Pre/Pro vs Receiver

[hallb76]

I need to upgrade my HTR to a setup that will handle a 4ohm load to accommodate the speakers I am building. I only need DDEX decoding for my satellite, everything else is decoded by my HTPC and sent via analog to my receiver. My current HTR does not have pre-amp outputs.

I would like to purchase a 7CH amp and some kind of cheap pre-amp because my PC shoulders most of the decoding load. I only want to spend $1000 with the intent of keeping the amp and upgrading the processor later on. As far as power goes I only need 75-100 watts @4ohms.

I have been looking at the outlaw 970/7075 combo or an emotiva LPA1 with a cheap HTR that has preamp outputs. Does anyone have an opinion on either of theses setups or a comparable alternative I can look into? Any info is greatly appreciated.

I almost forgot, unless I can save a couple hundred dollars I would aslo like to have dvi or hdmi pass through.

[bwinders]

I currently have an LPA-1 because of the hype. I have to say if you are interested in the separates route without shelling out hard-earned money I would go this way. You won't be dissappointed. On another note their new processors coming out in june/july are something to behold if they live up to what they say they can do: eq for all inputs, all new processing codecs for movies, hdmi inputs/outputs, and the list goes on and on. I think these guys stack up well against anybody.

[Deane Johnson]

I've been looking at the Emotiva stuff since Sonnie called my attention to it. It is impressive for the money.

http://www.emotiva.com/products.html
http://emotivalounge.proboards54.com/index.cgi

One possible approach that might fit your criteria would be a new Emotiva amp and some sort of used pre-amp since you indicate not needing the latest decoding (due to your computer), and also want to upgrade the pre-amp later on. I would think with the new audio formats and HDMI 1.3, there might be a number of used pre-amps come on the market.

[hallb76]

Thanks for the opinions on the emotiva. I have heard a lot of good things about them but for some reason I haven't heard many consumer opinions of the outlaw amp. The emotiva seems like overkill for the little speakers I'm going to connect to it. I haven't found a suitable used preamp but I did find a Marantz SR4001 refurb that has pre-outs for $320shipped to go along with the emotiva.

For some reason I left out the second part of my original post. Would I be better off getting something like the Onkyo 805 that will drive a 4 ohm load instead of the seperates? I hesitate to spend on an AVR because I don't think it will sound any better than my soundcard. The card has a strong 24/192 DAC and I also replaced the opamp with the national 4562 opamp. It sounds far better than my onkyo txsr504or my old denon avr2800. If I'm going to spend I'd rather some of the cost go toward a more long term solution. The only drawback to the card is that Power DVD down samples HD audio from 24/96 to 16/48.

[tonyvdb]

hallb76 wrote:

For some reason I left out the second part of my original post. Would I be better off getting something like the Onkyo 805 that will drive a 4 ohm load instead of the seperates? I hesitate to spend on an AVR because I don't think it will sound any better than my soundcard. The card has a strong 24/192 DAC and I also replaced the opamp with the national 4562 opamp.

The Onkyo 805 offers a ton of features including the best BurrBrown DACs available that are considered to be very high quality. I doubt that your sound card will do as good a job. The amplification section uses a Push Pull design and has a huge power supply plus all the newest uncompressed audio formats.
I was very surprised as to the quality difference that there was between my older Yamaha RX V995 and the Onkyo 805 it was night and day and considering the Yamaha was there second from the top of the line when I bought it that was surprising.

[hallb76]

Tony,

Thanks for the input on the 805. Have you noticed any heat issues wiht the 805. In my research I have come across claims of heat issues. I'm a little concerned about it because my room is 11x10x8 and my lcd and pc already give off alot of heat.

[tonyvdb]

The area that gives off most of the heat is located on the back right of the unit. I placed a clear PC fan on that spot just resting loosely on the cover. However even without the fan it doesnt give off any more heat than other receivers in its class. The main thing is to give it space to breath (keep it out of a rack if possible).