Need help finding an Amp for my speakers

[Cisco in HD]

Let me preface this by saying, this is not an immediate purchase. Right now, I'm just kicking the idea around of when I upgrade my AVR, to get one with preouts, so I can then add an amp and REALLY become deaf.

I have Aperion Audio speakers, as stated in my sig. I don't know if you may or may not be familiar with them, but anyways, I'm going into uncharted waters about picking or narrowing down my amp selection.

My fronts and center are 6 Ohm speakers, the fronts have a 200 watt power max, and my center has a 150 watt max. My surrounds have a 100 watt power max @ 8 Ohms, and I plan on pushing them back as my LBR/LBL surrounds, and picking up dipole speakers as my SR/SL speakers, which have a 200 watt power max, also at 6 Ohms. The LBR/LBL speakers will be connected to the AVR, so no worry there.

As for amp brands, can you guys make suggestions, or give me ideas as to which amps, will help feed these speakers? I spoke with someone at Aperion, and he told me that if I was planning on using a 5 channel amp, my max would have to be 150 watts p/channel @ 6 Ohms. That, or put my center speaker to my AVR and let the dipoles and fronts be connected to the amp. Which I don't want to do... I want to feed my front 5 amp power.

Any advice can only help.

Thanks in advance.

[Intamin]

Couple of questions before offering up suggestions...
-What's the budget?
-What's the goal? Do you plan on using this just for HT or do you want 2 channel use as well?

As far as brands are concerned, I'd hit up the entry level amplifier options for ideas.

[Cisco in HD]

I suppose my MAX spending limit would be $1000. I'd use it primarily for HT use.

Entry level amps. Ok. Which brands do you mean so I can look around and start the research process?

EDIT: I'm not against using monoblock amps for individual channels. My main concern is the max power @ 6ohms

[AlabamaBoy]

Hey Cisco,

If you can hold off your amp purchase for another two weeks, I can give you an update. I purchased the Emotiva XPA-5, unfortunately it's backordered to April. I have an Aperion 7.2 system (6 series with 2 Bravus subs). I'm currently driving this with my Yamaha 1800 receiver. Since these speakers aren't the most effecient and I want to peel paint off the walls, I'm going with a 200W x 5 amp. If I'm happy with the Emo amp, I'll be purchasing the XPA-2 to round off the system. I will gladly provide any details you need. Given your 5 series (which I previously owned), Emotiva sells a wonderful 7 channel amp (125watts/channel) UPA-7 for $600. Another brand I was tossing around was Outlaw, but they're a bit more pricey than I was willing to spend.

[kpkelley]

Also, if you circle the listings at AVSForum, Audiogon, and Videogon you will find a lot of listings for multichannel amps that would normally be outisde of your budget.

For instance, there are multiple listings for a Parasound 5125, which normally retails for almost 2K. Or you can get a Rotel RMB-1095, 5x200W, for $1300 which is also a 2k amplifier. Here's a review of the Rotel.

Videogon Listings 5-Channel amps

[Intamin]

At the price, Emotiva is basically the only new option that comes to my mind. Kpkelley is right though, hit up the used market. You can find multiple amps within your price range, and some brands I would look at that are in that range are:

Rotel
Parasound
Acurus
Aragon
Proceed
ATI
Outlaw
Sunfire

I'm sure I'm leaving out something, but that's what comes to mind off the top of my head. Just go to www.audiogon.com and do a search and you'll find some real goodies on there.

[AlabamaBoy]

Helfpul also, read this link:

http://www.audioholics.com/education...nology/trading

[Intamin]

Originally Posted by AlabamaBoy

Helfpul also, read this link:

http://www.audioholics.com/education...nology/trading

Good find and a good read, thanks!

[Cisco in HD]

Hey bama, I can certainly wait those 2 weeks. I'm not in a rush at all. We spoke in the Aperion sub forum a lot and I know you're still setting up your system. Your feedback will be appreciated.

Intamin, I'll look at those brands and see if they'll work for what I'm looking for. Thanks for your input.

Is 1k really not enough for a 5ch amp that'll do 150 watts max per channel @ 6 ohms?

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by Cisco in HD

Is 1k really not enough for a 5ch amp that'll do 150 watts max per channel @ 6 ohms?

