Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Has anyone tried B&K amp before?

www.bkcomp.com

Thanks.

I have had a few. What exact model are you looking at? They make nice stuff. Very neutral sounding amps that have an overall "Warm" sound.

We have some of their gear at my office. It's nice stuff.
If you're looking for a quality amp at a very low price.
Try www.outlawaudio.com

I'm looking B&K AV125 or AV125.3 They're both 125 wpc. I currently have denon 3805 which rated at 120wpc. I read that denon can't produce 120wpc when all channels are driven, even only 2ch driven. So , i'm still in between av200.5 and av125.5

If av125.5 is rated at 125wpc all channel driven, then this is the one i'm looking at . I also look at Rotel since i heard it. About Outlaw, i don't know about this but i'll look into it.

Not sure who told you that about the 3805 but with 7 channels all being driven, the 3805 can do a true 93 watts at clipping. In 2 channel it can darn near go 140 watts. You are not going to get to much more then that from the B&K's you have listed above.

DOLBY DIGITAL PERFORMANCE (Denon 3805)
Output at clipping (1 kHz, 8 ohms)
1 channel driven..................151 W (21.75 dBW)
2 channels driven..................139 W (21.5 dBW)
5 channels driven.....................107 W (20 dBW)
7 channels driven..................93 W (19.75 dBW)
Distortion at 1 watt
(THD+N, 1 kHz, 8 ohms)........................0.028%
Noise level (A-wtd, 16-bit signal).........–75.9 dB
Excess noise (with sine tone)
16-bit (EN16)...............................................0 dB
Frequency response
20 Hz to 20 kHz +0, –0.26 dB
MULTICHANNEL ANALOG
PERFORMANCE
Distortion (THD+N, 1 kHz, 8 ohms)....0.0075%

Noise level (A-wtd)..............................–89.4 dB
Frequency response
20 Hz to 100 kHz +0, –2.8 dB
BASS MANAGEMENT
Subwoofer-output frequency response
(crossover set to 80 Hz)
21 dB/octave rolloff above –6-dB point of 80 Hz
High-pass-filter frequency response
(crossover set to 80 Hz)
12 dB/octave rolloff below –3-dB point of 80 Hz
Maximum unclipped subwoofer output
(all trims at 0 dB)....................................9.4 volts
Subwoofer distortion (from 6-channel, 30-Hz,
0-dBFS signal; subwoofer trim set to 0,
dialogue normalization 27)........................0.07%

It should also be noted that the numbers I posted above on the 3805 are not from Denon. They are from a bench test that Sound & Vison did. They are accurate.

What is "Output at clipping (1 kHz, 8 ohms)" ? I'm not sure i understand what it means.

thanks.

I personally like having an external amp driving the speakers. I use a receiver for the pre/pro. Dedicated pre/pro's cost a fortune.

I wouldn't change a thing in my system with the budget I had to work with.

Also, ATI makes a great amp. I actually had the pleasure to set one up. Very nice

Now a lot of people say that some amps are "WARM" or "DELICATE", I say their full of sh*t. This only applies to tube amps. True silicon amps shouldn't alter the sound, period. (Unless there made by some crappy third world manufactures that makes tires and amps). Keep in mind that this statement only applies to reputable external amps.
I had to get that off my chest, it's been pissing me off for a while now.

Tom

AF,reading between the lines a bit, it appears that you're unnecessary concerned because of some inaccurate and misleading info you've read somewhere about your 3805. First, the FTC regulation on amplifiers(16 CFR Part 432) requires that they produce the rated power for at least five minutes continuously with "all associated channels" driven simultaneously. When the reg was being formulated in the early 1970s nearly all amps had one or two channels, so "all associated channels" could only mean two. Although multi-channel amps are now common the reg language and interpretation hasn't been changed(it's been under study for about four years)and most makers(HK and NAD are two exceptions)continue to use the two channel simultaneously spec.

