Rotel amp for Sony STR-DE945

[audiofan]

Hi,
I have an old Sony STR-DE945 (110W x 5). I'm looking into buying a Rotel amp for it . which amp do you suggest? I use it for only music (90%) and movie (10%). Do I need concern the wattage balance between sony and rotel amp?
thanks a lot.

[aud19]

Are you looking to purchase a 2-channel amp for improved stereo or a 5-channel amp for improved HT? Does your Sony have the appropriate pre-outs?What's your budget? Do you plan to upgrade the Sony any time soon with a new pre/pro?

Jason

[Kevin P]

Any amp will make your system sound much better than the Sony alone. Which amp, depends on your budget, how much power you need, and whether you want an amp for the 2 main speakers or for all 5.

Even though your Sony DE series claims to put out 110 watts per channel, this isn't exactly true. Maybe 110 watts, one channel, at 1 KHz. With 5 channels, over the entire 20-20K range, you're probably not getting much more than 30-40 clean watts per channel. Even a lower-powered external amp (say, one with 80 clean watts per channel) will play louder and clearer than the Sony's "110 watts". So you don't necessarily need a mega-powered amp to see an improvement.

[audiofan]

I plan to use it for 2-channel stereo only since my sony has a pre-out (for 2 channel only). Does 5-channel amp sound better than 2-channel amp? I can spend under $1,000.
I probably keep sony for a while since I think the sound improvement will be taken care by rotel amp already? Does it make any diff. if i upgrade Sony to a pre/pro?
thanks.

[aud19]

Each step up the ladder in quality will increase the sound quality. It's up to the individual to decide how much that improvement is and is worth. Your best bet is to go and listen.

As for your current situation a 2-channel amp will actually usually offer better performance (depending on the amps design) as the power supply etc only has 2 channels to worry about. In your case, I might suggest a nice used 2-channel amp off of ebay or audiogon. That way you won't be investing too much money on something your just stepping into and used amps represent a good value. Besides you mentioned your Sony only has preouts for 2 channel anyways so a 5 or 7 channel amp would be a waste at this point.

You would likely notice an improvement in sound by upgrading to a seperate pre/pro as the amplifier and processing can't interfere with eachother being in seperate components and again they have their own power supply etc all of which adds up to better performance. Beisdes most quality seperates tend to use better parts than mass market receivers anyways. However at this point with a budget of $1000 you can really only afford a good new amp (or really good used) and interconnects. A good pre/pro, even used, will cost you at least that much again.

I'm going to also move this thread to the appropriate HT area as it's not specifically Rotel related especially considering there are many quality 2 channel amps from other companies out there, especially used.

Jason

[audiofan]

Thank you all for taking time to answer my questions.

[JonMarsh]

Take a walk on the used side, and visit Audiogon. There are a lot of offereings in used amplifiers in many price ranges, and of course it changes week to week. I found a pair of Palladiums, as well as an Argon 8002 and 8008X3 that way.

Best regards,

Jon

[aud19]

I almost forgot.... For your interconnects, check out the link at the bottom of the page for Cat Cables. Good gear, good prices, good service :T

Jason