# Single amp to power front 3 and an IB?



## Moonfly (Aug 1, 2008)

As a neat solution I am looking at a custom 5 channel power amp to power the front 3 speakers in my setup, and an IB which I will install. The amp would be a 5 x 300 watt power amp. This gives me 2 channels with which to power the IB with. 

Does anyone have any thoughts as to if they think this is a good idea or not. I dont have a lot of room for lots of amplifiers etc so from an aesthetic POV at least its a very attractive solution for me.


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## jinjuku (Mar 23, 2007)

You could check out the Carvin DCM 2400L. 4 channel amp rated at 300 at 8ohm / 500 at 4 ohm. You would have to ask Carvin about any fan noise and their return policy if you didn't like the amp.

**edit, the documentation leads me to believe they will run quiet under 4/8 ohm loads.


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## pxj (Jun 10, 2011)

Emotiva amps, good power and a good price.


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## Moonfly (Aug 1, 2008)

I'm looking at these, anyone got any experience with them?


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## jinjuku (Mar 23, 2007)

Their website leaves much to be desired. Myself personally would pass. Is there something I am missing?

The Carvin is ~$530 shipped for the amp I linked. Sorry but in this day and age to have a website that looks like it was created in 1996... No granular product detail, no pricing.


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## Moonfly (Aug 1, 2008)

Sorry I cant see a link in your post. In relation to my post, would Cinepro mean anything to you?


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## jinjuku (Mar 23, 2007)

Moonfly said:


> Sorry I cant see a link in your post. In relation to my post, would Cinepro mean anything to you?


Here is the Carvin I'm referring to.

Cinepro means the same thing my Adcom, my Rotel, my Crown, my Berhinger does to me: Amplification. If you are looking from some magical knob of ultimate sound I would tell you to not worry about it. Cinepro is good as any one else and more expensive than most and less expensive than some others.

What are you looking for the Cinepro to do that another competent amp cannot? Plus the Carvin is built in the USA so you're supporting us Yanks directly


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## Moonfly (Aug 1, 2008)

jinjuku said:


> What are you looking for the Cinepro to do that another competent amp cannot? Plus the Carvin is built in the USA so you're supporting us Yanks directly


The AB power amps are supposed to be comparable to cinepro amps, and they are also built in the US (as are the IB drivers I am going to buy), it seems all the best stuff is built in the US .

What I am really looking for is a good quality hi fi amp to power the front 3 speakers and give a very good musical sound for 2 channel stereo, and top HT performance at the same time. As I am looking for something to power my IB as well, then if I could source an amp capable of also powering the IB from the same single unit it would basically be everything I am looking for. What that means is I need a 5 channel power amp capable of delivering 300 wpc. So far, the AB amp is about all I can find that will fit the bill.


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## jinjuku (Mar 23, 2007)

Moonfly said:


> The AB power amps are supposed to be comparable to cinepro amps, and they are also built in the US (as are the IB drivers I am going to buy), it seems all the best stuff is built in the US .
> 
> What I am really looking for is a good quality hi fi amp to power the front 3 speakers and give a very good musical sound for 2 channel stereo, and top HT performance at the same time. As I am looking for something to power my IB as well, then if I could source an amp capable of also powering the IB from the same single unit it would basically be everything I am looking for. What that means is I need a 5 channel power amp capable of delivering 300 wpc. So far, the AB amp is about all I can find that will fit the bill.


When you type 'IB' I interpret that as singular. I find it hard to believe that the AB / Cinepro are the only ones filling the need. 

Rotel, Adcom, Parasound, Emotiva, ATI all make multi-channel (5) amps. I am left with the distinct feeling that you are some how equating the AB / Cinepro with some function of sound quality that others will lack. In this day and age almost all amps are 'Hi Fi'.

The Emotiva XPA-5 that was posted earlier will hit your requirement. Did you not see that post?


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## jinjuku (Mar 23, 2007)

The Cinepro / AB is 5 RU (Rack units high).

Two of the Carvin (or like) is 4 RU high. So if space is a serious consideration then you will actually save space with two amps. One for your mains and one for your sub/s.


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## Moonfly (Aug 1, 2008)

The IB will be split into dual manifolds, so I benefit from multiple sub effects.

I am thinking that the Hi-fi amp route is preferable for the speakers. The pro stuff isnt usually as good, but I am open to correction on that as amps arent my area of expertise. Really I am just looking to move from an AVR to dedicated amps.

Finally, the AB amp can be fully customised. I can have it with balanced connections and anything upto 800 watts per channel, with anything from a mono block to a 6 channel unit. This is the main attraction really. Finally, I can get the unit finished like this as well:










The rack unit space isnt an issue, its more about not having a lot of different units to have to deal with really. I am still open to options though, so dont take my post as a rebuttal, its really just me trying to get my thinking across as best I can.


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## jinjuku (Mar 23, 2007)

Moonfly said:


> The IB will be split into dual manifolds, so I benefit from multiple sub effects.
> 
> I am thinking that the Hi-fi amp route is preferable for the speakers. The pro stuff isnt usually as good, but I am open to correction on that as amps arent my area of expertise. Really I am just looking to move from an AVR to dedicated amps.


The best thing you can do is disabuse yourself of that notion. There is good pro audio gear and bad, just the same as consumer audio gear.

I have a Crown XLS 402D. If you can tell me which one it is vs my Parasound or Adcom blind you are welcome to walk out the door with which ever one you want.

If you got the cash then I say go for it. Aesthetics have a place in all of this. Sounds like you have yourself talked most of the way into this before the OP. Good luck and I would love to see pics after everything is said and done.


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## Moonfly (Aug 1, 2008)

I have always been one to agree with your notions here. Its one reason I have never really been in a major rush to move away from the AVR. The speakers I now have though could possibly benefit from better amplification, or at least that what I am thinking anyway. Trouble is, how do I know unless I try something. Its no wander these things tend to take me a lot time to resolve.


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