HT Noob looking for some advice on AMP/PREamp

[its_bacon12]

Hey guys I am literally just getting into this stuff.. but so far I think I'm making good progress.

For my room I am going to make a pair of Ministatements, possibly with a center channel if budget allows.

Now, I'm looking for a 2 channel amp to run them and a pre-amp before that. I was wondering what some quality *budget* brands are. I'm a college student so I don't have wads of cash to throw around like some do, but I still want to sound as good as I can.

I really like the reviews I've read of Rotel amps/preamps but I have yet to find one within my real price range. For the speakers, amp and pre-amp I'd like to keep it under $500 or so - but there is wiggle room for more.

Thank you in advance for anyone who contributes!!

[H.T.C]

Hey guys I am literally just getting into this stuff.. but so far I think I'm making good progress.

For my room I am going to make a pair of Ministatements, possibly with a center channel if budget allows.

Now, I'm looking for a 2 channel amp to run them and a pre-amp before that. I was wondering what some quality *budget* brands are. I'm a college student so I don't have wads of cash to throw around like some do, but I still want to sound as good as I can.

I really like the reviews I've read of Rotel amps/preamps but I have yet to find one within my real price range. For the speakers, amp and pre-amp I'd like to keep it under $1,000 or so - but there is some wiggle room for more.

Thank you in advance for anyone who contributes!!

If you thought in a pre-amp/amplifier or intergrate way there is marantz/denon/nad/cambridge audio to chose from.

[its_bacon12]

If you thought in a pre-amp/amplifier or intergrate way there is marantz/denon/nad/cambridge audio to chose from.

I'd rather go preamp/amp than buy a receiver with a ton of features I'm not going to be using..

[littlesaint]

I'd rather go preamp/amp than buy a receiver with a ton of features I'm not going to be using..

Integrated amp does not mean receiver. An integrated amp is simply a combination of a stereo pre-amp and power amp. Have a look at the NAD C372 as an example.

http://nadelectronics.com/products/hifi-amplifiers/C372-Stereo-Integrated-Amplifier

You can find NAD integrated amps on the used market (eBay or Audiogon) for a decent price. They are very well built.

[its_bacon12]

Awesome, thank you!

[its_bacon12]

Would I be ok using a 4 ohm load on this receiver?

http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=TX-SR605&class=Receiver&p=s

[Chris D]

WAY off topic, but does your username come from the commerical for "Beggin Strips"? That's still my all-time favorite TV commercial...

"IT'S BACON!"

[its_bacon12]

WAY off topic, but does your username come from the commerical for "Beggin Strips"? That's still my all-time favorite TV commercial...

"IT'S BACON!"

haha yes, yes it does indeed. and 12 was my favorite number so it kinda stuck.

[Chris D]

:rofl: That's awesome. I LOVE that commercial. Hyper dog, running around...
"bacon, bacon, bacon.... I smell bacon!"
"What's that say?!? I CAN'T READ!!!!!!!!!"
"Num num num num num...... IT'S BACON!!!!!"

Actually, somebody has to have saved that on You Tube by now. I'll go search.

[Chris D]

Ah, found a few versions of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvxgM3lr-mg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPmVENYCJ2o&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug_iluxQ1IQ&feature=related

[David Meek]

Wow. Talk about going OT. :B

Receivers and 4 ohm loads don't necessarily play well together although they can work under the right circumstances, ie. strong enough amps in the receiver and speakers that dip occasionally down to 4 ohms but don't present a regular 4 ohm load. Also, don't play too loud, too long - things like that. For example, I'm driving a pair of Aerial Acoustics 7Bs with a Yamaha RX-V1, so it can happen.

What's the sensitivity rating on the speakers you're building?

[its_bacon12]

http://www.geocities.com/cc00541/MiniStatementsPlots.GIF

sensitivity looks about ~83 dB and impedance dips below 5 ohms for quite a bit of the FR. I think it's a safe bet I'd be better off with a pre/pro and amp or integrated

[littlesaint]

http://www.geocities.com/cc00541/Min...mentsPlots.GIF

sensitivity looks about ~83 dB and impedance dips below 5 ohms for quite a bit of the FR. I think it's a safe bet I'd be better off with a pre/pro and amp or integrated

Probably. I demoed the Onkyo 605 and didn't really care for it. Onkyo really doesn't have what I would call a full-featured, well-built AVR lower than then 805 model.

I've used Yamaha AVRs with 4ohm speakers without any problems, but I don't try to make my ears bleed either. H&K also builds very solid amps into their AVRs.

I still recommend seperates if possible. It's much more flexible. A good amp should last several years. I have a 2Ch NAD amp that is going on 16 years old. The processor can be swapped out over time as new features come out. You can even use a cheaper AVR to get your bells and whistles and use a seperate amp for better power. I'm doing this now with a Yamaha v661 and an Emotiva LPA-1 amp while I wait for Emotivas new pre/pro.

Integrated would be good for a stereo setup, but if you add more channels or move to HT, it can be hard to integrate it (pun intended ).

[its_bacon12]

Got ya. Thank you for the advice and help everyone.

So theres this guy over at audioholics that soon will be selling a Denon POA-8300.. i know his price is going to be pretty high because the resale value on them is pretty high, but how are these amps if anyone has heard about them or had them?

[its_bacon12]

OK, so I've decided on the following:

Amp: Denon POA-8300, found a deal for $450+shipping
Pre: Yamaha RX-V661, New for ~$300
Speakers: Ministatements ~$600 for pair and ~$300 for Center
Subwoofer: DIY Mach5 MAW-10 Subwoofer in Ported box (70w plate amp built in), ~$160

Total is about $1,800