extra amps for 9.1, 11.1

[BowserWilkens]

Ok, so this is my first time posting on here.

I guess many people into home cinema have the same predicament; You've got an amp with 5 or 7 channels but have the option of upgrading the number of channels to 9 or 11 via the preouts on your receiver to external amps.

Maybe your amp cost between 600 & 1500 pounds - it seems a little costly to then buy a stereo power amp for nearly as much again in order just to achieve 9.1 or 11.1 sound.

Looking at new power amps from rotel or marantz, there doesn't seem to be a budget option. You have to pay through the nose to get 2 or 4 extra channels of power.

A regular hifi amp looks like a more reasonably priced option. However, the only cheaper amp I can find right now which has power amp inputs is the pioneer a30. Are there any others that forum members know of &or own?

My current setup is as follows: Denon 4311, ps3, Bowers & Wilkens 11.2 speakers - CDM CNT centre, P6 fronts, 602s3 front wides, ds3 surrounds, CC6x2 front heights, CDM SNT back surrounds, ASW500 & ASW675 subwoofers. BenQ w1070 projector, 110" screen. Audioquest cabling & Einstein power filter/8 socket power supply. (cocktailaudio x10 & ProJect Debut 3 turntable to be bought later this year)

I'm using an old yamaha amp to drive the front heights at the moment; I'm thinking about getting the pioneer a30 to drive the front main speakers (P6's) & drive the front heights using the denon's internal amps. Would this be advisable?

 

[VoodooDoctor]

I imported an Emotiva 7 channel power amp from the USA for exactly this reason. It's very good for the money and gave me all the channels that I needed for the extra surrounds.

 

[BowserWilkens]

I'm glad you're happy with your emotiva amp... however, your satisfaction doesn't really help me in my situation. Compare prices of the expensive emotiva amp and the far cheaper one I mentioned (pioneer a30). Perhaps my budget wasn't clearly implied....

I've put my system together over a 10 year period, my B&W speakers are all 2nd hand or exdisplay - I don't have a great deal of money to throw around.

I need help with regard to choosing a cheaper 2 channel power amp or a cheaper amplifier which has power amp input sockets (meaning it can be operated effectively as a power amp).

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your taking the time to reply but I'm still no wiser with regard to the aforementioned situation.

 

[VoodooDoctor]

I think you need to state your budget more explicitly. My comments were meant to suggest you consider Emotiva as they do cheap 2 channel power amps that are UK ready, can be controlled with a 12V trigger, and are regarded as sounding much better than what you pay for them. My system is built up in the exact same way as yours with B grade and second hand kit with a few key bits bought new. I did extensive research around cheap power amps to get all the remaining extra channels and concluded that importing a 7 channel amp for £400 was the best bang for buck as there is very little out there at a reasonable price, as you are finding. In theory, with a power amp you are paying only for the amplification whereas with an integrated you are paying for all the extras to allow multiple inputs and volume control. If you only want two channels then maybe ebay for a cheap arcam power amp is an option.

The front heights carry extrapolated information so I would put the "lowest quality" amplification onto those. I suppose it will depend on whichever extra amp and experimentation to determine whether that is the cheap 2 channel or the internal Denon amps.

 

[BowserWilkens]

Thanks again for the feedback. You are right; I should have stated my budget restrictions in my first post. I'm ready to spend between 100 and 600 euros. Guess that's like 100 to 450 pounds. I'm still tempted by the pioneer a30. I will be buying stuff I don't need, as you mentioned, like inputs & remote control but the price (240euros) makes it attractive.(I wonder where I could find a list of integrated amps that have a power amp input...) I am a little unsure about using ebay to get kit, just seems too risky to me - pig in a poke - but maybe I'm just old fashioned. I have seen some POA amps from denon's archive on ebay which look ok but I'm still cautious.

I guess in the long run, I'll buy a decent amp for my front speakers - a big denon, nad or rotel - it's just my budget won't stretch that far at the moment - especially as I want to pick up a turntable & cd ripper in the nearer future.

