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Thread: Need advice on home audio setup

  1. #21
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    I wasn't familiar with those speakers and looked them up...damn that are some huge vintage speakers! Here are the specs I pulled up:

    Specs: 8 Ohm, 89dB/w/m, 20-250W, 35-27KHz

    There are a lot of options for a 2.0 system and are completely budget dependent. Personally I'd keep an eye on Canuck Audio Mart for your setup. If new: http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/...roducts/xpa200
    Ultracrepidarian

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    Yeah they are super old and heavy as shit but they sound better than the newer JBL speakers.

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    thanks for all the great advice/info

    ill keep my eyes peeled for great avr/pre-amps

    in the mean time with my 100 watt/ch yamaha receivers, will it be a concern that I might damage the speakers because its under powered?
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    Hedo WG 80 is this a good amp for $600?

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    Originally posted by G
    Hedo WG 80 is this a good amp for $600?
    Look at audiolab,
    https://www.planetofsoundonline.com/...ower-Amplifier

    I believe Loyalty sound sells them in town.

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    btw any good place in calgary besides k&w audio that carries high end yamaha's?
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    Have you tried your current RXV1000? Is it not good enough? I have an old RXV1300 and the amp in it is way better than my new $1500 Pioneer receiver. I think the older stuff was a little more heavy duty. Newer receivers, for the most part, are junk.

    How loud do you plan on listening to music? You have to go pretty damn loud with a speaker like that to need the extra power.

    I'm not trying to dissuade you from upgrading, but I think you might not get the performance/$ that you're expecting.

    (BTW, I've tried a bunch of stuff including receivers, separates, and a handful of integrated amps. Can provide more opinion later if you wish.)

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    More power is always better, especially at lower volumes to get the best out of your speakers. More power to the people
    Ultracrepidarian

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    Originally posted by Loose
    Have you tried your current RXV1000? Is it not good enough? I have an old RXV1300 and the amp in it is way better than my new $1500 Pioneer receiver. I think the older stuff was a little more heavy duty. Newer receivers, for the most part, are junk.

    How loud do you plan on listening to music? You have to go pretty damn loud with a speaker like that to need the extra power.

    I'm not trying to dissuade you from upgrading, but I think you might not get the performance/$ that you're expecting.

    (BTW, I've tried a bunch of stuff including receivers, separates, and a handful of integrated amps. Can provide more opinion later if you wish.)
    ya more opinion is always welcomed. so far I went from a polk t600 to the polk rtia9 with the same receiver rxv1000 and I can hear absolutely the difference and things I have never was able to hear on the t600. So does this mean im fine with the yamaha?

    yet I read countless pages/thread/discussion, everyone seems to agree $1000 avr < $2500 avr < pre + amp

    all I come to understand is that more power = lesser likelihood to clip and damage my speakers.

    im leaning towards picking up a used receiver that has 130-140 wtt/ch.

    im also watching closely if there are any affordable emotiva amps like the xpa-100 be sold on the used market.
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  10. #30
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    I think you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Like I said earlier, I replaced my old Yamaha (similar to yours) with a higher spec receiver and the amp is a downgrade. Sure it has better features and tech but it's poorer quality. Seriously, some of the older stuff was just made better.

    Know that power specs, when it comes to receivers is a bunch of bs. If they're rated at 130 they might only bench 55. And know that power works on logarithmic scale. So going from 100 watts to 130 watts will only make a difference of a db or two. And to play something twice as loud you need ten times the power.

    Btw, I used to have an emotive xpa2. It had oodles of power and sounded ok, not great. If you find one used, give it a shot. If you don't think it's a significant step up you can always resell.

    One of my favourite amps was a 50x2 rotel integrated that I sold for $450. It was way better than any of my receivers or my Emotiva setup. All I'm trying to say is that's if you want good sound, buy something of good quality and don't focus too much on specs.

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    Some speakers and amps just have better synergy as well.

    I've personally never used Emotiva, just heard a lot of good things and when power is needed it's a great bang for the buck. I also don't have any experience with older receivers but what Loose is saying makes sense.

    Honestly I think if you're wanting to hear a substantial difference by switching amps, it isn't going to be cheap. Otherwise I think you're honestly wasting your money. Hifi is not a cheap hobby by any means, and definitely has diminishing returns as you get higher up (as Loose mentioned as well!).

    I'd be willing to demo either of my amps for you if you want. The issue with trying new gear is that it's usually better, and you want it. If you never listened, you'd never know and not bother spending the money. Sometimes ignorance is bliss
    Last edited by msommers; 01-02-2014 at 09:02 AM.
    Ultracrepidarian

  12. #32
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    I absolutely guarantee nobody would be able to reliably (at all) tell the difference between Emotiva, Grant, or a crazy high end amp and probably not even a good receiver. Many "audiophiles" can't even tell the difference between a coat hanger and real speaker wire, I wouldn't get too caught up in that side of things. Speakers are the most important, and so is your budget. I like good HT stuff as much as the next guy but I can't think of many things that have a lower point of diminishing returns.

