Opinions on AVR as processor

[BStecke]

I may have the opportunity to pick up an Emotiva UPA-5 (or would be open to other suggestions in the same price range) here in the near future. At that point I would be using my current receiver (Pioneer Elite VSX-91TXH) as a processor until I eventually migrate to complete separates.

Is there any problem with this? Any opinions are very welcome.

[solarrdadd]

there is no problem with doing it that way and yes, the UPA-5 is an excellent amp as I own the UPA-2 and get great performance out of it. I am sure you will be very happy once you do. I'm not sure if (for the money) you can equal the amp you have mentioned.

keep one thing in mind that some of the reference series of speakers in your sig say for example the RF-82 have an efficiency rating of 98db, which means you could probably shuffle across the carpet and produce very loud sounds with those speakers because it takes very little power to produce loud, powerful sound with them. I don't know what the actual power rating of your existing receiver is, but, if it's close to the UPA-5 then you may not see (hear) very much of a difference. if you were going to drive say a speaker with an efficiency of say 89 or 87 then I would tell you flat out the amp will produce a difference with less effort than your receiver is now.

i'm not trying to stop you from getting an external amp, just saying that with speakers with ratings like yours, you might want to do some more research on the subject matter. i would imagine you are getting great, loud volume out of that pio right now with those speakers.

of course on the other hand, emo has a great return policy and you should be able to make up your mind before it's up (30 days i think) and the only thing you'll be out of is shipping cost so you won't be out too much for the trial time and there is no restocking fee either. so it's up to you. also wait and see what others perhaps with your current line of speakers and/or with the amp you fancy have to say. perhaps a couple of folks with that speaker line can tell you what they think of them with a receiver close to yours.

best of luck please keep us posted.

[BStecke]

I don't really have any trouble with loudness, but sometimes I feel like the sound is "strained" sometimes at high volumes and gets a bit harsh in areas. I know Klipsch are typically bright, but that's not what I'm hearing. I'm likening it to the feeling and sound I used to get from having component speakers in a car with no amplifier. Volume is there, but it just seems like they're straining a bit.

I know my receiver is rated roughly the same as the UPA-5, but again, relating my car audio experience, 45w from a car deck vs. 45w from an amplifier is quite a different beast. With an amplifier with the same rating, the speakers sounded like they handled volume and clarity with ease, vs. the strained sound off of the deck alone.

[omemnow]

Hello, I'm sorry for hijacking this thread but I'm not allowed to start any new posts for some reason. I have a "theory" question that I haven't found the answer to yet. I have two AVRs (Denon and Pioneer) that both have 7.1 preouts and pre-ins. I'd like to split my 5.1 speakers b/w two receivers. Meaning the Denon will drive my front stage speakers FR/FL/C and the Pioneer will drive the SL/SR. Have anyone ever tried this? The frontstage speakers are Infinity Primus P362s and a PC350. The surrounds are just some yamaha speakers. Will there be some noticeable difference when I do it this way? Will the Denon receiver has more power to drive the fronstage speakers for getter sound/better depth?

[bobbydrugar]

I actually have a question that is the exact oppisite of the OP. I have a pretty decent AVR (Onlyo TX-NR906 @~ 145WPC) and I am really looking to go seperates. Seems like a no brainer right? Wrong I live in an apartment that has shall we say limited power handeling capabilities So I was Thinking about transitioning like this
1.) Purchase new Pre-AMP (since power draw would be minimal better processor and HDMI 1.4)
2.) Use Pre-AMP as a processor and pass multichanell out to the Onkyo AVR which has Multichannel In and use the AVR AMP section for a short term solution (Thinking that I might get at least a small bump by not processing the signal on the AVR)
3.) when the Tax man Cometh I can purchase a new Dedicated 7 channel AMP maybe a UPA-7 or such.

I know this looks weird but purchasing both the preamp and AMP at one time is not going to happen (See also Impatient ) and I wouldn't be able to use the AMP if I bought that first due to the Amperage draw of both the reciever and AMP.

Would this work as a transitional mode to move into seperates

Thanks for you help,
T

[gcchifi]

There shouldn't be a problem. I used an Onkyo TX-SR805 as a pre-pro for awhile with a pair of amps and the overall presentation sounded better to my ears. Comparing using an outboard amp to its internal amps was no contest though so you will be hearing a difference. There was better clarity, definition and dynamics even though the 805's amps was no slouch. When you move on to a dedicated pre-pro of your choice, you will notice another level. I am currently using a PR-SC886 and the jump is palpable.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by BStecke

I may have the opportunity to pick up an Emotiva UPA-5 (or would be open to other suggestions in the same price range) here in the near future. At that point I would be using my current receiver (Pioneer Elite VSX-91TXH) as a processor until I eventually migrate to complete separates.

