Who uses a separate amp?

[Gov]

Just curious as to whether or not Ascend owners that have a mid-priced or higher a/v receiver use a separate amp and why they do. It doesn't matter 2, 3 or 5 channel amp, I'd like to hear from all owners. I feel that the Ascends are fairly easy speakers to drive and really don't benefit from the additional power. I am also curious and wonder if any Ascend owners went from an A/V receiver to separates and noticed a difference.

Thanx

[BradJudy]

I use an Outlaw 950/750 combo with Ascends (340cSE and four 170s - fronts SE, rears classic). I bought it largely because I wanted a hefty, reliable amp that I could use for years with any variety of speakers. The combo sounds different than my H/K AVR-520, but it was more than just an amp swap - it was a dedicated pre-pro too. I'd say I can hear some more detail and it's a bit less 'warm', but it's hard to say since this isn't something you can A/B switch (at least not without equipment that I don't own).

[chas]

Gov - I see on AVS that you mentioned you had an Emotiva LPA-1 and returned it. You heard no difference with the amp?

[Gov]

Well, I did not actually hear any difference in SQ. I believe it did give me some more headroom, but I am not sure. I don't know, sometimes I think I didn't give the LPA-1 more of a chance. Other times, I feel that an external amp maybe is not necessary with the Ascends. I don't really know. I was considering trying out another amp. Would it be fair to say the Ascends are an easy load to drive with a decent receiver? This is why I posted this question, "who uses an amp with their Ascends, and why?"

[chas]

I had a Pio 1014 and used an Outlaw monoblock on the center channel. I do think it helped a bit with HT dialog. I am now using a Yamaha receiver with the monoblock but have considered the LPA-1.

[buddhadas]

I have a Denon 3805, and i flip flop with a mcintosh 2505, and a Jbl Urei amp pushing my left and right 340 se's. The denon is supposedly 120wpc, but I prefer the sound and power of the Mcintosh (50wpc) and Jbl (75wpc). I listen to music primarily in 2 channel (pure direct on the denon) Too this old mans ears, it sounds better with an amp, but thats just my opinion.
Thanks,
Jim

[Gov]

I had a Pio 1014 and used an Outlaw monoblock on the center channel. I do think it helped a bit with HT dialog. I am now using a Yamaha receiver with the monoblock but have considered the LPA-1.

Were you having trouble hearing HT dialog without the monoblock when using the 1014? If so, at what levels? Also, were you happy with the 1014's performance at or near reference levels with the Ascends?

[RoadWarrior]

I was wrestling with buying the Emotiva LPA-1.

Interesting article about whether you can really tell the difference in sound quality between amp and receiver.

Best
RoadWarrior

[RoadWarrior]

oops..forgot to post link


http://www.hometheaterfocus.com/rece...d-quality.aspx

[BradJudy]

I note on that comparison. I participated in a blind A-B amp comparison at the RMAF where a tube amp was compared to a SS amp. The differences were very subtle between them and I couldn't say which was which (one person made the point that he knew which he thought was better, but not which was tube or SS). The volume was kept low enough so neither amp would clip, even at the peaks (as mentioned in the linked article above).

After the A-B, they demonstrated (using a 500W SS amp) that the dynamic peaks of music required about 10x the average power. They had a neat setup with one digital power meter showing an average power level and another that was set up to show peaks. It was cool to see the power output in real-time while you were listening. So, listening at a level that used about 20W of power had momentary peaks of 200W - this level was on the upper end of how loud I listen. When they cranked it to about 30W, the peaks were around 300W, but this was too loud for me.

The demo was done by some really smart technical guys and not an amp company.