which amp/receiver should I get?...

[joepocket]

I am looking to pair a new amp or receiver with 2 Energy TWR 250W towers and 3 200W FPS speakers (center & surrounds) for my HT. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[callas01]

welcome to the site, nice Energy speakers

whats your budget?

[crazyBLUE]

Big I hope

[joepocket]

Originally Posted by callas01

welcome to the site, nice Energy speakers

whats your budget?

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Big I hope

Thanks for the warm welcome callas and crazy ... hoping to learn more about amps and receivers... and also to make a good investment... I've heard a lot of good things about Emo amps and Pio receivers... just not sure which would be better for my setup...

[mjbethancourt]

Depending on your budget, you can do much better than Emotiva. They are great bang for the buck, though.

[Big Daddy]

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF RECEIVERS VS SEPARATE AMPLIFIERS

Advantages of Receivers
A receiver consists of three or four components: preamp/processor (all the switching and processing are done there), Tuner (AM/FM), and an Amplifier.
Receivers are convenient.
Receivers are affordable.
Receivers take less space

Disadvantages of Receivers
In a receiver, the three components above share the same power supply, circuits, etc.
Many compromises in the design of receivers.
Receivers have less power than amplifiers (less than 170 watts).
In many cases, receivers cannot output their stated power when all the channels are driven at the same time.
Receivers may not be able to drive high quality, large, and inefficient speakers.
Most receivers may have difficulty driving 4 ohm speakers.
Audio quality is not as good as separates.
They have less headroom and may clip faster.
May generate too much heat.

Advantages of Amplifiers
Amplifiers have their own higher-quality power supply.
Some high-end amplifiers have a different power supply for each channel.
Amps do not share their parts with any other components.
Generally speaking, amplifiers have more wattage. Some can handle 500 watts or more.
They can output cleaner power and in most cases, capabable of outputting as much as they are rated for, even when all the channels are driven.
They have a lot more headroom and do not clip as easily. This allows you to receive the maximum benefit from the superior dynamic range of Blu-ray movies and SACD music over DVD's and CD's.
They can easily drive 4 ohm speakers.
Audio quality is much better.
Can mix and match with speakers and other components.
You can brag more.

Disadvantage of Amplifiers
They are less convenient.
You normally need three components to do the job of one receiver.
They can take more space.
They are more expensive.
Your electric bill may run higher.
Setup can be more complex.

[joepocket]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF RECEIVERS VS SEPARATE AMPLIFIERS

Advantages of Receivers
A receiver consists of three or four components: preamp/processor (all the switching and processing are done there), Tuner (AM/FM), and an Amplifier.
Receivers are convenient.
Receivers are affordable.
Receivers take less space

Disadvantages of Receivers
In a receiver, the three components above share the same power supply, circuits, etc.
Many compromises in the design of receivers.
Receivers have less power than amplifiers (less than 170 watts).
In many cases, receivers cannot output their stated power when all the channels are driven at the same time.
Receivers may not be able to drive high quality, large, and inefficient speakers.
Most receivers may have difficulty driving 4 ohm speakers.
Audio quality is not as good as separates.
They have less headroom and may clip faster.
May generate too much heat.

Advantages of Amplifiers
Amplifiers have their own higher-quality power supply.
Some high-end amplifiers have a different power supply for each channel.
Amps do not share their parts with any other components.
Generally speaking, amplifiers have more wattage. Some can handle 500 watts or more.
They can output cleaner power and in most cases, capabable of outputting as much as they are rated for, even when all the channels are driven.
They have a lot more headroom and do not clip as easily. This allows you to receive the maximum benefit from the superior dynamic range of Blu-ray movies and SACD music over DVD's and CD's.
They can easily drive 4 ohm speakers.
Audio quality is much better.
Can mix and match with speakers and other components.
You can brag more.

Disadvantage of Amplifiers
They are less convenient.
You normally need three components to do the job of one receiver.
They can take more space.
They are more expensive.
Your electric bill may run higher.
Setup can be more complex.

Thanks BigDaddy... this breakdown gives me some things to consider now...

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

Depending on your budget, you can do much better than Emotiva. They are great bang for the buck, though.

My budget is pretty open , but I am trying to make sound investments and get the most quality for my $$$. Would it be bad if the amp wattage capacity does not match the speaker ratings? For example, would it be bad if I wanted to pair a UPA-7 with my speakers since the UPA-7 only provides 100W per channel and the speakers are rated b/w 200-250W? Thanks.

