receivers and amp question.

[cam555]

Ok. Say im in the market to get a receiver and a 7ch powered amp that runs at 200 wpc. Lets say im thinking of the onkyo 805 as my receiver. Do i need the 805 with the more wattage....or could i go down a step and save money with the 705 or even 605 since i would have a separate amp powering my speakers at 200 watts each? or would i still want the 805? im talking just wattage....not all the special features.

[Marcusarilius]

Originally Posted by cam555

Ok. Say im in the market to get a receiver and a 7ch powered amp that runs at 200 wpc. Lets say im thinking of the onkyo 805 as my receiver. Do i need the 805 with the more wattage....or could i go down a step and save money with the 705 or even 605 since i would have a separate amp powering my speakers at 200 watts each? or would i still want the 805? im talking just wattage....not all the special features.

I think the 705 has all of the same features of the 805. Just less WPC. The 605 would not be as desireable for features. Check the receivers out on Amazon to be sure.

[cam555]

im not talking features. im just asking that since i would have a separate amp at 200 wpc if i would need the big 805 or could go down to the 705 or 605 with the less wattage since the separate amp would be powering the speakers instead.

[Marcusarilius]

Originally Posted by cam555

im not talking features. im just asking that since i would have a separate amp at 200 wpc if i would need the big 805 or could go down to the 705 or 605 with the less wattage since the separate amp would be powering the speakers instead.

If it were me, I would go with the 705.

[NutsAboutPS3]

Originally Posted by cam555

im not talking features. im just asking that since i would have a separate amp at 200 wpc if i would need the big 805 or could go down to the 705 or 605 with the less wattage since the separate amp would be powering the speakers instead.

I'm not sure what you're asking - the wattage of the receiver will be irrelevant if you're using an external amp, so features are the only difference, but you say you're not interested in features.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by cam555

Ok. Say im in the market to get a receiver and a 7ch powered amp that runs at 200 wpc. Lets say im thinking of the onkyo 805 as my receiver. Do i need the 805 with the more wattage....or could i go down a step and save money with the 705 or even 605 since i would have a separate amp powering my speakers at 200 watts each? or would i still want the 805? im talking just wattage....not all the special features.

Basically you want to use your receiver as a preamp. I am doing the same. However, I am using a Denon 4308ci receiver as a preamp. The important features for me were:
1. The number of HDMI inputs (4 on the Denon).
2. The number of HDMI outputs (2 on the Denon).
3. Enough inputs and outputs for my older components such as VCR, Cassette player, CD recorder, etc.
3. Inclusion of all the new audio options.
4. Good quality scaler.
5. 7.1 output for speakers.
6. Ease and flexibility in setting up the receiver (Denon setup menu is outstanding).
7. Good components so that the receiver does not degrade the audio or video signals.

You have to decide what is important for you and how much you are willing to spend. I got an exceptional deal on my Denon receiver so it was an easy choice.

[Getus]

wy would you want to use a amp?

i mean the 805 has about 200 watts per channel what is the benifit of useing it as a pre-amp?

[Macca78]

im pretty sure the 605 has no pre-amp outputs...anyone please feel free to correct me if im wrong so i can save myself some money!

[MacDaddyOJack]

The difference in the 705 and the 805 is build quality and power supply. I also think that the 805 has Burr-brown DAC's but that doesnt matter if you are only using it as a pre-amp. Unless you have some gigantic speakers, 130 watts per channel is plenty. I have the 805 and never crank it up past 67 on the absolute scale (100 being max). I have fairly good sized speakers as well, you can check them in my sig.

Edit: after checking your speakers, a serparate power amp at 200 WPC will DEFINITELY be overkill. Stick with the 805 and save yourself some money. It is a fantastic amp and 130 WPC will be all if not more than you need. If you are really worried about power, step up to the 905, I think that is 140 WPC.

[MatrixS2000]

Originally Posted by cam555

Ok. Say im in the market to get a receiver and a 7ch powered amp that runs at 200 wpc. Lets say im thinking of the onkyo 805 as my receiver. Do i need the 805 with the more wattage....or could i go down a step and save money with the 705 or even 605 since i would have a separate amp powering my speakers at 200 watts each? or would i still want the 805? im talking just wattage....not all the special features.

I would not go with a receiver if you have a separate power amplifier. Get a good preamp/processor.

