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Should you just buy the cheapest receiver with pre outs and buy a good quality amp such as the emotive xpa-5 to use with it or does higher quality receiver still gives you better sound even you only using it as pre/pro?
Does the receiver still affect the sound if you use an external amp?
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Amps don't do anything for your sound quality, so long as they are powerful enough to meet your requirements without clipping.
The receiver will have some impact on your sound quality, but not from the amplifier portion. Your speakers and the room acoustics matter far more for SQ than any of the electronics.
The receiver will have some impact on your sound quality, but not from the amplifier portion. Your speakers and the room acoustics matter far more for SQ than any of the electronics.
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722 Posts
That is correct, although you'd be amazed by how difficult it can be to get that basic point across sometimes.
Or, on the other hand, maybe you wouldn't be amazed at all.
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That is correct, although you'd be amazed by how difficult it can be to get that basic point across sometimes.
Or, on the other hand, maybe you wouldn't be amazed at all.
I was thinking the same question.
Trying to way up getting a 1k receiver or a 2k receiver and then an dedicated amp.
So then you are still better off buying a receiver regardless of power (because one would be getting or upgarding the amp section) but buying it on features / inputs and the overal sound that it generates?
I can hear a distinct difference in the "sound" from say Denon, Yamaha and Onkyo. But as the OP asks and maybe hinting towards is the sound that one may like more then the other avr being "coloured" by the avr's internals OR its internal amp?
So if you really like the sound of the Yamaha adding an amp to the preouts you will get the yamaha sound? Or it will change because your using a different amp.
Cheers,
Matt
Trying to way up getting a 1k receiver or a 2k receiver and then an dedicated amp.
So then you are still better off buying a receiver regardless of power (because one would be getting or upgarding the amp section) but buying it on features / inputs and the overal sound that it generates?
I can hear a distinct difference in the "sound" from say Denon, Yamaha and Onkyo. But as the OP asks and maybe hinting towards is the sound that one may like more then the other avr being "coloured" by the avr's internals OR its internal amp?
So if you really like the sound of the Yamaha adding an amp to the preouts you will get the yamaha sound? Or it will change because your using a different amp.
Cheers,
Matt
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2,135 Posts
If your receiver has a "sound" that you like, it should be unchanged by adding an external amplifier. Likewise, no amp will fix the sound being produced by your receiver if you don't like it, unless you happen to be getting clipping and distortion by pushing the internal amps to hard.
I have tried Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo AVRs and I did not hear distinct difference. It is all in ones mind
I have also tried dedicated CD player like Cambridge Azur 640C V2 and DAC like Cambridge DacMAgic and no distinct difference at all. It is never jaw dropping, night and day difference. If at all there is very subtle difference and even that is hard to perceive after you have tried a couple of times. You will hear a difference if you want to
I have tried Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo AVRs and I did not hear distinct difference. It is all in ones mind
I have also tried dedicated CD player like Cambridge Azur 640C V2 and DAC like Cambridge DacMAgic and no distinct difference at all. It is never jaw dropping, night and day difference. If at all there is very subtle difference and even that is hard to perceive after you have tried a couple of times. You will hear a difference if you want to
All components intalled in a system have some effect in the overall sound quality. The receiver should not be the cheapest you can find nor should any other component of the system, including cables, energy and acoustic treatments.
The overall quality of your system will be perceived from the balanced choice of components and their interaction.
If you buy a US$50,00 DVD player at a Supermarket and hi-end gear for the rest of the setup you weak link in the chain will obviously be that DVD player which will throw off the overall quality of your system.
The key is balance and careful choice of components with correct implementation within your entertainment evironment.
Hope I could help
All the best,
All components intalled in a system have some effect in the overall sound quality. The receiver should not be the cheapest you can find nor should any other component of the system, including cables, energy and acoustic treatments.
The overall quality of your system will be perceived from the balanced choice of components and their interaction.
If you buy a US$50,00 DVD player at a Supermarket and hi-end gear for the rest of the setup you weak link in the chain will obviously be that DVD player which will throw off the overall quality of your system.