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by joepocket

Thanks BigDaddy... this breakdown gives me some things to consider now...



My budget is pretty open , but I am trying to make sound investments and get the most quality for my $$$. Would it be bad if the amp wattage capacity does not match the speaker ratings? For example, would it be bad if I wanted to pair a UPA-7 with my speakers since the UPA-7 only provides 100W per channel and the speakers are rated b/w 200-250W? Thanks.

Well, is 200-250watt the peak power? The speaker's specifications should list peak, optimal, and minimum... and no, it wouldn't hurt anything if you're below peak, as long as you're somewhere in their optimal range. Most good speakers have peak handling so high that you would need $10,000 monoblock amps on each one to drive them to peak capacity.

If your budget is open, as you say, then I think separates are the way to go. About $2000 should get you into the game, and then it gets better and better from there. Or you can go the bargain route of pairing an Emo 5-channel with a good bi-amping receiver to cover the other two channels, for about $1500 on up.

[Big Daddy]

There are also plenty of excellent used amplifiers available on Audiogon and Ebay.

[joepocket]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

There are also plenty of excellent used amplifiers available on Audiogon and Ebay.

Thanks again BigDaddy for this info... just need to decide which amp to pair my speakers with...

[joepocket]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

Well, is 200-250watt the peak power? The speaker's specifications should list peak, optimal, and minimum... and no, it wouldn't hurt anything if you're below peak, as long as you're somewhere in their optimal range. Most good speakers have peak handling so high that you would need $10,000 monoblock amps on each one to drive them to peak capacity.

If your budget is open, as you say, then I think separates are the way to go. About $2000 should get you into the game, and then it gets better and better from there. Or you can go the bargain route of pairing an Emo 5-channel with a good bi-amping receiver to cover the other two channels, for about $1500 on up.

Thanks mjbethancourt for your input... still trying to find out what the optimal range is... digging around for the specs...

[Steve]

I just want to add a little to something from Big Daddy's excellent post above. The OP should be aware that some receivers (but certainly not all) actually can produce their stated wattage with all channels driven (Pioneer Elite for example). This is where doing your homework comes into play, so that you know exactly what you're getting before you bring it home.

[callas01]

For about $1000 or less the Marantz 6003 is a hard one to ignore. it will produce the stated watts per channel output and is an overall excellent receiver, you may want to consider this one strongly.

Or the New ROTEL 1570 AVR....

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by callas01

For about $1000 or less the Marantz 6003 is a hard one to ignore. it will produce the stated watts per channel output and is an overall excellent receiver, you may want to consider this one strongly.

Or the New ROTEL 1570 AVR....

+1

As usual, I'm in complete agreement with Callas.

I'm a huge fan of the Marantz 6003; it can be found for about $700, and paired with an Emotiva XPA-5 at another $800, you would have an awesome pair of separates at a bargain price of $1500 to power your 7.1 channel system.

Or, if you have the coin, that Rotel 1570 is a dream machine; but since it's strictly a pre/pro, it needs all seven channels amplified by a separate component, and Rotel doesn't even do a seven-channel amp. High-power 7-channel amps are very expensive; and you'd probably end up using it in a setup with two amps, instead. That adds up real fast:

Rotel RSX 1570 pre/pro = $2200
Rotel RSX 1575 5x250w (500w@4ohm) = $2800
Rotel RSX 1572 2x250w (500w@4ohm) = $1300
total: $6300

If I were vomiting money, that's probably what I would do. (Either that, or I'd spend about five times that much on a bunch of outrageous McIntosh audio).

...or you could just use it with an Emotiva XPA-5 and XPA-2, and that would only run $3800 total, and still provide tons of power, 1500watts. Or for the same price as those two amps, you could power it with a Marantz MM8003 amp, which would be a little less power, but a better quality amp.

... Yeah, and by the way: the Emotiva UPA-7 is 125w/channel, not 100. Still, probably not enough juice to get the full enjoyment out of those awesome speakers of yours. I think the UPA-7 is a waste; at that output level, I'd rather just have a good receiver.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

+1

As usual, I'm in complete agreement with Callas.

I'm a huge fan of the Marantz 6003; it can be found for about $800, and paired with an Emotiva XPA-5 at another $800, you have an awesome pair of separates at a bargain price of $1600 to power your 7.1 channel system.

