's a link showing the rear panel of my amp
http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/aventage/rx-a2000_black__u/?mode=model

jinjuku · December 2010

Slyder01 wrote: »

ok thx,,, If i get a 3 channel amp and power the LCR from it, would i still be able to power my front presence because as of now i need another amp to power either my front presence or rear backs. I guess what i'm trying to figure out is, will it free up amps in my avr since it does have 7 separate amps, and then i can maybe assign them to the presence or rear backs.. A little confusing to me here,, sorry guys,, hope you can bare with me,,lol...

here's a link showing the rear panel of my amp
http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/aventage/rx-a2000_black__u/?mode=model

All the amp channels derive power from one transformer. So that will be three less speakers taxing the power supply. Plus it's the three speakers that will demand most of the power supply that you are now feeding with external amplification.

Slyder01 · December 2010

I think i'm understanding hooking up to the LCR according to the manual pic. For the Center i plug into the #6 which is the center/pre out and for the fronts i plug into the #3 which is the front/front presence. After that, will i still be able to run all of my other channels making it a 9.2 system.

Adding an Amp to my HT...

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