# av reciever or pre amp/power amp?



## Ian Coleman (Oct 21, 2011)

i currently have a denon avr 791 av reciever and am thinking of upgrading to a pre amp/power amp set up.
i use a 5.1 chanal set up with polk audio speakers,main use is for watching blu rays and listning to music through 2 chanal.i also have a denon turn table.
what are the pros and cons of a pre amp/power amp set up,would this suit my use?do they have hdmi?
budget is $2000 us dollars
any help would be much appreciated


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Ian Coleman said:


> i currently have a denon avr 791 av reciever and am thinking of upgrading to a pre amp/power amp set up.
> i use a 5.1 chanal set up with polk audio speakers,main use is for watching blu rays and listning to music through 2 chanal.i also have a denon turn table.
> what are the pros and cons of a pre amp/power amp set up,would this suit my use?do they have hdmi?
> budget is $2000 us dollars
> any help would be much appreciated


Hello,
Welcome to HTS. Given how much more expensive HT Gear is in Australia/NZ, are you purchasing this gear in the US or is that your budget for purchasing this in NZ? If there, I would be looking at a used Power Amplifier and perhaps using an AVR with Preamp Outputs as an SSP.
Cheers,
JJ


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## phreak (Aug 16, 2010)

Jungle Jack said:


> Hello,
> Welcome to HTS. Given how much more expensive HT Gear is in Australia/NZ, are you purchasing this gear in the US or is that your budget for purchasing this in NZ? If there, I would be looking at a used Power Amplifier and perhaps using an AVR with Preamp Outputs as an SSP.
> Cheers,
> JJ


A great option is AVR with preamp outputs, and start with just a separate 2ch amp for the mains while the other 3 channels are powered by the receiver. Check out pro audio suppliers for amps as well. Crown / Behringer / QSC / Samson are just a few of many brands worth checking out


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

phreak said:


> A great option is AVR with preamp outputs, and start with just a separate 2ch amp for the mains while the other 3 channels are powered by the receiver. Check out pro audio suppliers for amps as well. Crown / Behringer / QSC / Samson are just a few of many brands worth checking out


I ran a pair of QSCs with my old Martin Logan Sequels and they ROCKED!


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## Ian Coleman (Oct 21, 2011)

i would be purchasing in new zealand.thanks for the replys.sorry i am new to this audio game and am not to clued up on it.could you please explain what your mean buy running a separate 2 ch amp?how dose that work?what will i gain?
your help is much appreciated
thanks


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Ian Coleman said:


> i would be purchasing in new zealand.thanks for the replys.sorry i am new to this audio game and am not to clued up on it.could you please explain what your mean buy running a separate 2 ch amp?how dose that work?what will i gain?
> your help is much appreciated
> thanks


Hello,
Provided your AVR/Integrated Amplifier has Preamp Outputs, you can start with just a 2 Channel or Stereo Power Amplifier to drive your Mains (Front Speakers) and add additional Power Amplifiers in time. It is usually the Mains that benefit the most along with the Center Channel. However, by relieving the AVR of driving the Mains you are also providing more power for the CC/Surrounds.
J


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## Ian Coleman (Oct 21, 2011)

thank you for getting back JJ,
That is very helpfull, My denon Avr 791 dose not have pre amp out puts so i will need to get a avr that does or an intergrated amp and also a power to drive the mains.i can see how that would work.=).
sorry to be a pain but is there any paticular models your would recomend?around the $2000 us dollar mark.plinius and perreaux are quite big here in new zealand..will these have hdmi ports on them for running a play station 3 and for my tv?
once again i am new to this audio game.
much apreciated
IC


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Ian Coleman said:


> thank you for getting back JJ,
> That is very helpfull, My denon Avr 791 dose not have pre amp out puts so i will need to get a avr that does or an intergrated amp and also a power to drive the mains.i can see how that would work.=).
> sorry to be a pain but is there any paticular models your would recomend?around the $2000 us dollar mark.plinius and perreaux are quite big here in new zealand..will these have hdmi ports on them for running a play station 3 and for my tv?
> once again i am new to this audio game.
> ...


IC,
No worries. I am a huge fan of Plinius and my younger brother owned a Perreaux Power Amplifier a few years back and it too was excellent. That being said, if using Active Monitors and or an Outboard Power Amplifier, I would go with a Denon AVR-3311, Onkyo TX-NR818, or Marantz SR7005. All three offer Audyssey MultEQ XT with the 818 offering XT32. In addition, all three offer very good Video Processing and all of the latest surround codecs. The Onkyo does offer HQV Vida in tandem with Marvell's Qdeo processing which is about impossible to beat. However, Denon offers Apple Airplay support and excellent resale value and reliability. The Marantz is excellent as well. Any of the three which you can get the best deal is the one I would probably get.
Cheers,
JJ


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## Ian Coleman (Oct 21, 2011)

JJ.thanks again for your help.
I can get a good deal on the marantz SR7005...$1399 US dollars.i can also get a good deal on the marantz sr 7007.dose that reciever have the same preamp outputs?
What sort of power amp would you sugest i run with it to drive the mains?
IC
cheers


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Ian Coleman said:


> JJ.thanks again for your help.
> I can get a good deal on the marantz SR7005...$1399 US dollars.i can also get a good deal on the marantz sr 7007.dose that reciever have the same preamp outputs?
> What sort of power amp would you sugest i run with it to drive the mains?
> IC
> cheers


Ian,
If you can get a good deal on the 7005, I would go with it. The biggest difference I can see with the 7007 is 4K Support. As it is going to be several years before 4K really gains traction, I certainly would not base a purchasing decision on it. In truth, it is just now that a critical mass of the populace now has HDTV's. 3D is been a major disappointment and I just do not see 4K being anything more than a niche format for quite some time.

As for an Power Amplifier, like I said I am a huge fan of Plinius. However, they are quite expensive and the Marantz has a solid Amplifier Stage. It really depends on the speakers being used, the size of the room and whether or not you are also using a subwoofer that will dictate the importance of an outboard amplifier.
Cheers,
JJ


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## Ian Coleman (Oct 21, 2011)

JJ..i will look to go for the 7005.
Thanks alot for your help its much appreciated,is there any issue if i brought the reciever out of america converting it to 240 volt for new zealand?
a 110 to 240 volt transformer should work?dose this affect it in any bad way?
cheers.
IC


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Ian Coleman said:


> JJ..i will look to go for the 7005.
> Thanks alot for your help its much appreciated,is there any issue if i brought the reciever out of america converting it to 240 volt for new zealand?
> a 110 to 240 volt transformer should work?dose this affect it in any bad way?
> cheers.
> IC


Ian,
I would steer clear of using a 110v AVR or Power Amplifier. While the savings are enticing, the price of a suitable step down transformer will more than offset what you would save. I believe Yamaha and Arcam AVR's are made to work with either standard however. I am not 100% sure about this, but I think it might be the case.
All the best,
J


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## Ian Coleman (Oct 21, 2011)

cheers for that i will buy n.z new.
Thank you for your time.
Ian


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Ian,
Tis' what I am here for. Any question you might have, we are here. Please let us know your thoughts about the 7005. I am quite fond of it.
All the best,
Jack


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