It's enough, but if you want a new one it limits you to only a few companies like Emotiva. If you don't mind getting a used amplifier, then you can get a multi-channel amplifier from the likes of Parasound and Rotel. The former, Emotiva, is an Internet-direct supplier so you would have to purchase it from them and take advantage of an in-home trial if you wanted to hear it, whereas with the latter two you could find a local specialty store that is likely to have some amplifiers in stock by the same company that could give you an idea of how those amplifiers sound before you purchase.

[AlabamaBoy]

New or used, $1000 is plenty for a 150W x 5 channel amp. At that price, you should be able to find a high quality used amp with no problem. Keep in mind though if you buy used, power amps are finicky suckers. Humming/hissing are known problems and can be difficult to diagnos. Most causes come down to the interconnects (cables) and their placement, but not always. I once plugged in an Emotiva UPA-7 into my system, and it hissed like a snake. After switching and rearranging connections for hours, the hissing went away. I never did find the actual cause, but it was stressful.

[Cisco in HD]

Let's say I go with an Emotiva amp, for instance... Should I be worried about that 200w when my center is rated for 150w max? Obviously, I won't be pushing this full tilt. So is there room to worry? Or should I be ok?

[Intamin]

Originally Posted by Cisco in HD

Let's say I go with an Emotiva amp, for instance... Should I be worried about that 200w when my center is rated for 150w max? Obviously, I won't be pushing this full tilt. So is there room to worry? Or should I be ok?

No, you don't need to worry. In order to cause damage, you'd have to be listening at volumes that would be absolutely intolerable, and even then you'd have difficulty causing damage.

[Drew664]

Originally Posted by Cisco in HD

Let's say I go with an Emotiva amp, for instance... Should I be worried about that 200w when my center is rated for 150w max? Obviously, I won't be pushing this full tilt. So is there room to worry? Or should I be ok?

Intamin is correct. I've asked this before, and the answer is almost always "You'll hurt your ears before your speakers."

Here is a question for all of you amp users though.

Let's say I buy a XPA-5. My front speakers are 4 ohms, center channel 6 ohms, and my surrounds are 8 ohms. Is there an option on the amp to have different ohm power ratings sent to different channels? Will any amp do this?

[Cisco in HD]

That's a good question drew.

[Intamin]

Originally Posted by Drew664

Here is a question for all of you amp users though.

Let's say I buy a XPA-5. My front speakers are 4 ohms, center channel 6 ohms, and my surrounds are 8 ohms. Is there an option on the amp to have different ohm power ratings sent to different channels? Will any amp do this?

As long as the amp is rated down to 4 ohms, it will be ok. You don't need a switch, nor will there be a switch to set the ohms on the amp. It will just power the speakers regardless.

[Drew664]

So the amp automatically detects what ohm rating your speakers are?

[Intamin]

Originally Posted by Drew664

So the amp automatically detects what ohm rating your speakers are?

Essentially yes. A speaker doesn't tell an amp that it's 2/4/6/8 ohms; it's just trying to pull a current, and as long as the amp is rated down to whatever ohms rating you have, it will provide the speaker with the power it needs. Big Daddy can provide a detailed explanation should you seek it.

[Drew664]

Originally Posted by Intamin

Essentially yes. A speaker doesn't tell an amp that it's 2/4/6/8 ohms; it's just trying to pull a current, and as long as the amp is rated down to whatever ohms rating you have, it will provide the speaker with the power it needs. Big Daddy can provide a detailed explanation should you seek it.

Thank you. This makes sense now. Good to know! I was always afraid I'd have to get separate amps if I wanted to power different ohm speakers. Now I won't be wary of getting speakers less than 8ohms.

[bluseminole]

You can quite safely pair your speakers with an amp that produces more power than your speakers' stated max. My Anthem MCA-20 puts out 225WPC; my Monitor RS6's have a max RMS rating of 120W. You won't use most of the continuous power output of your amp; most of it is headroom. My amp won't even approach using half of its 225 watts continuously, and neither would yours unless you regularly exceed rock-concert levels.

In short, when paired with quality speakers, don't be scared away from an amp because it has "too much" power. Sunfire's amps put out up to 400WPC into 8 ohms and I don't know of any speaker off the top of my head that is rated for 400W RMS, yet many people use their amps. Just food for thought.