The point therefore is that your 3805 exceeds its power rating of 120 watts with two channels driven, as the test John(NeverHappy)reports shows. Actually those numbers are conservative, since S&V uses 0.3% distortion as "clipping", and that's far below actual clipping or audibility on music.

"All channels driven" continuously can be tested under lab conditions, but rarely if ever occurs in the home and far too much attention is given to it in some audio circles. Incidentally, even if the 3805(or some other amp)could do 120 watts into seven channels continuously(rather than the tested 93 watts)it would represent only about 1.2dB more in peak loudness(say 111.2dB instead of 110dB). The bottom line is that your 3805 is a very powerful receiver and it's unlikely that you have any good reason to be thinking of a change.

In reply to:

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Now a lot of people say that some amps are "WARM" or "DELICATE", I say their full of sh*t.

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I call an amp warm and then you post that people who say this are full of sh*t! As much as I want to get into this with you I'm going to pass as it just seems to be par for the course around here lately.....By the way, ever heard a good Parasound amp or a Sunfire?...................WARM!!!!!

thank you all for your opinion and suggestion. I'm actually quite satisfied with 3805.I'm just wondering whether an external power amp will improve the clarity and sound in 3805. If the improvement is not like day and night, then i won't bother. A local dealer (tweeter) carries B&K and it's temped to try out at home.

I didn't mean to offend you. Sorry if I did.
I had a few drinks when I posted this . I should have taken more time on this post to actually get my point understood. Later today I'll try to post an intelligent comment. Also, keep in mind opinions are just that, opinions.

audiofan and NeverHappy,

It's true those tests at Sound&Vision are accurate, however, I would point out that a further dilution of measurement standards has taken place in deference to the builders of 7-channel A/V receivers.

The maximum power output of the Denon (and other A/V multichannel receivers) is measured by S&V at only one frequency in the midrange--1 kHz--, a much less demanding test. And while this still is important, it tells you nothing about how much power the Denon is delivering at lower and higher frequencies and at what levels of distortion.

In the era of 2-channel stereo, an oft-quoted measurement checked the amplifier power output from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and measured the distortion across the audible bandwidth. The 1-kHz measurement used to be reserved for car stereo gear. It is much less rigorous.

Separate multi-channel power amplifiers usually will quote the power output across the audible bandwidth (it's sometimes called "power bandwidth) with all channels or five channels driven, from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. In that respect, they are always superior to the on-board amps in A/V receivers. Whether or not you would hear a difference in most domestic living rooms is debatable, but I suspect in big system in large rooms, those differences would emerge in favor of much less distortion and greater output power from the separate power amplifiers.

Regards,

thanks, Alan.
avr-3805 is rated at 120wpc. based on your opinion, what wattage would you suggest in term of power for an amp? I mean, should i get 125 wpc (all channels driven) power amp or the wattage must be larger than the one in avr-3805 (for example, 200wpc) THe reason i'm asking is because, the power amp with 125wpc falls into my budget. Note that i don't have very large room (12x14) and I almost never go very loud anyway. I just want more clarity in sound.

audiofan:

I concur with JohnK. I believe you'd have to step up to a power amp in the 200-watt-per-channel range and be in a really huge room--6,000 to 8,000 cu ft--to detect any difference in performance.

With your current setup and room size as well as listening tastes, I'd be surprised if you heard any difference at all. I don't think it's a worthwhile upgrade.

Regards,

I like to disagree with Alan....because....well.....cause it's fun and he doesn't seem to like Onkyo very much! but I can't on this one! Just kidding Alan.

About a year ago I went upgrade goofy and bought a Rotel RB-1090 which is a 380 watt a side monster of an amp. 700 watts a side into 4 ohms! I got it home unpacked it, hooked it up and after a few weeks it went back. It was cool to say I was pushing 700 watts a side but the overall difference it made in sound was to me not worth the investment.

thanks, all.

I read in audioholic that i can bi-amp 3805 by using unused channel. I think i'll give it a try.