HT amp upgrade

[fuwen 0]

I am using a NAD 320BEE 80W 2 channel amp on my HT system. Just wondering if I were to get a dedicated HT amp (thinking of NAD or Marantz) what price and power should I get in order to get equal or better 2 channel performance as the 320BEE?

 

One of my friends told me the HT amp power are spec differently in rms, so my NAD 80W is bigger than a HT 80W is that true?

[Mackie 0]

Home theater receivers (amps+tuner) are so cheap and yet armed with the latest technology is certainly a worthy investment to replace your 2-channel amps. I highly recommend Yamaha amongst other makes such as Marantz, Denon, Onkyo etc for strictly home theater usuage as they kick ass in terms of dynamics and also the surround sound effects. Afterall, Yamaha is the pioneer and still a leader in designing chips for this task. However, if U wish your new ht amp to take on music too, U can opt for the Marantz models for they exhibit a warmer sound than Yamaha.

 

What about cost? Let's just say U can get a 6.1 channel AV amp for as little as $500+. Best place to audition and check out what're the options available is KEC, Adelphi.

 

There are usually two units to power output of an amp ie. RMS (root mean square which denotes continuous power) and PMPO (peak music power output which denotes instantenous). Therefore it's self explainatory that the latter merely tries to hide its much lower RMS rating by addressing a high PMPO number albeit only split seconds. U will find the PMPO rating very commonly advertised on boom box and mini compo.

 

http://www.yamahamusic.com.au/products/p_a...meTheatreAV.asp

Edited January 17, 2005 by Mackie

[fuwen 0]

Thanks very much Mackie. The reason I asked is because from the price point of view hard to believe a 5 channels 80W $500+ AV amp can do an equally good job against a $400 320 BEE. I will check them out as advised.

[Mackie 0]

The criteria for home theater amps is different from amps meant for music. The former must perform with lots of oomph and dynamics to make the movie experience exciting. Having too warm or slow sound for movies will put U to sleep even during the battle scenes of LOTR.

 

Aside from power output, the key factor to consider is the surround performance. For instance, once U've tried a 6.1 setup, U'll never go back to the basic 5.1. Once U've heard DTS, U'll be hooked and willing to pay more for DTS encoded discs than sticking to DD.

[kahchun 0]

i used to be using 2 channel setup for home theater. But later bought a Marantz SR4400, must admit that it cannot subsitute my stereo setup for stereo performance. But for movies viewing it's much more enjoying to have all the DTS, Dolby digital effects etc.

 

Even an entry level(<$500) models like, Yamaha 450, Marantz 4500, Denon 1605 will do the job well. But you might want to consider a seperate spk system all together as it's more convenient. For your info, normally Yamaha and Denon is more powerful, Marantz however provide room for expansion as it comes with preouts and pre ins so you add poweramps later for more power. I refering to the entry models though, higher end models will all have preins and preouts regardless or brands.

 

For spks you can try the sats and subs combinations from Energy, Kef or Morduct Shot. Pop by at KEC to try it out. I'm going later, maybe you can see me there later if you are going. hahaha

[fuwen 0]

Nobody mentioned NAD. Is it that they are not so good in the area of HT?

[av98m 0]

I'd like to hear more about NAD too. I'll likely be getting a new dvd player and receiver (reusing my old pioneer speakers) soon, and i CANNOT stand silver and champagne gold colored equipment.

[Mackie 0]

Call it a sweeping statement or public opinion..............NAD is not a favoured choice. In HT systems, go with companies that have either been in this game for a long time or spent much investment in R&D of surround sound technology. For instance, Pioneer has a solid foundation and reputation in LD and now DVD players whilest Yamaha's in surround sound. Pioneer, Marantz and Denon latered enter the foray and especially Pioneer who produced the first AV amp with auto-level adjustment via transmission/reception of pink noise after having measured the room acoustics. As yet, NAD simply borrows technology from the major players and duly lags behind. It's elementary, Yamaha will never release their latest sound chips to competitors while other major names would not supply latest technology to minor players such as NAD until it's already matured and the major players are poised to make the next upgrade.

 

Hence, U can see the selection of HT systems is very different from stereo systems as technology rules. In return, depreciation akin to PC market is common. Case in example: A few year ago, only Yamaha high end AV amps costing more than $2K offered 6.1/7.0 channels. Currently the lowest model costing $500 already sports this feature.

[av98m 0]

Oh dear...thats not good. Looks like I'll have to postpone it for the short term then. I REALLY CANNOT stand silver and champagne gold colored amps and players. Even looking at one makes my blood boil.

[Mackie 0]

There's a solution to your problem. Buy a Rotel multi-channel power amp (black) and a dvdp that has onboard decoders eg. Philips Q50, Panasonic RP82 (older models but highly reviewed). As such, U can connect each channel output from dvdp to the Rotel amp.

 

The cons are:

 

1. Limited to direct DTS and DD surround sound and not the various cinema genre modes that AV amps offer (actually no loss to purist HT owners).

 

2. Parameters for adjustment of time delay etc will be limited.

 

3. Extra cost of interconnects (7 cables in all for 6.1). With an AV amp, U'll need only 2 pieces; one from dvdp to amp and the other from amp to subwoofer.

Edited January 19, 2005 by Mackie

[fuwen 0]

Mackie, does it works? I ever consider this option but most DVDP have no volumn control and the power amp has also no volumn control. AV receiver may be a solution but seems not common and if available seems expensive.

[av98m 0]

Hmm...thanks for the info Mackie. Actually I only intend to set up 3 speakers. Left, right, centre channel. My room is pretty small and cramped. And setting it up in the living room will mean I'll never be able to play it as loud as I want because of my parents.

[Mackie 0]

Mackie, does it works? I ever consider this option but most DVDP have no volumn control and the power amp has also no volumn control. AV receiver may be a solution but seems not common and if available seems expensive.

 

Check out the Rotel site on muti-channel amps. Apparently, input level control for each channel is available and maybe there's a master level control too.

 

http://www.rotel.com/products/distribution-amplifiers.html

 

However, I still think an AV amp is the way to go. Not only is it neater, it makes home movies so much more rewarding. U can pick up some darn good deal from the extremeplace crowd as the bunch there are hardcore upgraders. Let me know of your budget and I'll keep my eye open for U.

Edited January 20, 2005 by Mackie

[Mackie 0]

Hmm...thanks for the info Mackie. Actually I only intend to set up 3 speakers. Left, right, centre channel. My room is pretty small and cramped. And setting it up in the living room will mean I'll never be able to play it as loud as I want because of my parents.

Why don't U consider satellite speakers system? Small enough for any room size.

Edited January 20, 2005 by Mackie

[fuwen 0]

Thanks Mackie! I do not have an urgent need to upgrade for the time being.

 

However, want to try my luck on non-japanese AV amp again, is Harmon Kardon anything worth considering? BTW I think they are black