Can I add a Hi-fi Amp?

[admin_exported]

Hey

I have the SC-LX72, would I gain a night and day difference from a cheapish 2 channel dedicated Hifi amp to run the RX6?

I am really getting into my music again, now that I have upgraded.

Budget, max £200.00 but has to be a difference from the SC-LX72

Thanks guys

Oh and can I just attach it to my SC-LX72 so I dont have to swap everytime I want to listen to music

 

[scene]

canada16:
Hey

I have the SC-LX72, would I gain a night and day difference from a cheapish 2 channel dedicated Hifi amp to run the RX6?

Maybe, depends on the amp

I am really getting into my music again, now that I have upgraded.

Nice to hear

Budget, max £200.00 but has to be a difference from the SC-LX72

Thanks guys

Oh and can I just attach it to my SC-LX72 so I dont have to swap everytime I want to listen to music

Yes. You need an amp with an HT bypass / processor mode setting, preferrably one where you can adjust the gain to match the pioneer. You run the pre-outs for the front pair to your stereo amp and all your multi-channel inputs go into the sc-lx72, all the stereo inputs go into your pioneer. You basically use the stereo amp as a power amp for the front pair when using surround sound, and as an integrated amp when having stereo. It does mean you have to have both amps on...

I was thinking of this solution if I had bought the SC-LX82. My A85 can be put into processor mode on one of the tape inputs. Ideally, you would want a stereo amp with approximately the same power as the SC-LX72, but it is matching the gain, not the absolute power handling that is the key.

I'm not 100% sure how the MCACC will feel about this, but I believe it will still balance the speakers - someone else will need to confirm that.

 

[scene]

Sorry, meant to add - whether you can find a good enough amp, with the relevant processor mode for £200 is another question...

 

[scene]

Though having thought about it more...

1. Have you tried bi-amping the RX6 from the SC-LX72 (may or may not improve things).

2. Are use using the Pure Direct or Stereo modes on the SC-LX72 when playing stereo music? Do they make a big difference...

 

[Anonymous]

Pure direct seems to be the best. .

But was just wondering if even more detail and punch can be had by a dedicated amp.

Dont get me wrong the 72 is great, but people say you can get far better music sond from a stereo amp.

I dont know, if you can for my budget or what I am looking for ect..

Thanks scene, how are the RXFX treating you

 

[scene]

canada16:
Thanks scene, how are the RXFX treating you

Having some fun setting the levels for them with an SPL (iPad only version

). Great for music and they're sounding fine now on DVDs from my Arcam (following a level-setting session last night), but getting them balanced on my S760 is a nightmare - so bad a post on the subject is soon to appear...

 

[Anonymous]

Hey thanks scene for your help, been away for a bit, buying a laptop, and lots of searching.

Can anyone confirm 100% I can do this with my amp.

Sorry to sound dumb, I just know nothing about hi-fi amps.

And can it have a better sound for a small budget with my speakers.

Thanks again

 

[scene]

canada16:
Hey thanks scene for your help, been away for a bit, buying a laptop, and lots of searching.

Can anyone confirm 100% I can do this with my amp.

I can 100% confirm you can do this.

Sorry to sound dumb, I just know nothing about hi-fi amps.

And can it have a better sound for a small budget with my speakers.

This last point is the one that's up for discussion...

 

[Ronald Archiebald]

Canada16,

Your hands are itchy and you are just looking to burn money, arent you?

Ronald

 

[Anonymous]

Frank harvey said my amp would do a better job at this price range and not to bother.

Would need to spend 500.00+

So wont bother thanks for your help scene

 

[scene]

Must admit it's sort of what I thought, that you'd need a reasonable amp to see an improvement... And £500 sounds pretty reasonable. This is why I wondered about getting an SC-LX82 + A85 combo, as the A85 was £1000 new... You could consider a secondhand stereo amp...

 

[Frank Harvey]

I think you'd have to be looking at something like a 90's Audiolab 8000a as a minimum, which can be bought within your budget, but I don't see the point in doing it unless it's a decent upgrade over the Pioneer.

