Is an Amplifier Worth the Money?

[TonyP]

Hello Everyone:

I'm looking for everyone's opinion. I have a Marantz SR7002 receiver sending power to my Sierra 1's (Front and Center) and 170s (Surrounds). My wife would like to move to 7.1 surround but I wasn't sure if I would loose audio quality with the added load. Is it worth investing in a 3-channel amplifier?

[curtis]

It really depends on how loud you like to listen to your material.

If you like higher levels, then a more power external can help. If not, then probably not.

[Funambulistic]

The specs on your Marantz show discreet amplification (100wpc x7) which, from what I gather, means each channel is separate (unlike other models where power is distributed based on the load; i.e. "120wpc x 5 OR 90wpc x 7"). Adding two more speakers should not pose any problem.

My big question is: Who is this woman you married and does she have a sister? Suggesting an 7.1 system = awesome!

[TonyP]

I am pretty lucky ( : Unfortunately, both of her sister's are married. Thanks for the information though! For the heck of it, I've been looking at B-stock ATI, Outlaw, and Parasound amps. We really love watching movies so any addition to our system is exciting!