[MatrixS2000]

Originally Posted by Getus

wy would you want to use a amp?

i mean the 805 has about 200 watts per channel what is the benifit of useing it as a pre-amp?

Never use wattage as the only measure of an amplifier. Any half decent separate amplifier will easily outperform the amplifier in a receiver.

[NutsAboutPS3]

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

Unless you have some gigantic speakers, 130 watts per channel is plenty. I have the 805 and never crank it up past 67 on the absolute scale (100 being max). I have fairly good sized speakers as well, you can check them in my sig.

Edit: after checking your speakers, a serparate power amp at 200 WPC will DEFINITELY be overkill. Stick with the 805 and save yourself some money. It is a fantastic amp and 130 WPC will be all if not more than you need. If you are really worried about power, step up to the 905, I think that is 140 WPC.

I agree with this, my old Denon 3802 never gets used anywhere close to full volume, and it's only rated at 7 x 105W. It really can go very loud indeed, I can't imagine why anyone would need more sound volume in their home.

[cam555]

i'm not necessarily wanting my speakers to be louder. I just want a real clean sound. And i was told that a separate amp would do that. Are my speakers not powerful enough for 200 wpc?

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by cam555

i'm not necessarily wanting my speakers to be louder. I just want a real clean sound. And i was told that a separate amp would do that. Are my speakers not powerful enough for 200 wpc?

It's not that you'll damage your speakers (as long as you don't push them too hard, or under-power them etc.) it's just that if you want "Clean Sound" I do recommend a separate amp, but also a seperate pre-amp. It's basically buying the equipment designed for the sole intent of what it was created for. There are some really nice Pre-Amp and Amps out there. If you already have an "Audio Receiver" you will certainly benefit from separate amps. It's your call though. I went "All-in-one" because of cost, but would like to get separate amps for the Fronts/Center in the near future.


**EDIT***

Sorry... just read this and realized I was talking in circles....

"YES" separate amps will give you better sound quality.

[cam555]

to be honest....i've had my setup for over a year now. I love it...but anyway to make it better is what i wanna do. What does a pre-amp benefit ?

[MacDaddyOJack]

Originally Posted by cam555

to be honest....i've had my setup for over a year now. I love it...but anyway to make it better is what i wanna do. What does a pre-amp benefit ?

A pre-amp is simply a sound processor/ decoder. It sends the correct sound signal to the proper amplifier or amplifier channel. I'm guessing that if you want 200 WPC, then you will need muliple amps, so the pre-amp will just send the correct signal to the proper amp. This is normally only done by very high-end audiophiles who have spent multiple THOUSANDS on their speakers. Your speakers are very nice, but I don't know that you will see a substantial increase in sound quality by using separate power amps with those speakers. I think the only substantial increase you will see will be in max SPL.

[Woody]

Originally Posted by MatrixS2000

Never use wattage as the only measure of an amplifier. Any half decent separate amplifier will easily outperform the amplifier in a receiver.

+1

Even a step further. Any decent seperate amp will out-perform the amplifier in any receiver.

To the OP, if you are going to pay for a seperate amp, look at the Integra 9.8 pre-amp vs a receiver (as a pre-amp). It is a steal at $1600 retail, and you can probably get it for less than that.

[Woody]

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

A pre-amp is simply a sound processor/ decoder. It sends the correct sound signal to the proper amplifier or amplifier channel. I'm guessing that if you want 200 WPC, then you will need muliple amps, so the pre-amp will just send the correct signal to the proper amp. This is normally only done by very high-end audiophiles who have spent multiple THOUSANDS on their speakers. Your speakers are very nice, but I don't know that you will see a substantial increase in sound quality by using separate power amps with those speakers. I think the only substantial increase you will see will be in max SPL.

To the OP, I agree with this post.

One of the best things about Klipsch is that they rock with almost ANY receiver out there. They are very efficient and are good for HT.

TBH, and please don't take offense, you will only get better control over your speakers and higher SPLs with a seperate amp on these particular speakers IMO.

edit: They will also improve fidelity, but not enough on your system IMO to pay the difference in price between an amp and the 805. (ie: not $2000-$5000 better sound, if that makes sense)

[cam555]

i was actually looking at the emotiva mps-2 7ch amp. it has 200 wpc. since this is one amp that does all channels would i still need a preamp? and is this amp even worth is with my speakers?

[cam555]

what do you guys think of the emotiva brand amps and processors?