 

[scene]

FrankHarveyHiFi:I think you'd have to be looking at something like a 90's Audiolab 8000a as a minimum, which can be bought within your budget, but I don't see the point in doing it unless it's a decent upgrade over the Pioneer.
The 8000a - a fine amp. One question, it's 60W per channel, isn't it? I know I said gain was the most important, rather than raw power, but the SC-LX72 is 180W into 6ohms. Will this match up OK. (I will declare an interest here, I still hold out the hope of plumbing my A85 into an AV amp to run the front pair, and I still hanker after an sc-lx82...)

 

[Frank Harvey]

Digital and analogue amplification won't necessarily have the same power ratings, and even if they did, we all know that that doesn't necessarily mean the same thing. I think most people wouldn't usually use the sort of power that an 8000a has on tap without annoying the neighbours, so it would be quite safe to use together. Most hi-fi amps are going to be rated at less than many AV receivers anyway, so whichever amp you look at, the power ratings won't match up.

 

[Anonymous]

Canada - A few months ago I added a stereo amp (and a matching CD player) to my AV system. The reason was because I firmly believe that a stereo amp is much much better for music than an AV amp.

I have a very similar av amp to yours and I bought a stereo amp that is as powerful as my av amp, but prob cost about half the price.

Music sounds much better played just through the stereo amp. TV/Movies...no difference really. Well none that are immediately apparant to me.

 

[Anonymous]

Uhm that audio labs seems like it can be had quite cheap, says on google 155.00 on ebay. might have a look when I get home, work does not allow ebay

Thanks dave

 

[Frank Harvey]

I think it'll fit in quite well tonally with the Pioneer, so you won't be left with different sounding L/R's to the rest of the speakers.it's tone controls are extremely good too, very subtle. At least if it didn't work out, your recoup what you paid out to try it

 

[WishTree]

Hi Canada,

I remember that recently you upgraded your AV Amp to Pioneer 72 as well as new speakers and looking for Stereo Amp now.. This feels like Deja vu to me as it was me very short while back.

I moved from AVR to seperates (Pro + Power) and now sold everything! While I was experimenting with the gear, I have learnt few things and would like to share it with the people on the forum

1. I was (still am to some extent) too eager to look out for the next upgrade rather than tuning the current system that I had

2. Apparently I was required to be very clear in the beginning itself to decide my system will be Music based or Movie based. It could be easier to get a music based system to perform to satisfactory levels for movies with upgrades and add ons where as the vice versa is not so true. It could be challenging to make a movie based system to perform equally well with music

3. Pre-amp place a bigger role too. So an Integrated Stereo Amp in processor mode, with AVR serving the music is not much of an upgrade. It has to be a dedicated DAC + Integrated Stereo which means that the source (CDP or Bluray) has to give digital inputs to both AVR and Stereo Set up

4. Too many speakers and boxes (amps, processors, DACs) could get too stuffy / suufocating and challenging to tune the system as there are too many places to work upon

5. Carpetting is the best upgrade I have done and Cables are the least effective upgrade that I have seen

6. By Adding a Marantz PM 7003, I found no noticeable difference with the AVR (especially in the power amp mode) in music reproduction. Also I never had a DAC or a dedicated CDP. I used PS3 analogue outputs to check the performance on PM7003 and it was barely an improvement

I hope some of my observations are helpful to you in deciding which way you want to go

I am currently looking to build a two speaker system with Music focus and an AVR thrown in just for the movies.

 

[The_Lhc]

WishTree:3. Pre-amp place a bigger role too. So an Integrated Stereo Amp in processor mode, with AVR serving the music is not much of an upgrade. It has to be a dedicated DAC + Integrated Stereo which means that the source (CDP or Bluray) has to give digital inputs to both AVR and Stereo Set up

Wishtree, if I'm reading your post correctly you've been doing it wrong, it sounds like you've bought a stereo amp and tried to use it as a pre-amp to the AVR, this is pointless and as you discovered will not improve your music reproduction.

The AVR should be used as a pre-amp to the stereo amp, your stereo sources should all be plugged directly into the stereo amp, the Front L+R speakers attached to this amp as well, with the Front L+R pre-outs from the AVR connected to an input on the stereo amp, that way the AVR is ONLY used when watching movies, it plays no part in (stereo) music reproduction. There should be no need to have two outputs from your CDP for example, it should never require connecting to the AVR.