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    Coat hangers are great for speaker wire, just have to make sure to solder them together for the long runs.
    -U

  14. #34
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    I've run about 10 amps on my system and believe I can tell a difference. Especially with the tube amps. Solid state are much closer, like 95% the same at lower volumes.

    Op, you should take up msommers offer to demo his stuff with you. If you really want more power maybe buy a new emo xpa-200. It will have much more power than your yammy with minimal investment.

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    There is a lot of of money to be made if anyone truly believes they could tell a difference in a double blind test between something like Emotiva and an "ultra-high end" amp (same with speaker wire). There has been several 1 million dollar challenges that nobody has ever accepted, as well as independent studies that showed no audiophiles could reliably tell any difference at all as soon as they couldn't see what they were listening to.

    IMO the "average joe" will not tell the difference or see the value in moving from a quality receiver to separates. For those of us who are enthusiasts, brands like Emotiva are perfect, since they give top-notch power at prices most people can handle.

    I'd bet most people wouldn't even put a very modest amount of money on the line for such a challenge.

  16. #36
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    That's why my first question to the op was if he was happy with his current set up. My similar vintage rxv amp is quite stout. I like it a lot.

    When I ran my emo xpa2 off it the bass was a bit more solid and it could play louder, but the average joe wouldn't really notice a difference at normal volumes.

  17. #37
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    Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
    There is a lot of of money to be made if anyone truly believes they could tell a difference in a double blind test between something like Emotiva and an &quot;ultra-high end&quot; amp (same with speaker wire). There has been several 1 million dollar challenges that nobody has ever accepted, as well as independent studies that showed no audiophiles could reliably tell any difference at all as soon as they couldn't see what they were listening to.

    IMO the &quot;average joe&quot; will not tell the difference or see the value in moving from a quality receiver to separates. For those of us who are enthusiasts, brands like Emotiva are perfect, since they give top-notch power at prices most people can handle.

    I'd bet most people wouldn't even put a very modest amount of money on the line for such a challenge.
    Emotiva rocks... I don't like their pre-amp, but their XPR power amps are the bomb.

    Chinese made products are everywhere these days, and the Emotiva's design and massive tordial transformer gives amazing amount of control and grip for any speaker.

    That being said, you have an RTI9. They are a "good" home theatre speaker, and you need a "good" home theatre reciever.

    I have heard them in the past, and they are fine for movies, and non-critical listening.

    They aren't effecient nor are they un-effeicient, but they also do not have characteristics that require incredible amplifciation, sources, or cables to achieve their optimum sound.

    So... that means: Decent gauge OFC cable, a Decent reciever from Denon, Marantz, or NAD is pretty much sufficient.

    I'm not a fan of the Yamaha sound at all... but the above is reasonably priced, without going into high end Rotel, Arcam or Lexicon stuff.

    100wpc of class A/B is PLENTY, espeically if you are using a subwoofer and x-overing at 80hz the way most people are these days.

    A true 100 watt class A/B amp at 8 ohms from a amplifier that can manage impedance swings properly can pretty much drive most speakers. i.e. Moon i-5.
    The issue is, all amps are subjectively rated, and should be rated not for "max" power, but rather power without distortion aggrigaged against its average on all frequencies. (i.e. 5hz to 20khz)

  18. #38
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    Can you biamp that RXV1000? That would give a little more juice if you're just running the 2 channels. And are you running a sub?
    Last edited by Mitsu3000gt; 01-02-2014 at 01:01 PM.

  19. #39
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    Personally I think there is a big difference in sound between a tube and SS amp. I noticed this a long time ago when I was playing guitar a lot more regularly and why I ended up with a Mesa Boogie (tube) vs. say a Marshall (SS). There is a much more enjoyable warmth to music with tubes than with SS, imo.

    For a home theatre setup, I think SS is the way to go but I honestly don't have much experience at all with them.
    Ultracrepidarian

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    Originally posted by SilverRex
    thanks for all the great advice/info

    ill keep my eyes peeled for great avr/pre-amps

    in the mean time with my 100 watt/ch yamaha receivers, will it be a concern that I might damage the speakers because its under powered?
    Exactly how loud are you listening to? 100 watts is a ton of power; only needed when you're blasting music unbearably loud but I suppose these days, it's more about movies and loud transients.

    I am driving my mains off a 18 WPC tube amp, which is way more than adequate for music but HT does have bigger requirements. Your amp will almost never hit that high; most of the time you're probably feeding your speakers only a few watts.

    Your amp is hardly underpowered. Don't worry about it. And don't bother looking at another AVR if you want to upgrade. It's already been mentioned - get a good multi channel power amp.
    You have a couple of photos that are great... you must be very good at photoshop!

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