Or, if you have the coin, that Rotel 1570 is a dream machine; but since it's strictly a pre/pro, it needs all seven channels amplified by a separate component, and Rotel doesn't even do a seven-channel amp. High-power 7-channel amps are very expensive; and you'd probably end up using it in a setup with two amps, instead. That adds up real fast:

Rotel RSX 1570 pre/pro = $2200
Rotel RSX 1575 5x250w (500w@4ohm) = $2800
Rotel RSX 1572 2x250w (500w@4ohm) = $1300
total: $6300

If I were vomiting money, that's probably what I would do. (Either that, or I'd spend about five times that much on a bunch of outrageous McIntosh audio).

...or you could just use it with an Emotiva XPA-5 and XPA-2, and that would only run $3800 total, and still provide tons of power, 1500watts. Or for the same price as those two amps, you could power it with a Marantz MM8003 amp, which would be a little less power, but a better quality amp.

... Yeah, and by the way: the Emotiva UPA-7 is 125w/channel, not 100. Still, probably not enough juice to get the full enjoyment out of those awesome speakers of yours. I think the UPA-7 is a waste; at that output level, I'd rather just have a good receiver.

I meant this receiver..... it was late last night, this is a full 7 channel AVR

But it is still about $2400-2600 or there abouts...

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by callas01

I meant this receiver..... it was late last night, this is a full 7 channel AVR

But it is still about $2400-2800 or there abouts...

Not a lot of power... but it sure would go nicely with a big 5-channel amp, eh?

Anything made by Rotel is an amazing piece of gear.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

Not a lot of power... but it sure would go nicely with a big 5-channel amp, eh?

Anything made by Rotel is an amazing piece of gear.

Not saying I would buy it... For $700 I would get the Marantz 6003, its just as nice.... but its a Rotel...I couldn't resist adding it in the Mix..

[HAMP]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

Yeah, and by the way: the Emotiva UPA-7 is 125w/channel, not 100. Still, probably not enough juice to get the full enjoyment out of those awesome speakers of yours. I think the UPA-7 is a waste; at that output level, I'd rather just have a good receiver.

You said it, right on point. I learned the hard way. The UPA-7 is a waste if you have a excellent receiver.

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by callas01

Not saying I would buy it... For $700 I would get the Marantz 6003, its just as nice.... but its a Rotel...I couldn't resist adding it in the Mix..

Have you checked out the new SR 6004? Very nice!

http://us.marantz.com/Products/2980.asp

... and thanks to this baby, now people can get the fantastic 6003 for a great price: even Crutchfield has it down to $700 now.

JoePocket: I looked up the specs on those speakers of yours, the recommended operating range for power input is 15-250w, so I think you're going to be safe with pretty much anything.

[DonRSD]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF RECEIVERS VS SEPARATE AMPLIFIERS

Advantages of Receivers
A receiver consists of three or four components: preamp/processor (all the switching and processing are done there), Tuner (AM/FM), and an Amplifier.
Receivers are convenient.
Receivers are affordable.
Receivers take less space

Disadvantages of Receivers
In a receiver, the three components above share the same power supply, circuits, etc.
Many compromises in the design of receivers.
Receivers have less power than amplifiers (less than 170 watts).
In many cases, receivers cannot output their stated power when all the channels are driven at the same time.
Receivers may not be able to drive high quality, large, and inefficient speakers.
Most receivers may have difficulty driving 4 ohm speakers.
Audio quality is not as good as separates.
They have less headroom and may clip faster.
May generate too much heat.

Advantages of Amplifiers
Amplifiers have their own higher-quality power supply.
Some high-end amplifiers have a different power supply for each channel.
Amps do not share their parts with any other components.
Generally speaking, amplifiers have more wattage. Some can handle 500 watts or more.
They can output cleaner power and in most cases, capabable of outputting as much as they are rated for, even when all the channels are driven.
They have a lot more headroom and do not clip as easily. This allows you to receive the maximum benefit from the superior dynamic range of Blu-ray movies and SACD music over DVD's and CD's.
They can easily drive 4 ohm speakers.
Audio quality is much better.
Can mix and match with speakers and other components.
You can brag more.

Disadvantage of Amplifiers
They are less convenient.
You normally need three components to do the job of one receiver.
They can take more space.
They are more expensive.
Your electric bill may run higher.
Setup can be more complex.

the all knowing oracle has spoken