The key is balance and careful choice of components with correct implementation within your entertainment evironment.
Hope I could help
All the best,
The higher end AVRs will have better EQ/room correction functions. If that is important to you don't get the cheapest AVR, go for something middle of the road. Or just get a higher end AVR in the first place, you may be able to forego the amplifier.
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BOTOH, most manufacturers don't put pre-outs on their cheapest AVR(s), so getting the "cheapest" that has them usually means you're getting a decent AVR in the first place.
The higher end AVRs will have better EQ/room correction functions. If that is important to you don't get the cheapest AVR, go for something middle of the road. Or just get a higher end AVR in the first place, you may be able to forego the amplifier.
BOTOH, most manufacturers don't put pre-outs on their cheapest AVR(s), so getting the "cheapest" that has them usually means you're getting a decent AVR in the first place.
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145 Posts
Thanks for the reply I recently added an emotiva xpa-3 amp to my yamaha rx-v1900 receiver and I was surprised at how much the sound had improved.
Now I want to change the Yamaha for the Onkyo TX-NR5007, looking at the specs it seems the processing section is the same as the PRO PR-SC5507P pre/pro but yet the 5007 can had for less than the PRO PR-SC5507P.
I am leaning towards the 5007 because the build in amp section seems to offer more flexibilities(multi zones and speaker A/B switching vs need to buy amps for those feature on the pro)
Now my question is would I get as good sound quality with the 5007+xpa-3(5007 powers surrounds) vs the PRO PR-SC5507P+xpa-5?
Now I want to change the Yamaha for the Onkyo TX-NR5007, looking at the specs it seems the processing section is the same as the PRO PR-SC5507P pre/pro but yet the 5007 can had for less than the PRO PR-SC5507P.
I am leaning towards the 5007 because the build in amp section seems to offer more flexibilities(multi zones and speaker A/B switching vs need to buy amps for those feature on the pro)
Now my question is would I get as good sound quality with the 5007+xpa-3(5007 powers surrounds) vs the PRO PR-SC5507P+xpa-5?
I am apparently a minority here.A cpl of years ago i had added a sunfire 200x2 amp to my previous rotel rsx1056.And to my ears it did change the SQ to the worst.I ended up returning the sunfire.Dont ask me now what the change was but it was enough where i did not like it.
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Everyone should watch this, its kinda long but will enlighten you as it did me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYTlN6wjcvQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYTlN6wjcvQ
Is it possible that this is due to your speakers and not so much the added amp? The 1900 may not have had enough umph to power the speakers you are using whereas the Emotiva is providing that power. I only say this because this is an expensive hobby and you can quickly get to the law of diminishing returns. You may notice another difference between the 1900 and the 5507 or 5007 and that may only be the difference between Audyssey and YPAO, and not the amps. I feel you would hear a difference between the 5007 and the 1900 with your XPA3 only, but that would be due to Audyssey moreso than getting an additional amp. If it were me (and its not) I would get 5007 and connect it up by itself and run Audyssey and see if you notice a difference. Then add the XPA3 to the mix, rerun Audyssey and see if that difference is still there. I don't think you will need more amps than you already have.
Is it possible that this is due to your speakers and not so much the added amp? The 1900 may not have had enough umph to power the speakers you are using whereas the Emotiva is providing that power. I only say this because this is an expensive hobby and you can quickly get to the law of diminishing returns. You may notice another difference between the 1900 and the 5507 or 5007 and that may only be the difference between Audyssey and YPAO, and not the amps. I feel you would hear a difference between the 5007 and the 1900 with your XPA3 only, but that would be due to Audyssey moreso than getting an additional amp. If it were me (and its not) I would get 5007 and connect it up by itself and run Audyssey and see if you notice a difference. Then add the XPA3 to the mix, rerun Audyssey and see if that difference is still there. I don't think you will need more amps than you already have.
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A silly and completly misguided assumption. Level match them, turn the eq off and run a few unsighted test. Then come back and tell us what you heard.
A silly and completly misguided assumption. Level match them, turn the eq off and run a few unsighted test. Then come back and tell us what you heard.
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