Please review amp upgrade options

[htsteve]

Its spring and upgraditis is once again in bloom. I have Nautilus N804s, HTM1
and dipole SCM8s as surrounds. They are powered by a Rotel 1068/1095 combo. I want to add 2 more channels for a second zone as well as upgrade the performance of the front three. Below are some options I’ve come up with. I have a medium sized room. I use the system primarily for HT.

Option A
Purchase Rotel RMB-1075
Bi-amp 804s with 4 channels of 1095
Use 1 channel of 1095 for LF on HTM1. Bi-amp HTM1 with 1 channel of 1075
2 channels 1075 for rears
2 channels 1075 for Zone 2

Option B
Purchase Rotel RB-1080 and use on 804’s
Use 1 channel of 1095 for HTM1.
2 channels 1095 for rears
2 channels 1095 for Zone 2

Option C
Purchased TBD 2 channel use on 804’s
Use 1 channel of 1095 for HTM1.
2 channels 1095 for rears
2 channels 1095 for Zone 2
Option C is here for advice on other amps.

Questions:
• Will bi-amping an HTM1 give good improvement?
• Is the way described above the right way to bi-amp an HTM1


Looking forward to feedback and input.

[Christian M]

You could look into anthem amps. I've had the opportunity to listen to a mca-5 (180watts/5) and it is quite impressive. The Rotels are very nice as well. Tough call but take a listen to the anthem's if you can

[whoaru99]

Can you be more specific about the "upgrade the performance" of the front three?

If it is louder you want, you will have to increase your power a BUNCH to make a truly significant difference in sheer volume. For instance, if you double your watts, the volume increase is roughly 3db. Most people would notice a difference in volume on a 3 db change, but it is far from being perceived as twice as loud. It would be more on the order of a little louder. To have the sound twice as loud is roughly a 10db increase which requires 10 times the power. With the multiple speakers of HT, this is not an exact relationship, but it is approximately the outcome.

If it is "better" sound, what ever that means to you, perhaps a different brand of amplifier is in order. Don't get me wrong, Rotel is a fine brand, but some speakers seem to match better with some amplifiers than others. On the other hand, there is a fairly large group of the opinion that all decent quality solid-state amps sound pretty much the same if operated within their range of competency.

Myself, I would tend to keep the front three operating on as similar amps as possible, exactly the same make/model IMO, for the most uniform front soundstage. For the surrounds, timbre matching is important, but probably not quite as important as the front three.

I tried vertical bi-amping with my old Yamaha amps and Definitive Tech BP30's for about a week. The differences were not enough for me to leave it in that configuration and cough up more $$ for more amps.

[spiffnme]

Have you considered an amp from Odyssey?

[eddiem67]

Option D

2 channel of your choice for mains, Parasound, Bryston, Krell.
Cinenova Grande 5 to run center, and rears, your 804's will make love to you!

[gd]

I tend to consider different speakers when looking to 'upgrade the performance'... i.e., I think you're well amplified as is... add an RB-1080 for the fronts and call it a day.

You can experiment, I guess, but bi-amping is generally not recommended unless you're willing to place active crossovers in the line... which means bypassing the x-overs in the speakers.

So, if you're really content with your speakers, and you're really intent on installing an amp that will make a marked difference, and don't mind spending more money... while it's still available, the Simaudio Moon Titan multichannel amp is worth a look... it's big, heavy, pricy... and it sounds glorious!... and the kicker for your particular situation is that the Titan is available in 3, 5 and 7 channel... I'm sure that 3-ch version would light up your L-C-R speakers to the point where you could forget about messy, speculative bi-amping.

Simaudio makes studendous amps... CD players too... Titan: http://www.simaudio.com/moontitan.htm

[htsteve]

Went with a 1080

Thanks for the input.

By 'upgrading the performance' I did not mean louder. I meant more defined bass, smoother mids and highs, even better soundstage, depth, etc.

I ended up buying an RB-1080 (Option B, good deal from dealer). So far, I have noticed the bass is more defined and tighter with the 1080. The mid's and highs are a bit smoother. Instruments are clearer to hear, particularly the percussion. This kicks up the sound tracks on DVD's.

I've been pleased with it.