Is there any problem with this? Any opinions are very welcome.

Just so you no BStecke . I have the SC-07 & all it does is send a signal & decode my BD's . It is not powering anything . It does an excellent job of it . All my speakers & subs are run off external amplification !

[Zman2k2]

Originally Posted by omemnow

Hello, I'm sorry for hijacking this thread but I'm not allowed to start any new posts for some reason. I have a "theory" question that I haven't found the answer to yet. I have two AVRs (Denon and Pioneer) that both have 7.1 preouts and pre-ins. I'd like to split my 5.1 speakers b/w two receivers. Meaning the Denon will drive my front stage speakers FR/FL/C and the Pioneer will drive the SL/SR. Have anyone ever tried this? The frontstage speakers are Infinity Primus P362s and a PC350. The surrounds are just some yamaha speakers. Will there be some noticeable difference when I do it this way? Will the Denon receiver has more power to drive the fronstage speakers for getter sound/better depth?

I wouldn't even begin to hazard a guess as to how you would manage to get this to work properly. The only benefit I can see from this, would be that each receiver would have a little more power to draw from for the speakers that they would be driving. Besides the possible wiring nightmare, getting each receiver to do what it's supposed to would be a confusing and somewhat annoying process. As for any possible benefits, I doubt there would be any sonic benefits for you. Try it if you must, but don't go in expecting miracles.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by omemnow

Hello, I'm sorry for hijacking this thread but I'm not allowed to start any new posts for some reason. I have a "theory" question that I haven't found the answer to yet. I have two AVRs (Denon and Pioneer) that both have 7.1 preouts and pre-ins. I'd like to split my 5.1 speakers b/w two receivers. Meaning the Denon will drive my front stage speakers FR/FL/C and the Pioneer will drive the SL/SR. Have anyone ever tried this? The frontstage speakers are Infinity Primus P362s and a PC350. The surrounds are just some yamaha speakers. Will there be some noticeable difference when I do it this way? Will the Denon receiver has more power to drive the fronstage speakers for getter sound/better depth?

You are a new member. Your post count has to reach a certain number before you can start a new thread.

My recommendation is use only of the receivers and sell the other one and buy a multi-channel amp.

However, if you really want to use both receivers, I suggest that you use the more powerful receiver (Denon in your case) as your main preamp/processor and only use the Pioneer as an external amp. Do the following:

1. Remove all jumbers that connect preouts to main-ins on the back of the Pioneer and for the surround speakers on the Denon.
2. Do all the proccessing and input selection with the Denon.
3. Connect the three front speakers to the Denon with speaker wires.
4. From the Denon, connect a sub cable form the sub output to the back of your subwoofer.
5. From the preouts for the surround speakers on the Denon, use RCA cables and connect them to the Main-Ins for the surround speakers on the Pioneer.
6. Make sure the Pioneer is set into bypass (direct) or any mode that does not do any processing. In the Pioneer's menu, set all the channel levels, distances, etc. to defualt.
7. First set the Pioneer master volume to a reasonable level such as 25%-50%.
8. You need to balance your speakers with an SPL meter.
9. Run test tones through the Denon and try to balance the speakers by adjusting their gain levels in the Denon's menu. If you notice that the surround speakers are too loud, turn the master volume on the Pioneer down. If their levels are too low and you cannot raise them through the gain controls in the Denon, you need to turn the master volume on the Pioneer up. Once you find the perfect balance, don't touch the Pioneer's master volume anymore.
10. Turn on both systems and turn the Denon's master volume down and play some movies and music and decide how your speakers sound.

[omemnow]

Thank you "Big Daddy" you really know your stuff. I played around with it last night and it was quite simple to do. My steps were very similar to what you had suggested.
1) I connected 2 RCA wires from the Denon SR/SL preouts to the Pioneer SR/SL "DVD 7.1 pre-ins."
2) The Sub/C/FR/FL speakers were connected to the Denon as suggested.
3) The Denon receiver had already been balanced. So all I had to do was to use the SPL meter to adjust the volume of the pioneer to match the surrounds with the other speakers.
I didn't get a chance to set the pioneer to direct or set to default. I'll do that when I get home tonight.

Conclusion: The frontstage speakers sound "stronger and clearer." The bass sounds punchier if you know what I mean. I'm not sure if I like it better. I watch movies 90% of the time. With this set up there seems to be more bass and a greater fluctuation of volume b/w diagloues and music scences. I live in an apartment so those loud scences make me feel like a bad neighbor. I didn't have that much time to play around with it. I'm going to give myself some more time before I decide if I really like it or not.

There are 2 reasons why I wanted to test this out:
1) I have a spare receiver that collects dusts.
2) After reading about Pre/pro -amp setups I wanted to simulate this situation before I go out and buy a real amp.