# Do I need an amplifier?



## JohnJSmith (Apr 25, 2010)

Ok, that's a dumb question. I don't need an amplifier. But do I *want* an amplifier?  I'm running AV123 X-Statik fronts, an X-Voce center, and PSB Imagine-S surrounds from a Denon AVR4311ci. I'm considering an Outlaw 7125. Will I notice a difference in sound quality, or will it just help heat my living room for the winter?


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## PenginTamer (Dec 19, 2011)

Hey John- I guess there have been a couple of things you are considering.. And the easy answer is, if money is no object then buy the Outlaw. It is not terribly expensive in comparison to the Denon receiver you have but in reality it depends what your ultimate goal is.

If you bought the X-Static and Voice because your room is too large and you are having trouble reaching your accoustic points then go ahead and buy the Outlaw.. Its a 7 channel with ~500 watt increase from the Danon you use now.

If you picked up the XStatic & Voice to stick in your small theatre room and were just looking for a more righteous sound, then you should have bought the Outlaw first to power them and a cheaper receiver with the same tuner capabilities as the Danon.

In my experience I usually sell the Danon as a solution to people who dont want to hassle of another piece of equipment and would rather be able to power, tune, balance, and manage every electronic piece in one room. I think the way you have it is perfect- the Danon puts out only 70 watt RMS per channel BUT its 9 channels worth! Try bridging your fronts to get the full sound from your Static & Voice- I dont think you will be disappointed.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

It is not necessary to buy a multi channel amp as the Denon will do just fine driving the sorround speakers but taking the mains off the Denon would be beneficial and reduce the load on the internal amps/Power supply.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
An outboard amplifier really might help greatly as AV123's are not the easiest speakers to drive. The Outlaw would be a solid decision. I am a huge fan of their 7500 Amplifier. The Emotiva XPA-2 would be a nice choice as well. And if you could add one XPA-1, you would really have a solid sounding Front Stage.
Cheers,
JJ


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## JohnJSmith (Apr 25, 2010)

PenginTamer said:


> If you bought the X-Static and Voice because your room is too large and you are having trouble reaching your accoustic points then go ahead and buy the Outlaw.. Its a 7 channel with ~500 watt increase from the Danon you use now.
> 
> If you picked up the XStatic & Voice to stick in your small theatre room and were just looking for a more righteous sound, then you should have bought the Outlaw first to power them and a cheaper receiver with the same tuner capabilities as the Danon.


My room actually recently got much smaller, so righteous sound is what I seek.  I have a long, narrow living room, and I rotated the whole rig 90 degrees from the long axis to the short. The distance from the front speakers to my listening position dropped from 14' down to 6', and I got a much wider angle between them. The stereo imaging is way better. I was able to drop the surrounds down to ear level as well (they were previously about 6' off the floor), and that's made a big improvement too. 



PenginTamer said:


> Try bridging your fronts to get the full sound from your Static & Voice- I dont think you will be disappointed.


With the Denon?? Or with the Outlaw? I couldn't find anything in the 4311 manual about bridging the fronts.


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## PenginTamer (Dec 19, 2011)

This sounds like a great set up to me. A couple obvious facts with the Denon- each of the nine channels is putting out about 50% of the power you need to optimally run one of your Statiks. I've done this before with other receivers and success is not garunteed- BUT each of the 2 sets of front speakers (L&R I& II) with receivers put out the same frequency.

Example: You buy a 2-channel system with total power enough to run one speaker. Instead of running the speaker off of one output (and under powering the component) -Simply bridge the the two channels to the one speaker and you now have enough power to push the envelope!!

So I guess my only concern with the Denon would be if the Left Front + Right Front 1 & 2 are putting out different sounds (most receivers produce the same sound in both front channels to increase the range of sound) But even if the Denon didn't- and with such a small room you would NEVER notice a quality difference anyway. Give bridging your L1&2 to one Statik and the R1&2 to the other a shot and I think you will be happy with the performance increase.

**Note: Goto Google and put in 'speaker bridging guide' and use a tutorial (as that will not be in the manual)
***Note: If you listen to your media loud (not loud by your guidelines but by the Denon's) you will start to drown out your surrounds because they are not as large of components OR receiving near as much juice.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

If you can afford it, Get the amplifier. You will never regret it.:clap: It only adds to your system in a positive way.:T


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

Amplifiers can reduce the load on a receiver and increase headroom from clipping. This can improve the lifespan of recievers.


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