So would you spend around 200pounds on a pioneer a30 to drive those B&W P6's (Fronts) for the time being and later invest in a beefier amp to replace it - and then consign the pioneer to surround back or front height duty?

I really appreciate your help.

 

[VoodooDoctor]

The Pioneer will be fine whichever speakers you decide to use it with. You may be short changing your front speakers by using a budget amplifier with them but it will be fine as a temporary solution. I would see whether you prefer the Pioneer's sound compared to the Denon's by swapping the speakers from one to the other. This will be more important for music via stereo sound as Audyssey will do a lot to balance the sound for home cinema.

Any particular reason why you want a cd ripper over a PC?

 

[macdiddy]

I brought a Onkyo TXNR818 a few months back on a special deal price and found myself also needing a extra stereo power amp to drive my front height speakers. After looking on various websites for a cheap stereo power amp, I was only finding decent amps at above the price I paid for my home cinema amp.

I then remembered a company called Project who are mainly well known for their low cost but great turntables and went to their website and found that they also did small electronics including power amps.

I searched around online and found that a leading online retailer is doing a Project Amp Box DS stereo power amp for £325 including free p&p.

I purchased one of these to power my two height speakers and have found it more than capable as with 100 wpc it has all the power I need.

I hope this information helps you.

 

[BowserWilkens]

Thanks for the help.

Now I'm vacillating between buying the pioneer and finding a second-hand rotel power amp....

As for getting a CD ripper.... I really am lazy & just want one box under my denon that can rip cds & store the files.

I've never been one to mix my computer with my hifi pursuits - just old fashioned I guess.

I nearly bought an Olive 3HD at a low price but then heard a few horror stories & changed my mind.

My budget doesn't reach very high (between 200 and 500 pounds) and I've noticed that the market for cheap cd rippers/hard drive components is very sparsely populated - just the low range Olive & the cocktail X10.

A solution, which would sound great through my denon with the ease of accessing all my collection on hard drive, has been rather hard to find.

I'm also wondering whether to ditch my old B&W ASW500 sub & go solo with the 675.

 

[BowserWilkens]

Thanks, the Project amp looks interesting but I'm thinking of using the next amp I buy to drive my main front speakers (easing the workload of the denon) B&W P6's.

I'm not sure it would be up to driving those.

 

[BowserWilkens]

Hello again,

I'm reviving this thread as my extra amp predicament still hasn't been resolved.

I currently have two stereo power amps under consideration: an Audiolab 8000s for 300 euros & a T&A 1220 for 650 euros.

They're both well reviewed; any thoughts on which would be best value?

I intend to use one of them to drive my B&W P6 front loudspeakers via my Denon 4311 AV receiver's pre-outs. I'm looking to achieve better stereo sound quality & to ease the load on my Denon when watching movies using all eleven speakers of my set-up.

The T&A is clearly more powerful but I'm just not sure whether the twofold price would be justified by the improvement in sound quality.

I'm going to add a DAC later (probably an irDac or NAD) to further improve the stereo SQ but I want to sort out the amplification first.

So...... any thoughts?

 

[macdiddy]

Hi BowserWilkens :wave:

Just thought I would let you know that since I replied to the first time you posted your question, I have added two new Pro-Ject Amp Box DS Mono power amps to replace the internal front left and right channels of my Onyko 818.

These are driving a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze BX6 speakers and with each amp rated at up to 190w, they have no trouble providing a great sound whether listening to music or watching a film.

Sorry to keep on about the Pro-Ject amps but I think for the money ( £325 each ), I think they provide a cost effective upgrade.

Hope this helps.

:bounce:

 

[BowserWilkens]

Thanks for the input - the Project amps leave me a little cold but thanks again.

My immediate choice is between the Audiolab 8000s for 300 euros & the T&A 1220 for 650 euros.......

Which would any of you guys recommend to drive my B&W P6's via the pre-outs on my Denon 4311?

They're both a bargain at their respective price but I need some feedback on these two models.

The T&A is a dedicated power amp while the Audiolab is an integrated amp fitted with power-amp inputs.